The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 21

Inspector’s Residence.

Erlan paced his room in a crimson nightgown, waiting for Shu’s return. His anger had mostly subsided—no matter how furious he’d been before, Shu would always come back to him.

They’d known each other for over a decade. When they first met, Erlan was still a novice mage, not yet having differentiated into a second gender.

After waiting a while with no sign of Shu, Erlan dispatched a servant to fetch him from the Governor’s Mansion.

He sat by the bedside waiting. On the nightstand sat a glass dome encasing a dried wild rose. The withered purplish-red blossom had lost its vitality, shriveled yet preserved for eternity.

Erlan gently stroked the glass dome, his thoughts drifting back to the day he first met Shu.

…

At eleven, Erlan was still a novice in magic. Truthfully, he showed more aptitude for sorcery, yet he didn’t know why he chose to study fire magic—perhaps simply because it was red.

He liked that color.

That summer, his teacher took him outside under the blazing sun. Standing in an open field, the teacher cast a spell, encircling him with a ring of fire.

All he felt was intense heat.

The teacher explained that the scorching sun was essential for truly grasping the essence of fire magic.

After giving his instructions, the teacher left. Erlan didn’t question it—many magicians were peculiar.

Just then, Shu and several attendants happened to pass by. Shu was thirteen, still a green-eyed youth. His dream was to become a knight, and he often rode out with his retinue.

Shu saw a fool sweating profusely in the blazing sun inside a ring of fire. Curious, he asked, “What are you doing? Aren’t you hot?”

Erlan lifted his head to look at the youth atop his horse. “My teacher told me to grasp the true essence of magic.”

“Ha ha ha!” Shu seemed to have heard a joke, and his attendants burst into laughter.

It was still midday, and Shu was already sweltering outside the fire circle. The one inside looked rather foolish.

Erlan pulled his delicate little face into a frown, lips pressed together. His fire magic was admittedly rather poor—hence why his teacher had placed him here to meditate.

The flames reached thigh height. Shu spurred his horse over the flames and leapt into the circle. The two studied each other closely at close range.

Thirteen-year-old Shu stood a head taller than most boys his age, showing great promise as an Alpha Knight. Eleven-year-old Erlan wore his curly hair at shoulder length; without closer inspection, one might mistake him for a girl.

“What’s your name?” Shu extended his hand to Erlan. “Want to come play? I brought some friends hunting. It’s way more fun than staying here.”

“My name is Erlan… but if the teacher finds out…” Erlan had always been playful as a child; compared to the tedious study of magic, adventure held far greater appeal.

“My name is SHu… I’ll bring you back later. Hop on.” Shu pulled Erlan onto his horse, and the steed took a few strides before leaping out of the fire circle.

Erlan sat up front, swaying violently as he gripped the reins tightly. Shu held his hand from behind, teaching him to steady the reins as the horse broke into a trot.

The hunt went smoothly. They planned to roast their catch in the woods. Servants gathered wood and piled it on the ground before processing the deer and rabbits they’d bagged.

Wild roses grew abundantly there—small yet vividly colored. They sat beside the thicket watching the attendants bustle about, the air thick with the fragrance of wild roses.

A breeze carried a tattered wild rose petal onto the woodpile. Shu plucked the stray blossom: “A flower fell… Want to try lighting the fire?”

“That’s too dangerous.” Erlan was merely a novice, unable to control the elements. If he accidentally set the forest ablaze, it would spell disaster.

“Just give it a try.” Shu casually slipped the fallen wild rose into Erlan’s pocket and stepped aside. “I’ll keep my distance.”

After several attempts, Erlan finally mastered the flame’s intensity and kindled a campfire. He felt elated, as if he truly grasped the essence of magic and its application.

The group grilled in lively cheer, and Erlan forgot the flower in his pocket. Only after Shu escorted him back did he notice it.

Erlan jokingly called Shu his magic teacher, and from then on, the two grew close. He preserved the flower in his pocket as a dried bloom.

This imperfect, fallen wild rose remained preserved for over a decade, witnessing the journey of their growing affection and love.

…

The door swung open. Erlan snapped back to reality, seeing Shu standing outside. A potent scent of milk pheromones mingled with grassy notes flooded the room.

Erlan nearly fainted from the overwhelming aroma. He knew exactly what it signified.

He’d been cheated on!

“I’m sorry…” Shu’s expression was complex. He entered, kneeling at Erlan’s feet, his hand resting on Erlan’s knee like a pitiful large dog. He briefly recounted the events.

Shu deeply inhaled the rose perfume scent on Erlan’s body, which finally steadied his nerves. In his heart, though Erlan was an Alpha, he was more beautiful than any Omega.

The deep red silk robe complemented Erlan’s aura and his snow-white skin.

Erlan sat on the bedside, listening to Shu recount the betrayal, his expression darkening by the moment. He sensed their relationship was over. He pried Shu’s hands from his knees: “I’m tired. Maybe we really aren’t meant for each other.”

“You really want to break up with me?” Shu knelt beside the bed, wrapping his arms around Erlan’s waist. He didn’t know what he’d done wrong, only that their views on children differed. “How can you leave me? If you hadn’t abandoned me there, none of this would have happened.”

Shu couldn’t understand why Erlan demanded more after he’d knelt to apologize. What happened with Abe was just an accident.

” How could you do this to me?“ Erlan was equally agitated, cupping Shu’s face with both hands, his fingers digging into the muscles of Shu’s cheeks. ”I feared some Omega would snatch you away from me, and now it’s happened. I’m sick of living in constant fear.“

”But I still love you.” Shu suddenly stood up, pinning Erlan onto the bed and gazing down at him from above.

“After everything I’ve done for you, you go and find an Omega to cheat on me!” Erlan struggled, pushing against the sturdy knight above him, but he was as immovable as a mountain. “Let me go! What about your past with Keith? How dare you marry my cousin? He’s my cousin!”

Ignoring Erlan’s shoves, Shu leaned down, brushing aside the long hair framing Erlan’s face and kissing his brow. “I just wanted a child to raise with you.”

“You just want to cheat on me! You want to have a child with my cousin? You’re insane!” Erlan shouted, pushed to the brink of collapse. “To stop you two from having a child, I cursed him! I won’t raise someone else’s child!“

Shu was dumbstruck, utterly stunned. In his mind, the beautiful, elegant, slightly arrogant Erlan was a kind person. How could he do such a thing?

When he learned that Keith had been cursed with infertility, he had even felt sympathy for Keith and dissolved the engagement.

Shu couldn’t believe it: ”How could you do this to your own cousin?”

“You still care about him? Kill me. If I die, he’ll be free.” Erlan grabbed Shu’s broad hands and pressed them against his own throat.

Shu tightened his fingers slightly, unwilling to hurt Erlan. Instead, he gently stroked the neck. Somehow, he felt a deep ache and exhaustion, both physically and mentally drained.

Maybe they really weren’t meant for each other.

Shu gazed deeply at Erlan for a moment before releasing his grip. “Let’s part ways. As you said, we’re not meant for each other.”

Shu departed, slamming the door shut with a heavy thud.

Erlan clutched the glass dome and stumbled toward the doorway. It crashed to the floor, shattering into countless shards.

The dried flower inside spilled onto the floor. Eran picked up the blossom. Shu was gone now; there was no point in keeping this flower.

Erlan pinched the withered petals. A single tear rolled down his cheek. The fragile petals crumbled under his touch, consumed by fire in his hand. Finally, only a pile of ashes remained, drifting from his palm.