After My Fiancée Failed to Pretend to Be an Alpha - Chapter 001

A City.

The summer night was restless. The cicadas buzzed irritably, echoing the heat and unease in the air.

On a luxurious sofa lay a woman in a deep V-cut evening gown. Her high cheekbones were accentuated by bold, smoky makeup. Her long, chestnut waves tumbled over porcelain skin, and her fingertips trembled slightly—signs of awakening.

Moments later, slender fingers pressed against the couch. Veins stood out on her forearms as she slowly sat up. Her hazy eyes fluttered open.

This was…

Her pupils contracted. In an instant, her groggy mind cleared.

She was back. The living room, the couch, the familiar painting on the wall—she was really back.

A long-lost smile crept onto her face, unable to mask her excitement. Her gaze fell on a chipped corner of the table, and as familiar memories surged, tears welled up in her eyes.

Her body throbbed with pain, muscles aching like she’d just pushed herself beyond her limits. She struggled to stand, only then noticing the overly mature gown she wore—awkwardly revealing on her. After fully regaining her senses, she began to take stock of her surroundings.

Her name was Tang Cheng, second daughter of the prestigious Tang family in A City. At seventeen, she had awakened as a top-tier Alpha and was engaged to her childhood sweetheart, Lu Xinxue.

But on the day of her engagement at twenty, she lost consciousness and was trapped in a vast, pale void. Like a prisoner of her own thoughts, she wandered endlessly—numb, silent, unfed and unfazed—until now.

If she remembered correctly, this place was one of Lu Xinxue’s properties—the one they used to live in most frequently. Following her memory, she found the bathroom and was startled by her own reflection—heavy makeup, too bright and unfamiliar.

She splashed her face with cool water. The sensation finally grounded her—yes, she was alive. That past stretch of time had been too isolating: no sense of the world, only memory. Those twenty years felt like they were dreamed up in the absence of all sensation.

In this age of advanced machinery and neural implants, Tang Cheng had always been a staunch materialist. She needed a rational explanation.

After wiping off the garish makeup and changing into a bathrobe from the bathroom, she pinned her hair up and studied herself in the mirror.

How long had she been gone?

Her brows were sharper now, her figure lean and long. The softness of girlhood had faded, replaced by the elegant maturity of a woman.

Tang Cheng was rather pleased with the result.

She didn’t know why she had vanished, or why she had returned. But she needed to find the one person she trusted most and figure this out.

Just as she stepped out, a faint scent of thyme tickled her nose.

She was here.

Tang Cheng turned back to check her appearance in the mirror one last time, then made her way upstairs.

Lu Xinxue—her childhood companion, the one who helped elevate her from an illegitimate daughter to the Tang family’s second miss. They had grown up together—school, tutoring, home—they were inseparable.

Back then, everyone expected Lu Xinxue to become a top Alpha and Tang Cheng to become a gentle, virtuous Omega to match her. Even Tang Cheng herself thought so.

Lu Xinxue, the proud legitimate heir, always came first in everything. Tang Cheng had simply gotten used to trailing behind her.

But at seventeen, things took an unexpected turn. Tang Cheng awakened as an Alpha. Lu Xinxue, an Omega.

Their engagement remained, but the roles reversed. Tang Cheng, the imposter Alpha, was forced to step up and attend the mechanical academy. Lu Xinxue, abiding by her family’s wishes, studied finance.

Their interactions dwindled to occasional conversations for family business. Though they barely spoke of love during those years, the connection between them had never wavered.

But if Tang Cheng had to name someone she still trusted—truly—it could only be Lu Xinxue.

The scent was coming from upstairs. As Tang Cheng passed through the living room, she noticed the changes. In her absence, much had shifted.

There was no trace of her in the house anymore. Though the furniture and layout remained the same, something was missing. The living room was too tidy, the bookshelf too clean, and the shut doors upstairs gave her a strange sense of distance.

Lu Xinxue had always been quiet, reserved. Whenever Tang Cheng stayed over, she’d throw open all the windows, bring in fresh flowers, breathe life into the house. This wasn’t how the place should feel.

A faint, stifled moan came from the innermost bedroom. Controlled, but heavy.

The thyme scent was stronger now.

She was in heat.

An Omega’s heat was unbearable. Tang Cheng remembered enduring it alone all these years. But now—who had been helping Lu Xinxue through hers?

A sour ache rose in her nose. Her eyes reddened.

She didn’t want to imagine the answer.

After a moment’s hesitation, she knocked on the door. The soft panting inside ceased. But the spicy-sweet scent of thyme seeped through the cracks, sharp and clear, tugging at the Alpha glands in her neck.

“A-Xin,” Tang Cheng called softly, “are you okay?”

Even saying her name again felt like a gamble. She didn’t know how much of Lu Xinxue’s heart she could still reach.

She couldn’t make sense of this sudden time skip. No memories of the past. No clue about the future. She had landed on an uncertain timeline, and now barely had control over anything.

Inside, silence. Tang Cheng placed her hand on the doorknob, cool and smooth.

Then—

“Get out!”

Lu Xinxue’s voice was cold, firm. Tang Cheng’s fingers trembled.

She wasn’t afraid. No matter how cold or fierce Lu Xinxue became, Tang Cheng had always had the patience to coax her into smiling.

She hoped that hadn’t changed.

Bracing herself, she blinked back the tears, placed her hand on the lock, and pushed the door open.

The thyme scent hit her like a wave—fiery, invasive, but with a fresh undertone, sweet against her throat.

On the bed lay a woman in a form-fitting white gown, her long hair in soft waves, brows knit in distress. Her makeup was so light it was barely visible. Under the warm yellow light, her skin looked flawless. Around her neck, a light blue silk ribbon—slightly faded.

The gown was wrinkled, the skirt riding up to her thighs. A delicate heel dangled loosely from her foot.

Tang Cheng remembered the plunging evening dress she had just taken off. They must’ve attended a banquet together.

She stepped forward, gently removed the heels, and laid Lu Xinxue’s legs neatly on the bed.

The suppressant was probably in another room. Tang Cheng hadn’t been here since her differentiation, so she wasn’t familiar with the layout anymore.

As she rummaged through a cabinet, a voice snapped from behind:

“Get out!”

She didn’t flinch. She knew Lu Xinxue wouldn’t actually hurt her right now. Her hands kept moving. But there was no suppressant in sight. She reached for the phone on the bedside table to call for help—

—and was shoved violently to the floor.

Her elbow cushioned the fall, but her tailbone throbbed from the impact.

Lu Xinxue’s eyes were rimmed red. Even in heat, she had the strength to push her.

Tang Cheng sat up, half-kneeling. “A-Xin, do we still have any suppressants at home?”

She reached out tentatively to help, but Lu Xinxue flinched away. Tang Cheng turned slightly, trying to meet her gaze, to rebuild trust.

Silently, Tang Cheng released her pheromones—sweet basil, laced with clove and lemon—soothing and fresh, the perfect balm to Lu Xinxue’s condition.

But Lu Xinxue stiffened.

Her red eyes locked on her with undisguised disgust.

“Don’t… call me that. Don’t release your scent. Get out.”

Each word was like a slap. Tang Cheng opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She had no memory of what happened. She didn’t know how twenty years of affection could turn into this hatred. A stab of grievance pierced her chest. The loneliness of that endless void, the longing that filled her days—was it all meaningless?

She bit her tongue to stop herself from crying.

“Don’t. Cry.”

Lu Xinxue’s voice was tight, as though she were barely holding herself together. Her eyes made Tang Cheng’s heart ache. Tang Cheng reached out again, but Lu Xinxue dodged her, wary and guarded.

There was no room for discussion now. Tang Cheng knew she had to wait until morning, once Lu Xinxue came to her senses.

She didn’t dare get closer. She didn’t want to trigger her further. She herself needed time to think.

“I’ll be downstairs. If you need anything… come find me.”

Tang Cheng rubbed at the corners of her stinging eyes, stepped closer to pull up the blanket. Beneath the faded blue ribbon on Lu Xinxue’s neck, she spotted faint red marks.

Tang Cheng turned away, heart tight.

Just before leaving, she asked softly:

“Do you want me to—release my scent—”

“No. Get out.”

Without a moment’s pause, Lu Xinxue cast her out.

As the door shut, Lu Xinxue’s body finally relaxed. Curled up in bed, her fingers clenched the old ribbon tightly. Her lips trembled. A single tear slipped from the corner of her eye and soaked into the pillow.

Outside the room, Tang Cheng didn’t listen.

Her sweet basil scent soon permeated the entire villa, easing the Omega’s discomfort. But what Lu Xinxue really needed to get through her heat… was an Alpha’s mark.

Tang Cheng didn’t know how her body had survived during her absence, or how she had caused Lu Xinxue to loathe her so deeply.

The study and guest room on the second floor were both locked. For now, the only place she could stay was the living room.

She sat outside Lu Xinxue’s door for a while, waiting to make sure nothing unusual happened inside. Only then did she go downstairs. When she found her phone, it was already 3:00 a.m.

Year 2138.

It had been six years since her engagement.

Tang Cheng froze.

Six years changed everything. Everyone else had moved on—only she had been left behind, still toasting glasses on her engagement night.

Lu Xinxue had lived through things Tang Cheng never experienced. Was there still a place for her between them?

She opened a shopping app and ordered suppressants, patches, and Alpha-specific inhibitors for Lu Xinxue—everything she might need. They’d arrive by 4:00 a.m.

Tang Cheng then tried to trace her own past six years. Her contact list was full of unfamiliar names. When she searched for Lu Xinxue—“A-Xin,” “Lu Xinxue”—nothing came up.

Using her phone number, she found out she’d been blocked.

Lu Xinxue had saved her under one word:

ATM.

And the last message?

“You f***ing b***…”**

The red exclamation mark glared back at her.

She was… scum.

Recalling Lu Xinxue’s defiant yet vulnerable gaze from the bed, a wave of melancholy hit her.

Tang Cheng slumped onto the couch and skimmed through a year’s worth of chat logs.

Every message was about money or veiled threats, peppered with tasteless jokes. No wonder Lu Xinxue was on guard. Damn it.

Her photo album was full of loud parties, cocktail dresses, and heavily made-up selfies with glamorous Omega women. Things the real Tang Cheng would never have done.

She locked them all and rubbed her temples. Her circadian rhythm was a mess. She needed to face this disaster she’d inherited.

The idea of possession was hard to swallow. How had someone taken over her life—and how had she come back?

The physical pain was undeniable. Last night, had she and Lu Xinxue really gone to a party?

Lu Xinxue hated such events. She would never go willingly—let alone bring Tang Cheng. And there was no sign Tang Cheng lived here. Which meant…

There was only one explanation.

Tonight had been calculated. Either she’d used the timing to trigger Lu Xinxue’s heat, or deliberately induced it.

And any adult knew what that meant.

The realization hit her like ice.

If she hadn’t woken up tonight…

What would have happened next?