Seduced By My Omega Stepsister - Chapter 21

The Second Counter Mark

In her arms, the breathing gradually became rhythmic. Chu Xiyu’s thick eyelashes lightly brushed against her lids, and the scent of rose pheromones drifted around them in a lazy, relaxed haze yet a faint wisp of it split off, winding itself around Fu Zhou’s wrist.

The adjustable sofa had been set to the perfect height for sleeping, but Fu Zhou felt as though she’d downed a massive bucket of coffee, she was wide awake.

She thought of Chu Xiyu.

She thought of how, just half an hour ago, that girl had said with a sob in her voice that it was her first time seeing a movie.

Night truly is a curious time.

The deepening darkness always coaxes people to peel away the hard outer shells of their hearts, layer by layer, leaving behind a sliver of tenderness and the ancient wounds flowing in their blood, laying it all bare.

And after her first movie?

Fu Zhou suddenly felt a pang of regret.

How could she have doubted the way Chu Xiyu’s gaze was fixed so intently on the screen? Why, out of her own selfishness, had she chosen such a heavy theme for tonight?

How…

How could she have spent so much time speculating and calculating against someone whose entire youth was bruised and saturated with pain?

She felt a dull ache in her chest.

Even the gland at the back of her neck throbbed with heat, swollen by her emotions.

The rose scent grew richer, intertwining with the scent of green plum wine in the air. Their fusion felt so natural, as if they were always meant to be one.

Drowsily, Fu Zhou pressed the tip of her tongue against her aching canines. Sleep finally pulled her under like a tide dragging her into the dark depths of the sea.

“Fu Zhou… Fu Zhou!”

A girl’s slightly panicked voice sounded in her ear. Fu Zhou forced her eyes open against the weight of sleep.

Through her blurry vision, she saw Chu Xiyu’s face flushed with a damp glow. Seeing her wake up, Chu Xiyu let out a small sigh of relief.

“Your pheromone concentration is so high. How are you feeling?”

“A bit… sleepy.”

Chu Xiyu had read the Alpha introductory manual. It stated that Alphas nearing differentiation become highly aggressive, they are easily triggered by emotional swings or lured by Omega pheromones, often resulting in an impulse to bite.

But…

She looked at the person holding her, who was still trying to burrow into her arms with sleepy eyes.

What’s going on? Don’t Enigma Alphas and ordinary Alphas share the same manual?

It was true that Fu Zhou wasn’t being aggressive, but the concentration of Alpha pheromones in the air was too high. Under the induction of such high levels, Chu Xiyu’s body was becoming secretly damp and soft.

Chu Xiyu gasped for breath. Pushing Fu Zhou away to go outside for a suppressor was impossible; her limbs were currently so weak she couldn’t muster any strength.

She briefly considered the possibility of kicking Fu Zhou awake and running for the medicine.

But the person nuzzling into her chest whimpered at the subconscious movement of her leg and began, instinctively, to sniff at the side of her neck.

Scorched, hot breath hit her most sensitive gland. Chu Xiyu’s arms tightened around Fu Zhou as a muffled moan escaped her throat.

An Alpha without marking fangs posed no physical threat.

However, in her plans, this step wasn’t supposed to happen so early.

But she couldn’t just let their pheromones run wild like this, something would eventually go wrong.

While she was lost in thought, Fu Zhou had already reached her neck. After sniffing the damp gland a few times, she extended her tongue and lightly licked the honey-sweet soft flesh.

Chu Xiyu’s breath hitched. She leaned back involuntarily, suppressing a moan, using one bent leg to block Fu Zhou’s advancing body.

Fu Zhou remained relatively well-behaved, sitting by the edge of the sofa, her dark eyes reflecting the dim light of the emergency lamp.

Chu Xiyu’s chest heaved with heavy breaths. She looked up, her usually cold eyes now stained with a shimmering ripple of desire.

“Xiao Zhou, come here,” she beckoned, as if calling a puppy.

Fu Zhou carefully leaned in again. This time, she was obedient and restrained, making no move toward her neck.

To the inexperienced, naive, and semi-conscious Alpha, Chu Xiyu’s strained expression and the soft whimpers escaping her lips looked like signs of pain.

She felt a vague sense that she had done something wrong.

Chu Xiyu pressed Fu Zhou against the back of the sofa, brushed aside the hair covering the back of her neck, and bit down gently on that tender patch of skin.

A counter-mark. For the second time.

The injection of Omega pheromones caused Fu Zhou to freeze. The heat raging through her body was slowly extinguished by a steady, cool stream, and the confusion in her eyes began to dissipate.

Her mind was suddenly occupied by something else.

An intimate relationship.

With this second counter-mark… what exactly was the nature of her relationship with Chu Xiyu?

The fine hairs at Chu Xiyu’s forehead were damp with sweat. She slumped weakly against Fu Zhou, her soft body rising and falling with her breath, rubbing against Fu Zhou’s skin.

“Chu Xiyu… a counter-mark?” Fu Zhou managed to choke out the words.

“Mm,” Chu Xiyu replied, sounding utterly exhausted.

Alphas naturally hold dominance over Omegas. Simultaneously, a mark that isn’t initiated by the Alpha typically doesn’t trigger much of a physical reaction in the Alpha.

But it’s different for the Omega.

Her body was extremely sensitive. Even after counter-marking Fu Zhou, the desire stirred up by the Alpha’s pheromones wouldn’t vanish so quickly. She needed time to recover.

The person in front of her remained silent for a long time.

Chu Xiyu flicked her eyes up, looking directly into those shimmering eyes.

“Otherwise, student Fu Zhou, do you even have marking fangs yet?”

A deep red instantly climbed up the tips of Fu Zhou’s ears. Her puppy-like eyes couldn’t help but well up with a bit of moisture.

In the darkness, it was hard to see clearly, and Chu Xiyu didn’t have the energy to parse her emotions.

Alphas usually mind being counter-marked, right?

After all, they are born leaders, especially someone like Fu Zhou, who had known she was a top-tier Alpha since childhood.

“Can we just sleep like this?” Perhaps because she had just been counter-marked, Fu Zhou felt that holding her like this was incredibly comfortable. She didn’t want to let go.

Even sleeping in the same bed hadn’t felt this intimate.

Chu Xiyu nodded weakly and soon fell into a deep sleep in Fu Zhou’s arms.

Fu Zhou ended up in the hospital anyway.

The reason: an Alpha about to differentiate needs isolation. They can easily hurt others and need sedatives before being released.

Fu Li and Chu Wen were away on business and couldn’t return immediately. They called Fu Zhou, telling her to listen to the doctors and to Chu Xiyu, and not to act recklessly.

Ten minutes of nagging boiled down to one thing: differentiation is a major event and cannot be taken lightly.

Fu Zhou nodded. Of course she would listen to Chu Xiyu.

They were in an intimate relationship now.

Chu Xiyu stayed by the bedside. The bite from the night before had been light, but the gland was fragile. The back of Fu Zhou’s neck was slightly chafed, the reddish mark standing out starkly against her pale skin.

Fortunately, Fu Zhou would have to wear an isolation patch from now until her differentiation was complete and her pheromones stabilized.

The doctor entered with a clipboard and carefully examined Fu Zhou’s gland.

“Well, the gland development is fine. The reason she isn’t showing strong aggression is likely because of your early counter-marking, the Omega pheromones provided a calming effect.”

“If things go smoothly, we won’t even need to administer sedatives. She can leave once the isolation patch is on.”

With the scarcity of Alphas and Omegas nowadays, it wasn’t uncommon for parents to pair up AO childhood friends. Instances where an Alpha is marked before differentiation to suppress internal pheromones were quite frequent.

Moreover, looking at them, they seemed like a couple whose families had arranged an engagement early on the “mutual pining” type.

The doctor, used to such sights, only offered a few extra reminders.

“So, what counts as ‘going smoothly’?” Fu Zhou asked.

The eight day holiday wasn’t long to begin with, and the days were slipping by faster and faster. She didn’t want to spend them in a hospital.

“It’s going smoothly right now. It depends on whether your Omega thinks you’re okay to be discharged.”

The hospitalization had been Chu Xiyu’s firm insistence. Fu Zhou’s reaction had been too mild as her “sister,” she felt it was necessary to check… if Fu Zhou was sexually incompetent.

Having ruled out any physiological issues, there was no need to keep Fu Zhou here.

“Mm, if there’s nothing wrong, let’s head out.”

Fu Zhou blinked, the corners of her lips curving up. Her puppy eyes crinkled happily.

Chu Xiyu hadn’t denied being “her Omega.”

Chu Xiyu grabbed a few Alpha suppressors and waited in the room for Fu Zhou to change.

“Chu Xiyu.”

“What is it?” Before Chu Xiyu could turn around, a warm body smelling of green plum wine enveloped her in a full embrace.

“Nothing. I just wanted to hold you.”