Sunlight filled the room.

On the large, soft bed, a broad, fair back was dotted with red marks; a fine sheen of sweat traced the line of the spine downwards, only to be cut off by the thin quilt draped carelessly across the waist.

Gu Zhan lay resting, looking a bit weary, as he idly scrolled through his phone.

"Recently, the CEO of the Fu Group encountered an Omega employee who had suddenly gone into heat and collapsed right outside the company entrance. Instead of stepping in to help, he heartlessly turned on his heel and bolted. This behavior runs completely counter to the Fu Group's much-touted corporate culture of caring for employees, inevitably sparking criticism. President Fu, were you really that afraid of being scammed by a 'heat-trap'? Hahaha—"

As he read on, Gu Zhan couldn't help but burst into laughter. The tabloid piece included a video clip of the incident, edited in a hilariously absurd style: Fu Yan looked as though he’d stepped on something filthy; his expression shifted instantly, and he scrambled away in a panic.

"An S-Class Alpha like you, actually getting scared like that by an Omega in heat... Hahaha—"

A tousled head emerged from the covers and pressed against Gu Zhan’s lips. "You know my rut is coming up soon—stop making fun of me."

An Omega in heat releases massive amounts of pheromones that are lethally seductive to Alphas, driving them to roar in frenzy and succumb to a reactive state of arousal. This is a genetic instinct; even an Alpha in a normal state would struggle to resist it, let alone one on the verge of entering his rut.

Fu Yan gave Gu Zhan’s lips a peck, looking aggrieved, then nuzzled into the crook of his neck, sniffing intently around the scent gland located at the nape. "How are you? Are you feeling any better?" Gu Zhan asked with concern, cupping his face in his hands.

That morning, while President Gu was in the middle of a meeting, he had suddenly received a call from the housekeeper saying that Fu Yan’s "susceptibility period" had begun. An Alpha’s susceptibility period is akin to an Omega’s heat; it brings an urgent need for a partner's company, and the Alpha’s already intense possessiveness reaches its peak.

Without a second thought, Gu Zhan abandoned the room full of employees and rushed home. When he arrived, he found Fu Yan curled up on the bed, clutching Gu Zhan’s intimate clothing and inhaling the lingering pheromones. His body was burning up, and his eyes were glazed over with haze.

The moment Fu Yan saw his savior return, he eagerly pounced on him and pinned him down, continuing the act until the sun was nearly setting; only then did he pause briefly, giving Gu Zhan a moment to catch his breath.

"Much better." Fu Yan lay sprawled over him like a large dog, his tone still tinged with dissatisfaction. "But, my dear, why can I never seem to mark you?" He couldn't resist baring his canines and nuzzling against the skin of Gu Zhan’s neck, which was already mottled with marks.

"Hiss—" Gu Zhan winced in pain as those sharp canines grazed the tender skin of his neck. "We’re both Alphas—how could a marking possibly take?"

"You smell so good." Fu Yan narrowed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Gu Zhan’s pheromones—a crisp, cool cedarwood fragrance. It lacked the sweet, alluring quality of an Omega’s scent, yet it captivated him nonetheless. He strove to release his own oak-scented pheromones, wanting to envelop Gu Zhan and steep him completely in his own aroma.

This was an Alpha’s instinct: to mark one’s partner with one’s own scent as a declaration of ownership. Gu Zhan was left dizzy and disoriented by the overwhelming rush of Fu Yan’s pheromones; yet, the sharp pain of canine teeth piercing the gland at the back of his neck snapped him back to a measure of clarity.

He patted Fu Yan’s back and suddenly asked in a serious tone, "Do you ever regret not finding an Omega with a high compatibility match?"

Alphas and Omegas were a match made by nature; the higher their genetic compatibility, the greater the physical synergy they could achieve. True satisfaction for an Alpha in the throes of a rut came only from knotting inside their partner and establishing a lifelong bond through a permanent mark.

It was not like the situation between two Alphas; because they could not permanently mark one another, no matter how deep the mental connection or how far the pheromones penetrated the other’s gland, the bond would ultimately dissipate.

Fu Yan was taken aback by the question; he paused and looked deep into Gu Zhan’s eyes. "What about you? Do you wish you’d found an Omega you were truly compatible with? After all, only a permanent mark can satisfy an Alpha’s intense possessiveness. An Alpha who can never bestow that mark must always worry about losing control over a random Omega encountered on the street, and must endure endless emptiness and helplessness during every rut. Gu Zhan... do you regret choosing to be with me?"

Gu Zhan slowly reached out to his side and took Fu Yan’s hand.

Their fingers interlaced tightly, and on their ring fingers, two gleaming bands rested side by side. He gazed intently into Fu Yan’s pitch-black eyes. "I’ll never regret it, and you aren't allowed to regret it either. If the marking doesn't take, we’ll just try again—either way, don't even think about escaping my grasp for the rest of your life."

Feeling the firm grip on his hand, Fu Yan, overcome with excitement, lunged at him again, peppering him with kisses and playful nips. "Everything you say sounds better and better; you really know exactly what to say to touch my heart." He nibbled and licked at the other man's earlobe, his voice dropping to a low, seductive murmur. "Hubby, let me take another bite."

"Hiss... go easy..." Gu Zhan frowned, anxiously touching the gland at the back of his neck. "You've bitten it raw."

Hearing the repeated complaints of pain, Fu Yan finally stopped. He looked at that slender, fair neck—now a map of love bites and tooth marks, with some of the deeper bites even oozing blood.

An Alpha's gland doesn't protrude slightly like an Omega's; it is barely visible to the naked eye, hidden beneath the skin of the nape. No dominant Alpha would easily expose their gland to another—it is akin to a forbidden zone, strictly off-limits.

Yet, to soothe Fu Yan during his rut, Gu Zhan had completely surrendered his gland. Even though Fu Yan had lost all reason to the torment of his susceptibility period, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache right now. He stroked Gu Zhan’s neck and said, "I’m sorry; I just couldn't help myself. Does it hurt?" He blew gently on the wounds. "It must be painful, right? Let me blow on it to make it better—”

"It's fine." Gu Zhan kissed the corner of Fu Yan’s eye, which was crinkled with apology. "You get so clingy whenever your susceptibility period hits. I’m used to it by now, and... I actually quite like it."

Fu Yan’s cheeks burned with embarrassment at those words; he turned his face away and buried it in the crook of Gu Zhan’s neck. "I wonder what you’re like during your susceptibility period. Seeing the usually so serious President Gu get all clingy..." Fu Yan chuckled softly. "Just the thought of it makes me love the idea... Why hasn't your susceptibility period started yet? I’ve already been through two rounds."

"I don't know, either." Gu Zhan was wondering about it himself.

An Alpha’s susceptibility period doesn't occur as frequently as an Omega’s heat—which happens once a month—but rather about three times a year, lasting only two or three days each time. Before they got engaged, they had both relied on medication to get through these periods, but ever since Fu Yan proposed, Gu Zhan had forbidden him from using drugs; long-term use is bad for the body, after all, and besides, there is something deeply loving about weathering a susceptibility period together.

Yet, in the six-plus months since their engagement, Fu Yan had already gone through two susceptibility periods, while Gu Zhan hadn't experienced a single one.

Fu Yan asked again, "You aren't feeling any physical discomfort, are you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"How many times a year do you usually go into rut?"

"Once?" Gu Zhan tried hard to recall. "My mind was always on work; I didn't really pay attention to that sort of thing."

"How can an Alpha be so careless about his own rut?" Fu Yan feigned anger as he pinched Gu Zhan's chin. "But it doesn't matter—I'll keep track of it for you from now on."

A smile played on the corners of Gu Zhan's mouth as he replied gently, "Okay."

That smile stirred up a fresh wave of desire in Fu Yan. "I can't help it, babe—let's go one more round."

"It's been nearly a whole day; you have to let me eat something."

Alphas aren't like the delicate, soft-bodied Omegas; how could anyone withstand such prolonged intimacy? Gu Zhan really couldn't indulge his boyfriend any longer, but the moment he tried to sit up, he felt a rush of heat between his legs and couldn't help but curse, "You left so much inside me!"

Fu Yan pinned him back down, nibbling coaxingly at his lips. "That's why... I kept it plugged in there for you the whole time."

Gu Zhan: "???"

So I'm supposed to thank you for that, then?

He tried to push Fu Yan away but couldn't budge him; Fu Yan was still kissing his neck fervently, trying to stoke his desire. Resigned, Gu Zhan stared at the ceiling.

"Aren't you hungry? Doesn't appetite usually increase during a rut?"

"It has increased," Fu Yan said, the slick tip of his tongue teasing the roof of Gu Zhan's mouth.

"Huh?" Gu Zhan's voice wavered. Fu Yan opened his mouth and gently nipped at the other man’s chin. "I could gobble you up in a single bite."

Gu Zhan fluttered his eyelashes helplessly. "If you keep this up, will you even be able to go for the formalwear fitting tomorrow?"

Their wedding date was fast approaching, and they had originally scheduled a fitting for the following evening.

"Tomorrow probably won't work; my mom has already rescheduled it for the weekend," Fu Yan said between kisses. "Do you find the whole wedding thing a hassle?"

He knew Gu Zhan preferred a low-key lifestyle, so his original plan had been to simply find a seaside chapel and hold a modest ceremony where they could exchange vows. But Fu Yan’s mother wouldn't hear of it; she had booked a wedding planner and a hotel banquet, turning the event into an increasingly elaborate affair.

"If it’s too much of a bother, we can just slip away when the time comes." Fu Yan licked the tip of Gu Zhan’s nose. "My mom started this whole thing, so she can deal with it herself." His warm voice seemed to wrap around Gu Zhan’s ear. "I’ll take you somewhere special."

"Where to?" Gu Zhan blinked up at him. Surely this guy wasn't planning another proposal or something similar?

A faint smile played on Fu Yan’s lips as he licked Gu Zhan’s eyelashes. "I’m not telling you just yet."

In truth, Fu Yan did harbor some regrets about that earlier proposal.

Back then, fresh out of the hospital, he had rushed to propose as if afraid Gu Zhan might change his mind; he had even nearly fumbled the ring—it had all been a bit of a chaotic scramble. Moreover, Gu Zhan had been hesitant at the time, not entirely wholehearted about it. If he could, Fu Yan wanted to make it up to him.

He wanted to hear Gu Zhan say "I do" without a single distraction; he wanted Gu Zhan to entrust himself to him without reservation; he wanted Gu Zhan to belong to him—body, soul, and heart—completely and utterly. At the thought of this, Fu Yan felt the scent belonging to him on Gu Zhan’s body fading; an alpha in the throes of a heightened sensitivity phase is consumed by an overwhelming possessiveness, utterly unable to accept the reality that even the slightest part of his mate might not belong solely to him.

While kissing and teasing him fervently, he unleashed a massive wave of pheromones; the overpowering scent of oak enveloped Gu Zhan completely, so thick it was almost suffocating.

Both men possessed wood-toned pheromones—a combination that might seem monotonous to outsiders—but Gu Zhan felt otherwise. He adored the sensation of being wrapped in Fu Yan’s oak scent; it was as if he—a solitary cedar standing alone—had finally found himself amidst a steady, tranquil, and lush oak forest, warming him to his very core.

Gu Zhan felt as though he were drowning in this rich, tender embrace. He murmured a final, feeble protest—"I’m really hungry... are you getting up or not?"—even as his eyes grew uncontrollably hazy and his lips and tongue instinctively responded to Fu Yan’s lead.

Seeing Gu Zhan in this state, Fu Yan had no intention of stopping. Pressing his advantage, he whispered seductively into Gu Zhan’s ear in a low, husky voice: "Babe, just one more time, and then I’ll make you something delicious."