Older Brother - Chapter 1

Central Star, the heart of the Galactic Federation’s First Galaxy.

A riot triggered by political infighting had just drawn to a close, leaving the military-controlled Parliament Hall in a state of utter shambles.

Federation reporters, their faces stained with blood, leaned on one another for support. With trembling hands, they aimed their holographic cameras toward the center of the hall. There sat an Alpha in full military regalia, slowly and methodically wiping down his handgun.

Noticing the lens, the young Alpha straightened his posture and offered a smile. His features were sharp, and a smear of blood across his brow added a chilling intensity to his gaze. “Citizens of Central Star, please rest easy. The riot has been suppressed.”

“I am Bai.  No, Colonel Fu Yu.”

In the periphery, an old man one of the participants in the uprising slumped in his chair, his face turning an ashen shade of gray.

The Alpha stood, his long legs carrying him toward the old man. He rested a hand on the elder’s shoulder, his touch almost affectionate, yet mocking. “Foster father,” he said with a faint smile, “don’t blame me for putting justice above family ties.”

Two years had passed since that violent shift in power.

Amidst the endless gossip of the Federation voters, the man now holding a high-ranking military position and acting as the head of the Bai family one of the three great clans of Central Star was a young Alpha with no blood relation to the family at all.

However, none of this concerned Bai You, who remained far from the eye of the storm.

He was merely a common “Pseudo-A” (an Omega pretending to be an Alpha), a trend not uncommon in their society. Even though the catalyst for this upheaval was Fu Yu—the ruthless Alpha his family had adopted years ago—Bai You kept his distance.

The elder Senator Bai had fathered many children, yet he had suddenly brought a five-year-old Fu Yu home, announcing that the boy would also have inheritance rights.

With so many siblings competing for power, resources were already scarce. The sudden appearance of an outsider like Fu Yu, who took a share of the pie for no apparent reason, drew immediate hostility. The other siblings bullied him relentlessly during his youth; only Bai You had ever shown him a shred of kindness.

Perhaps it was because of that small mercy that Fu Yu spared him while systematically eliminating every other sibling who stood in his way.

Bai You was a man of quiet temperament with no interest in the family fortune. After graduating from an off-world university, he returned to the ancestral estate solely to care for his grandmother, the person who had been kindest to him. After her passing, he felt no particular attachment to staying or leaving.

Though Fu Yu had spared him, he remained wary. Most areas of the main manor remained strictly off-limits to Bai You.

Having studied jewelry design, Bai You had set up a small studio in the most remote corner of the estate. He had gained a modest reputation and saved a decent amount of money by taking private commissions.

Not long ago, he accidentally discovered a partial design sketch left behind by his late mother. He began crafting a sapphire hairpiece based on the sketch but realized her diary mentioned that the remaining half of the design was tucked away in a book within the main manor’s study.

Books in that study were not allowed to be removed. Bai You typically avoided Fu Yu at all costs, especially on a night like this when lightning flashed and thunder rolled outside.

But since it was his mother’s legacy, he eventually decided to venture out. Tucking the half-finished hairpiece into his pocket, he headed to the main study to find the manuscript and ensure his work was accurate.

He was only halfway through his search when he realized something was terribly wrong.

His heat was coming on early.

Outside, a deafening crack of thunder shook the air, and the lights suddenly cut out, plunging the world into darkness. Bai You stumbled out of the study, desperate to reach his own room before his “Pseudo-A” suppressants failed completely.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps ascending from downstairs. Paralyzed by the fear of being discovered in heat, he panicked and ducked into the nearest room.

The moment he entered, he realized he had made a catastrophic mistake. The air was thick with the scent of an Alpha’s pheromones.

This was Fu Yu’s bedroom.

The Alpha’s scent acted as a catalyst, accelerating his heat. As the footsteps drew closer, Bai You’s mind went blank. He scrambled into the wardrobe, hoping the layers of clothing would mask the Omega pheromones beginning to leak from his body.

However, the moment he pulled the door shut, he realized he had done something even more foolish.

The Alpha’s aura inside the confined wardrobe was suffocatingly potent. He lost his grip on his senses almost instantly.

By the time he regained a flicker of consciousness, he felt the icy press of a gun barrel against his forehead.

The room was still shrouded in pitch blackness, but he knew exactly who was standing there.

His nominal younger brother, whom he hadn’t seen in nearly a month used the gun to slowly tilt his chin upward. His voice was light, mocking, and dangerous.

“Well, look what we have here a private little Omega in heat?”