Chapter 23: Soothe Me, the Other Way

Shao Ye always let his guard down around girls. This time, though, Lin Na’s trick hit him squarely.

Fuming, he suddenly felt a chilling draft run down his spine. The thought struck him like thunder—what if beast-mode Lu Zhanxing couldn’t recognize him?

Would he end up as tonight’s dinner, the only meal Lu had since transforming?

He turned his head slowly, heart pounding, only to lock eyes with a pair of familiar, gleaming pupils in the dark.

"Lu... Lu-ge, it’s me! Shao Ye! Do you recognize me?" he stammered, voice trembling.

The massive wolf bared its teeth, its fierce glare screaming "predator." But when it heard Shao Ye’s voice, its aggression faltered. It sniffed him carefully, taking in his scent.

Shao Ye froze, stiff as a board.

The wolf seemed to confirm his identity, howling into the night before licking Shao Ye’s face with its massive tongue, leaving him wet and dazed.

"...Did it recognize me?"

Shao Ye let out a shaky breath. At least he was safe for now.

Then, it happened.

He watched, wide-eyed, as the werewolf transformed. The dim light in the dungeon obscured the details, but the enormous creature shifted before his eyes.

"Ah Ye..." A rough, hoarse voice rasped beside him.

A shudder ripped through Shao Ye as he felt rooted to the ground, legs heavy like lead.

"Lu-ge, what’s happening? Are you okay?" His voice cracked with fear.

No answer. Only a sudden, crushing embrace.

Lu Zhanxing pounced on him, arms locking him tightly in place.

The air thickened with the sharp, intoxicating scent of oleanders, suffusing the dungeon. Shao Ye felt like a butterfly fluttering helplessly in a vast sea of flowers.

Lu Zhanxing’s wolf form—a snow-white Moon Wolf—was imposing yet strangely pure. Majestic, yet soothing.

Shao Ye thought, 'If Lu’s scent is oleanders, it must be white oleanders—poisonous, yet irresistibly alluring to butterflies.'

It felt like fate. The moment he met Lu Zhanxing, he was doomed. No escape.

But now wasn’t the time to question why Lu-ge deceived him before. Shao Ye whispered softly, “Lu-ge, I’m here.”

Just like Lu Zhanxing had whispered every time Shao Ye woke from a nightmare, grabbing his hand and saying, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you."

That tender moment shattered too soon.

Shao Ye’s face flushed as he realized something horrifying—Lu Zhanxing was completely naked.

"..."

Well, that made sense. Transforming back to human meant no clothes.

But seriously? There were no spares here either!

Memories of last night’s AI-generated tutorial videos surfaced, and heat churned in his stomach like wildfire.

The scent of oleanders teased his nose, cool and soothing, as if wrapping him in moonlight on a snowy field.

The source of that deadly allure buried its head into Shao Ye’s neck, clinging to him with an almost pathetic desperation.

Shao Ye’s brain short-circuited.

He wasn’t the type to give in easily, but seeing someone so broken—especially Lu Zhanxing, the towering, invincible Alpha—rattled him.

"Ah Ye... it hurts so much," Lu rasped, his breath ragged. "Help me..."

"Help you? How?! What do you want me to do?!" Shao Ye’s voice wavered, panic rising.

What was he supposed to do, throw away his dignity for the guy? No way!

Lu Zhanxing’s eyes darkened, pain twisting his features. “Let me mark you. Please.”

Mark me?!

Shao Ye’s internal alarms screamed. Last night’s biology lesson finally came in handy—getting marked by an Alpha meant permanent psychological dependence. Even if Shao Ye was as straight as an arrow, he’d never stay that way.

Rumors swirled about Lu Zhanxing sneaking in a temporary mark before, which explained why Shao Ye trusted him so much lately.

But a second layer? That would seal his fate!

No. Way.

“I’m straight! I won’t let you turn me!” Shao Ye declared, defiant.

Lu Zhanxing’s sharp gaze cut through the air, a storm brewing in his eyes.

Shao Ye shuddered, recalling that Alphas in heat were volatile, dangerous. One wrong move, and he’d be dead meat.

Lu Zhanxing seemed to catch the fear in Shao Ye’s expression. His jaw tightened, his voice strained as he clung to his last shred of control. “Fine. Then release calming pheromones.”

“Pheromones?!” Shao Ye stared, dumbfounded. “I-I don’t know how to do that!”

He felt tears threatening. This wasn’t happening.

Once again, Shao Ye felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

When he first discovered he was an Omega, the thought made him furious. He wished he could rip out his gland, terrified someone might catch the faintest whiff of his pheromones and expose him.

Now, the irony stung.

Only his pheromones could soothe Lu Zhanxing through his susceptibility period, yet he couldn’t do a damn thing. Even the simplest task of releasing pheromones to calm someone was beyond him.

“Lu-ge, the doctor said my glands are defective. I can’t release pheromones…”

Lu Zhanxing didn’t flinch. His response was unnervingly calm, like it wasn’t even worth mentioning. “Then we’ll find another way… to calm me down.”

Shao Ye’s stomach dropped. Sensing danger, he tried to wriggle free from Lu Zhanxing’s arms, but he didn’t make it two steps before a strong grip yanked him back. His hands were seized, and his back hit the cold, unyielding wall.

His eyes widened in panic. He instinctively struggled, but Lu Zhanxing pinned both wrists with one hand, rendering him utterly powerless.

“Don’t move,” Lu Zhanxing’s deep, magnetic voice warned, “or I really won’t be able to control myself.”

Terror surged through Shao Ye, his body trembling uncontrollably. “Lu-ge … I’m scared. I’m really scared. Please… spare me.”

Lu Zhanxing tilted his chin upward, forcing him to meet his gaze. “I won’t mark you without your consent.”

Shao Ye’s tearful eyes brightened with hope. “R-Really?”

Leaning closer, Lu Zhanxing rested his forehead on Shao Ye’s shoulder. His voice was low and restrained. “But you’ll still have to calm me down—another way.”

Shao Ye’s heart sank again. He desperately racked his brain, replaying yesterday’s biology lesson.

He remembered there were only three ways to soothe an Alpha during their susceptibility period:

• If the compatibility was high enough, pheromones could suffice.

• If not, marking was required.

• And if even a temporary mark didn’t work… there was only physical comfort left.

This wasn’t a choice; it was a death sentence dressed in three forms. No matter what, he was doomed.

Seeing Shao Ye still frozen in panic, Lu Zhanxing sighed, exasperated. “Come on, open your mouth.”

“Huh?” Shao Ye blinked, confused. “For what—”

Before he could finish, Lu Zhanxing tipped his chin and pressed their lips together.

Shao Ye’s eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat.

It wasn’t like the first time—back when they’d gotten married in the slums under duress. That had been nothing more than a fleeting brush of their lips, barely qualifying as a kiss.

This?

This was relentless, a full-on invasion.

Shao Ye could barely hold his ground, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him. He was utterly unprepared for Lu Zhanxing’s intensity, his mind blank, and his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

If Lu Zhanxing hadn't grabbed Shao Ye's wrist and held him up, Shao Ye would have already collapsed onto the ground.

But even with such a relentless approach, it still wasn’t enough to fill the emptiness of Lu Zhanxing’s susceptibility phase. He tried to pry open Shao Ye’s lips, pushing for more.

Shao Ye fought back fiercely, refusing to yield, forcing Lu Zhanxing to pause momentarily. As the distance between them finally grew, Shao Ye gasped for fresh air like a man narrowly escaping death, sucking in breath after desperate breath.

Lu Zhanxing wasn’t done, though. He grabbed Shao Ye’s face firmly, his dominance suffocating. “Pheromones in bodily fluids can calm me down. Don’t want to be marked? Then cooperate.”

Shao Ye’s mind was hazy, barely holding on to rational thought. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Bodily fluids? Spit’s not enough; maybe I should just pee on you instead…”

Lu Zhanxing’s expression darkened instantly. The chilling glare he shot Shao Ye froze him in place, silencing any further protests.

A shred of reason returned to Shao Ye’s mind. Weighing his options, he figured letting Lu Zhanxing kiss him was still better than being marked. Reluctantly, his trembling lips parted slightly, conceding to the situation.

What followed was an onslaught of frantic kisses, a consuming invasion that left Shao Ye reeling. The air thickened with an overwhelming scent of oleander, suffocating and intoxicating.

Shao Ye thought he had endured enough for one day, but Lu Zhanxing wasn’t finished. Those broad hands wandered to his waist and abdomen, sending waves of tingling sensations through his body, an itch he couldn’t describe but couldn’t ignore.

Desperate, Shao Ye shoved Lu Zhanxing away, his voice laced with pleading. “Lu-ge, you promised you wouldn’t mark me!”

Lu Zhanxing ignored his protests, grabbing Shao Ye’s hand and guiding it downward. Shao Ye flinched as if shocked, trying to pull away, but Lu Zhanxing was quicker, forcing his hand back in place.

“Ah Ye…” Lu Zhanxing’s voice was low and commanding, laced with a faint threat. “Be good. If you don’t want to be marked, help me. Just this once, okay?”

Shao Ye’s resistance crumbled under the weight of helplessness and humiliation. Resigned, he told himself that sacrificing his dignity for a moment was better than losing his freedom.

With a heavy heart and a burning sense of injustice, he followed Lu Zhanxing’s lead, reluctantly easing the unbearable heat of his susceptibility phase.

Shao Ye’s face twisted in utter grievance, but Lu Zhanxing looked completely satisfied, as if emerging from the torment of his condition. That smug look only fueled Shao Ye’s fury.

A man can endure anything as long as his principles and chastity remain intact, Shao Ye thought bitterly. Once he escaped this dark, suffocating dungeon, he’d still be the indomitable iron-willed man he prided himself on being.

Gritting his teeth, Shao Ye steeled his resolve. With the determination honed from over twenty years of single life, he completed the task at hand with cold precision.

The dungeon reeked even stronger of oleander now.

Shao Ye felt like a tiny butterfly drowning in a pool of honey, suffocating under its sticky sweetness.