Chapter 47

Chapter 47

An Nuo’s response came so naturally—calling himself “a rather tall omega”—that it left Lu Yunyan momentarily stunned.

But just as An Nuo had suspected, Lu Yunyan had already anticipated something like this, which was why he had come tonight.

If there had been no other alpha dance partner, Lu Yunyan wouldn’t have revealed his presence.

But if there really was another alpha dance partner, how could Lu Yunyan allow that? And sure enough, the moment he arrived, he saw An Nuo twirling and gliding in the center of the dance floor.

The dazzling lights shone upon him, radiant and captivating, making even the luxurious, exquisite formal wear seem like a mere backdrop.

An Nuo was undoubtedly the most beautiful, most eye-catching omega there.

At least, Lu Yunyan would firmly insist so.

Was he angry? In truth, it was just jealousy.

This was an An Nuo he couldn’t openly possess; their relationship couldn’t be made public.

That was why An Nuo could openly hold another alpha’s hand and dance gracefully in public, the two seemingly talking closely, occasionally exchanging glances and light laughter.

Lu Yunyan knew who the alpha dancing with An Nuo was—his name was Luo Heng, one of his closest friends. His background was mysterious, but he was likely the unrevealed youngest son of the Federation President, though he had always lived with his mother.

Lu Yunyan knew there was nothing beyond friendship between them, yet he stared intently at the pair, the jealousy in his heart growing increasingly intense, almost consuming him whole.

“I’m not blind,” Lu Yunyan said. “Though there was some distance, I could at least tell his gender.”

An Nuo went silent guiltily for a moment before sighing and admitting honestly, “…Alright, alright, I admit I lied to you. I’m sorry.”

A straightforward apology.

Whether to forgive or not was up to Lu Yunyan.

But Lu Yunyan asked, “Why did you lie to me?”

“…”

Another difficult question to answer.

Because, given the circumstances at the time, An Nuo had personally invited Luo Heng to be his dance partner.

After that, many things happened, and he didn’t want his good friend to know about his complicated feelings for Lu Yunyan, making it even harder to go back on his word to Luo Heng.

An Nuo attempted to defend himself: “…But, actually, when you think about it, it wasn’t that big of a lie, right?”

Lu Yunyan raised an eyebrow, curious to see how An Nuo would spin this.

“The alpha I was dancing with just now was Luo Heng. Though you haven’t formally met, you definitely know him.”

An Nuo continued, “He’s a good friend I grew up with… I didn’t find some random alpha; I just danced with him…”

“But didn’t you say before that you’d dance with Bai Wu at most?”

Damn, his memory is so good.

Who needs such a good memory at a time like this?

Taking advantage of Bai Wu’s absence, An Nuo immediately threw him under the bus: “Well, he went off to dance with another alpha, leaving only me and Luo Heng, so we ended up dancing too…”

“Our friendship is very pure, really, extremely pure!”

“What if he has a secret crush on you?”

An Nuo immediately felt disgusted, feeling a sense of powerlessness as if being falsely accused of indecency.

“…How is that possible! Absolutely not! How is that any different from indecency?!”

Meanwhile, inside the hall, the second song began to play.

The melodic tune reached the dim garden where only the two of them stood.

An Nuo took the initiative to take Lu Yunyan’s hand: “Alright, alright, don’t be mad anymore? How about we have the third dance later? I’ll introduce you two after it’s over?”

It was indeed a sincere apology.

Mainly, after the scare earlier, An Nuo had come to a realization: trying to deceive everyone would only lead to a bad end. It was better to cut his losses in time.

He resigned himself to being teased or mocked by Bai Wu and Luo Heng—hadn’t they done plenty of that already?

Besides, with three years ahead of them, they were bound to meet eventually. Why not just clear things up tonight?

“Still angry? Don’t be mad, okay? How about I kiss you?”

Of course, most importantly, An Nuo cared about Lu Yunyan’s feelings.

Though his heart was muddled, as if veiled, and he hadn’t quite figured things out himself, his actions had already made the choice. He didn’t want Lu Yunyan to be upset over this matter.

Lu Yunyan currently held the moral high ground and could demand more, not be easily appeased with just a kiss.

But he couldn’t resist An Nuo’s soft, coaxing words.

The thought that An Nuo was actively trying to coax him, that An Nuo would actually take the initiative to coax him, made it hard for Lu Yunyan to stay angry. Even that intense jealousy began to fade.

“Now you’re willing to dance with me? Not afraid of being seen publicly?”

“…”

This had always been a convenient and double-standard excuse.

To put it bluntly, if he didn’t want to dance with Lu Yunyan, any reason would do; no matter how far-fetched, he could make it seem plausible.

But if he genuinely wanted to dance with Lu Yunyan, nothing would stand in the way, and everything would boil down to one line—

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and no one finds out?”

An Nuo thought for a moment: “How about I give you two kisses? Stop asking, okay?”

Good.

You should stop talking now.

“Just two kisses?”

Lu Yunyan gave a cold laugh, then suddenly pulled An Nuo close, taking charge, embracing him firmly. He then tilted An Nuo’s chin and kissed him fiercely.

It was the same assertive, demanding kiss as always, but this time with an added sense of desperate need to possess, ruthlessly ravaging An Nuo’s breath, kissing him senseless.

All he could smell was the overwhelming sandalwood scent of his pheromones, his entire body trembling with excitement.

Lu Yunyan was biting An Nuo's lips: "Since you invited me for the third dance, shouldn't we at least kiss until the second dance ends?"

"How long did I watch you two dance? I should get to kiss you for just as long now, shouldn't I?"

An Nuo thought to himself that this was insane—he'd probably suffocate.

Just one kiss from Lu Yunyan had already left him feeling breathless, with little snowflakes dancing before his eyes.

"I—"

But after barely getting a single word out, An Nuo suddenly froze. Without warning, his whole body went limp, his legs feeling like noodles, to the point where he could hardly stand.

Luckily, he was in Lu Yunyan’s arms. Seeing An Nuo slump down, Lu Yunyan quickly lifted him up, with a smile: "...What’s wrong? Did that one kiss really knock you out?"

"..."

An Nuo still couldn’t stand steadily, his full weight pressed against Lu Yunyan. Only by clinging to him could he barely remain upright.

Lu Yunyan sensed something wrong and his expression turned serious: "...Are you okay?"

This level of weakness was way too much.

It was like being dead drunk, muscles relaxed, his body collapsing against Lu Yunyan like a rag doll.

"Maybe... something's really wrong..."

An Nuo’s mind was clear—he remembered everything that had just happened—but his body felt utterly weak, even speaking required effort.

A deeply unsettling premonition began to spread in his heart.

This physical reaction wasn’t unfamiliar; it seemed to have happened not long ago, but this time it felt like an amped-up version.

An Nuo didn’t want to think about it, much less admit it, but the sudden situation mercilessly reminded him—the thing he least wanted to happen, his worst nightmare, seemed to have come true.

Sure enough, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, the exact same situation as last time repeated itself.

And even more terrifying than last time, his gland also began to feel hot and itchy, its presence intensely noticeable, so uncomfortable that An Nuo wanted to scratch it.

His heat had arrived.

After being gone so long, delayed even with medication, his heat had now hit him full force.

And it had skipped straight to the final stage, leaving An Nuo no warning.

Was this reasonable?

Didn’t this count as abnormal?

An Nuo’s first thought was that his heat cycle was still messed up, just like last time.

But then he remembered yesterday’s hospital test results and suddenly realized.

No wonder his levels indicated he was in heat.

His heat had truly started, but the early stages showed no symptoms—even the doctor had been fooled by his body, thinking his heat hadn’t begun yet.

Tonight, attending the dance, he was more relaxed than in previous days, and then Lu Yunyan’s kiss had stimulated him—

So that’s why it felt absurdly like the final stage from the very start.

In less than thirty seconds, An Nuo’s rich, intense pheromones also began to permeate the air.

No further questions were needed—at this stage, his pheromones were an incredibly strong temptation for any alpha. Lu Yunyan knew it as soon as he caught the fragrance.

"You’re..."

Lu Yunyan could hardly believe it. Remembering the awful situation last time, he immediately checked to see.

And sure enough, it felt exactly the same as last time.

"..."

"...Don’t touch me randomly!"

But once was enough, and their relationship had grown closer over time, so An Nuo no longer felt the same shame as last time.

An Nuo panted: "...There’s an inhibitor in my pocket. Help me inject it."

"..."

His sweet, soft partner was in heat right in his arms, and he had to personally administer the inhibitor?

What kind of torture was this?

Lu Yunyan was not having it.

Although the intense pheromones weren’t enough to make an alpha lose control, their allure was absolutely off the charts.

Coupled with Lu Yunyan’s own genetic thing, which already gave him an abnormal longing for An Nuo—and now An Nuo’s pheromones were like an overly ripe peach, his very breath soaked in that sweetness—Lu Yunyan found it so hard to resist.

But there was no other way.

The location was all wrong.

This damned location was completely unsuitable!

He couldn’t just let An Nuo continue in heat here, could he?

As reluctant as he was, Lu Yunyan had no choice but to compromise. He took the inhibitor from An Nuo’s pocket and quickly injected it under his skin.

The inhibitor usually kicked in quickly, with symptoms easing within minutes.

But strangely, even as the third dance began in the hall, An Nuo’s condition just got worse.

The pheromones continued to intensify, becoming richer and stronger, like a peach that was overripe.

And the sensation in his gland grew impossible to ignore, every brush against his clothing sending tingling, stinging sensations through him...

An Nuo couldn’t take it anymore; he was about to cry.

Held by his alpha, god knew how badly he yearned for Lu Yunyan’s touch now.

He could no longer care about where they were—he desperately wished Lu Yunyan would tear away these annoying clothes and touch his skin directly.

An Nuo pressed against Lu Yunyan, struggling to maintain his last shred of rationality, his words now choked with sobs: "Wah... hubby... I feel so awful..."

Hearing him call out "hubby," Lu Yunyan knew he was truly suffering.

And he felt a guilty thrill at it.

His alpha instincts were battling with his self-control.

A saint one moment, a beast the next.

"H-hubby, touch me... Mmph, the suppressant... Did we buy a fake?"

Lu Yunyan frantically chanted *stay calm* in his mind. If An Nuo called out one more time, his last shred of self-control would be gone.

He quickly tried to distract himself, picking up the slender syringe of the suppressant to examine it. "Let me see..."

He hadn’t paid attention before, but now, looking closely, he was horrified.

This wasn’t a suppressant at all—it was a heat inducer.

As the name implied, it was a drug used to induce heat in omegas.

Some omegas, afraid their heat might coincide with important events, would schedule it by taking heat inducers—take it today, heat comes today, without disrupting future plans.

Because of low demand, heat inducers were often given as freebies with suppressants.

When An Nuo had received it, he’d complained, "They’re selling suppressants, so why give out heat inducers? Wouldn’t delaying agents be better? And the packaging looks exactly the same—aren’t they afraid someone will mix them up?"

And now, An Nuo had indeed mixed them up.

The garden was dimly lit, the situation had been urgent, and Lu Yunyan hadn’t looked carefully when he took it out—he’d just injected it.

No wonder An Nuo’s condition was worsening.

This was like taking aphrodisiacs during heat.

"Ugh, it’s so uncomfortable..."

With no helpful alpha nearby, An Nuo could only try to undo his clothes himself.

His scent gland was growing more and more sensitive; if it kept rubbing against the fabric, An Nuo felt it might get raw.

But his fingers were weak, unable to undo the buttons, so he could only frantically tugging at his collar.

Unfortunately, the custom-tailored formalwear was made of high-quality material with excellent craftsmanship—no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t come undone.

An Nuo was truly crying now. "H-hubby, help me..."

Lu Yunyan was so cruel.

He must be refusing to help on purpose.

An omega in heat asking an alpha for help—asking him to "help"—what kind of "help" did he mean? What other way was there?

Clinging to his last shred of control, Lu Yunyan didn’t have time to explain the complicated situation. He could only say, "Let’s go back first. I’ll carry you home, and then I’ll help you."

He had thought it was a suppressant and had planned to wait for it to take effect before leaving, but now they really had to leave immediately. Otherwise, An Nuo’s condition would only get worse.

And reality proved it true.

An Nuo couldn’t undo his collar, couldn’t touch his gland, and was unbearably uncomfortable. Instinct moved faster than rational thought.

"...Don’t want to go home, do it right here, ugh, I don’t want to wait."

With that, his soft lips pressed against Lu Yunyan’s face—first his chin, then the corner of his mouth, and finally his lips.

Like a needy puppy seeking affection, he kissed wildly, trying to please his master with his cuteness.

To Lu Yunyan, this was an irresistible temptation.

Heart racing.

The guilty arousal persisted.

The outdoors would be so thrilling—it was practically Lu Yunyan’s ideal perfect spot, one of the must-dos in life, an absolute regret if left undone.

But no—

Whatever An Nuo was saying now was just feverish babbling under the dual stimulation of physiological instinct and drug effects.

The sober An Nuo would never accept this.

No matter how aroused Lu Yunyan was, it wasn’t acceptable. More than this arousal, he didn’t want to see An Nuo’s regret after regaining rationality.

And this was at the school’s graduation ball, no less.

If someone were to see them and take photos, it would absolutely be scandalous enough for the evening news.

By then, never mind whether An Nuo would regret it—his respected parents would probably come and smack some sense into him.

So he could only rely on his last ounces of willpower to forcefully push An Nuo away. Without wasting more words, he took off his own jacket, first draping it over An Nuo’s head, then putting on a mask himself before picking An Nuo up.

The aircraft wasn’t parked far, but as expected of a graduation ball, there were quite a few people coming and going on the main road. Lu Yunyan wasn’t familiar with the routes here and couldn’t avoid the crowds.

He could only be thankful he’d worn a mask and covered An Nuo.

At least his last bit of dignity was preserved.

When they finally got home,

An Nuo’s rationality had completely burned away under the full effect of the drug. His face was wet with tears, leaving only instinctual thought—why was his alpha letting him suffer without helping?—so it was all instinctual hurt.

"...You’re so mean... so bad... you won’t help me..."

But this journey had been just as torturous for Lu Yunyan. Soaked with sweat from holding back, he wasn’t much better off than An Nuo.

Thankfully, they were finally home. Behind closed doors, in their own safe space, Lu Yunyan could finally let loose the beast inside.

"I’ll help you, good baby, don’t cry, hubby will help you."

"...Mmph."

Lu Yunyan quickly wiped An Nuo’s tears, then eagerly kissed him—wild and fierce, the kind of kiss An Nuo would usually fear and reject.

But the current An Nuo not only responded passionately but clung even tighter. Now with strength returned to his body, he actively stripped off his own clothes before moving to Lu Yunyan’s, nearly obsessed, occasionally making soft whimpering sounds, humming and moaning.

Lu Yunyan was completely bewitched. He had never imagined An Nuo could be like this—so compliant, so needy, radiating a sweet scent, so passionate and forward.

Why hold back anymore?

Everything could wait until after sobering up. The night allowed them to abandon thought, permitted them to succumb to the lure of pheromones.

None of the curtains in the house were open, and they hadn’t turned on the lights. The dim, faint glow became the perfect cover for indulgence.

An Nuo’s pleading through tears softly sounded.

Equally impatient, Lu Yunyan could no longer suppress the urgency in his voice, yet he still teased the tear-drenched beauty in his arms.

"What do you want, good baby? Say it..."

An Nuo had already thrown all caution to the wind. Pressing close to Lu Yunyan’s ear, in a sweet, captivating voice, he uttered three raw, explicit words.