Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Wang Xin and the others surveyed the traces left by Jin Wang and the masked figure, trying to figure out which way they'd fled.

They wanted to ask Wen Jueqian about the situation, but seeing the two of them wrapped up in each other, they decided to check elsewhere first.

Someone found the hydraulic sealed door and tried to open it, only to find it was locked up tight.

"Scan the waters to the east with radar," Wang Xin said to the command center staff.

The command center quickly replied: there were two anomalies about thirty nautical miles out, moving fast as hell.

After Wang Xin finished his report to Wen Yanxu, he asked for the go-ahead: "President Wen, should we send ships after them?"

Wen Jueqian's heart clenched at that.

Once he'd calmed down a bit, he'd pulled away from Wen Yanxu's arms.

He tugged on Wen Yanxu's sleeve, signaling he wanted to talk in private.

Wen Jueqian's voice was still a bit hoarse: "Can we not go after those two from Natural Law?"

Wen Yanxu raised an eyebrow at him, confused.

Wen Jueqian took a deep breath and told him about the promise he'd made to those two.

Even though they both knew that promise could be broken at any time, since they'd let him go, he was going to keep his word.

So now, with Wang Xin waiting for an answer, he had no idea what Wen Yanxu would say.

Wen Yanxu didn't even hesitate. "No need," he told Wang Xin.

Wen Jueqian hadn't expected him to give in that easily, either.

Wen Yanxu's voice was already back to its usual cool, calm tone, but Wen Jueqian could feel the hand on his waist still holding on tight.

"We took heavy losses in the fight with Rustfire. Natural Law came ready for this. If we chase after them half-cocked, we probably won't catch them." He paused. "And we might just walk right into an ambush."

A weight lifted off his chest, and Wen Jueqian turned to look at the locked door.

Jin Wang and the masked figure had escaped with the mysterious key and experimental data.

This was something that had never happened in "the future."

Maybe because this was something Qiao Yuexun had never seen, it was never recorded.

But right now, he was too drained to think about the why and how.

Alphas always run hotter than Betas, but Wen Yanxu was burning up right now—way hotter than normal.

"Are you going into rut?" Wen Jueqian asked.

Wen Yanxu dipped his head and nuzzled gently against his cheek. It was a soft, careful motion—like some big animal checking that its mate was still there.

His voice was a little raspy: "Mm. The 7th-Gen Inhibitor's doing its job. I can still move fine for now."

A dull ache settled deep in Wen Jueqian's chest.

His whole plan had been to keep Wen Yanxu from going into rut, but not only had he failed, he'd gone and gotten himself kidnapped and caused all this mess.

He couldn't even imagine how Wen Yanxu, mid-rut, had pushed through all that discomfort to deal with one disaster after another.

Wen Yanxu always picked up on Wen Jueqian's unease right away.

"It's okay." Wen Yanxu's voice was right by his ear, low and soothing. "Let's get you to a doctor first. Those wounds need to be bandaged."

Only when Wen Yanxu mentioned it did Wen Jueqian feel the sting of his injuries all over again—the rope burns, the scrapes, and the gunshot wound on his thigh.

Wen Yanxu pushed past his own discomfort and scooped Wen Jueqian up into his arms, carrying him back out the way they'd come.

He didn't take Wen Jueqian to the fighter Qiao Yuexun was in. He went to a different one.

Inside the cockpit, Qiao Yuexun stared at the screen, watching their retreating figures with a blank look.

His hands clenched at his sides, nails biting into his palms.

That Alpha's whole world was the person in his arms.

His pheromones weren't needed anymore.

Ha.

Wen Yanxu wouldn't stay loyal forever. This was only the first time—there would be plenty more chances.

————

The aircraft touched down at the medical center on Jueying Island in no time.

The usual patients and volunteers were still in the shelter, so the medical center was empty except for a handful of doctors who'd been rushed over.

Wen Yanxu set Wen Jueqian down in a treatment chair.

"Take care of his wounds first."

One doctor tried to step up to report something to Wen Yanxu, but a colleague beside him stopped him.

The female doctor was frantically signaling him with her eyes—read the room, dude, can't you see President Wen only has eyes for his fiancé right now?

While the doctor checked Wen Jueqian's wounds, Wen Yanxu told the director of the pheromone center, "Get me a medical-grade inhibitor."

A few minutes later, a blue solution was brought in from the experimental drug storage room.

He took the syringe the doctor handed him and, without a second thought, jabbed it into the gland at the back of his neck.

The cold liquid flooded into the gland, sending sharp stings through him. He closed his eyes, leaned back against the wall, and swallowed hard.

Once he'd steadied himself a little, Wen Yanxu's attention went right back to Wen Jueqian.

The doctor pressed a disinfectant-soaked cotton swab against the wound, and a sharp jolt of pain shot through him.

Wen Jueqian hissed in a breath, then bit his lip to hold it in, his fingers curling without him even realizing.

Wen Yanxu, who'd been standing quietly off to the side, stepped half a step closer. Without a word, he reached out and gently took Wen Jueqian's uninjured wrist.

"Just bear with it." His voice was soft.

Wen Jueqian dropped his gaze and nodded, the warmth around his wrist taking the edge off the pain.

Even when they started wrapping the bandages, Wen Yanxu never let go.

When the tetanus vaccine was finally administered, Wen Jueqian felt the fingers holding his own shift downward, lacing together in an interlocking clasp.

"Apply the ointment to the bruise marks daily, and they should fade in about a week," the doctor instructed. "The gunshot wound isn't deep and doesn't need stitches, but you still need to change the dressing regularly to avoid infection."

Only after Wen Jueqian's wounds were fully treated did another doctor get the chance to step forward and report, "Mr. Wen, the analysis of the inducer sample you sent over is done, but the targeted inhibitor will still take some time to produce."

Wen Yanxu merely nodded. "Mm."

Then came the cleanup.

The Federal Coast Guard gave chase toward where Rustfire had fled, while Wen Yanxu liaised with the Aegis support commander. He tallied losses, comforted the affected, and reported to headquarters—every detail needed his sign-off.

But Wen Jueqian noticed that no matter what Wen Yanxu was handling, every few minutes, his gaze would drift over to him.

As if making sure he was still there.

The day dragged on.

By the time the two had wrapped everything up and returned to Jing'an Mansion, it was already late at night.

When they opened the door, familiar surroundings greeted them.

The smart home assistant Xiao Q sensed their return and automatically turned up the lights.

Wen Jueqian stood at the entrance, watching Wen Yanxu do the usual routine.

Swapping his shoes, changing his jacket.

He wanted to say something, but Wen Yanxu had already turned around, extending a hand toward him.

"Come shower with me, then we'll sleep."

Wen Jueqian placed his hand in his palm.

A familiar gesture, a familiar touch.

The bathroom was filled with steam.

Wen Yanxu carefully helped him undress, his movements gentle, as if worried about aggravating the injuries.

When the hot water washed over the bruise marks and scrapes on his body, Wen Jueqian winced and sucked in a sharp breath.

Wen Yanxu's fingers hovered over the gunshot wound on his thigh, not touching, just looking.

"Does that hurt?" he asked.

"It's okay. The meds are numbing it."

Wen Yanxu said nothing, kept rinsing him, adjusting the water temperature slightly lower than usual.

After the shower, Wen Jueqian changed into clean pajamas and got into bed.

The bed had a faint scent, soft as always.

The curtains were drawn tightly, with only the nightlight by the headboard giving off a soft glow.

Wen Yanxu lay down beside him, his arm automatically reaching over, pulling him into an embrace.

His body temperature was still a bit warmer than normal, but his heartbeat was steady.

Wen Jueqian buried his face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of Datura.

All the chaos, the fear, the heart-stopping terror—everything was shut out by that embrace.

Finally, he could drift off into a peaceful sleep.

==========Author's Note:==========

Work has been a bit busy these past few days. The day before yesterday, I noticed a small white spot on my lower eyelid and squeezed it directly, which caused my eye to become inflamed. I'm taking a day off tomorrow.