The White Moonlight is Both Competitive and Predatory - Chapter 14

“You hold me.”

Yan Chi had always considered himself a rational person.

In most situations, he would make the right choice after careful analysis and deliberation.

At this moment, he should have done the same.

It was already late, and an alpha in their susceptible period was dangerous. Someone of Ji Yueting’s status and position certainly wouldn’t lack people to take care of him. During their last meeting, Ji Yueting had explicitly told him not to respond to any messages. Each of these reasons was valid. As long as Yan Chi chose any one of them, he could sleep peacefully with a clear conscience.

But after sending the message, Ji Yueting had completely lost contact. He didn’t reply to messages or answer calls. Yan Chi had no other way to reach him and could only worry alone.

Everything had reached a deadlock.

But there was only one question:

To go, or not to go?

The phone screen glowed faintly in the darkness. Yan Chi pressed the message again, and the repeated words “I need you” stimulated his sensitive nerves.

I need you.

Did he really need him?

There was no time to hesitate. By the time he regained his senses, he was already standing at the entrance of an unfamiliar villa.

He had hastily thrown on the shirt he had taken off during the day before leaving, not even bothering to fasten the collar button. Staring at the dark, silent expanse of the house before him, Yan Chi hesitated before knocking on the door.

Thump, thump. The heavy wooden door echoed with the sound of his knocks.

Would anyone come to open the door? Was Ji Yueting even conscious now? Everything was unknown. Anxious, fine beads of sweat formed on Yan Chi’s temples. He used his phone’s flashlight to locate the doorbell and pressed it several times in a frantic, uncoordinated manner. “Ji Yueting! Ji Yueting, are you in there?”

After what felt like an eternity, the stars in the sky seemed to flicker, and the smart lock was remotely opened.

No one was behind the door. The only person who could have done this was the alpha inside, currently in the midst of his susceptible period.

Did this mean he was okay? Yan Chi tried to comfort himself as he entered, turning on the lights in the entryway and living room, instantly dispelling the darkness.

“Ji Yueting! Where are you?”

No one answered. The only response was a dull thud from somewhere on the second floor, like something heavy hitting the ground.

Yan Chi’s heart skipped a beat. Remembering only that he needed to change his shoes upon entering, he slipped into a pair of oversized slippers and rushed upstairs. As he hurried along, he pushed open every door he passed, checking inside.

One by one, the doors swung open, revealing empty rooms.

Finally, he reached the end of the hallway. Whether it was an illusion or not, the air here felt heavier than on the first floor or in the spaces he had just passed through. It was as if something weighty was pressing down on his shoulders, making them feel heavy and burdened.

Yan Chi took a deep breath. Just as he grasped the doorknob, the force of the door opening from inside pulled him forward, causing him to stumble.

The expected pain never came. Instead, a pair of strong, scorching arms steadied him firmly.

“Ji ” Before Yan Chi could finish speaking, he was startled by a cold sensation against his neck.

What was that? The contrast of cold and heat made Yan Chi’s throat dry, and he swallowed hard.

His gaze slowly lowered, only to see a silver metal cage resting on his shoulder. It tilted forward at an awkward angle, pushing aside the loose collar of his shirt and gently rubbing against the skin of his neck.

It was a muzzle.

A muzzle designed specifically for high-level alphas.

“You’re so cold,” the alpha behind him emerged from the darkness. Without a word, he pressed closer, his chest burning hot like a branding iron. “You hold me.”

Yan Chi was caught off guard, pulled back a step and fell straight into the alpha’s embrace.

His height was considered tall among betas, yet standing before the alpha now, he seemed small.

The metal cage of the muzzle pressed closer step by step, like a cold, slippery snake, crawling up Yan Chi’s neck, chin, and cheeks. Chilled to the bone, Yan Chi shivered uncontrollably, curling in on himself, but the alpha abruptly tightened his arms, pulling him closer, holding him tighter, forcing him to straighten.

“Why won’t you hold me?” The deep voice carried confusion and bewilderment, along with unmistakable hurt.

He didn’t understand why the person in his arms wasn’t eagerly embracing him but instead remained stiff and silent.

“You,” Yan Chi finally snapped out of his daze. With both hands braced against Ji Yueting’s arms, he frantically recalled the information he’d researched before coming here.

Alphas without mates were prone to losing their rationality during their sensitive periods. They would mistake unexpected intruders for their mates or trophies, and the higher the alpha’s rank, the more susceptible they were to falling into this sensitive illusion.

So what did they need?

The scorching heat radiating from Ji Yueting’s body made Yan Chi’s scalp tingle.

Calm down, think carefully. What do they need?

Comfort, patience, gentleness. He needed to fulfill the alpha’s reasonable demands, then gradually help him regain calm until he finally broke free from the illusion.

“You came, you came to find me, but. why won’t you hold me?” Ji Yueting lowered his head, wanting to press closer to Yan Chi’s face, but hindered by the muzzle, he could only use the metal to gently nuzzle against him instead.

His movements were restrained, as if subconsciously afraid that using too much force might harm his fragile, beautiful mate. “Am I not good enough?”

“Because I’m not good enough, you don’t want me, you won’t hold me.”

Yan Chi’s heart raced wildly. Tilting his head back, he finally managed to free one arm from Ji Yueting’s grip. Reaching behind, he placed his hand on the alpha’s back, his fingers moving blindly until they unexpectedly brushed against the sensitive gland.

The next second, Yan Chi heard a stifled, unbearable groan beside his ear.

“Hmm”

The rise and fall of the chest behind him grew more intense. Yan Chi knew he had to do something, or the alpha would never let go.

Just as a hunter would never release its prey.

“You’re not bad at all. You’re very good.” Yan Chi spoke softly, as if soothing a child. Arching his back slightly, he gently stroked the side of Ji Yueting’s neck. “But you’re holding me so tightly. How can I hold you like this?”

The alpha suddenly fell silent, as if using his remaining rationality to consider whether Yan Chi’s words made sense.

“Be good. Let go of me first, let me turn around, and then I can hold you.” Yan Chi relaxed his body, hoping to ease the alpha’s tension, at least to let him know the prey in his arms wouldn’t run away.

Clearly, Ji Yueting was indeed a reasonable person. Even in the midst of his sensitive period, he remained obedient. After thinking it through, he slowly released Yan Chi. But he remained vigilant, blocking the path to the door with his body, kneeling on both knees before Yan Chi, and looking up at him with pitiful eyes.

His gaze was expectant yet restless.

The bedroom was lit only by a dim bedside lamp, with clothes scattered messily on the floor and shards of glass shattered by the alpha.

Yan Chi lowered his gaze. In the flickering light, the alpha’s hair was disheveled, his eyes weary with exhaustion. His upper body was bare, his shoulders and elbows bruised purple clearly from crashing into the ground. This was likely the source of the dull thud Yan Chi had heard earlier.

Ji Yueting. Could the once lofty, favored son of heaven really be reduced to such a pitiful state?

He wasn’t smiling anymore. Instead, his eyes were red, as if he had suffered a great injustice. He no longer had countless companions by his side only kneeling before Yan Chi, his gaze pleading, his breath trembling as he begged for an embrace.

A strange sensation surged wildly in Yan Chi’s heart.

He reached out and cupped Ji Yueting’s face.

The alpha’s breath hitched abruptly, then grew rapid and heavy. Anxiously, he clutched the hem of Yan Chi’s clothes, terrified that the person before him might abandon him.

“How did you end up in such a sorry state, Ji Yueting?” Yan Chi sighed softly.

He leaned down, wrapping his arms around the other person with all the space he could muster. The alpha’s slightly trembling back gradually stilled in his embrace, growing calm, though his heavy breathing persisted even intensifying.

An embrace is a small unit, only capable of holding two bodies that fit together perfectly.

Where their chests pressed against each other, they rose and fell in rhythm. It was impossible to tell whose heart was beating faster, pounding so hard it left the chests tingling and aching in their closeness.

“Is this okay now? See, I didn’t lie I’m holding you.” Sensing the alpha’s change, Yan Chi spoke gently.

He had always been good at soothing crying children. Even in situations where other teachers at the orphanage were at a loss, he could handle it perfectly.

Using the same approach to comfort an alpha in heat should be fine, right?

“Mm,” Ji Yueting’s expression grew vacant as he tilted his head and rested it on Yan Chi’s shoulder. “You don’t lie.”

Yan Chi chuckled softly, genuinely thinking that alphas in heat really were like children simple and straightforward in their thinking, seemingly unreasonable but actually easy to placate.

“Are you still uncomfortable? Does anything hurt?” Yan Chi knew he was in pain but didn’t know exactly where.

The alpha leaned lazily against him, unwilling to move. After a long pause, he finally said, “My neck hurts the most.”

His neck that would be the gland?

Yan Chi wasn’t sure what to do, so he did as he would with a wound he blew gently on the back of Ji Yueting’s neck.

“No!” The alpha’s body stiffened abruptly, his expression sharpening instantly. With a surge of strength in his arms, he pinned the troublemaker against the foot of the bed in the blink of an eye.

“?” Yan Chi was bewildered, only dumbly letting himself be pushed upward by the alpha.

The position was overly intimate. He was sitting entirely on Ji Yueting’s lap, facing him. The thin fabric of his sleep pants was soft, utterly unable to block the warmth radiating from their skin.

At first, Yan Chi struggled a few times, but after a minute or two, he dared not move anymore.

The presence was a bit too strong for Yan Chi to ignore.

“…” Yan Chi softened his breathing.

He tried to twist away, but the moment the thought crossed his mind, Ji Yueting pulled him back by the waist.

“You said you wouldn’t abandon me.” The alpha’s tone was filled with such grievance, so different from his usual composed self, that Yan Chi didn’t know how to respond.

When the rut period ends, will Ji Yueting retain these memories? He couldn’t possibly blame me then, right? I really didn’t mean to. How could someone without glands know they could be this sensitive?

But at the moment, Yan Chi genuinely didn’t know how to handle this situation.

At a complete loss, he remained frozen like a wooden puppet. Seeing this, Ji Yueting obediently stayed still too, yet that stubborn part of him remained rigidly upright. Several minutes passed with no improvement whatsoever. Yan Chi’s ears burned so hot they might as well have been smoking there was simply no way to ignore it any longer.

Flustered beyond measure, he clung to the man and whispered, “Ji Yueting, what should we do?”

“What should we do?” The alpha seemed quite pleased, nuzzling Yan Chi’s ear with his muzzle-covered head. “It feels so good right now. No need to do anything.”

“…” How could they not do anything about this?

Exhausted, Yan Chi could only hope the situation would resolve itself. He changed the subject, asking, “Your rut lasts so long what do you eat during it?”

Ji Yueting thought for a moment. “Nutrient supplements.”

“How do you drink them with the muzzle on?”

“Baby, there’s a straw.”

Oh, so there was a straw. Yan Chi genuinely hadn’t considered that.

Wait a minute!

“You what did you just call me?” Yan Chi’s eyes widened.

Ji Yueting looked at him as if stating the obvious. “Baby. Aren’t you?”

Yan Chi very much wanted to say no, but the current situation was delicate. Provoking an alpha right now would be extremely unwise. After a moment of silence, he replied, “Yes, I am.”

This answer pleased the alpha greatly. His pheromones noticeably calmed, and though Yan Chi couldn’t smell them, he clearly felt the surrounding pressure ease.

“Then let me go get your nutrient supplements now, okay? Where do you keep them?” Yan Chi continued advancing his kindergarten-level educational mission.

Ji Yueting stared at him, his narrow eyes blinking slowly. “You’re trying to escape.”

“I’m not escaping. I’ll be right back,” Yan Chi argued.

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

This was utterly childish. What were they even talking about?

Finally, after several rounds of back-and-forth, Ji Yueting reluctantly agreed to Yan Chi’s proposal though for safety’s sake, he insisted on going together.

With his educational mission achieving a breakthrough, Yan Chi felt a surge of joy and stood up.

But before he could take a single step, Ji Yueting silently appeared behind him, wrapping one arm around his back and the other under his knees, lifting him effortlessly into a princess carry.

“What are you doing?” Yan Chi gasped, startled by the sudden weightlessness.

Ignoring the question, Ji Yueting steadied him in his arms and then began swaying gently, like a rocking chair.

Yan Chi grew dizzy from the motion until, with two soft thuds, both his slippers fell to the floor. Only then did Ji Yueting stop.

Yan Chi truly had no way to deal with him now, but he still shot Ji Yueting a displeased sidelong glance. “Care to explain?”

“Baby, these slippers are too big. You might trip,” Ji Yueting murmured, lowering his head until the muzzle brushed against Yan Chi’s nose. “If you want to go downstairs, I’ll carry you.”

“Consider it an additional condition.”