SCOM - Chapter 48
Chapter 48
When Zuo Luohuan brought Ji Yuezhi to her Central City residence, he harbored a faint sense of anticipation. An Omega staying at an Alpha's place carried a certain significance.
The apartment was sparsely furnished with only basic necessities. There were no extra decorations or items for leisure or entertainment. It felt more like a temporary place to sleep.
Ji Yuezhi wasn't surprised. Zuo Luohuan had always been like this. On the surface, she appeared easygoing and approachable with her casual smile, but underneath, she was aloof and detached. Even Alphas with some social standing, like Jiang Hong, could be quite picky, but Zuo Luohuan seemed indifferent to material possessions.
"The bedroom is over there," Zuo Luohuan said after pouring Ji Yuezhi a glass of warm water.
By the time they reached Central City after their ordeal, the sky had already begun to lighten.
Ji Yuezhi took the glass, sipped once, and then held it without drinking further. He followed Zuo Luohuan to the bedroom.
Zuo Luohuan retrieved a clean set of pajamas and placed them on the bed. She reached out and took the glass from his hand. "Don't you want to drink?" His lips looked a little dry.
"I want ice water. It's hot," Ji Yuezhi said, his long lashes lowered slightly as he stood opposite her.
Given the current weather, it wasn't hot. Zuo Luohuan reached out and touched his forehead, asking softly, "Is your heat flaring up again?"
Logically, a successful temporary mark should last at least two days, and only a few hours had passed.
Ji Yuezhi looked up at her and shook his head after a moment.
"I'll get you some. Wait here." Zuo Luohuan left the bedroom and stood by the water dispenser. Glancing at the glass in her hand, she tilted her head back and drank the remaining warm water. Then, she took a clean glass and filled it with ice water for Ji Yuezhi.
Ji Yuezhi held the glass with both hands and tilted his head back slightly, swallowing slowly. He looked very docile while drinking.
Zuo Luohuan's gaze drifted from his long, slender fingers holding the glass to his bobbing Adam's apple. She was lost in thought until Ji Yuezhi finished drinking and she snapped back to attention, taking the empty glass.
"You sleep here; I'll be in the living room," Zuo Luohuan said. "Call me if you need anything."
Ji Yuezhi was taken aback as she turned to leave. "Aren't you sleeping?"
"I have some things to take care of." Zuo Luohuan occasionally stayed at this apartment, but she had only ever used the master bedroom. The guest room would need cleaning, and she didn't feel like doing it, so she decided to sleep on the living room sofa.
Ji Yuezhi watched her leave, his lips pursed. He glanced at the pajamas on the bed and finally changed into them before lying down.
The faint scent of her pheromones lingered on the blanket. Ji Yuezhi inhaled softly, a smile curving his lips.
Zuo Luohuan didn't actually have anything to do. After informing her mother of her safe arrival, she lay on the sofa, closing her eyes.
The temporary mark was still recent. They were in the same apartment, yet separated by a door. Zuo Luohuan found it a little difficult to sleep, but she didn't go into the bedroom.
In their current state, their senses were heightened by the natural attraction of their pheromones. Zuo Luohuan didn't want Ji Yuezhi to feel uncomfortable about what had happened between them once his heat subsided and the temporary mark faded.
She wanted to maintain as much distance as possible between them.
However, this clearly wasn't a decision she could make alone.
An hour later, Ji Yuezhi emerged from the bedroom. The living room lights flickered on, activated by motion sensors. Zuo Luohuan shielded her eyes and sat up, startled to see him. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.
Ji Yuezhi took a few steps forward and sat on a small sofa nearby. "You sleep," he said softly. "I won't disturb you."
He curled up on the small sofa, looking as if he intended to wait for her to fall asleep.
Zuo Luohuan was now fully awake. Looking at Ji Yuezhi's profile, she asked, "Can't you sleep?"
Ji Yuezhi didn't answer, merely turning his head slightly as if avoiding her question, but his actions clearly confirmed it.
After a temporary marking, an Alpha's protective instincts towards their Omega intensify. Zuo Luohuan couldn't bear to see Ji Yuezhi uncomfortable.
She stood up and pulled him to his feet. "I'll sleep with you."
Ji Yuezhi allowed himself to be led back into the bedroom, obediently lying down as if he hadn't been the one insisting on staying on the small sofa just moments ago.
Zuo Luohuan sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. "Go to sleep."
The scent of Alpha pheromones gradually filled the room, soothing every inch of the Omega's exposed skin.
Ji Yuezhi reveled in the feeling of being enveloped by her scent. He instantly relaxed, the exhaustion from his heat washing over him. His eyes were drooping, yet he still tried to look at Zuo Luohuan.
Zuo Luohuan picked up the remote and closed the remaining gap in the curtains, plunging the room into darkness. Then, she reached out and covered his eyes, coaxing him, "Sleep."
Ji Yuezhi finally closed his eyes, his long lashes brushing against her palm, sending a tingling sensation through her.
The tingling spread from her palm to her heart, making her feel strangely uneasy. The effects of the temporary mark seemed… potent.
It wasn't long before Ji Yuezhi fell into a deep sleep. Zuo Luohuan removed her hand, tucked him in, and sat in the nearby chair, staying by his side.
When Ji Yuezhi woke up, it was already 3 p.m. the next day. Zuo Luohuan was sitting beside him, browsing her optical computer. Hearing him stir, she looked up and asked, "Awake? Are you hungry?"
Although Zuo Luohuan had a history of skipping classes, she excelled in all her coursework and remembered the material perfectly. Therefore, she considered herself a perfectly competent Alpha.
Omegas in heat are sensitive and require the utmost patience and care. Alphas should be attentive to their Omega's physical and emotional needs. — Alpha & Omega Health and Hygiene
Zuo Luohuan had skipped that particular class, but she had read and remembered every word in the textbook and was now putting it into practice. However, she hadn't heard the health and hygiene teacher's additional comment when explaining this point: Omegas who have received a temporary mark, while emotionally dependent on their Alpha, are mentally sound.
Zuo Luohuan got up and led Ji Yuezhi to the bathroom, patiently attending to him, afraid he might feel any discomfort.
Ji Yuezhi noticed her excessive care and chose to accept it quietly.
The food on the table was all to his liking. After a few bites, Ji Yuezhi couldn't help but glance up.
"Your father sent over a list of your favorite foods," Zuo Luohuan said, anticipating his question.
Ji Xixiu was currently busy rooting out everyone involved in the attack on the First Military Academy, yet he had taken the time to send her such a list, demonstrating how much he cared for Ji Yuezhi.
However, Zuo Luohuan felt the list was a bit excessive. After reading through it that morning, she realized it contained not only Ji Yuezhi's preferred foods but also a detailed account of his various likes and dislikes.
They hadn't interacted much normally, so she hadn't realized how particular he was.
She didn't mind, though. Ji Yuezhi never showed any of these preferences during competitions, eating the same food and resting in the same conditions as everyone else.
"Thank you." Ji Yuezhi's condition was good after waking up, but this only lasted for a day.
At dusk on their second day in Central City, Ji Yuezhi sat on the balcony reading. Across the way, in the distance, lay the Central City forest. The balcony had no railing, only a large transparent glass wall, preventing pheromones from escaping. Zuo Luohuan stayed by his side. They barely spoke, the only sound being the occasional rustle of pages as he turned them.
Whenever Zuo Luohuan's pheromones faded even slightly, Ji Yuezhi would turn his head and look at her, prompting her to release more, enveloping him in her scent.
"Dinner's here. I'll get it; wait here," Zuo Luohuan said, hearing the doorbell.
Bathed in the setting sun, Ji Yuezhi looked up at her and softly replied, "Come back soon."
"Okay." These past few days, Zuo Luohuan agreed to everything Ji Yuezhi said.
Zuo Luohuan went to the door, retrieved their dinner, and immediately sensed something was wrong upon re-entering. The sweet iris scent was intense and burning.
Ji Yuezhi's heat must be flaring up again.
She left the dinner on the table and hurried to the balcony, where she found Ji Yuezhi slumped at the base of the chair, his book lying on the floor. He was trembling all over.
He seemed worse than the first time.
While it was true that Omegas who differentiated later experienced more intense heats than those who differentiated earlier, it shouldn't worsen with subsequent episodes.
Zuo Luohuan could only attribute Ji Yuezhi's condition to An Yingjing's pheromones, and her resentment towards him intensified. Back at the First Military Academy, An Yingjing, who was talking to Luo Shaoyuan, suddenly touched his back, feeling as if someone was staring at him.
"Ji Yuezhi." Zuo Luohuan lifted his face, surprised to find it pale rather than flushed. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
A tearing pain shot through Ji Yuezhi's scent gland, accompanied by a tingling numbness that spread from his neck to his limbs. He knew the reason for his current state but didn't want to tell her.
Zuo Luohuan instinctively tried to soothe him with her pheromones, but they seemed less effective than before. Just as she was about to contact a doctor, Ji Yuezhi reached out and stopped her. His face was still pale, but his eyes were now glistening with moisture.
After stopping her from reaching for her optical computer, Ji Yuezhi leaned against her. The simple movements seemed to exhaust him. After a pause, he looked up at her and said, "...It's just my heat. Can you mark me again?"
Zuo Luohuan had brought him back precisely to prevent the temporary mark from destabilizing, so she was naturally willing to mark him again.
Yet, she hesitated.
Ji Yuezhi, initially kneeling on the floor, saw her hesitation and straightened up, pressing himself against her, his body exuding the sweet scent of iris, a plea to be marked.
Zuo Luohuan embraced him, her hand gently stroking his scent gland. She could feel him trembling and assumed it was from the urgency of his heat. She didn't know that Ji Yuezhi was fighting a tearing resistance within himself, trembling from the effort of suppressing it.
Her fingers, meant to soothe and comfort, pressed against his scent gland repeatedly. After a moment, Zuo Luohuan lowered her head and gently kissed his neck before biting down without hesitation, pouring her pheromones into him.
The cloying sweetness of iris gradually blended with the icy chill of her scent, creating a pleasant, light, watery fragrance. The second temporary mark should have been complete.
The setting sun streamed through the glass, illuminating the two figures embracing on the balcony. The Alpha continued to kiss the trembling Omega's neck. The scene appeared incredibly tender.
In reality, Zuo Luohuan tightened her hold on him. She wondered if she was imagining things, but she felt a subtle undercurrent of mournful submission in the Omega's pheromones during the marking.
Normally, an Omega's pheromones would express joy and pleasure at the moment of being marked, just as Ji Yuezhi's had during their first temporary marking.
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