Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Of course, Qiuqiu was unaware of the anxious hours Figo, Tang Butian, and Xu Feng had spent waiting for him, fearing at one point that he might not return.

But in the end, it turned out they were not abandoned, homeless stray dogs.

“Wuwuwu Qiuqiu, the combat department isn’t complete without you!” Tang Butian roared like a bear and pounced towards Qiuqiu like a cannonball.

Qiuqiu had braced himself to be knocked over, but unexpectedly, just as Tang Butian was about to reach him, he stopped abruptly, then squatted down and wrapped his arms around Qiuqiu's legs, gently lifting the feather-light little Rose onto his shoulders.

He lifted his head proudly, like a triumphant warrior showing off his medals, parading the Omega on his shoulders.

The sudden elevation in view, where he usually had to look up at the Alphas, was now a novel experience of looking down on them, including their fluffy beast ears.

Xu Feng nervously twisted his clothes, wanting to look at Qiuqiu but not daring to, his face turning red before he even spoke.

“Qiuqiu, they... they didn’t bully you, did they?” he stuttered.

Qiuqiu shook his head: “No, those Omegas were nice to me. After talking, they respected my choice. I don’t think anyone will obstruct me from staying in the combat department anymore.”

Hearing this, the three Alphas were overjoyed, looking at each other with such happiness that they almost looked foolish.

With that, Qiuqiu had truly chosen to stay in the combat department.

The Brown Bear Alpha joyfully carried Qiuqiu around the dormitory living room. Figo then intervened, “It’s late, and we have official training tomorrow. Let’s all rest and prepare for the days ahead.”

Qiuqiu patted Tang Butian’s round bear ears, signaling him to put him down.

Tang Butian obediently complied, then turned to Figo with a mischievous grin, “I won’t listen to you, I only listen to Qiuqiu.”

“Behave,” Figo rolled his eyes at him, then turned to Qiuqiu, “The bathwater is ready, and I’ve put toothpaste on your brush. You can use it directly when you go into the bathroom.”

Qiuqiu’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by Figo’s thoughtful gestures.

Tang Butian teased, “Who knew our Tiger Big Bro could be so considerate? Almost like the perfect wife in real life.”

Figo’s cheeks turned slightly red, feeling warm. Ignoring Tang Butian’s usual teasing, he said to Qiuqiu, “Hope you have sweet dreams tonight, good night.”

Qiuqiu nodded and bid good night to each of them.

After washing up and returning to his room, just as he closed the door, Morfa, who had been enduring his impatience, immediately reverted to his human form and pounced on Qiuqiu onto the bed, looming over him like a big dog sniffing around.

Caught off guard, Qiuqiu struggled to get up, but his attempts failed.

“What are you doing, get up, you’re crushing me,” Qiuqiu pushed against the immovable Morfa.

However, Morfa didn’t budge.

After sniffing around his neck for a while, Morfa finally got up, but his legs still clung around Qiuqiu's knees, restricting him to a seated position.

“Mom has the scent of other Alphas on her, even Omegas.” Qiuqiu was surprised to notice a hint of sulkiness in Morfa’s expression.

His mouth turned downwards, and his silver antennae drooped listlessly.

“So many pheromones mixed together, it's disgusting. It’s covering your own nice scent,” Morfa complained, “Mom, can you promise me to stay away from those Alphas who have ill intentions towards you?”

Qiuqiu thought Morfa was talking nonsense. With the restraining collar on, how much of other Alphas' pheromones could he possibly pick up from mere contact?

Unbeknownst to Qiuqiu, he didn't understand the intense possessiveness of Alphas in this world. For them, even a diluted trace of another's pheromones would be locked onto persistently.

Qiuqiu, unaware, didn’t take seriously the Alpha pheromones on him, irritating Morfa with his attitude.

Although Morfa harbored undisclosed feelings for Qiuqiu, it wasn’t the time to reveal them. His little Omega was slow to catch on in certain matters, so Morfa felt action was the best way to address this issue.

He emitted his pheromones, invisible and intangible, but like thick, suction-cupped vines, they subtly wrapped around Qiuqiu, masking the foul and vile scents of other Alphas.

Fearing discovery, Morfa didn’t release too much, so Qiuqiu remained unaware of the change, not realizing his body was now covered in a distinct Alpha scent.

The pervasive rust-like pheromone loudly declared ownership, misleadingly suggesting he was marked by an Alpha’s bite to the tender flesh of the nape, else how could a beautiful, eligible Omega be so immersed in another Alpha's scent?

This marking Alpha was domineering, allowing only himself to possess the delicate and beautiful Omega, forbidding others’ coveting.

And the naive Omega, unknowingly, was being branded by him.

Not satisfied, Morfa brought up an old issue, “Mom, mammal ears are nicer to touch than butterfly antennae, aren’t they?”

Recalling the difference between touching Morfa’s antennae and Figo’s tiger ears, Qiuqiu found the fluffy, soft tiger ears more pleasant. He had thought Morfa would be aware of this, but was surprised that he dared to ask.

But it wouldn’t be right to bluntly say so and hurt his pride, would it?

“Uh…” Qiuqiu hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Morfa already knew the answer, so his innocent puppy-dog eyes drooped sadly.

“You've met more and more Alphas, willing to let you touch their ears and tails, so you don't like touching my antennae anymore.”

“But Mom used to gently touch my antennae and praise me for being cute.”

Unable to bear Morfa’s self-pitying words, Qiuqiu, kneeling on the bed, leaned forward to touch Morfa’s antennae.

He consoled half-heartedly, “Don’t think like that, good child, Mom will always love you the most.”

Qiuqiu tried to encourage the sensitive, attention-starved child, unaware that what Morfa truly wanted was not this kind of familial encouragement.

Morfa simply yearned for more physical contact with Qiuqiu.

He absolutely adored the soft touch of the little Omega's palm and had long since grown dissatisfied with only his antennae being caressed.

He even envied his own antennae – these remnants of his evolutionary weakness and vulnerability during his cocooning phase – why should they receive such affection?

Morfa yearned to have his cheeks, eyes, ears, throat, and other parts of his body caressed with the same tenderness.

As a newly matured Alpha, his self-control was limited. Even this minimal contact was almost too much to bear, causing him to arch his back and let out a quick gasp. Not only did his usually cool silver antennae heat up from the intimate touch, but so did other parts of his body.

However, the tingling sensation didn't last long. Qiuqiu soon withdrew his hand, feeling that it was enough.

Morfa, slightly dissatisfied, nuzzled closer to Qiuqiu’s neck, greedily inhaling the Omega's warm, rich scent.

“Okay, stop it now,” Qiuqiu patted his head. Even though the one clinging to him was now a grown Alpha, he still subconsciously saw him as the sensitive, timid child from his memories.

Morfa, knowing when to stop, released his hold on Qiuqiu and sat facing him.

He sniffled abruptly and asked, “Mom, do you dislike me now?”

Initially surprised by the question, Qiuqiu was about to ask why he would think so, but then remembered his recent doubts about Morfa's origins after hearing about the past persecution of Omegas from Bai Tianxing.

He hesitated, finding the wounded young Alpha's question a bit challenging.

Surely Morfa couldn’t be so sensitive as to perceive his fleeting thoughts?

“If you have any concerns, please tell me directly. Don’t keep them buried inside – just thinking that you might despise me one day makes it almost unbearable to breathe.”

Qiuqiu always felt as if both Maomao and Morfa could read his mind, preempting his carefully chosen words with their own assertions.

With the truth now out in the open, he didn’t hold back. Looking directly into Morfa's eyes, he stated plainly, “I don’t despise you, Morfa. My fear is that you were raised in a noble family, nourished on the blood and bones of Omegas.”

Morfa understood.

In fact, his habitual portrayal of vulnerability was a strategic posture to elicit Qiuqiu’s compassion—

From his days as Maomao, Morfa had realized that his Omega was different, not indifferent to the plight of the weak like most in this empire. Qiuqiu was more likely to feel compassion for the disadvantaged.

He seemed distant and unapproachable, but Morfa knew best that this version of Qiuqiu actually harbored a near-divine empathy for others.

He easily empathized with others' pain and always tried to help within his capabilities, a rare virtue in this self-preserving empire.

Even though the events recounted by the Starry Sky Omega were unrelated to him, Qiuqiu still felt sorrow and anger for those Omegas, now just a distant part of history.

Hidden beneath his icy exterior was a heart burning fiercely, compassionate and luminous in spirit.

Morfa always claimed to be a beautiful butterfly, but he never said that he always saw Qiuqiu as a raging fire, burning away all sins, bringing light and warmth.

Moths to a flame, drawn to such warmth.

Butterflies, too, tirelessly seek that flicker of light in the vast darkness, fluttering towards it, undeterred even if it means shattering into pieces.

“I’ve lost many memories and can’t assure you of a clean lineage, but I can promise I’ve never used the suffering of Omegas as my stepping stone.”

Morfa met Qiuqiu’s piercing gaze without flinching: “Do you remember? I promised to do everything in my power to change this world for you.”

Qiuqiu's heart skipped a beat unexpectedly, memories of Maomao's words interweaving with the present, gradually clearing the haze in his mind.

He smiled, casually ruffling Morfa's disheveled silver hair: "That's quite a challenging task for a little caterpillar..."

Morfa's silver antennae quivered, not showing any annoyance as he retorted: “The caterpillar form is only temporary—”

“Morfa is a beautiful butterfly,” Qiuqiu interjected.

“…” The young Alpha deflated a bit, mumbling softly, “Canaries are prettier.”

“What?” Qiuqiu didn't catch that.

Morfa lifted his eyes, his pale irises fixed on Qiuqiu. As he was about to speak, he changed his words.

“Actually, butterflies aren’t that small.”

“Mom, you don’t understand the anatomy of butterflies at all.”

The author adds a note:

“You see, male butterflies produce a scent near their reproductive organs to attract females.”

“The mating process for male butterflies can last several hours.”

“To ensure their paternity, male butterflies seal their mate’s reproductive tract with a wax-like ‘mating plug’ after mating, preventing future relations with other males.”