The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 1

“Ding! Welcome New Host, to the Western Continent of Bain-Perella. This is also an A/B/O world.”

Kaes was a homicide detective until a mission went sideways and cost him his life.
The next second, he woke to a metallic voice echoing inside his mind.

What the hell… did I just transmigrate? he thought.

[System: “You’re my second host. Complete your assigned mission, and you may remain in this body. Fail within the given time limit and you will be erased.”]

When Kaes opened his eyes again, he found himself sprawled face down on an ornate velvet sofa.
The air reeked of liquor. His head throbbed like a drum. He braced himself on the armrest, attempting to stand. That’s when he noticed a young man with green hair leaning against his feet. The young man wore noble attire; his face delicate and striking, with a tear-shaped mole beneath one eye.

The stranger raised the bottle in his hand, drunkenly slurring,
“Governor Kaes, what weighs so heavily on your mind that you had to drag me here for a drink?”

Who is this? Where am I? And who the hell am I supposed to be?

The System’s information network flashed into Kaes’s mind:

[Name: Kaes] The same as mine, What a coincidence.
[Title: Governor of Lanqi Province, age 24. Local-born. Holds half the region’s military power.]

[Weapons proficient: handgun, rifle, sniper rifle.]
[Gender: Male Alpha, SSS-rank and one of the most powerful snipers on the continent.]
[Note: Lost his left eye in the war against Bain-Perella.]

Well, look at that. I’m a one-eyed warlord. Why only half the military power though?

[Lanqi: Colonized territory of Bain-Perella. The other half of its army reports to the Bain military inspector. They are tasked with watching Kaes’s every move. Lanqi’s forces are mostly musketeers and infantry, no mages.]

And the green-haired one?

[Profile: Mage from another region, name: Keith. Claims to be researching a way to heal Kaes’s lost eye. A/B/O status: unknown.]

What kind of intel network doesn’t even know the man’s secondary gender?

The system didn’t answer.

The original host, it seemed, had been drinking heavily before vanishing. Keith had already fallen asleep, soft snores rising from where he lay curled at Kaes’s feet. Kaes pried the bottle from his limp fingers and half-carried him to the bedroom. He dumped him on the bed, then collapsed beside him, too dizzy to think.

Still, curiosity gnawed at him. Why was the last host drinking so heavily?

[System: “The original host died in the war at age 19. The first host then took over. His mission was to fulfill the original host’s wishes: marry his childhood friend and ‘white moonlight,’ Long Shi, within five years and take revenge for the Lanqi family by assassinating the Queen.”]

Kaes rubbed his temples. And then?

[System: “The first host failed the mission. The five years expired. Long Shi still has not accepted his courtship. The first host vanished. And now, you have arrived to continue the original host’s wishes.” ]

He spent four years winning glory in the Bain army, rose to the rank of governor, gained the Queen’s trust… but still couldn’t finish the job.

Kaes sighed. So he fell for this Long Shi, couldn’t finish his revenge, and drank himself to death. Figures.

Still, he couldn’t help wondering what kind of person this Long Shi was.
“Show me his profile,” he murmured…
But sleep took him before the system could answer.

Kaes fell into a dream. He was reliving the memories of this body at age 17 when the original Kaes first fell in love.

The autumn night was bleak and chilled to the bone. The sky was a faint, inky blue, with a half-moon peaking from behind the dark clouds.

Two slender figures stood beneath a building. It was dark and no candlelight, meaning no one was inside.

“Let’s go back, Kaes,” said the boy behind him, it was Long Shi. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed unease.

“Why?” Kaes turned, grinning.

They were childhood friends, now cadets at the same academy. Both had only recently undergone secondary gender differentiation. Kaes was an Alphaa and Long Shi was a Beta.

The world also had Omegas, fragile but gifted in magic. Betas were ordinary; Alphas, dominant; Omegas, rare and delicate.

Kaes and Long Shi were not only military school classmates, they’d briefly lived under the same roof as children. Though the time was short, Kaes was already deeply fond of Long Shi.

Since Long Shi left his house, they haven’t had as much private time. Long Shi’s family was fiercely loyal to Kaes’s, essentially serving as hereditary guards. Their meetings had decreased, but there were still many opportunities.

They had enrolled in the same military academy, much to Kaes’s delight. He wanted to pursue Long Shi.

The military academy was divided into Melee and Firearm specializations, further broken down into Offensive and Support roles. No one could study both specializations; choosing one meant forgoing the other. The support roles were highly restrictive: Firearm Support could only boost Firearm Offensive, and the same for Warrior (Melee) specializations.

Both Kaes and Long Shi chose the Offensive specialization. As a young master, Kaes had his own dedicated Support.

The academy strictly prohibited dating, but Kaes didn’t care. He wanted to confess tonight.

“We’ll get caught,” Long Shi whispered, glancing at the locked door. “We can’t enter without a commander’s key.”

“I just want to see the Shaquille rifle. They say a mage blessed it.” Kaes smirked. “Come on.”

“You’re insane! If it fires by accident, we’ll wake half the barracks…”

“I’m kidding,” Kaes chuckled, then pulled a silver key from his pocket. “Relax. I’ve got this.”

Long Shi stared. “How did you…”

“Don’t ask.” Kaes slid the key in and opened the door with a click.

Sneaking in felt like they were thieves. Long Shi was nervous, his heart hammering against his ribs. Instructors patrolled at night; getting caught would be disastrous. He looked at the excited Kaes ahead of him, unable to understand the boy’s audacity.

“What are you worrying about?” Kaes suddenly pulled Long Shi close and shut the door decisively. He then threw his arms wide and embraced Long Shi.

“What are you doing!” Long Shi whispered, startled. Kaes had lunged at him. He recoiled, his stiff body pressed against the door.

“…” Kaes was silent, holding Long Shi pressed to the door for a moment. His chest was tight against Long Shi’s, and he could feel the boy’s frantic heartbeat against his own. “Your heart is beating so fast.”

“That’s because you keep scaring me! You’re so naughty,” Long Shi complained. Yet, he didn’t move, allowing the embrace. He thought for a moment and added two more words: “Mischievous, even.”

Long Shi could hear his own heartbeat. He wasn’t blind; he suspected Kaes liked him. But Kaes was an excellent Alpha. He had golden, slightly curly hair, fair skin and better-looking than most noble young masters. He had the best voice he ever heard.

He felt inadequate. He was just a scentless, uninteresting Beta. Alpha nobility usually sought out Omegas to easily produce excellent, genetically superior heirs. Even abilities like magic were genetically determined. Getting tangled up with a Beta like him was irrational.

“Hahaha,” Kaes couldn’t help but laugh at the word “mischievous.”

Long Shi wasn’t beautiful. His features were a bit rough, his skin a deep wheat color, with short black hair and strange red eyes. But that didn’t stop Kaes from loving him.

In Kaes’s eyes, the wheat-colored skin looked like smooth chocolate.

Long Shi had the best physique in the military school. Kais couldn’t find a boy with a better figure than Long Shi: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a toned rear. Just looking at his back view was enough to make one’s mind wander.

“Can I touch your waist?” Kaes’s voice was low and enticing. He let go with one hand and gently felt Long Shi’s waist. “So thin.”

“You… that tickles,” Long Shi was extremely embarrassed. The hand, calloused from practicing with guns, kept lightly touching him through his thin uniform. He was ticklish and slapped the hand away.

Kaes didn’t retreat. Instead, he pressed closer, pinning Long Shi against the door. He gently placed a hand on Long Shi’s neck, feeling around. He had no scent gland.

“What are you doing…” Long Shi was blushing and awkward. He was a Beta without a scent gland, and being felt up by an Alpha was mortifying. He pushed at Kaes.

Kaes remained pressed against Long Shi. Suddenly playful, he slightly released some of his pheromones, enveloping Long Shi. “Can you smell my pheromones?”

“Are they out?” The air felt calm to Long Shi. Both boys were still very curious about the physiology of the secondary genders. He took two deep breaths, only smelling Kaes’s body scent, no pheromones.

“I can’t smell anything,” Long Shi said dejectedly, a faint bitterness in his heart. If only I were an Omega. “I heard everyone’s scent is different. What’s yours?”

“Gunpowder.”

“Huh?” Long Shi was surprised. It was the first time he’d heard of such a strange scent. He tried to imagine what it felt like to be surrounded by the smell of gunpowder.

Would it be so choking that you couldn’t breathe?

“Do you want to lean in and smell closer?” Kaes brought his neck nearer, his lips practically touching Long Shi’s ear. Long Shi froze. Kaes continued, “I want to tell you something…”

About liking Long Shi. He was about to confess.

“Don’t speak so close to my ear, it tickles. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the Shaquille Rifle? Let’s go,” Long Shi spoke quickly, nervously pushing Kaes away.

So sensitive, huh? Kaes curved his lips into a smile, but didn’t say it aloud cause Long Shi might hit him.

Though, Long Shi would never truly bring himself to hit him.

Long Shi walked ahead. Kaes always liked to tease him, but most of the time, he didn’t refuse, perhaps even enjoying it. His face slightly flushed, he sped up.

“Wait for me! Slow down, don’t trip!” Kaes called out Long Shi’s name, rushing to catch up. “Long Shi, Long Shi!”

I’ll confess next time.

“Long Shi!” Kaes mumbled, stirring awake. The glaring sunlight made him squint. He blinked. Someone was leaning over him, blocking the light.

Kaes was fully awake, though a dull ache from the hangover lingered.

The dream was from the original host’s memories from when he was a student.

When you look at it that way, it’s a perfect match! Kaes felt slightly relieved. He wouldn’t be completely lost in this world.

It’s ridiculous that a top-tier Alpha couldn’t win over a Beta after years of pursuit.

Keith tilted his head, looking at him. His beautiful, fox-like eyes shone like green gemstones. He leaned in closer, his fluffy green hair releasing a sweet fragrance.

“Governor Kaes, who is Long Shi? Why are you still dreaming about him?”

Keith blindly guessed he must be a very important person. The thought couldn’t help but add a slight hint of sourness to his tone.