The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Secret that Demanded a Kiss

Kaes stepped into the adjacent room—Keith’s actual bedroom. It was spacious, with a balcony blooming with flowers and greenery.

He walked to the storage cabinet. It had four shelves, filled with bottles sealed with corks and twine, each marked with wax stamps.

Two bottles contained a brown liquid labeled “High-Potency Painkiller.”

He picked one. When shaken, the liquid shimmered silver—strangely beautiful.

Back in the other room, Keith was still curled up in bed, cold sweat beading on his forehead and nose. He opened his eyes halfway at the sound of footsteps.

Kaes uncorked the bottle and sat beside him, gently propping Keith up against the headboard. “Drink this. One bottle enough?”

“Yeah…” Keith whispered, weak and dizzy. His vision blurred—Kaes looked like a double image. “Thank you.”

“Rest after drinking.” Kaes held the bottle to Keith’s lips. Keith reached for it, but his hand missed slightly.

Kaes cupped his jaw and guided the bottle to his mouth. Keith drank slowly.

The pain eased, but his head grew heavier. He lay back, eyes still open, gazing at Kaes. “Thank you… for taking care of me.”

Kaes pulled the blanket up to Keith’s shoulders. “Feeling better? Does your heat last several days? Is it always this painful?”

“It’s manageable. Mine lasts three days. Two more to go. One bottle per flare-up. The pain lessens after the first day,” Keith explained, voice fading. “I heard my cousin Erlan is coming. When?”

“There’s one bottle left in the cabinet. The Third Prince arrives the day after tomorrow.”

“I’ll brew more tomorrow. It’s easy. The next two days are unpredictable… Too bad I can’t greet him.”

Kaes picked up the cloth from the bed and wiped Keith’s sweat. “You wanted to go? Are you two close?”

“We were. Played together as kids. Now we only meet every few months… It’s a shame I’ll miss it.” Keith’s eyes fluttered. “I’m so sleepy…”

If he collapsed during the welcome ceremony, it’d be humiliating.

“Sleep,” Kaes said softly, drawing the curtains.

The painkiller worked fast—within ten minutes, Keith was out cold.

Kaes thought about how weak Keith will be in the next three days. And he still planned to brew medicine tomorrow?

If it was easy, Kaes would try it himself.

He went to the back garden. In one corner stood a makeshift alchemy station—complete with tools and cauldrons.

On the altar lay a handwritten notebook.

The author: Vansen. Recipes for Keith.

Most were beginner-level potions.

Kaes flipped through until he found the painkiller formula.

Main ingredient: mandrake—a toxic flower used for anesthesia. Too much could harm the body.

Instructions: Add water. Grind mandrake into powder. Boil in cauldron. Add other ingredients. Tap cauldron three times with magic wand (critical step). If you lack mage’s mental energy, skip this—but success rate drops to 30%. Add magic stone. If it fails, the cauldron explodes. Note: Level-1 potions can be brewed by anyone. Without mage’s energy, it’s luck-based and wasteful.

Regarding Keith’s three-day heat cycle pain: An Alpha can help by providing pheromones to ease one day of pain. But do NOT release scent from the gland—it worsens the pain.

Kaes frowned. How do you give pheromones without releasing scent?

He didn’t get it. But he wanted to help. For now, brewing was his best option.

30% success wasn’t bad. And there were enough materials for dozens of attempts.

Keith is like a little hoarding hamster, Kaes thought.

He got to work.

Skipping the wand step, he tossed in the magic stone. The cauldron hissed—blue smoke turned red.

After two minutes of boiling, Kaes wisely stepped back.

Boom. The cauldron exploded.

He tried again. No luck.

After three failed cauldrons, he finally succeeded once. This is ridiculous, he thought. A physical DPS messing with mage gear.

He poured the potion into a bottle. One batch made one dose. With the leftover bottle, Keith now had enough for the rest of his heat.

Keith didn’t know how long he’d slept. When he woke, the room was dark—curtains drawn. He was alone. Kaes must’ve left.

The pain was gone, replaced by hunger and fatigue.

He opened the curtains. Outside, the sky was painted with violet dusk.

He remembered the flower still needed watering. In the garden, he found Kaes still there—working at the altar. Three scorched cauldrons lay on the ground.

“Kaes? You’re still here?”

“Brewed you a bottle of painkiller. Rest at home these two days,” Kaes said, turning to see Keith in a thin shirt. “Aren’t you cold?”

Even in mild weather, a fevered body could feel chilled.

Keith was stunned. He didn’t care about the ruined cauldrons. “Did I hear that right? The Governor brewed medicine for me?”

“Sorry about the three cauldrons,” Kaes said, handing him the bottle. “See if it works.”

That palm-sized bottle took an incredible amount of effort.

“It’s perfect. Didn’t expect you had a knack for magic,” Keith said, holding the bottle—still warm from Kaes’s hands. He shook it. The color was spot-on.

My god. The Governor brewed for me. Most physical fighters wouldn’t bother. Without mage energy, success was pure luck—and expensive.

“Thank you so much. I almost don’t want to drink it,” Keith said, suddenly energized. “This was the first potion I ever learned to make.”

He’d started alchemy because of the curse. Regular painkillers didn’t work for him.

Kaes saw Keith’s spirits lift. His own mood improved. He didn’t want to be a mage—but he remembered the note:

“Vansen’s noted said an Alpha can help you. Can I help?”

Even one less day of suffering would be worth it.

“Huh?” Keith froze. He glanced at the notebook on the altar. He knew what it meant—but couldn’t say it.

The method? A kiss from an Alpha. That would transfer pheromones without releasing scent.

No way he could say that. Too awkward. How could he ask Kaes to kiss him?

But now the thought was in his head. And it wouldn’t leave.

Besides… Kaes liked Long Shi. Keith couldn’t steal him.

His pale face flushed. He looked away. “I don’t know… Maybe ask Vansen?”

Kais sensed his hesitation and knew Kith was lying, but he couldn’t force it. He simply said, “Then I’ll ask Vansen another day.”

“You really will?” Keith panicked. He’d just thrown Vansen under the bus.

“Didn’t you tell me to?” Kaes asked, confused.

“R-right…” Keith nodded, flustered.