Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The usually aloof senior now had messy red hair and a flushed face. As he drew closer, Huainan flusteredly blocked him, feeling the pounding of his heartbeat, which made her own heart tremble nervously.

Ansel’s red lips parted slightly, his emerald eyes rippling with dazed waves as they gazed at Huainan.

As the pheromones spread, a burning agitation quietly rose in her chest.

The faint itch in her fangs and her rapid breathing made Huainan tense up instantly. These vague, fleeting thoughts gathered together, even giving her the wild impulse to peek at the senior’s slender, pale neck.

This is bad!

Even if it was her first time experiencing such agitation, she knew that letting it escalate would lead to serious consequences.

Gritting her teeth, Huainan mustered all her willpower to resist this instinctive impulse. She grabbed Ansel’s wrist, hauled the blanket, and cocooned him inside.

“Mmnh—”

Senior Ansel, with his crimson hair and slim brows knitted tightly, looked utterly disoriented. Seeing this, Huainan felt her vision blur.

She bit her tongue till it bled; the sharp pain snapped her back to clarity. She slapped the inhibitor bracelet on him, then frantically began searching for suppressants.

By the time Bernard had settled Thor and rushed in past Cassos’s demonic tail, he was nearly overwhelmed by the thick pheromones in the room!

Frustrated, he stomped in place and tugged his own hair.

“Senior! The suppressants!” Hearing the commotion, Huainan growled through gritted teeth.

Bernard sighed heavily, not daring to get too close. He stood at the doorway and shouted back at her.

“It’s no use! Didn’t you see the empty syringes under the bed?!”

“He’s already used too many suppressants!”

Only then did Huainan notice the scattered empty vials beneath the bed. The next moment, Bernard raised his voice again, now completely disregarding his aristocratic decorum.

“Huainan, a temporary mark—or use your pheromones to calm him!”

“There’s no other way!”

What?!

Huainan was nearly losing her mind. She turned her head in disbelief, her dark hair parting slightly to reveal a pair of blood-red eyes.

A temporary mark?! Senior Ansel wasn’t conscious right now—how could she do something like that?

“Seriously! You have to trust me!”

Amid the urgency, the atmosphere in the room grew unbearably heated.

Knowing Senior Bernard wouldn’t lie to her, Huainan had no choice but to pull out a bone fragment and press its sharp edge against her palm.

She tried her best to soothe Ansel with her pheromones, but because of her hazmat suit, he could only nuzzle her cheek with his moist, plush lips.

Huainan closed her eyes and held him tightly, silently enduring the faint, ticklish breaths against her lips. Whenever she felt her consciousness wavering, she clenched her fist, letting the sharp pain ground her. Drops of blood rolled like beads from her palm, gradually soaking into the sheets.

Seeing this, Bernard finally relaxed. Even if Ansel’s damaged glands didn’t affect him much, he still didn’t dare get too close to an omega in heat.

If he ended up being of no help and lost his own rationality, it would only make things worse.

And so, under Huainan’s awkward calming attempts with pheromones, the room finally settled into calm. Wrapped in the mingling scents of two pheromones, Huainan even felt a little dizzy, wondering—was this the scent of peppermint and green tea?

After a long while, Ansel finally regained his senses.

Realizing he was enveloped in a strong, minty fragrance, Ansel closed his eyes expressionlessly, as if unwilling to face the reality before him.

Even before losing consciousness, he’d had a bad feeling when Cassos left—and now, that premonition had come true.

Still, no matter what, he was grateful to Huainan—

“I’m sorry…”

The sharp scent of blood at his nose reminded Ansel of everything that had happened. Struggling to prop himself up, his long hair cascaded down, his usually vibrant crimson locks now damp and clinging, he uttered a raspy apology.

Faced with Senior Ansel’s fragile state, Huainan didn’t know what to say.

But recalling the jagged scars she’d glimpsed earlier, and remembering that without Senior Ansel, she wouldn’t have been able to save her grandfather’s life, a mix of emotions swirled in her chest, giving rise to a surge of protectiveness.

“It’s alright, Senior. Maybe it was my carelessness… You should rest now…”

The lingering pheromones still surrounded them, the lingering tension not yet fully dissipated. As Huainan left the room, she leaned against the cold hatch door, taking deep breaths of the crisp air, slowly calming the restless pounding in her chest.

Those pheromones that drove people mad were terrifying!

The giant white serpent had vanished the moment Ansel regained consciousness, leaving behind only Ao Ting, the despairing tiger.

The black-and-white tiger still refused to move, feeling as though his dignity had been thoroughly trampled!

What a humiliation to tigerkind!

Now that he’d regained his composure, Bernard took in the sorry states of Huainan and the tiger. Sensing her distress, he sincerely praised her in a loud voice.

“Wow, Huainan! Is this your Spirit Beast? Check out those claws, that build—so majestic!” He even stepped closer, reaching out as if to touch it.

“What’s its name? Can I pet it? I’m totally envious.”

Ao Ting, sprawled miserably on the floor, flicked his ears as if understanding. He scrutinized Bernard’s expression for a long moment before finally raising his tiger head and letting out a loud, indignant roar at Huainan.

“Roooaaar!”

It roughly meant, "Grow up faster! The tiger must grow up!"

Seeing that Senior Bernard's method worked, Huainan quickly nodded, following his lead and taking all the blame herself.

"It's my fault, all my fault."

"Ao Ting, just wait a little longer. You'll be grown up soon..."

"By then, you'll definitely be able to handle it!"

Huainan and the senior took turns coaxing Ao Ting until it finally calmed down.

With all the crises resolved, the two couldn't help but exchange a relieved smile, and the atmosphere eased considerably. Noticing the blood on Huainan's palm, Bernard showed concern.

"Come on, let me take you to get that wound treated. Otherwise, Thor will worry when he sees it."

"Earlier, he came out to find me on his own, and he could even tell that Cassos wasn't hostile..."

Huainan was naturally happy to receive Senior Bernard's enthusiastic praise, but at the same time, she couldn't shake off one annoying realization—

She was sweaty all over, and her shower was all for nothing!

***

[Beep—]

[Treatment complete.]

When Huainan stepped out of the sterile med-pod, her body was unharmed, and even the cut on her hand had left just a faint mark, which would likely heal by the next day.

She was now letting Thor know she was safe via a holographic screen. They had been talking for a while, and seeing his sleepy face, she couldn't help but soothe him.

"Thor, go to sleep first. When you wake up, you'll see your sister."

"Ah~" On the screen, Thor sat snuggled in his blankets, yawning repeatedly but nodding in agreement. Now that he knew his sister was safe, he could sleep peacefully.

"Goodnight, sis. Thor’s going to sleep."

Huainan smiled and nodded, waiting until he was sound asleep before turning off the terminal.

Bernard, who had been working on the med-pod nearby, never stopped working but kept his attention fixed on the siblings. Once Huainan finished, he spoke up.

"Huainan, can you smell Ansel’s pheromones?"

That was an odd question. Huainan was puzzled but answered honestly.

"Yes."

Seeing she didn’t deny it, Bernard frowned and pressed the shutdown button with his left hand. As the medical pod shut down, he turned around, stretching out his long legs and leaning against the console with his arms crossed.

"I can’t," Bernard replied.

He had been cautious and reserved before, but now that Ansel’s sudden heat had pulled Huainan into this situation, he felt he should explain some things.

"Ansel’s scent gland was injured in the past. Unless it’s during his heat, I usually can’t smell his pheromones at all. Even during his heat, all I sense is a faint whiff and basic instincts."

"That huge snake today was Ansel’s Spirit Beast, Cassos. He’s probably been suppressing his heats too harshly, and then he happened to encounter you—an alpha with an extremely high compatibility rate. That’s why things escalated like this today."

Extremely high compatibility?

Huainan raised an eyebrow at the claim. She hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was simply because she hadn’t worn a suppression bracelet. But the implications in Bernard’s words made her hesitate to respond, so she simply changed the subject.

"Senior Bernard, you said Cassos is Senior Ansel’s Spirit Beast. Do you have one too? Why didn’t I see it back on the junkyard planet?"

Huainan silently added to herself—she had thought this was another "special advantage" granted by advanced civilization.

Seeing she didn’t press further, Bernard gave an admiring yet resigned sigh. These two kids, despite their rough background, had a great sense of boundaries. Their restraint in conversation was almost unsettling. As for Spirit Beasts...

"Huainan, you overestimate me. Spirit Beasts are usually only found in alphas and omegas of S-rank or higher."

"Even in the Federal homeworld, there are fewer than ten. I’m only A-rank—I’m not strong enough."

Then, as if remembering something, he unexpectedly offered her some comfort.

"Ansel is six years older than you, and besides, neither Spirit Beast fought seriously during their fight. So don’t take the difference in strength to heart."

Huainan smiled gently.

Yes, Senior Bernard was right. From the moment Cassos appeared, hesitation had already formed in her mind, and those emotions had been transmitted flawlessly to Ao Ting. It was only natural that she had hesitated.

Seeing no trace of negativity in Huainan’s eyes, Bernard found himself liking this junior more and more. Still, he was worried about Ansel. Once Huainan had settled down, he stepped forward and patted her shoulder.

"Regardless, thank you for today. Ansel will finally be able to sleep well these next few months."

Back in the rest area, Huainan sat quietly for a long time, watching Thor sleep as the day’s events replayed in her mind.

It had been so unexpected!

She truly hadn’t known an omega’s heat could be so agonizing. This secondary characteristic, so far beyond her understanding, was terrifying in its own way. Thinking about alphas’ rut cycles and Senior Ansel...

Huainan unconsciously rubbed her fingertips, as if something still lingered there.

Author's Note:

***