The Cannon Fodder Became the Empire's Beloved Omega - Chapter 49

Just as expected.

Upon hearing Gu Yu’s response, Yu Ruan’s heart sank. He distinctly remembered that the other had been perfectly normal before entering the tunnel, yet his condition had abruptly changed right after they stepped inside. It was clearly the effect of that reversed Wheel of Fortune card.

He just hadn’t expected the manifestation to be so…

Most participants in the competition were Alphas, and few carried suppressants as a habit. Once stimulated by external factors, entering an early sensitive period while trapped in such a narrow, enclosed space with another Alpha in close proximity. The mere thought of that scenario was terrifying.

“Then, did you bring suppressants?” After hesitating for a few seconds, he spoke up. “If you have them, I can help administer the injection. Don’t worry, I’ll be very careful. I won’t let you catch my scent.”

Before setting out, Yu Ruan had taken the opportunity to return to his dorm and give himself a suppressant shot while changing clothes. Thinking that would suffice, he hadn’t brought any extra suppressants. He never imagined he’d unexpectedly encounter such a situation.

A miscalculation.

Gu Yu lowered his eyelashes, and it was unclear whether he had heard Yu Ruan’s words. Time ticked by, and Yu Ruan waited patiently. Only after a long while did he hear the other respond with a soft, barely audible “Mm,” his voice extremely low. “I have them.”

Hearing this, Yu Ruan let out a sigh of relief: Cheng Mu had said Gu Yu was particularly meticulous, and now it seemed he hadn’t been lying!

Taking a light breath, Yu Ruan carefully restrained his own scent, doing his utmost to minimize any influence on the Alpha before him, and slowly approached.

The moment he stepped into the other’s domain, Yu Ruan saw the Alpha, just a few steps away, suddenly flare with aggression, his gaze snapping toward Yu Ruan. Those usually cold and restrained eyes were now slightly tinged with red, his breathing erratic. Like a lion whose territory had been invaded, he radiated a dense, overwhelming urge to attack.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Yu Ruan paused mid-step, watching him patiently. He released a faint trace of his own scent and called out softly, “Gu Yu.”

Gu Yu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but he remained silent. Yet the aggressive pheromones swirling around him suddenly dissipated a little. As if tacitly consenting, he allowed the Omega to slowly draw nearer. An unavoidable sweetness drifted from the other, seeping into his lungs, soothing his restless heart.

Yu Ruan cautiously moved to Gu Yu’s side, helping him up from the ground, and searched his memory for where the suppressants might be stored in the other’s pockets.

Warm breaths brushed against his neck, the unique scent of the other’s pheromones lingering in his nostrils. Yu Ruan pressed his lips together, the gland at the nape of his neck beginning to heat up faintly. His fingers trembling slightly, he retrieved the transparent tube from the other’s pocket and murmured, “Just wait a little longer. It’ll be over soon.”

Gu Yu watched him with lowered lashes, his gaze fixed as Yu Ruan administered the injection into his vein. He remained unusually silent, as if impervious to the pain, not even furrowing his brow. However, the aggressive pheromones saturating the air gradually faded a bit.

He seemed almost like a large feline whose fur had been smoothed down.

Yu Ruan couldn’t help but think.

Suppressing the restlessness gradually rising at the nape of his neck, he pushed the inhibitor all the way in. The other’s warm breath lightly brushed against his hair, and Yu Ruan pulled out the needle, murmuring softly, “Done.”

“…Mm.”

“But it might take a little while to fully take effect,” he explained vaguely, standing up. “I’ll wait over there for you. Call me when you’ve recovered.”

The concentration of pheromones in this area was too strong. If he didn’t leave quickly, the inhibitor he’d taken before coming here wouldn’t hold up for long. After all, his own heat was approaching, and his resistance to Alpha pheromones was far weaker than usual.

If something went wrong, he might end up dragging the other down with him.

Unable to spare any more comforting words for the Alpha in front of him, Yu Ruan hurried toward the corner. He could already feel his legs growing weak, the gland at the nape of his neck burning intensely. But for now, he could still restrain himself. As long as he kept some distance from Gu Yu, he should be able to recover soon.

As the sweet scent at the tip of his nose abruptly faded, Gu Yu shifted his gaze slightly, watching the Omega flee from his side as if escaping in panic. A sudden emptiness filled his heart, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he closed his eyes, quietly waiting for the inhibitor in his bloodstream to take effect.

His pheromones raged restlessly within him, like scorching magma burning through every inch of his veins. No matter how much the foreign substance injected into his blood tried to suppress and resist it, it was as futile as an ant trying to shake a mighty tree ridiculous and utterly powerless.

Not enough.

The dosage wasn’t enough.

With every step that comforting scent drifted further away, the pheromones inside him burned even hotter. The air was thick with the mysterious fragrance that stimulated an Alpha’s nerves, and the restlessness he had barely suppressed with the inhibitor resurfaced. He parted his lips slightly, opening his eyes: “Do you have any more?”

Yu Ruan was bewildered. “What?”

“I only brought one dose,” Gu Yu’s voice was hoarse, laced with exhaustion. “I might need two more.”

Yu Ruan froze for a moment, completely unprepared for the situation to be this severe. Although he knew that the more powerful an Alpha was, the worse their condition would be during their sensitive period, he never imagined it would take three doses of inhibitor to curb the reaction.

This was a specially formulated inhibitor for Alphas, after all!

He hesitated for a while, his guilt growing heavier. If it weren’t for saving him, Gu Yu wouldn’t have ended up here in this state. And to make matters worse, he had carelessly forgotten to bring any inhibitors. If Gu Yu ended up losing the competition because of this, he would never be able to face him again.

Maybe.

After a moment of hesitation, Yu Ruan walked back to Gu Yu’s side, his voice full of apology. “I’m sorry. I took a dose right before leaving, thinking it would be enough, so I didn’t bring any with me.”

The other silently watched him.

Yu Ruan met those beautiful, glass-bead-like eyes, overwhelmed by a deep sense of remorse. His mind was filled with the lingering warmth the other had left on his neck restrained yet scorching, a pain that seemed to burn through one’s very core.

Since they were friends, and as the other person in this relationship, Yu Ruan felt he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

“If you don’t mind, you can borrow a bite for now.” Suppressing the burning shame on his face, he lowered his voice, “It’s just a temporary mark. You don’t need to take it too seriously.”

Yu Ruan recalled hearing that some Omegas would ask close Alpha friends to give them temporary marks to help endure the discomfort of their heat cycles. He felt his relationship with Gu Yu was decent enough that this request wouldn’t be considered inappropriate.

Still, their relationship wasn’t quite that intimate. After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Ruan added awkwardly, “My heat cycle is coming soon too. Having a mark would make things easier for me. Think of it as mutual benefit.”

After saying this, he was so embarrassed he nearly buried his face in his knees. His trembling fingers moved to the button below his Adam’s apple, pushing the round fastener out of its slot. A soft rustling sound echoed in the dim space as he lowered his lashes, parting his collar to expose the gland usually hidden beneath.

The breathing beside him seemed to halt for an instant. An intensely heated gaze fell upon him, so scorching it made him shiver slightly. Pretending nonchalance, Yu Ruan tentatively called out, “Gu Yu?”

“…” The other remained silent, as if struggling to restrain something. After a long pause, he turned his head away. “No need.”

Yu Ruan froze momentarily, growing anxious. “Then what are you going to do?!”

“Just a few more minutes, it’ll pass soon.” He paused. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“I’m an adult. I know what I’m doing.” Yu Ruan couldn’t help retorting, though his voice softened. “Last time you promised you’d help me. Now I’m asking for your help is that not allowed?”

The Alpha’s breathing beside him stilled.

He watched Yu Ruan silently, thoughts unreadable. Yu Ruan lowered his head further in embarrassment, hardly able to believe he’d spoken such words. He felt Gu Yu’s gaze sweep across his face before settling on the gland at the nape of his neck.

The skin of the gland, usually concealed beneath his collar, was smooth and soft, pale as untouched snow. Gu Yu lowered his lashes, leaning closer as he enveloped the Omega in his own scent, supporting the other’s pliant body.

“It will hurt.” His voice was low. “Endure it.”

Yu Ruan gave a slight nod, burying his flushed face in the crook of his arm. The other held him gently as the Alpha’s scent spilled out uncontrollably, wrapping around him completely.

The rich scent of lime filled his nostrils. Yu Ruan pressed his lips together, hiding his face deeper. The heat cycle suppressed by inhibitors gradually resonated with the pheromones in the air, making his gland burn hot and his limbs grow weak. Omega instincts stirred, turning his breathing heavy and labored.

A warm pressure touched the back of his neck, rubbing and grinding gently. Scorching breath fell heavily against his skin, making his body tremble slightly as an electric sensation shot through his fingertips.

Yu Ruan tightened his grip on Gu Yu’s hand resting at his waist, his breathing growing uneven. “Gu Yu!”

For an Omega, the gland is an incredibly vital part of their body. It is like a second heart, yet so deeply hidden that it cannot bear the touch of any stranger.

But today, he willingly exposed it to another Alpha.

A warm, moist tongue gently licked the slightly protruding bone, kissing the feverish skin. Sharp teeth lightly grazed the soft flesh enveloping the gland, sending shivers of illusion, before biting down firmly.

A tingling numbness shot straight to his core, and Yu Ruan trembled, instinctively wanting to push the other away. Yet his body grew weak and limp, forced to surrender to instinct. A soft moan escaped his nostrils, and his fingers, braced against the wall, twitched slightly before being captured in the Alpha’s palm and pulled tightly into an embrace.

A slightly bitter pheromone flowed into his body, easing the pain of the bitten gland. The overwhelming scent of the Alpha merged with his own honeyed pheromones, spreading through every limb and fiber of his being.

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