Pretending to Be an Alpha in an All-Alpha Boy Band - Chapter 42
Chapter 42 Invitation
What is this?
Yuan Shiyuan had thought: pants off, gland exposed—might as well be honest about it.
But seeing Yuan Shize unable to control his pheromones, emotionally stirred and somewhat bewildered, he suddenly changed his mind.
His younger brother had always been sensitive.
If he let Yuan Shize know now that a top Alpha had turned into an Omega out of the blue, God only knew what wild thoughts he’d start having.
Forget it—he’ll tell him later when there’s a better chance.
“It’s just a leg ring.” Yuan Shiyuan made up an excuse offhand. “When we shot the magazine, the UN brand sent me a lot of jewelry. I was bored, so I dug it out to wear.”
“You’ve heard of that brand, right?”
Yuan Shiyuan spread his legs boldly, showing no shame. In front of Yuan Shize he pressed his pale fingers against the inside of his right thigh and pried it aside, trying to get a clear look at the slightly pink gland.
He was recklessly open, the white root of his thigh stark against the red mark left by the ring.
Yuan Shiyuan didn’t realize how rough his movements looked; he thought he was merely checking a wound and forgot that an Omega’s gland was extremely fragile and couldn’t withstand such rough handling.
He hissed when he saw the pale flesh tremble slightly under his inspection and realized he’d pressed too hard, so he eased his grip and studied the gland carefully.
Nothing abnormal.
Probably because he lacked experience and had tightened the leg ring too much earlier, even a light touch caused a strong reaction.
“…”
Of course Yuan Shize knew UN.
That afternoon the entire e-sports base had stopped training; at first he thought the boss felt sorry for their intense schedule. Later he learned that everyone—from the base owner down to the security guards—had been scrambling for his brother’s magazine.
Yuan Shize set three alarms and tried to buy with the speed of a pro player, but he couldn’t get one of the first ten thousand copies.
Teammates who did get limited-edition peripherals from the first ten thousand flaunted them at him. One teammate said, “Why don’t you just ask your brother for one?”
But Yuan Shize felt like such a loser for not even getting into the top ten thousand; he couldn’t bear the thought of asking his brother privately for one.
Because the magazine sold so incredibly well and the gifted goods were limited, secondhand copies were rare and had been hyped to sky-high prices.
Yuan Shize crouched for a long time before finally paying a high price to get one through resale.
“I know.” Yuan Shize said gloomily. “Brother, when you filmed that variety show, you even wore a skirt.”
He hadn’t watched it.
He’d seen none of it—neither the jewelry nor his brother in a skirt on the show. Everyone else had watched, rewatched, and savored it, and only afterward did he belatedly go online and find he’d already missed a lot.
Hearing “skirt,” Yuan Shiyuan coughed abruptly and awkwardly changed the subject: “Why bring that up? That was all for the show’s effect.”
“Move, I’m putting my pants back on.”
Yuan Shiyuan kicked the leg ring away; when it rolled to Yuan Shize’s legs, a faint scent drifted off.
Distracted for a moment and without thinking it through, Yuan Shize flung himself and pinned Yuan Shiyuan down on the single bed.
The bedframe groaned under the weight.
Yuan Shiyuan looked up in confusion and saw his brother’s brow knit, his expression one of intensely focused puzzlement as he sniffed over him.
“Brother…”
“You have the omega scent.”
Yuan Shize moved from Yuan Shiyuan’s face to his neck, then to the collarbone, chest, waist, and gradually downward… His gaze fixed tightly on the red mark left where the leg ring had clamped earlier.
“Especially here.” He hunched over, burying his face between his knees, staring at the spot that gave off the scent. “The smell is special—strong.”
“Not only is there an omega scent, there’s also another Alpha’s pheromone.”
Yuan Shiyuan hadn’t had time to apply a barrier patch, so it made sense he’d be smelled. But he’d also used pheromone extract earlier.
There are two kinds of pheromone extract—injectable and oral—and regardless of form, they make the body emit pheromone scents for a short time. Artificially synthesized extracts can be made odorless. But high-concentration pheromones extracted from an S-rank alpha will inevitably carry the original person’s pheromonal note.
Given ventilation, the smell would dissipate after a while. It had been some time since Yuan Shiyuan had injected the extract; the reason his brother could still smell something was that Yuan Shize was detecting the gland area.
The gland is where pheromone concentration is highest.
Yuan Shiyuan blurted a casual excuse, “It’s just someone else’s pheromone residue. We were pretty close back then; it’s normal it wasn’t completely gone.”
“You know I used to be allergic here—my skin’s pretty sensitive.”
After being induced by Omega pheromones, it was normal for residue to remain on Yuan Shiyuan.
But how close had they been, and what had they even done for him to smell like an Omega just here?
The thought alone darkened Yuan Shize’s expression.
He didn’t like other people leaving their scent on his brother.
“Are you still allergic?”
“If you want, I’ll cover it up. Prevent other pheromones from making the allergy worse.”
Yuan Shize grabbed the hollow behind Yuan Shiyuan’s knee, his voice pleading, putting on a docile, attentive air. “You’ll like my pheromones, won’t you?”
When Yuan Shiyuan lowered his head, he could only see the top of Yuan Shize’s hair. By the time he tried to stop him, it was too late.
The unfamiliar pheromone thickened abruptly. The minty Alpha scent hit the gland like a shock; he felt as if struck by an electric current and went limp, collapsing back onto the bed.
Worried that simple contact wouldn’t fully mask the other scent, Yuan Shize tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against the allergic skin, trying to make his brother thoroughly imbued with his own scent.
As his cheek brushed the irritated spot, the high bridge of his nose made subtle indentations, casting tiny shadows with each press.
Yuan Shiyuan usually only dared touch the gland lightly; now, sensing danger, he reflexively clamped his knees together.
But the temptation of S-rank pheromones was overwhelming. He tipped his head back to inhale once, then suddenly bit down on his pale finger, blinked slowly, and fluttered his lashes, narrowing his legs almost imperceptibly.
That reaction surprised Yuan Shize a little.
He wanted to look up at his brother’s expression, but his head couldn’t move much. He held Yuan Shiyuan’s knee and pressed his cheek to the irritated skin, which was warm and delicate.
Like a dog, he nuzzled against Yuan Shiyuan with a kind of infatuated clinginess.
He seemed to have become the long body pillow his brother hugged while sleeping.
Perhaps because that patch of skin had been through an allergy, Yuan Shize noticed it was extremely tender—apparently thinner than the surrounding skin.
“Mmm…”
The excess pheromones made Yuan Shiyuan feel exquisite; being wrapped in S-rank scent was overwhelmingly wonderful. He couldn’t help but squeeze his legs together and rub his toes against his brother’s school uniform, urging, “Put more pheromones…”
“Hurry…”
Sensing that his brother liked his scent, Yuan Shize happily intensified it.
Then, quietly and slowly, he tilted his head and rubbed his face against Yuan Shiyuan again.
He remembered his brother had been allergic here before; it might be itchy now. Like a massage, his prominent nose kept rubbing the soft skin, helping relieve the itch.
The unfamiliar S-rank pheromone spread, wrapping around all of Yuan Shiyuan’s senses. He breathed in his younger brother’s minty pheromone and felt a little breathless; his lower abdomen tensed sharply, then twitched once.
Yuan Shize noticed that tremor too. He froze for a moment. “Ge…”
“You’re so sensitive.”
Yuan Shize gazed at Yuan Shiyuan, mesmerized by his dazed look.
Right now Yuan Shiyuan’s clothes were disheveled, strands of pink hair stuck to his flushed cheeks, and a moist sheen clung to the corner of his mouth. It was the first time he had smelled his younger brother’s pheromones; it felt novel and thrilling, so he urged him on.
“More… a little more.”
As expected, new flavors hit hardest. Yuan Shiyuan turned his head and let the minty pheromone soak him through.
He ruffled his brother’s hair and greedily wanted more of the scent. “Xiao Ze, I want more…”
Yuan Shize’s breathing suddenly deepened.
The dense pheromone spread; Yuan Shiyuan seemed sated by it, like a contented cat basking in the sun, lazily stretching his body, even curling his toes in pleasure.
But he vaguely realized something was off: they were now of opposite sexes.
Still—it felt too good.
Ah, whatever.
Hugging and nuzzling his brother wasn’t a big deal; it felt comfortable anyway. Even though he was an Omega now, his brother still thought he was an Alpha, so there was no concern about crossing boundaries.
You couldn’t forbid a brother from being close just because one had developed a gland and changed sex, could you? That would be too cruel for Yuan Shize.
The main reason, though, was that it truly felt wonderful.
No wonder the doctor advised more contact with S-rank Alphas—just face-to-face contact and applying S-rank pheromones to the gland had him kicking his feet, tears welling uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes.
Yuan Shiyuan was someone who knew how to enjoy himself; once he accepted something, he wouldn’t deny himself. He bent his legs and rubbed his knee against the tip of his brother’s hair.
“Put more pheromones…” His voice wavered; he hummed twice, “I like the smell.”
Yuan Shize’s ear rims flushed bright red; he suddenly felt shy, but still obediently increased the pheromone concentration.
His brother liked his pheromones! He felt delighted and, softer in tone, asked, “I want to smell Ge’s pheromones too…”
“My pheromones don’t have a smell,” Yuan Shiyuan replied casually, brushing it off.
“Alright.” Yuan Shize said, disappointed.
But Yuan Shiyuan was scheming inside.
The doctor had said that a high match between an Omega and an Alpha meant their pheromones resonated like a spiritual connection. But there was a prerequisite: both sides had to be releasing pheromones.
If he only smelled and didn’t release any, it wouldn’t count, right?
He was practically a genius.
Although Yuan Shiyuan wasn’t releasing pheromones, Yuan Shize still thought his brother smelled astonishingly good.
His nose and mouth were pressed close, yet it still wasn’t enough; greedily, he wanted to press even nearer, refusing to separate even if he couldn’t breathe properly, desperately inhaling the scent on his brother.
Not enough…
Far from enough.
Until Yuan Shiyuan tried to wriggle free, twisting his waist. Maybe it was sudden, or the motion too large; as if cramping, the flesh where the leg ring had left its mark trembled uncontrollably.
Worried that Yuan Shiyuan was uncomfortable, Yuan Shize immediately rose and scooped him into his arms.
“What’s wrong?”
When his gaze fell on Yuan Shiyuan’s face, Yuan Shize went completely stunned.
He thought at first he’d been clumsy, had done something wrong.
Only then did he notice the scene was strange.
Loose pants lay tossed to one side, the black leather leg ring sat alone nearby. Yuan Shiyuan wore a short-sleeved shirt; when his long legs were cradled in Yuan Shize’s arms, his fingers still trembled uncontrollably.
The corners of his eyes were wet and red; he had a fingertip faintly caught between his teeth, and saliva leaked from his parted lips, running down the finger and trailing to wet the tip of his chin.
His whole face was wet.
When had Yuan Shize ever seen Yuan Shiyuan like this?
Even in the wildest of dreams, he had never seen his brother wear that expression.
It was like an invitation.
Yuan Shize stood there, transfixed.
He felt an inexplicable rush and lowered his head, nudging Yuan Shiyuan’s cheek with his own.
“Ge, are you okay?”
At that moment, Yuan Shiyuan finally came back to himself enough to pull the finger from between his teeth and lightly tap his弟弟’s shoulder.
“Oh… I’m fine.” He couldn’t exactly say he had been enjoying the pheromones so much he felt like he might float away. Playing tough, he babbled, “It’s nothing really, just… so-so.”
Yuan Shiyuan had no idea how out of it he looked—dazed, like a cat overdosed on catnip.
“…What?” Yuan Shize asked uncertainly.
Yuan Shiyuan stared up at his brother blankly for a few more seconds, then completely regained his composure.
He cleared his throat as if to cover it and said, “Nothing, just a little hungry. Let’s go eat.”
But shame washed through him.
What nonsense had he been spouting just now… he’d been made a fool of.
Still, the earlier episode brought some good news for Yuan Shiyuan.
The doctor had been worried he’d be heavily affected by an S-rank Alpha and easily forced into heat. But he found it wasn’t that bad.
Saying he was completely unaffected would be impossible, but the influence felt more like catching a whiff of a delicious dish that whets your appetite. S-rank Alpha pheromones did make him feel very good—really pleasurable to smell.
Aside from the pleasure, he didn’t feel any signs of being forced into heat.
Could this mean that, for him, an S-rank Alpha was more like an energy supplement—useful, but not overwhelmingly influential?
Yuan Shiyuan lounged lazily on the single sofa, his long legs propped on a small stool. He crossed his feet, toes slightly curled, looking like a sated Persian cat after a big meal.
Fortunately, it was a small single bed and easy to manage. Yuan Shize changed the bedding and, glancing back at Yuan Shiyuan, saw that his brother hadn’t noticed; his heart sped up as he slipped the black leather leg ring from the foot of the bed into his pocket.
Then he picked up his school jacket.
When Yuan Shize had first entered the ward, he’d taken off his school jacket and laid it on the small bed—so Yuan Shiyuan had been lying on his jacket earlier.
That realization made his heart race; he gripped the jacket tighter.
Yuan Shize quietly went into the restroom, buried his face in the jacket, and inhaled the scent that belonged to his brother.
His nose suddenly touched a damp patch.
Yuan Shize froze for a moment and spread the jacket open.
On the light blue autumn coat there was a large spread of darkened wetness, gleaming enticingly under the light.
As if something had uncontrollably sprayed up, leaving a large, irregular dark stain.
What was it?
His brother’s sweat?
But could sweat be this much?
Yuan Shize didn’t think too hard; the discovery made him oddly excited. Almost on impulse, he buried his face in it and breathed in.
A rich aroma hit him full on, rushing through his nasal passages straight to his brain, like an airtight net that imprisoned all his senses.
He unconsciously stuck out his tongue and licked at the wet patch.
After a long moment, Yuan Shize lifted his dazed face.
In the mirror, his whole face was wet; the corners of his mouth bore suspicious traces of moisture.
But why—
Why did it smell like Omega pheromones?
Author’s Note:
Take a bite of the leg [covers face, peeking]