Afraid of Alphas, but Pregnant with an Alpha’s Child - Chapter 12

Lu Mingshen said nothing more there really wasn’t much left to say. He turned and walked out of the room.

At the sound of the door closing, Jiang Qiu bolted upright. He scrambled out of bed, intent on saying something, but his movements faltered the moment he slipped on his slippers.

He had never been good at conflict. Even when faced with ridicule or insults, he rarely lost his temper; he simply didn’t see the point. He had his own way of regulating his emotions. When he was younger, he just thought he was a peaceful person, not easily provoked. But after years of isolation from society, a silent pool of frustration had accumulated in his heart. Instead of making him tougher, it had left him uncertain about how to handle “heavy” emotions like sadness or anger.

Now, his mind was a battlefield. One side argued: It wasn’t Lu Mingshen’s fault back then, and he’s been so good to us. What right do I have to be angry? The other side countered: Why am I always the one reflecting? Why am I always the one getting hurt? These thoughts twisted together into a tangled knot.

By the time he stepped out of the room, Lu Mingshen had already changed and was at the entryway putting on his shoes.

Being unaccustomed to conflict meant Jiang Qiu didn’t know how to break the ice. He stood at the top of the stairs, watching. Lu Mingshen seemed to sense his presence and looked up. Their relationship was a partnership in parenting—they could eat together, shop together, and chat. But fighting? That felt like crossing a line into something far more intimate and complicated.

“Mr. Lu, it’s so late. Where are you going?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Qiu regretted it. It was a pointless question.

“I’m going to the office,” Lu Mingshen replied. “You aren’t well. Get some rest.”

As his hand touched the doorknob, he paused and looked back. “Providing a safe, stable home for you and the child is my responsibility. I was in the wrong today. From now on, I’ll wear the suppressant bracelet.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu hurried down the stairs. “Mr. Lu!”

He wanted to talk, to find the right words to smooth things over, but all he could think of was stopping the man from leaving. Just as his hand touched Lu’s suit jacket, his legs gave out. Lu Mingshen’s reflexes were lightning-fast; he caught Jiang Qiu with one arm just as the door, no longer held shut, swung slowly open.

Standing outside were four or five people in matching uniforms and yellow caps. The leader had his hand raised, about to knock. Seeing the two of them, he lowered his hand and flashed a professional, well-trained smile.

“Hello, we are staff from the Omega Relief Center. We received an emergency signal indicating an Omega might be in distress…” The staff member looked at Jiang Qiu. “Are you Mr. Jiang?”

“I am,” Jiang Qiu replied.

The staff member looked at the entangled pair. One was in loungewear, hair a mess, face pale as a ghost, yet with red-rimmed eyes—looking like he had just been crying. The other was a man in a rumpled suit, tie askew, and shirt cuffs unbuttoned.

It was a compromising sight, to say the least.

The two AO pair practically sprang apart, standing at attention with a safe distance between them. However, the thick, lingering scent of their mingled pheromones hit the staff in the face like a wall.

The pheromones are practically exploding out here, the staff member thought.

Jiang Qiu looked innocent and nervous. “I didn’t call for help. Is there a mistake?”

“Mr. Jiang, may I see your suppressant bracelet?”

Jiang Qiu obediently handed it over. After a quick inspection, the staff member nodded. “There’s no mistake. The bracelets issued by the Relief Center monitor the user’s heart rate, body temperature, and other vitals to assess stress levels. If an abnormality is detected, it alerts the user first. If there’s no response, it automatically notifies the center.”

“But I didn’t hear an alarm,” Jiang Qiu argued.

“Your case is special,” the staff member said, returning the bracelet with a smile. “Your file notes that you suffer from ‘Alpha Phobia,’ making you a high-priority subject for monitoring.”

Jiang Qiu: “…”

“I wasn’t in danger,” Jiang Qiu insisted. “Thank you for coming all this way.” If I really were in danger, I’d be long dead by the time you finished knocking and asking polite questions, he thought bitterly.

“I’m afraid we’ll need both of you to come with us, Mr. Jiang, Mr. Lu.” The staff member tried to peer inside. “Is Jiang Cheng here?”

Lu Mingshen stepped forward, his height looming over the man as he blocked the view. “He’s asleep. If you have business, talk to me.”

The staff member didn’t want an argument. He simply maintained his smile. “Then we’ll have to trouble you both.”

[Hello, is this the Omega Relief Center?]

[Yes, please go ahead.]

[My name is Jiang Qiu. I live at Room 603, Chunhe Apartments, No. 36 Tonghua Road. I am a Beta. Approximately two hours ago, I was forcibly marked by an Alpha. I am experiencing heart palpitations and a burning sensation at the back of my neck.]

[…]

[Hello?]

[You’re saying you’re a Beta, but you were suddenly marked by an Alpha?]

[Yes. I don’t know his name, and I didn’t see his face.]

[…Is your guardian with you?]

[Mr. Jiang, are you still there?]

[Never mind. My apologies.]

“Mr. Jiang?”

A voice snapped him out of the memory. Jiang Qiu looked at the person in front of him, dazed. “Sorry, what did you say? …Rut?”

“Yes. Mr. Lu is currently entering his Rut. It makes Alphas extremely sensitive, irritable, and potentially aggressive. Therefore, we need to implement necessary controls.”

“You don’t have the right!” Jiang Qiu protested.

“Actually, we do,” the staff member replied, tilting his head with a practiced, stoic expression. “As such, Mr. Lu will be handed over to the Alpha Management Association.”

Jiang Qiu tried to argue further, but the official raised a hand to silence him. “Mr. Jiang, the Relief Center is dedicated to protecting every Omega from harm. If you continue to be this agitated… we may have to consider protective isolation for you as well.”

That shut Jiang Qiu up instantly. He turned to leave when someone hurried toward him. Assistant Xu grabbed his arm and whispered, “Mr. Jiang, Mr. Lu sent me to pick you up.”

The staff gave a dismissive wave, signaling they were free to go.

Once Jiang Qiu was safely in the car, Assistant Xu explained, “Don’t worry, Mr. Jiang. This has happened before. Mr. Lu has his ways of handling it. Right now, he just wants to make sure you’re safe…”

“This has happened before?” Jiang Qiu caught the key phrase.

“…Yes.” Assistant Xu glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say more but held back.

Lu Mingshen’s ruts had become uncontrollable five years ago but luckily, they usually followed a fixed schedule. Having psychological preparation meant they could handle it. Who knew this rut would suddenly arrive early? But he couldn’t tell Jiang Qiu that yet.

“Mr. Jiang… did you know Mr. Lu is severely allergic to Omega pheromones?”

At this point, Jiang Qiu wouldn’t have been surprised if Xu told him Lu Mingshen was an alien. He shook his head wearily. “He never told me.”

Poor CEO! Assistant Xu felt a pang of sympathy.

Lu Mingshen had been allergic to Omega pheromones since he was a child. To keep him safe, he had grown up hardly seeing any Omegas, let alone smelling their pheromones. Xu remembered a time years ago at a high-society event. Someone had tried to sneak an Omega into Lu’s room. Lu Mingshen had smelled the pheromones from a distance, and he immediately went into a crisis.

One moment he was cold and composed; the next, all the color drained from his face. The balance in his body shattered, and the terrifying, oppressive aura of a top-tier Alpha flooded the entire venue. His allergy wasn’t like a normal one no rashes or swelling—the pain was entirely internal, and no amount of painkillers helped. Simultaneously, his Alpha instincts would flare to the extreme, making his emotions violently uncontrollable.

Assistant Xu sighed. “So, Mr. Jiang, the fact that he can even tolerate your scent is already a miracle. He never told you because he didn’t want you to worry, but it’s been hard to watch.”

Before Xu could complain more on his boss’s behalf, his phone rang. He spoke into his Bluetooth headset for a moment, then handed the phone to Jiang Qiu. “It’s Mr. Lu.”

“Jiang Qiu.” The voice on the other end was deep and slow, bringing an unexpected sense of peace to Jiang Qiu’s heart.

“Mr. Lu,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Lu Mingshen sounded remarkably calm. “And you?”

“I’m fine too.”

There was a brief silence. Then Lu Mingshen said, “Don’t worry.”

The words felt hollow, so he added, “I’ve already left the Management Association. I’m at another villa now, far away from you both.”

Assistant Xu chimed in from the side: “Mr. Lu is staying in the western suburbs. It’s over an hour’s drive from here. Ah, the benefits of owning multiple properties…”

Jiang Qiu’s heart was already heavy with guilt. “Can I come see you? I’m wearing my suppressant bracelet.”

After a pause, Lu Mingshen asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“No,” Jiang Qiu replied.

Lu Mingshen seemed to let out a very soft, faint laugh. His tone lightened. “I am. Go home and get some rest. You have to take Chengcheng to school tomorrow.”

Before Jiang Qiu could say another word, Lu Mingshen hung up.

On the other end, Lu Mingshen set his phone down. The empty villa returned to silence.

He was alone. His wrists were bare without the restraint of the suppressant bracelet, his Alpha pheromones were growing wild and unrestrained, thickening until they felt almost physical, filling every inch of the space. If an Omega were to walk in, they would likely be overwhelmed and collapse on the spot.

As the minutes ticked by, Lu Mingshen sat motionless on the sofa for a long time before heading to the bathroom. He turned the shower to the coldest setting, using the freezing water to douse the fire in his blood.

Suppressants were in the medicine cabinet… he didn’t think he could survive this rut through willpower alone.

Just as he reached for a vial of suppressant, the doorbell rang.

On the video monitor, a figure stood there wearing nothing but a thin shirt and a deep-blue baseball cap pulled low. A few wisps of soft hair peeked out from under the brim. The person stood on their tiptoes, peering curiously into the peephole.

A clear, tentative voice drifted through: “Mr. Lu? Are you there?”

The screen clearly displayed that familiar, slender face.

Lu Mingshen’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

Lu Mingshen said nothing more there really wasn’t much left to say. He turned and walked out of the room.

At the sound of the door closing, Jiang Qiu bolted upright. He scrambled out of bed, intent on saying something, but his movements faltered the moment he slipped on his slippers.

He had never been good at conflict. Even when faced with ridicule or insults, he rarely lost his temper; he simply didn’t see the point. He had his own way of regulating his emotions. When he was younger, he just thought he was a peaceful person, not easily provoked. But after years of isolation from society, a silent pool of frustration had accumulated in his heart. Instead of making him tougher, it had left him uncertain about how to handle “heavy” emotions like sadness or anger.

Now, his mind was a battlefield. One side argued: It wasn’t Lu Mingshen’s fault back then, and he’s been so good to us. What right do I have to be angry? The other side countered: Why am I always the one reflecting? Why am I always the one getting hurt? These thoughts twisted together into a tangled knot.

By the time he stepped out of the room, Lu Mingshen had already changed and was at the entryway putting on his shoes.

Being unaccustomed to conflict meant Jiang Qiu didn’t know how to break the ice. He stood at the top of the stairs, watching. Lu Mingshen seemed to sense his presence and looked up. Their relationship was a partnership in parenting they could eat together, shop together, and chat. But fighting? That felt like crossing a line into something far more intimate and complicated.

“Mr. Lu, it’s so late. Where are you going?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Qiu regretted it. It was a pointless question.

“I’m going to the office,” Lu Mingshen replied. “You aren’t well. Get some rest.”

As his hand touched the doorknob, he paused and looked back. “Providing a safe, stable home for you and the child is my responsibility. I was in the wrong today. From now on, I’ll wear the suppressant bracelet.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu hurried down the stairs. “Mr. Lu.”

He wanted to talk, to find the right words to smooth things over, but all he could think of was stopping the man from leaving. Just as his hand touched Lu’s suit jacket, his legs gave out. Lu Mingshen’s reflexes were lightning-fast; he caught Jiang Qiu with one arm just as the door, no longer held shut, swung slowly open.

Standing outside were four or five people in matching uniforms and yellow caps. The leader had his hand raised, about to knock. Seeing the two of them, he lowered his hand and flashed a professional, well-trained smile.

“Hello, we are staff from the Omega Relief Center. We received an emergency signal indicating an Omega might be in distress…” The staff member looked at Jiang Qiu. “Are you Mr. Jiang?”

“I am,” Jiang Qiu replied.

The staff member looked at the entangled pair. One was in loungewear, hair a mess, face pale as a ghost, yet with red-rimmed eyes—looking like he had just been crying. The other was a man in a rumpled suit, tie askew, and shirt cuffs unbuttoned.

It was a compromising sight, to say the least.

The two AO pair practically sprang apart, standing at attention with a safe distance between them. However, the thick, lingering scent of their mingled pheromones hit the staff in the face like a wall.

The pheromones are practically exploding out here, the staff member thought.

Jiang Qiu looked innocent and nervous. “I didn’t call for help. Is there a mistake?”

“Mr. Jiang, may I see your suppressant bracelet?”

Jiang Qiu obediently handed it over. After a quick inspection, the staff member nodded. “There’s no mistake. The bracelets issued by the Relief Center monitor the user’s heart rate, body temperature, and other vitals to assess stress levels. If an abnormality is detected, it alerts the user first. If there’s no response, it automatically notifies the center.”

“But I didn’t hear an alarm,” Jiang Qiu argued.

“Your case is special,” the staff member said, returning the bracelet with a smile. “Your file notes that you suffer from ‘Alpha Phobia,’ making you a high-priority subject for monitoring.”

Jiang Qiu: “…”

“I wasn’t in danger,” Jiang Qiu insisted. “Thank you for coming all this way.” If I really were in danger, I’d be long dead by the time you finished knocking and asking polite questions, he thought bitterly.

“I’m afraid we’ll need both of you to come with us, Mr. Jiang, Mr. Lu.” The staff member tried to peer inside. “Is Jiang Cheng here?”

Lu Mingshen stepped forward, his height looming over the man as he blocked the view. “He’s asleep. If you have business, talk to me.”

The staff member didn’t want an argument. He simply maintained his smile. “Then we’ll have to trouble you both.”

[Hello, is this the Omega Relief Center?]

[Yes, please go ahead.]

[My name is Jiang Qiu. I live at Room 603, Chunhe Apartments, No. 36 Tonghua Road. I am a Beta. Approximately two hours ago, I was forcibly marked by an Alpha. I am experiencing heart palpitations and a burning sensation at the back of my neck.]

[…]

[Hello?]

[You’re saying you’re a Beta, but you were suddenly marked by an Alpha?]

[Yes. I don’t know his name, and I didn’t see his face.]

[…Is your guardian with you?]

[Mr. Jiang, are you still there?]

[Never mind. My apologies.]

“Mr. Jiang?”

A voice snapped him out of the memory. Jiang Qiu looked at the person in front of him, dazed. “Sorry, what did you say? …Rut?”

“Yes. Mr. Lu is currently entering his Rut. It makes Alphas extremely sensitive, irritable, and potentially aggressive. Therefore, we need to implement necessary controls.”

“You don’t have the right!” Jiang Qiu protested.

“Actually, we do,” the staff member replied, tilting his head with a practiced, stoic expression. “As such, Mr. Lu will be handed over to the Alpha Management Association.”

Jiang Qiu tried to argue further, but the official raised a hand to silence him. “Mr. Jiang, the Relief Center is dedicated to protecting every Omega from harm. If you continue to be this agitated… we may have to consider protective isolation for you as well.”

That shut Jiang Qiu up instantly. He turned to leave when someone hurried toward him. Assistant Xu grabbed his arm and whispered, “Mr. Jiang, Mr. Lu sent me to pick you up.”

The staff gave a dismissive wave, signaling they were free to go.

Once Jiang Qiu was safely in the car, Assistant Xu explained, “Don’t worry, Mr. Jiang. This has happened before. Mr. Lu has his ways of handling it. Right now, he just wants to make sure you’re safe…”

“This has happened before?” Jiang Qiu caught the key phrase.

“…Yes.” Assistant Xu glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say more but held back.

Lu Mingshen’s ruts had become uncontrollable five years ago but luckily, they usually followed a fixed schedule. Having psychological preparation meant they could handle it. Who knew this rut would suddenly arrive early? But he couldn’t tell Jiang Qiu that yet.

“Mr. Jiang… did you know Mr. Lu is severely allergic to Omega pheromones?”

At this point, Jiang Qiu wouldn’t have been surprised if Xu told him Lu Mingshen was an alien. He shook his head wearily. “He never told me.”

Poor CEO! Assistant Xu felt a pang of sympathy.

Lu Mingshen had been allergic to Omega pheromones since he was a child. To keep him safe, he had grown up hardly seeing any Omegas, let alone smelling their pheromones. Xu remembered a time years ago at a high-society event. Someone had tried to sneak an Omega into Lu’s room. Lu Mingshen had smelled the pheromones from a distance, and he immediately went into a crisis.

One moment he was cold and composed; the next, all the color drained from his face. The balance in his body shattered, and the terrifying, oppressive aura of a top-tier Alpha flooded the entire venue. His allergy wasn’t like a normal one no rashes or swelling the pain was entirely internal, and no amount of painkillers helped. Simultaneously, his Alpha instincts would flare to the extreme, making his emotions violently uncontrollable.

Assistant Xu sighed. “So, Mr. Jiang, the fact that he can even tolerate your scent is already a miracle. He never told you because he didn’t want you to worry, but it’s been hard to watch.”

Before Xu could complain more on his boss’s behalf, his phone rang. He spoke into his Bluetooth headset for a moment, then handed the phone to Jiang Qiu. “It’s Mr. Lu.”

“Jiang Qiu.” The voice on the other end was deep and slow, bringing an unexpected sense of peace to Jiang Qiu’s heart.

“Mr. Lu,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Lu Mingshen sounded remarkably calm. “And you?”

“I’m fine too.”

There was a brief silence. Then Lu Mingshen said, “Don’t worry.”

The words felt hollow, so he added, “I’ve already left the Management Association. I’m at another villa now, far away from you both.”

Assistant Xu chimed in from the side: “Mr. Lu is staying in the western suburbs. It’s over an hour’s drive from here. Ah, the benefits of owning multiple properties…”

Jiang Qiu’s heart was already heavy with guilt. “Can I come see you? I’m wearing my suppressant bracelet.”

After a pause, Lu Mingshen asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“No,” Jiang Qiu replied.

Lu Mingshen seemed to let out a very soft, faint laugh. His tone lightened. “I am. Go home and get some rest. You have to take Chengcheng to school tomorrow.”

Before Jiang Qiu could say another word, Lu Mingshen hung up.

On the other end, Lu Mingshen set his phone down. The empty villa returned to silence.

He was alone. His wrists were bare without the restraint of the suppressant bracelet, his Alpha pheromones were growing wild and unrestrained, thickening until they felt almost physical, filling every inch of the space. If an Omega were to walk in, they would likely be overwhelmed and collapse on the spot.

As the minutes ticked by, Lu Mingshen sat motionless on the sofa for a long time before heading to the bathroom. He turned the shower to the coldest setting, using the freezing water to douse the fire in his blood.

Suppressants were in the medicine cabinet… he didn’t think he could survive this rut through willpower alone.

Just as he reached for a vial of suppressant, the doorbell rang.

On the video monitor, a figure stood there wearing nothing but a thin shirt and a deep-blue baseball cap pulled low. A few wisps of soft hair peeked out from under the brim. The person stood on their tiptoes, peering curiously into the peephole.

A clear, tentative voice drifted through: “Mr. Lu? Are you there?”

The screen clearly displayed that familiar, slender face.

Lu Mingshen’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

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