Forcibly Marked by My Fiancé’s Best Friend - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The night on the Desolate Planet, after a day of scorching sun, was no longer as bone-chilling as the rainy night they had first landed. However, the biting wind and the massive temperature fluctuations still made Lian Xu shiver.

The roar of an aircraft echoed behind him.

The sound of crushed leaves crunched rhythmically.

Lian Xu didn’t turn around. He sat at the base of a tree, staring blankly up at the brilliant sea of stars. Since escaping the ruin-planet, he rarely had such a moment of leisure.

“Where is he?” He Yu asked, looking around and seeing no one else.

Lian Xu didn’t answer.

But when He Yu sat down and saw the dried blood trailing halfway across Lian Xu’s face, the answer became clear.

In truth, he wasn’t close to this “Senior.”

When the assessment ended years ago, his brother had insisted he study under Xia Zhi. He Yu had been dismissive—Xia Zhi had only entered the base a year before him; what was there to learn?

Despite that, Xia Zhi had dutifully guided his training.

Later, rumors spread that Xia Zhi was very close to one of the students under him—an Alpha and an Omega. It was hard not to let one’s mind wander.

Yu exhaled and pulled Lian Xu toward him, letting him lean against his shoulder.

“If he’s dead, he’s dead. He betrayed the Empire; there’s nothing worth pitying,” He Yu said.

At first, he thought the two had a thing. Later, he learned they were from the same hometown, which explained their familiarity. Moreover, Xia Zhi had someone else he loved, so He Yu’s resentment had slowly faded.

Still, he believed it was difficult for an AO (Alpha/Omega) pair to maintain a pure friendship. He had always held a grudge against Xia Zhi.

“Shortly after you left, they withdrew,” He Yu said since Lian Xu remained silent. “They left very suddenly; they must have received an order.”

From the moment the aircraft took off, their communication link had been active. He Yu had heard every word of their conversation.

Whether it was Lian Xu’s ambiguous confession or Xia Zhi’s final threat.

He Yu glanced sideways at the despondent Omega.

There was something he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t find the words, fearing he was overthinking things.

In the entire Empire, only Yin Zhuo cared that much about his country’s planets. He wasn’t sure who that “confession” was meant for, and he didn’t dare ask.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound—like the static of an interrupted radio signal—rang in his ears.

Yu moved his shoulder, but before he could turn his head, Lian Xu lunged, pinning him down and shielding his head with one hand.

A gunshot rang out immediately after.

“Xia Zhi, you shouldn’t have tested my limits,” Lian Xu’s icy voice gradually reached He Yu’s ears.

Buried beneath the Omega, He Yu’s entire body tensed. His pupils dilated as he stared at Lian Xu in disbelief.

Xia Zhi had crawled out from somewhere, half-kneeling on the ground while clutching his chest. Blood bubbled through his fingers. The listening device tucked into his belt had been shattered by Lian Xu’s bullet.

Lian Xu hadn’t slit his throat earlier out of a final shred of sentiment, but he hadn’t expected the man to push his luck by trying to transmit intelligence back.

“Xia Zhi, I can’t see through you anymore. Since you ordered the people attacking He Yu to retreat, why do this?”

Xia Zhi laughed bitterly. “Because my lover’s heart is still in their hands.”

“Lian Xu, you don’t understand… you don’t know how painful my life has been these past few years!”

He had watched his lover be tortured to death, seen the glands carved out with a dull knife for experimental material. The body destroyed, the heart dissected. To bring Adrian back home, he had to become their dog—betraying the Empire, transmitting intelligence, translating languages, killing his own comrades.

Even if he died ten thousand times, his soul would never find peace.

Even so, he held on. He couldn’t give up until the very last moment because Adrian was still “here.”

But… he would never have the chance to take Adrian home now.

“The source of your greatest pain is betraying yourself! Adrian wouldn’t love the person you’ve become. He would hate you.”

Xia Zhi froze.

Seconds later, he suddenly burst into violent sobs.

Lian Xu was right. Adrian would hate him. Adrian would despise what he had become.

That shot hadn’t just shattered the transmitter on Xia Zhi’s waist; it had shattered his only obsession for living.

Xia Zhi stopped struggling. He lay on the grass until the blood in his body ran dry.

Lian Xu stowed his gun and slowly stood up, only to realize He Yu was shaking.

The Alpha’s rut was flaring up again. Lian Xu half-dragged him onto the aircraft.

He Yu was burning hot, mumbling incoherently. He simply clung to Lian Xu, holding him tight, weeping while kissing the nape of his neck.

Lian Xu had taken suppressants before coming, but after soothing the out-of-control Alpha at the banquet, they had worn off.

He Yu had been stable for a while, so Lian Xu hadn’t taken more, relying only on a scent-blocking patch.

Now, the Alpha was releasing pheromones relentlessly. Even the heavy-duty blocking patch on his licked neck was useless.

Lian Xu released his own pheromones bit by bit to soothe him.

Yu nibbled on his earlobe, panting. “Lian Xu… have we met somewhere before?”

“No. You’re remembering wrong.”

“Is that so?” Yu suddenly flipped over, pulling the Omega onto his lap and pressing the back of his head. His amber eyes were full of complex emotions. “Then let me ask a different way. We knew each other… we knew each other before entering the base.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

This Lian Xu was too familiar to him. He was certain they had met, but the Omega wouldn’t admit it.

Lian Xu stared into He Yu’s eyes. His pupils were beautiful—as if the aurora and the stars had been crushed and poured into two translucent glass beads.

“We don’t know each other,” Lian Xu said calmly after a long silence.

He Yu gave a non-committal hum. He didn’t expect an admission now, and truthfully, he wasn’t 100% sure.

“You promised me that once this is over, you’ll listen to me.” He Yu buried his head in Lian Xu’s chest, nuzzling him.

Lian Xu’s fingers toyed with the Alpha’s hair, his expression unreadable. “But it’s not over yet.”

You might forget other things, but he remembered this promise perfectly, reminding him over and over.

“It ends tomorrow.” He Yu suddenly took a breath, a smile playing on his lips.

The target was in the other aircraft. When dawn broke, he would take that “animal” to the place Bonnie mentioned and settle things once and for all.

According to Bonnie, the new leader’s hideout was located on fertile land that was frequently raided for resources. It was likely the place where the rare earth Lian Xu was looking for could be found.

Once he brought the rare earth back to the Empire, he could…

“Wife, baby…” Yu’s brain was being cooked by the rut; he began to speak shamelessly. “Yin Zhuo is a beast. Stop liking him, okay?”

Lian Xu: “…”

Aren’t you two so close you practically wear the same pants and sleep in the same bed?

“You certainly like to meddle.”

“Mhm.” He Yu smiled, taking Lian Xu’s fingers to undo the buttons of his military uniform, using his fingertips to graze the firm muscles beneath. “Whatever he can give you, I can too. Like me instead.”

Lian Xu frowned. “Is there really a need for two beasts to compete?”

The words were harsh, but He Yu loved it. To him, the Omega before him was so beautiful he was almost androgynous; he had even mistaken him for a girl at first sight.

Two faces began to overlap in his mind, but he felt something was missing.

Yu squinted at Lian Xu for a long time before finally realizing what was wrong. He reached up to cover Lian Xu’s amber eyes, trying to recall a pair of eyes that were breathtakingly, otherworldly beautiful.

He had never seen eyes like those—cat-like, glowing in the dark.

“Kitten…” He Yu murmured. “My beautiful little kitten.”

Lian Xu’s shoulders shook. He clenched his fists tight.

“He Yu, who do you see?”

“I see my kitten,” He Yu answered earnestly. “He’s the most beautiful kitten I’ve ever seen. I said I would marry him.”

Yu gritted his teeth and pressed forward to kiss Lian Xu. His pheromones were completely unshackled now, a thick Alpha aura enveloping the Omega.

Lian Xu felt as if he were sinking into the deep sea—panic, struggle, a silent cry for help, yet sinking deeper and deeper.

Click.

Yu undid his belt and pushed up Lian Xu’s clothes. His burning abdomen pressed against the other’s skin. He rolled over, pinning the Omega down with his full weight.

In the cramped space, it was difficult to move. Lian Xu had no way to escape and could only remain imprisoned beneath him.

The deep kiss was full of possessiveness, forcibly invading his mouth. The sound of their breathing and the friction of the narrow space filled Lian Xu’s ears.

He could barely catch his breath.

After an unknown amount of time, Lian Xu lay trembling and weak in the co-pilot seat of the aircraft.

The Alpha was energized, continuously releasing pheromones to entice the Omega. Both of them were a mess, drenched in sweat.

Yu propped Lian Xu up and kissed his forehead. “Baby, don’t we look like we’re having an affair?”

Lian Xu opened his eyes slightly, his voice raspy. “Get lost.”

“What does this make you? A cheater?”

Lian Xu turned his face away. In his mind, it didn’t count.

Two people using each other without affection—the engagement was just a verbal agreement. Yin Zhuo and his father had never treated him like a human; he was summoned and dismissed at will, kept like a slave in their territory.

How could this be cheating?

For all he knew, Yin Zhuo might not even wait for the wedding day before extracting his pheromones for medicine.

Seeing him remain silent, He Yu kissed Lian Xu’s lips with a stern face.

“Are you sad?”

Is that piece of trash worth it?

Yu and Yin Zhuo had grown up together, close as brothers. Even after his parents died, they had entrusted him and his brother to Yin Zhuo’s father, as if they couldn’t survive in the Empire without that family.

He had grown up seeing the hypocritical, beastly nature of Yin Zhuo’s father. The only son appeared obedient and sensible to outsiders, but that was just inherited DNA; both father and son were masters of disguise.

Their hearts were rotten to the core.

From the moment he saw Lian Xu standing beside Yin Zhuo, he had wanted to steal him away.

What right did Yin Zhuo have?

Fiancé… my ass!

Yu kissed Lian Xu’s lips repeatedly, his mind wandering.

Lian Xu cupped his face and said, “I am sad. You call him a beast, but what about you? What’s the difference between you and him?”

Have you also forgotten your promise?

“What are you doing right now? Seducing your best friend’s fiancé?” Lian Xu’s voice trembled involuntarily. Inwardly, he was screaming, cursing this heartless Alpha.

“Didn’t you seduce me first?” He Yu countered.

“But it doesn’t matter. I’m willing. Whatever my beautiful baby wants me to do, I’ll do it.”

Lian Xu let out a cold laugh. “Then go die.”