The Cat I Picked Up Turns into an Alpha and Always Wants to Mark Me - Chapter 4

Tang Le slept soundly, only waking up after the alarm had rung several times.

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was alone in bed; the room smelled of nothing, and she was wearing the same pajamas she had worn the night before.

It was just a dream after all…

Staring blankly at the ceiling, she suddenly remembered last night’s dream and buried her face in the covers, blushing so fiercely that even the tips of her ears turned red.

How could I dream about Xiao Dong turning into an Alpha…?

The alarm also woke Xiao Dong, who was curled up beside her pillow. It yawned widely, then lifted its head to look at her.

Perhaps influenced by last night’s dream, Tang Le felt that Xiao Dong looked different.

Usually, its eyes showed little emotion, and Tang Le had to interpret its behavior through body language.

Rubbing against her meant it was hungry, nudging her hand with its head meant it wanted to be petted, and tilting its head back meant it wanted its chin scratched.

Now, it lay quietly, still in its black cat form, but the expression in its eyes seemed to have changed.

Tang Le instinctively reached out to stroke Xiao Dong’s belly, but the cat swiftly dodged her hand.

“Come here, Xiao Dong,” she called, patting the empty space beside her pillow. Usually, just calling its name like that would bring Xiao Dong obediently to her side.

But today, Xiao Dong ignored her, instead turning and nimbly leaping onto the desk. It settled down there, its tail loosely curled around its front paws.

When Tang Le got out of bed, her legs buckled, and she nearly lost her balance. Fortunately, she grabbed the dresser in time to steady herself.

Her body felt strange: achy yet weak, light as a feather yet tinged with an indescribable sense of comfort.

Having never been marked before, Tang Le didn’t immediately recognize what was happening. She assumed her blood sugar was low.

After steadying herself against the dresser, she noticed Xiao Dong had silently slipped to her feet, gazing up at her.

If she hadn’t caught herself, she would have fallen right on top of the cat.

She scooped Xiao Dong into her arms, chuckling as she ruffled its head. “Were you trying to be a cat-shaped cushion in case I fell?”

Tang Le gently nudged Xiao Dong’s nose with her own, saying sincerely, “You’re the best, Xiao Dong.”

Usually, when Tang Le held Xiao Dong, the cat would stay still and quiet. But today, after Tang Le touched her nose, Xiao Dong suddenly wriggled free and leaped onto the cabinet, giving her a sideways glance.

Tang Le couldn’t help but think Xiao Dong’s expression looked a bit haughty.

Feeling unwell, Tang Le called Sister Jia to take the day off.

“Xiao Ning told me what happened yesterday. You must have been through a lot,” Sister Jia said, her voice as gentle as ever. “Rest well today. Don’t worry about the restaurant. If you need anything, just ask. Don’t hesitate.”

“Thank you, Sister Jia,” Tang Le replied.

After hanging up, she noticed Xiao Dong staring at her. She instinctively explained, “Yesterday, an Alpha at the restaurant released pheromones at me.”

Then she chuckled, “Why am I even telling you this?”

As an Omega with a cute appearance, Tang Le often faced unwanted attention from Alphas at work.

Even with her Scent-Blocking Patch, those Alphas swarmed around her like flies.

Lower-ranking Alphas struggled to control their desires.

After washing up, Tang Le found herself, almost hypnotized, turning to look at the scent gland on the back of her neck in the mirror.

She had once seen an Omega who had been marked by an Alpha. The Omega’s body was covered in bruises, and their glands were a bloody mess from the bite. They developed a fever that very night and didn’t recover for days.

In the mirror, her own glands looked perfectly intact, their color a healthy pink.

Only then did she truly relax.

It had all been a dream, after all.

With a rare day off, Tang Le decided to go out and buy some supplies.

She was down to her last Scent-Blocking Patch and had run out of Suppressant, so she needed to restock.

Her apartment was a bit far from the city center, and there was no direct bus route. Seeing that the weather was decent, she decided to ride her bike.

But then she ran into a little problem.

Xiao Dong was acting strangely today. Ever since she nearly tripped getting out of bed, the cat had been following her every step.

It sat by the sink while she washed up, perched by the closet as she changed, and now it was sitting upright on the shoe cabinet by the door, right on top of her keys.

Xiao Dong had never acted like this before. Usually, it would laze around on the bed, refusing to get up even when she tried to coax it.

Tang Le tried to pick it up, but Xiao Dong pushed her away with its paw.

It didn’t extend its claws, just gently nudged her hand away with its soft paw pad.

Tang Le tried scratching behind its ear. “Xiao Dong, stop being silly. Give me the keys.”

Xiao Dong used to love being scratched like this. She would close her eyes, flatten her ears, and wear a blissful expression.

But today, she acted completely out of character. Just as Tang Le’s fingers were about to touch her, she turned her head away, dodging the touch.

Seeing the keys pinned beneath Xiao Dong, Tang Le suddenly had an idea. She crouched down to meet the cat’s gaze. “Do you want to come with me?”

Xiao Dong couldn’t speak, but after a glance at Tang Le, she gracefully licked her paw and then nudged the keys out from under her.

That’s her way of saying she wants to come along.

Tang Le had no choice but to find a large canvas bag and tuck Xiao Dong inside.

Xiao Dong sat in the bag, only her head peeking out. She was so light that Tang Le could carry her with one hand.

The bike ride to the city center took over twenty minutes. Tang Le placed the canvas bag in the bike basket and, after a moment’s thought, draped a scarf over it to keep Xiao Dong warm.

Xiao Dong lay in the bag, head poking out, observing her surroundings. This was her first time leaving the house since Tang Le adopted her.

The area seemed rather remote, with three- or four-story private houses lining the road and streetlights spaced several meters apart. Cars were scarce; most people traveled by bus or bicycle.

The city center was the only place to buy suppressants. Tang Le came here every month, and the pharmacist recognized her. As soon as she entered, he asked, “What can I get for you today?”

Tang Le looked at the medications on the shelf and said to the pharmacist, “I need a Suppressant and a box of Scent-Blocking Patches.”

“You usually buy these at the end of the month. Why so early this time?”

Tang Le didn’t want to explain, so she just smiled. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Can you develop resistance to Suppressants if you use them regularly? Like, if your Heat keeps coming back?”

“Resistance is rare,” the pharmacist said, taking a Suppressant from the middle shelf and handing it to her. “If you use a low-grade Suppressant, it might not work well. But you’ve always used S-Rank Suppressants, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Suppressant prices vary by grade.

The higher the grade, the stronger the concentration and the higher the price.

In the standard classification, both Alphas and Omegas have four grades: S, A, B, and C.

Rumor has it there’s a 3S-Rank above S, but it’s so rare that it’s not included in the standard classification.

“However, Suppressants occasionally fail. The leaflet mentions it; the chance of that happening is about one in ten thousand.”

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