Forced Marking of an S-Class Alpha - Chapter 2

At 3:30 AM in Hong Kong, the torrential rain finally ceased. But Victoria Harbour did not become any quieter. A heavy, damp mist rolled up from the sea, wrapping the wealthy hillside district in a hazy, cold shroud.

Shen Yanzhou pushed open his bedroom door. A cold fragrance washed over him. This was his room and also the most like a model home in the entire Shen Family Mansion. With its minimalist grey and white tones and a lack of lived-in furnishings, the room was as sterile as a morgue waiting for a body, save for the massive black velvet bed that dominated the space.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, he carelessly shed his robe, revealing a torso so pale it was almost translucent. The composed facade he had worn so effortlessly collapsed completely the moment the door closed.

“Cough… cough, cough…”

The sound of suppressed coughing echoed in the darkness. He stumbled barefoot to the liquor cabinet, his fingers trembling as he grabbed an unopened bottle of whiskey. He bit off the cork and tilted his head back, gulping it down.

The pungent liquid burned down his throat.

Because he was a “flavorless” Omega, his body wouldn’t be suppressed by pheromones, but his congenital genetic defect left his nervous system extremely fragile. Tonight, after being exposed to Sang Biao’s furious A-class Alpha pressure in the basement for so long, every single one of his nerves was in pain.

Only high-concentration alcohol could numb this kind of pain.

After half a bottle of strong liquor, a sickly flush spread across his originally bloodless face. He carelessly wiped the spilled alcohol from the corner of his lips, grabbed the bottle, and dragged his scalded leg step by step to the desk. He opened the computer and clicked on an encrypted folder on the screen.

This was the information about that man, which he had just bought from a familiar information broker for a large sum of money.

[File Number: S-008 · Fu Sihan]

The computer screen cast a faint blue glow in his eyes, illuminating the name that struck terror into all of Hong Kong.

In this city, people said the Su family monopolized jewelry, the Tang family controlled the media, and the Shen family held the shipping industry by its throat. These three families were the peak of high society. But to Shen Yanzhou, it was all a joke.

Compared to the Fu family, they were nothing more than leeches clinging to the docks. The Fu family was the true black sea, deep and endless, capable of swallowing everything.

From their grey-market dealings in the 1930s to their current control over ninety percent of the high-grade Alpha suppressants in Hong Kong, the Fu family’s rise was a bloody history of the city’s own revival.

And Fu Sihan was the monster bred within this vast underground empire.

Shen Yanzhou moved his mouse and clicked on a blurry photo. It showed a cemetery on a rainy night. The man in the picture wore a dark grey trench coat, his tall silhouette visible in profile. At his feet, a fresh grave had been filled in. A small note beside the file read: Fu family internal strife. Fu Sihan personally buried his third uncle, Fu Lei, alive at the Western Suburbs Cemetery for attempting to seize power.

“Buried alive…” he murmured. So this is my fiancé. A madman who could bury his own uncle in the ground without blinking. The rumors were true.

He kept scrolling through the file.

Personality: Extremely violent, unpredictable, highly controlling. Rank: S-class Alpha (Estimated). Omegas/Betas involved: Over ten.

He scrolled down further to a series of blurry, candid photos.

These weren’t typical “scandalous photos.” The Omegas and Betas in the pictures had their hands bound behind their backs with leather straps. Some knelt naked on a floor covered in shattered glass. Others had backs crisscrossed with purple and blue whip marks. Some were drenched in red wine and what looked like melted wax.

Even through the screen, he could almost smell the metallic tang of blood mixed with other fluids.

These aren’t bed partners, he thought. They’re just disposable toys for him to break.

Shen Yanzhou’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. “Hah.”

Fu Sihan specifically asked for me, a “cripple.” Is this really just for the sake of a political marriage?

He glanced down at his own pale wrist, then tilted his head back and took another long drink. The burning alcohol spilled from the corner of his mouth and trickled down his sexy Adam’s apple.

“Other Omegas break too easily, so you’re looking for one who can take a beating… Is that right?”

Knock, knock, knock. A soft rapping sound came from the door.

The mockery in Shen Yanzhou’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by his usual cold and distant expression. “Get out,” he spat without looking back.

But the person outside didn’t leave.

“Brother, it’s me.” The young man’s voice was gentle and clear. The doorknob turned slowly, and a tall figure stepped inside.

He wore light gray loungewear and was strikingly handsome. He was the Shen family’s adopted son from over a decade ago and now served as the chief lawyer for the Shen Group’s legal department.

“Who let you in this late?” Shen Yanzhou closed his laptop and swiveled his chair around.

Shen Xici didn’t answer right away. His gaze swept past Shen Yanzhou’s face and landed on his bare ankle. The skin, scalded by hot tea, was red and blistered, looking shockingly raw against his pale foot.

Though his gentle expression remained, the air around him grew noticeably colder.

“If Second Uncle keeps pushing his luck, I won’t hesitate to make him lose a few more percentage points in the next quarterly dividend distribution.”

Shen Xici spoke as he approached, carrying the medical kit. He knelt down on one knee with effortless grace.

“I’m fine,” Shen Yanzhou said, instinctively trying to pull away. But Shen Xici was faster. His large, dry hand, the hand of someone who spent his days flipping through legal files, clamped down on Shen Yanzhou’s ankle. He controlled his strength perfectly, holding him firm enough to prevent escape but gentle enough not to hurt the wound.

“Brother, you need medicine,” Shen Xici said, looking up. His dark eyes were fixed on Shen Yanzhou’s pale foot. “If it scars, it will break my heart.”

He opened the kit and dipped a cotton swab into the cooling ointment. His movements were skilled and focused. Shen Yanzhou frowned slightly but didn’t resist. In the filthy Shen family, Shen Xici was an anomaly. He was smart, rational, and most importantly, he listened to him—only to him.

“I heard Grandfather set the wedding date for the eighth of next month,” Shen Xici said as he applied the medicine.

“You heard?” Shen Yanzhou swirled the wine bottle in his hand, his tone nonchalant.

“Fu Sihan is a madman,” Shen Xici’s grip on the ankle suddenly tightened.

“Brother, you’ll die. You’ll really die.”

He snapped his head up. The gentle eyes he usually wore were now shot through with red veins. “The Omega who tried to force a marriage with a pregnancy last month… when they fished him out, his scent gland had been ripped out and shredded. Fu Sihan doesn’t need a partner. He only needs obedient dogs and dead bodies. Is that what you want for me?”

Shen Yanzhou let out a soft laugh. He leaned down, meeting Shen Xici’s gaze. “So what? Did you come all this way just to give me a premarital risk assessment?”

“Brother, my trust fund in Zurich has been unfrozen. I’ve already arranged a safe route to Ounian.” Shen Xici’s voice remained calm.

“A new identity, a new passport, even a plan to clean up the mess here with the Shen family. I’ve prepared everything. Just say the word, and I can take you away right now.”

“Away? Where would we go? To hide abroad like a stray dog, living off a trust fund?”

Shen Yanzhou leaned closer, his exquisite face inches from Shen Xici’s. His voice was soft but laced with a sharp edge. “Xi Ci, do you have any idea how many greedy eyes in this house are staring at the spot I’m occupying right now?”

He extended a pale finger and pointed toward the door. “The moment I step out, that old bastard Shen Hong and that useless Shen Xiuming will be popping champagne to celebrate. They’ll swarm like hyenas, tearing apart the legacy my parents left me until nothing is left but scraps.”

At the mention of his parents, the chill in Shen Yanzhou’s eyes deepened. “My parents risked their lives for this. I’d rather destroy it myself, burn it to the ground, than let those bloodsucking maggots get their hands on it.”

“But I can’t watch you destroy yourself. Brother, you’re so brilliant. With your skills and wit, even if you went abroad with nothing, you’d be thriving in no time. You could build your own business empire from scratch!”

“Not worth it?”

“Xi Ci, you’re a good lawyer. You know how to weigh the pros and cons, how to cut your losses. To you, maybe staying alive is the biggest victory.” Shen Yanzhou’s voice was soft, tinged with a weary rasp. “But for me, some things are more important than life itself.”

“I’m exhausted, and my head is pounding. All I want to do right now is sleep.”

“Then… I won’t disturb you anymore.” Shen Xici’s voice trailed off, laced with an irrepressible tremor. “Don’t get your wound wet. I’ll have my assistant bring over some new suppressant patches tomorrow morning.”

He walked to the door and rested his hand on the knob. Before leaving, he glanced back one last time and said softly, “Good night, Brother.”

The room fell into a dead silence, broken only by the occasional patter of raindrops against the windowpane.

Though Shen Xici’s words were naive, they served as a stark reminder: Fu Sihan was a sadistic bastard. Marrying him would be a death sentence. If he didn’t act now, he would become nothing more than a piece of meat on a chopping block the moment he entered the Fu family’s gates for their engagement on the eighth of next month. His broken body could never withstand the brutal demands of an S-class Alpha.

Shen Yanzhou pulled open a drawer and retrieved a more confidential medical report from the bottom. It was his comprehensive physical exam from six months ago. On the final page, a cruel diagnosis was marked in red ink: [Late-stage congenital gland occlusion syndrome. Severe atrophy of the reproductive cavity. Recommendation: If conception is desired, it must be achieved within a year and a half, or fertility will be permanently lost.]

“One year left,” Shen Yanzhou muttered, staring at the number.

If he didn’t fight back, he’d likely rot away in the Fu family’s backyard, becoming just another insignificant piece in Fu Sihan’s vast collection.

But Shen Yanzhou had never been one to sit and wait for death.

“If you’re so eager to throw me into the fire…” He traced the blurred profile of Fu Sihan on the screen. There was no fear in his eyes, only a growing spark of resolve. “If you’re so sure I’ll be a weak Omega, just waiting to be slaughtered… then I’ll give you a ‘gift’ you’ll never forget.”

A plan, both utterly mad and vicious, slowly took shape in his alcohol-soaked mind.

The Fu family, a century-old dynasty, was obsessively devoted to bloodline purity. A man like Fu Sihan, with his extreme germaphobia and possessiveness, would never touch an Omega who had been marked by another man, especially one carrying a bastard child.

But for the old fossils of the Shen family, as long as the child was from a high-grade Alpha, its father’s identity didn’t matter. An S-rank bloodline was priceless. If he could just conceive this child, he would have the leverage he needed to bargain with both his family and the Fus.

Shen Yanzhou picked up his phone and dialed an unsaved number. It belonged to the same information broker who had sent him Fu Sihan’s complete file.

The line rang twice before connecting. A hoarse male voice, distorted by a voice changer, came through the speaker. “Young Master Shen, calling me twice in one night? What information do you need this time?”

Shen Yanzhou walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside, Hong Kong’s night view was as brilliant as a painting. Countless neon lights wove a massive web that seemed to devour the soul. He stared at his own reflection in the glass. His silver hair was like snow, and his face was exquisitely beautiful, but his eyes were as hollow as a ghost’s.

Shen Yanzhou’s voice was soft yet chillingly calm. “I want to buy something.”

“Oh? What does Young Master Shen want?”

Shen Yanzhou lowered his gaze. “I want a person.”

“I want the strongest, most savage, and most aggressive S-class Alpha in all of Hong Kong.”

The man on the other end of the line was clearly stunned. The background music seemed to fade. “What do you mean? Are you looking for a bodyguard?”

“No.” A cruel smile touched Shen Yanzhou’s lips. “I want to borrow his seed.”

“I don’t care about his background or looks. As long as he’s an S-rank Alpha, even if he’s a complete lunatic.”

“Young Master Shen, you’re really putting me in a tough spot.” The voice on the other end paused, tinged with a mix of helplessness and amused mockery. “S-rank Alphas aren’t exactly common. In this city, anyone with that kind of top-tier genetic makeup is either at the pinnacle of power, like your fiancé, or rotting in a maximum-security prison.”

“Any ‘wild’ S-ranks are either snatched up by the great families or forcibly recruited by the government the moment they surface. You want me to find one, clean him up, and deliver him to your five-star hotel? That’s about as likely as me kidnapping Fu Sihan for you.”

Shen Yanzhou frowned slightly, his fingers tapping impatiently against the glass. “So you’re saying you can’t do it?”

“I can’t deliver him to your door, but…” The information broker’s tone shifted, his voice dropping lower. “If you’re truly desperate for this kind of ‘wild game’ and have the guts to go after it, there is one place you could try your luck.”

“Where?”

“Two days from now, at the underground auction in the Kowloon Walled City.” The informant slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. “A place like that is a lawless land within a lawless land. As long as you can afford the price, no one will dare say a word, even if you’re buying him for a night in bed or even his very life.”

“But Young Master Shen, are you sure you want to get your hands dirty in a place like that?”

Shen Yanzhou stared out at the pitch-black night, a cold glint in his eyes.

Dirty? What difference was his current situation from being dragged through the mud?

“Send me the address,” he replied curtly.

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