Beast

As the counterfeit drug was metabolized within Chi Li's body, the omega primordial X-gland cells that had once played a crucial role in his glands rapidly began to die. Chi Li's true alpha X-glands began to awaken, filling the void left by those dying cells.

At the same time, every mark Si Jinyan had once left on Chi Li, whether permanent or temporary, vanished completely along with the death of the counterfeit omega cells.

As long as Chi Li was an alpha, he could not accept Si Jinyan the way he had in the artificially created omega state.

But it was not entirely without a solution—

Since an Enigma could mark an alpha, he could leave Enigma X-genes in Chi Li again this way, allowing Chi Li to become familiar with Si Jinyan's scent and physiologically adapt to Si Jinyan's pheromones again, as though through desensitization.

Marking an alpha took longer—perhaps dozens of minutes, perhaps several hours.

Chi Li struggled fiercely, and Si Jinyan returned to his half-human, half-mermaid form.

Chi Li clearly saw how Si Jinyan's legs transformed into a tail, and the dread in his heart deepened. In his daze, he also lost some of his strength.

Seizing the chance, Si Jinyan pinned Chi Li down. "Bear with it. It won't hurt afterward."

How could he bear with it?

As pain struck, Chi Li clenched his teeth. "Alphas can't be marked..." He even tried to reason with Si Jinyan.

No matter how unclear his mind had been before, he now thoroughly understood what Si Jinyan intended to do.

Si Jinyan actually wanted to mark him!?

He had never heard of an alpha being able to mark another alpha.

Chi Li realized he had no way to stop Si Jinyan. Even his pheromones carried anger. "Are you insane?!"

They faced each other, and before the absolute disparity in size, even an adult alpha seemed small and weak.

Si Jinyan did not answer him. The pain only intensified.

Chi Li grew more and more uneasy.

Could an alpha be marked too?

He could not let Si Jinyan mark him. With that thought, Chi Li used nearly all his strength to strike Si Jinyan's back, trying to stop him.

Si Jinyan let Chi Li vent his anger and did not even reinforce the muscles in his back. In his mutated state, Si Jinyan's healing ability was extremely strong. Bruises quickly appeared beneath Chi Li's hands, then healed.

Chi Li cursed in a broken voice, "Psycho..."

A few minutes later, Chi Li had completely run out of strength. The pain was no less than the process of having his pheromones extracted.

Feeling Chi Li's tense muscles gradually go limp from the pain, Si Jinyan's golden vertical pupils receded behind his black irises. His heart also clenched with each of Chi Li's reactions.

Si Jinyan briefly released Chi Li, giving him a chance to rest.

But then, a low, suppressed sob suddenly sounded by Si Jinyan's neck.

Si Jinyan froze, immediately releasing Chi Li and turning his face toward him.

Chi Li's face was wet with tears, tear tracks streaming down it. His eyes were red from crying, and though he deliberately held back his emotions, tears still kept falling.

A panic Si Jinyan had never experienced spread from the depths of his heart, leaving him momentarily at a loss. Si Jinyan frowned deeply, held Chi Li's chin, and wiped away his tears. Even his voice involuntarily softened. "Don't cry."

Chi Li pushed away Si Jinyan's hand, then lowered his head and pulled aside Si Jinyan's tail, which was still wrapped around him.

This time, Chi Li easily pushed the tail away.

Compared to having his pheromones extracted, there was also the pain and mental torment of being an alpha forced to accept a mark.

Yet Chi Li clearly understood the difference in strength between himself and Si Jinyan. If Si Jinyan wanted to, he could not resist at all.

This fear, laden with the unknown, further magnified the pain. It became increasingly difficult for him to breathe, as though control of his body were gradually being stripped away. Panic flooded his heart faster than ever before.

Si Jinyan stayed a fist's distance away from Chi Li.

Si Jinyan wanted to touch Chi Li but held himself back. The fin at the tip of his silver-black tail trembled faintly with unease. "Don't cry, Chi Li."

Chi Li kept his head lowered. After a few breaths, he raised his head to look at Si Jinyan. "Don't mark me anymore, okay?"

Chi Li's voice was hoarse. His eyes were red from crying, and even his lashes were damp.

The sight made Si Jinyan's chest tighten, and he finally could not resist reaching out to touch Chi Li.

Si Jinyan touched Chi Li. Chi Li reflexively shuddered and wanted to move away, but he still stopped himself.

Si Jinyan's black eyes were deep. In the end, he answered quietly, "All right. I won't mark you today."

Over the next few days, Si Jinyan did not mark Chi Li again. He even seemed to deliberately keep his distance, rarely coming to see Chi Li. Yet Chi Li's movements remained restricted; he was not even allowed to leave the bedroom.

Si Jinyan also gave him a tube of suppressant, delivered by the butler. "The Marshal said to use it after breakfast."

Chi Li was somewhat surprised by that.

Over the past few days, he had also been guessing at Si Jinyan's intentions.

After his identity was exposed, Si Jinyan had nearly taken his life.

He knew Si Jinyan could also feel the pain caused by their clashing pheromones, yet Si Jinyan still stubbornly insisted on attempting an impossible mark.

Chi Li paused. Would Si Jinyan do something futile? With that thought, Chi Li began to doubt his own judgment. Could an alpha truly mark another alpha? His instincts told him he might have overlooked something.

If a mark truly could be made, would their pheromones no longer fiercely repel each other afterward? Did Si Jinyan want to continue using him to maintain a stable state and avoid losing control?

Yet no matter the reason, Chi Li clenched his hand. He had to get out.

Even if Si Jinyan was willing to spare him, the price would probably be a lifetime trapped here—until death, until Si Jinyan grew tired of him, or until every last bit of value had been drained from him.

·

After using the suppressant, Chi Li's rut had subsided by seventy or eighty percent.

When Si Jinyan entered the bedroom today, Chi Li immediately sensed that something was wrong with him.

Si Jinyan did not say a word.

Chi Li noticed dark patterns flowing beneath the skin on Si Jinyan's neck, exactly like the scene he had seen in the video.

Alpha rut pheromones still lingered on Chi Li, whose rut had not fully passed. However, those pheromones could no longer soothe Si Jinyan's pheromone deficiency the way they had before.

A moment later, the dark patterns moving beneath Si Jinyan's skin not only failed to fade, but gradually surfaced, revealing the complete shape of scales.

Chi Li's heart jolted. Even when Si Jinyan had fully entered his mermaid form, faintly visible scales had never appeared on his neck.

Something was wrong with Si Jinyan's expression as well. Chi Li patted Si Jinyan's face, trying to rouse his mind. "Si Jinyan, what's wrong with you?"

Si Jinyan raised his head and looked at him. Chi Li noticed that the golden vertical pupils in his eyes had fully emerged. The human reason in his gaze seemed to have vanished, and an empty, dangerous beast-like stare fixed on Chi Li.

Chi Li's heart pounded wildly.