Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Name: Shi Jian; Gender: Male; Age: 17.

Initial Differentiation Result: Diagnosed as an Omega at one month old, with a spirit animal, the Dawn Flash Butterfly, in an undeveloped cocoon state. Exact rank indeterminate, but projected to achieve S-class Omega upon successful Secondary Differentiation.

Secondary Differentiation Result: Entered Secondary Differentiation prematurely two months ago. Spirit animal has matured into its adult stage. Prediction error: the registrant ultimately differentiated into an Alpha… E-class."

When uttering the last two words, the registrar paused, glancing at the person opposite him.

The young man sat ramrod straight, his skin, visible beyond his loungewear, as white as fresh snow under sunlight. His aquamarine hair cascaded long and loose, like a clear, transparent stream. His body, having developed as an Omega for seventeen years, was exceptionally slender—his waist straight and supple, his thighs well-proportioned as they pressed against the mahogany chair, his calves smooth and long.

This was a youth whose aristocratic bearing alone, even without seeing his face, was enough to captivate attention, bearing the unmistakable demeanor of General Shi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ninth Military Region. Anyone who had seen both of them would instantly recognize the inherited grace in his bloodline.

With his elite pedigree and striking looks, had fate not intervened, he might indeed have become the Federation’s most dazzling Omega—perhaps even, as rumors suggested, selected as the Imperial Consort, securing genuine power.

But the premature Secondary Differentiation had instead turned him into an Alpha.

A low-grade Alpha… of the lowest E-class.

An unmistakable, intrusive pity and sympathy flickered in the registrar’s eyes—the kind of shock, compassion, and lament one might show when faced with a disabled person’s amputated limbs. Not mockery, but still enough to make the recipient of such a gaze deeply uncomfortable.

Shi Jian was already familiar with this look. It had taken him only two months to progress from discomfort to resignation.

The youth lowered his pale, thick eyelashes slightly, his thin lips pressed tightly together, their redness stark against his snow-white skin. Purposefully disregarding the registrar’s overly obvious shift in tone when announcing his Secondary Differentiation result, he accepted the documentation without protest.

The registrar wanted to say something, but given his position, neither comfort nor guidance was appropriate. Suddenly aware of the awkwardness, he offered Shi Jian a polite smile before leaving with the documents.

The moment he stepped out, he turned to see Wen Yuan, the adopted son of the Shi family, waiting outside. He hurriedly mustered a smile and greeted, "Colonel Wen."

Wen Yuan returned an equally courteous smile. Handsome with almond-shaped eyes, his voice was as warm as spring sunshine. "Thank you for your hard work. Let me see you out."

The registrar watched, flummoxed, as Wen Yuan walked ahead of him, nearly stumbling in nervousness. His mind raced: What merit did he possess to earn such favor from this ascendant star of the Federation’s military?

As the registrar wracked his mind for what value he might hold for the other man, sure enough, just before boarding the car, Wen Yuan spoke.

"I’ve heard that after official registration, the Secondary Differentiation results of Federation citizens are recorded into the national registry system, allowing the civil affairs department to analyze data and provide compatibility matches for adult, unmarried Alphas and Omegas. However, unless the individual is a public political or business figure, the disclosure of such results is optional."

"Y-yes, sir, that’s correct. Why do you ask?" The registrar wiped sweat from his forehead.

Despite Colonel Wen’s reputation for an approachable and congenial nature, he was still an S-class Alpha—the highest rank. Even when deliberately restrained, the faintest leakage of his pheromones was enough to overwhelm an ordinary Beta like the registrar with an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Wen Yuan smiled. "As I suspected. In that case, I hope you can keep my brother’s test results confidential. This is also my father’s wish."

Even without invoking Shi Cangfeng’s name, the registrar understood perfectly. For a prestigious family like the Shi’s—deeply rooted in the Ninth Military Region, having produced countless high-ranking officers and political figures—a young master originally predicted to become an S-class Omega suddenly degrading into an E-class low-grade Alpha was nothing short of a disgrace, a stain best kept hidden.

Naturally, mentioning him publicly remained forbidden.

Such family secrets were not something the registrar dared breathe a word about. He nodded repeatedly, vowing absolute discretion, though he voiced his concerns: "The young master isn’t from an ordinary family. With so many eyes watching, even if not publicly disclosed, it’ll be impossible to contain internally."

After all, the population system’s access permissions weren’t high. Anyone with minimal clearance could easily retrieve the data—unlike Shi Jian’s father and brother, whose sensitive statuses as generals, majors, or political figures required higher clearance to view. His differentiation results would inevitably surface sooner or later.

Wen Yuan clearly knew this too. "Don’t worry about the rest. As long as the majority remain unaware, it’s fine."

"Understood, understood." The registrar nodded repeatedly, though inwardly lamenting: How cold noble family ties are! Just because the differentiation results fell short of expectations—well, admittedly, it was a profound disgrace, falling from a top-tier Omega to a low-grade Alpha—but to be so ashamed as to avoid mentioning it entirely?

Sure, the young master’s Alpha rank was lacking, but… with looks like that, he could still attract plenty of high-ranking matches—whether Alphas or Omegas—for marriage, right?

—In the prevailing stereotypes, Alphas possessed superior physical prowess and extraordinary abilities, born to be soldiers, while Omegas bore the responsibilities of reproduction and soothing Alphas. The Federation hadn’t yet progressed enough to allow these minority genders to pair among themselves. And the registrar, still haunted by Shi Jian’s striking beauty, kept forgetting the youth was now a certified, undeniable Alpha, reflexively viewing him as an Omega.

Wen Yuan met his gaze. Though his expression didn’t change, the registrar suddenly felt the temperature drop around them. "To be frank, I, too, regret Xiao Jian’s differentiation results. He was such an outstanding Omega before, but now… I fear not even the most ordinary Omegas would want him. After all, an E-class Alpha’s pheromones… could they ever satisfy a future spouse?"

"This is a sensitive matter, so we avoid bringing it up around him. Fortunately, he’s still young, so there’s no rush. With time, perhaps he’ll adjust."

…Why does it sound like you’re overly invested in your brother’s future love life? What does his hypothetical spouse’s dissatisfaction have to do with you?…

The registrar broke into an awkward sweat, managing a strained smile as he exchanged a few more pleasantries before hastily signaling the driver to leave.

Only once the car was completely out of sight did Wen Yuan’s smile fade. His gaze swept past the blooming freesias in the flowerbed, his eyes chilling momentarily before settling into pure, raw, instinctive revulsion.

Alpha pheromones—disgusting.

Especially those of an E-class, the most inferior kind, unable to control their pheromones, leaking them everywhere. Even that Beta registrar had been tainted by the overpoweringly sweet floral aroma, leaving it lingering in Wen Yuan’s nostrils.

He closed his eyes, suppressing the wave of revulsion with great effort before finally recovering his poise.

Returning to the parlor, his customary pleasantness replaced the brief darkness in his expression, and he acted as though completely unaffected by the offensive scent of his inferior counterpart.

"You don’t seem too upset. That’s a relief."

Shi Jian didn’t respond, only now seeming to realize the registration process was over. He stood, making to return to his room.

Just then, his phone rang—a video call from his Omega friend, Lei Yu.

Shi Jian glanced sidelong at his adoptive brother leaning against the doorway and declined the call. Wen Yuan, with his S-class Alpha vision, caught the caller’s name instantly and smirked. "I heard Lei Yu recently completed his differentiation as an A-class Omega. And with Uncle Lei also serving as head of the Sixth Military Region, your family backgrounds are quite compatible. If no Omega will have you in the end, pairing with him wouldn’t be a bad alternative."

"Given how close you two are, he probably wouldn’t mind you being an E-class Alpha. Though Omegas can be quite particular—the higher their rank, the more demanding they are about their partner’s pheromones. At E-class… you’d struggle to satisfy him. Tsk. If it really doesn’t work out, maybe find him another high-ranking Alpha with a clean background. After all, you were raised as an Omega—you’re already used to dealing with Alphas. It shouldn’t be too hard for you to adjust. Sharing the bed with both, you might even turn misfortune into blessing."

Public opinion of Wen Yuan was overwhelmingly positive. As the orphan of a martyr, his loyalty to the Federation was unquestioned. In the military, he was known for his leniency and care toward subordinates—a stark contrast to his adoptive father Shi Cangfeng’s uncompromising severity.

But only Shi Jian knew the truth: his widely praised adoptive brother not only looked down on low-ranking Alphas but also despised Omegas. At his core, he was an extreme supremacist, a dictator.

Like those chauvinistic Alphas, he believed Omegas belonged at home, tending to husbands and children, content with protection and affection. Sometimes, he was even more radical—privately referring to Omegas as nothing more than Alpha possessions.

When Wen Yuan spoke like this, his eyes darkened instantly, brimming with venom and aggression, as though ready to drag an unfaithful spouse back and imprison them forever.

Of course, whenever Shi Jian voiced disagreement, Wen Yuan would revert to his usual gentleness, laughing it off as nothing more than an Alpha’s genetically ingrained possessiveness toward Omegas.

As for his disdain toward low-ranking Alphas, that was something Shi Jian had only discovered after his own differentiation into an inferior Alpha.

Comments like these—bordering on humiliation—had become routine over the past two months. Shi Jian had heard them so often he could nearly recite them by heart.

At first, he’d been at a loss. Wen Yuan had never revealed this side of himself before. The S-class Alpha had treated Shi Jian, then still an Omega, with utmost tenderness—coddling him as if afraid he’d melt. Countless times growing up, Wen Yuan had joked that if no Omega would have him, Shi Jian should marry him instead, lest he remain a bachelor and become the military’s laughingstock.

But after that night of sudden differentiation fever, when Wen Yuan rushed back from official duties only to freeze in shock at the results, his concern morphing into something darker—Shi Jian had sensed then that something had twisted, growing murky and painful alongside the heat radiating from the gland on the back of his neck.

So Shi Jian knew: Wen Yuan hadn’t undergone some abrupt personality shift.

He’d simply stopped pretending.

Perhaps Wen Yuan had believed his Omega younger brother would fear his inherently aggressive nature, hence the careful disguise. But now, faced with a fellow Alpha, Shi Jian was deemed fit to witness his true self.

Wen Yuan didn’t get the reaction he’d expected. Before, remarks like these would leave Shi Jian’s eyes red with anger, his voice trembling as he tried to argue. But now, the youth was quieter than ever.

Yet this indifference only infuriated Wen Yuan further.

He knew exactly how to cut deep. Smiling, he said, "Worried it’d be risky? True, outside Alphas can’t compare to someone you know well."

"If you ever need help… my door is always open."

He slipped his business card into Shi Jian’s pocket, along with a freesia plucked from the flowerbed, then patted his shoulder and laughed.

Shi Jian clenched his fists, enduring his brother’s malicious humiliation.

—Whether as an Omega or an Alpha, one thing remained unchanged: his pheromones, the scent of freesia.