Chapter 26 Forced Marking

Chapter 26: Forced Marking

The back seat of the military SUV was cramped, and Zhu Shinian was pressed against the leather seat by Gu Zhen, with no room to resist.

The privacy film on the windows shut out the night, and the overhead light, which suddenly turned on automatically, stung his eyes, making him want to cry.

“Hold on,” the alpha’s fingers threaded through his damp hair, pressing his face firmly against his own shoulder. “It will be over soon.”

“Once the marking is done, Niannian will be my omega.”

Gu Zhen’s tone was unusually gentle, yet Zhu Shinian couldn’t help but shudder.

He had already been marked by Jiang Huaiyan.

Gu Zhen wanted to... mark an omega who was already marked.

For a moment, Zhu Shinian suspected he was just trying to scare him into never betraying him again.

But his hope was ultimately dashed.

“No! Gu Zhen, please, don’t bite...”

Zhu Shinian lifted his face from Gu Zhen’s shoulder, his cheeks streaming with tears as he begged.

“Can’t we just wait for this mark to fade naturally? It’s my fault... I shouldn’t have seduced Mr. Jiang, I shouldn’t have betrayed you...”

“I’ll be good, I’ll obey. The heat will pass soon. I promise I won’t see Mr. Jiang again...”

It was nothing short of torture for an already-marked omega to be marked by a second alpha.

It would kill him...

Once, when Zhu Shinian was on a mission for the Empire, an omega colleague was captured. As a method of interrogation, the Federation chose two alphas and threatened to mark him consecutively.

He bit his tongue and refused to speak until he lost consciousness during the second alpha’s marking. Even after the Empire saved him, he suffered from severe PTSD and could no longer interact normally with alphas.

When Zhu Shinian visited him, even a normal conversation at a safe social distance would make him inexplicably tremble.

Gu Zhen... Gu Zhen really intended to do this to him.

Zhu Shinian trembled all over.

He could feel Gu Zhen’s canine teeth pressing against the gland on the back of his neck, cold and chillingly ominous.

The unknown terror turned Zhu Shinian’s hands and feet ice cold. For a split second, he even prayed for the marking to happen quickly.

That way, at least he wouldn’t have to endure this agonizing wait for an even more excruciating fear.

“Yesterday, while you were with Jiang Huaiyan, I was arguing with my grandfather to get his permission to marry you.”

“How did I treat you, Zhu Shinian? And how did you treat me in return?”

At some point, Gu Zhen had removed the suppressant patch. His oppressive alpha pheromones suddenly flooded the entire car.

Zhu Shinian felt sick, his mind hazy, his heart racing. He instinctively felt like gagging.

Don’t do this to me, please...

But what Gu Zhen said was true. He had indeed betrayed Gu Zhen. He...

He had no right to beg for Gu Zhen’s pity or forgiveness, nor to expect to be liked and treated well as before.

“I’m... sorry,” Zhu Shinian whispered.

He knew he had no right to ask for Gu Zhen’s forgiveness, nor to ask him to put the suppressant patch back.

It was his fault. He had let Gu Zhen down.

Gu Zhen had every right to punish him, to make him suffer.

If Gu Zhen wanted to bite, then let him.

As if handling prey, Gu Zhen sank his teeth into his gland.

At that moment, Zhu Shinian truly felt a fear akin to facing death, as if a beast had clamped its jaws on the back of his neck, ready to snap his spine and sever his head from his body at any second.

The next moment, Gu Zhen bit down.

Sharp pain shot straight to his marrow and heart. Zhu Shinian jerked his head back, tears flowing uncontrollably.

Gu Zhen’s canines mercilessly tore through the mark Jiang Huaiyan had left, and the burning alpha pheromones were forcibly injected into Zhu Shinian’s overburdened gland.

Overwriting a mark felt like scraping away a layer of flesh with sandpaper before branding a new scar onto the raw wound.

The two different pheromones seemed to wage war inside his body, threatening to rip his blood vessels apart.

Gu Zhen’s arms locked around his waist like iron clamps, holding him firmly in place.

The alpha’s pheromones flooded into his veins like a torrent. Zhu Shinian’s vision darkened in waves. His legs spasmed uncontrollably, and his knees slammed against the car door with a dull thud.

He was in such agony he wished he could pass out, but the pain spitefully kept him awake.

Thump, thump, thump.

It felt like his heart was no longer under his control, threatening to leap out of his throat from the strain.

So... this is what it feels like to be treated like an object.

Gu Zhen, if staying by your side means being used like an object, then... I don’t want to anymore.

Why... why did you have to do this to me?

An eternity seemed to pass before Gu Zhen finally let him go.

It was as if his entire body had been shattered and remolded. Every organ felt foreign, as if no longer his own.

“Good boy, you did so well.” Gu Zhen kissed his hot, burning eyelids. “You held on. So brave.”

The cypress-wood pheromones that had tormented him moments ago now felt refreshing and pleasant. Gu Zhen soothed him gently, whispering soft words of comfort into his deaf right ear.

Zhu Shinian couldn’t hear what he said. He just sobbed Gu Zhen’s name, as he had done countless times over those four years.

Gu Zhen didn’t remember that his right ear was deaf. He placed soothing kisses on his earlobe and cheek.

Zhu Shinian instinctively wanted to curl up into a ball, but Gu Zhen lifted him up at that moment, settling him on his lap.

Then Gu Zhen casually looked down at the spot on the black leather seat where Zhu Shinian had been sitting—it had become wet.

“Baby.” Gu Zhen murmured, sighing with satisfaction, seeming very pleased.

Zhu Shinian's mind went blank, and the next moment, tears streamed down his face.

He felt like he was broken.

Even under such coercion, he could still...

It was as if none of his organs belonged to him anymore. Zhu Shinian trembled all over from the pain of his movements, but the alpha grabbed his chin and lifted his face, forcing him to meet his eyes.

Gu Zhen's eyes reflected his disheveled state.

Bitten lips, unfocused eyes, blood still oozing from the bite marks on his gland.

Zhu Shinian knew he should beg for mercy, admit he was wrong, ask for forgiveness, and say he would never do it again.

After all, it was his fault.

But his throat felt as if it had been cut by a knife, each breath carried the metallic taste of blood. The words were right there, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.

For an instant, almost the complete opposite of how a normal omega would feel after being marked, Zhu Shinian even dared to feel a rebellious resentment towards Gu Zhen.

Why was he treating him like this? Why was he treating him like an enemy?

He didn't want to be marked by Jiang Huaiyan either.

That night, he had clearly been waiting for Gu Zhen to come back to him.

.......

Zhu Shinian passed out.

Gu Zhen pulled him into his arms and reached out and gently touched the gland on the back of his neck.

The blood had already clotted.

But even unconscious, Zhu Shinian flinched instinctively, as if he was absolutely terrified.

Gu Zhen paused, a pang of sorrow hit his heart.

He loved Zhu Shinian. How could he not feel heartache when he saw him suffering?

They loved each other, and Zhu Shinian loved him so much.

Gu Zhen regretted treating him that way. He knew that Zhu Shinian wouldn't change his feelings over one accidental mark.

Gu Zhen lowered his head and kissed Zhu Shinian's closed eyelids.

As if he sensed something, Zhu Shinian buried his head deeper into his arms.

Zhu Shinian loved him so much—he knew it.

After they became a couple, the longest separation Gu Zhen and Zhu Shinian had was when Zhu Shinian went to the Federation on a mission.

That mission was originally Gu Zhen's.

The Federation and the Empire had been at war for years, and even after a ceasefire agreement was signed, the covert conflicts continued without end.

That year, the Federation elected an extremely populist leader, and the war that had barely settled down seemed ready to break out again.

The Empire had to send someone to the Federation, even if it was the most dangerous place, even if that demon of a president of the Federation found out, he could be killed on the spot.

This mission demanded strong skills and mental resilience, good physical health, proficiency in telegraphy and codebreaking, and fluency in the Federation's language, as well as a native speaker.

This person carried the fate of the nation on his shoulders, and under high pressure, had to show no weakness every single day, every hour, every minute, every second.

Gu Zhen volunteered for the mission. Afraid of being stopped, he flew to the Federation's capital, Augustus, on the same night he made the decision.

He didn't inform his grandfather or anyone else—neither his grandfather nor the senior officers in the military would have approved.

But he was a noble, born with noble blood and a privileged life, so it was only right for him to put himself in danger for the country and its people.

However, after meeting the contact and confirming the code, on the night he rested in his lodging, he came down with a high fever.

Gu Zhen was physically strong and rarely fell ill since childhood—it was no exaggeration to say he was as robust as an ox.

It wasn't his first time in the Empire either, so acclimatization issues were out of the question. He immediately suspected that the meal his colleague had given him was drugged.

How could this be?

Was his colleague a traitor? Or had he been exposed, and the contact—the one who picked him up—was actually a Federation agent?

But if the contact were a Federation agent or a defector, they could have easily handed him over to the Federation or laid a trap at the rendezvous point.

Why would they drug him?

Fever was a terrible ordeal. The headache and exhaustion were more tormenting than any wound on the battlefield.

His head ached, his chest felt tight.

His body grew hotter, his consciousness fuzzier.

Everything was uncertain. He didn't know if he'd wake up in a Federation prison or just die.

He wasn't even sure if what he was going through was a real pathological fever.

Through the haze, he heard a clear, gentle voice, like a sweet spring.

"Colonel," the person whispered softly, grabbing his arm and giving it a gentle shake. "Colonel, it's me."

"How are you feeling now? I brought you some strong fever medicine. Let me do a skin test first."

The moment he saw Zhu Shinian, Gu Zhen became alert.

He instinctively grasped Zhu Shinian's wrist. "You? How did you get here?"

Zhu Shinian hesitated, startled by the urgency in Gu Zhen's voice.

"I was so worried about you..."

"Colonel... what's wrong?"

"How did you get here?"

Why was Zhu Shinian here?

"The commander said you were in trouble..." Zhu Shinian said timidly, not understanding his reaction. "Your physical data suddenly deteriorated. I don't know if you were poisoned. I saw the data from your wristband. I was so worried about you..."

Zhu Shinian poured a glass of warm water and held it to his lips.

"You..." Gu Zhen started to say something but was interrupted by the action. He was forced to take a sip, then choked and coughed violently because he was in a hurry.

Why had he suddenly developed a fever? Why had Zhu Shinian suddenly shown up here?

Grandpa would never have wanted him to come to the Federation for this mission—one where a single misstep could mean death. Yet there was no one else willing to carry it out.

Grandpa didn't like Zhu Shinian.

When Gu Zhen said he would marry Zhu Shinian in the future, Grandpa got into a huge argument with him.

If Zhu Shinian were the one to take over this mission—one that could claim his life at any moment—for Gu Liancheng, it would almost be killing two birds with one stone.

Zhu Shinian had family in the Empire; he would never volunteer for this mission on his own.

But if he were poisoned here and on the verge of death, Zhu Shinian would certainly willingly come to take his place.

His whole body burned, made worse by anger, and the pain made Gu Zhen's head feel like it was splitting.

It was Grandpa who instructed that colleague to drug him. Even if it were just a common fever, in a highly dangerous foreign land, that slight abnormal reading in his vitals would be enough to make Zhu Shinian fully believe that he was truly in danger.

Why did Grandpa always have to be like this?

Always treating everyone else as lifeless objects to be manipulated at will.

Always going against others' will—against that comrade's will, and against Gu Zhen's.

Whatever he thought was best for Gu Zhen, that's what Gu Zhen had to do.

Whatever Gu Zhen wanted to do himself, that was just him being immature, unable to make the right choices for himself and the family.

As for everyone else's wishes, likes, dislikes, what they wanted to do, what they didn't...

In Gu Liancheng's eyes, those were as insignificant as ants.

"Are you feeling really bad?"

Zhu Shinian grew more anxious, hurriedly helping him sit up and patting his back.

"You look so pale..."

Zhu Shinian's voice choked up, and Gu Zhen turned his head to see that his eyes were already wet with tears.

"Let me get you something to eat," Zhu Shinian stood up. "Once you eat, you'll feel a lot better. The Empire's hospital can save you."

"Come back."

Just as Zhu Shinian was about to get up, Gu Zhen grabbed his wrist with his burning hand.

"Zhu Shinian, you believe whatever my grandpa says?" Because he was so worried he couldn't think straight, Gu Zhen couldn't help but speak a little harshly. "Zhu Shinian, are you an idiot?"

Author's note: