Chapter 28: Be good, no kissing

What answered him was an eerie silence behind him.

Hearing no response, Xu Lin was about to turn around when his waist was suddenly seized. His feet left the ground, and he was yanked backward with tremendous force. The world spun around him, and he landed face-down on the car seat with a heavy thud.

Before he could scramble up, a dark figure pressed down on him, pinning him back into the seat. Ji Jixuan seemed terrified Xu Lin might escape, pinning his hands above his head.

Ji Jixuan was tall and not light. Xu Lin struggled against the weight pressing down on him. “You… let me get up first…”

Ji Jixuan gripped him harder, leaving finger marks on Xu Lin’s wrists. Xu Lin felt like his bones were about to shatter.

Hot breath puffed against his neck.

Xu Lin held his breath and closed his eyes. But the expected pain never came.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the man behind him.

Ji Jixuan’s face was buried in his neck. Xu Lin couldn’t see his expression. His nose pressed against Xu Lin’s throat. Because he was clenching his jaw so tightly, the muscles in his jaw stood out, his lower jaw tensed.

It was as if he was fighting something for control of his own body.

In the dim car, the air seemed to melt under Ji Jixuan’s feverish heat. The suppressants he’d injected didn’t seem to have any effect.

Textbooks said Alphas in rut were in terrible pain. Without suppressants, they needed their partner’s pheromones for comfort.

Xu Lin had no pheromones. He wasn’t an Omega.

But he was Ji Jixuan’s partner.

“…” Xu Lin licked his lips and relaxed his body.

He lowered his head further, making sure his nape was fully exposed to Ji Jixuan.

He said softly, “It’s okay. Bite me.”

He didn’t know if an Alpha biting a Beta would help at all, if it would ease his suffering even a little.

Ji Jixuan still didn’t bite. His teeth were clamped shut, even though biting down would bring relief. Instead, he just rubbed his nose against Xu Lin’s neck, over and over.

It was as if a rope was pulling his brain and body in opposite directions.

“Xuan-ge?” Xu Lin called.

Ji Jixuan didn’t answer. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his body burned.

He seemed to want to bite desperately, but for some reason, he wouldn’t.

Finally, Ji Jixuan suddenly released Xu Lin and straightened up.

With trembling, sweaty hands, he tried to start the car.

He wanted to leave.

Xu Lin was stunned.

He grabbed his hands. “Where are you going? You can’t drive like this!”

He thought Ji Jixuan was holding back out of concern and said, “I’m a Beta. One bite won’t hurt me.”

Fearing Ji Jixuan would actually leave, and knowing he’d crash in this condition, Xu Lin made a decision. He grabbed the keys and threw them out the window.

They disappeared into the night, landing somewhere in the yard.

Now Ji Jixuan couldn’t just drive off.

Xu Lin placed his hands on Ji Jixuan’s shoulders, swung his leg over, and straddled him, sitting face-to-face on his lap.

He used his weight to keep Ji Jixuan from leaving.

He cupped Ji Jixuan’s burning cheeks and made him look up. Ji Jixuan’s eyes were unfocused and dazed. His restraint in not biting Xu Lin earlier had likely used up his last shred of self-control.

Seeing his pale face, Xu Lin felt a sudden ache in his chest. He frowned slightly, placed his palm on the back of Ji Jixuan’s head, and gently stroked his hair, over and over, soothing him.

“It’s okay, Xuan-ge.”

Xu Lin lowered his head.

He pressed Ji Jixuan’s head down with some force. Ji Jixuan had no strength to resist.

Two seconds later, burning lips touched the back of his neck.

The unfamiliar sensation made Xu Lin catch his breath.

He couldn’t help but shiver, forcing his voice to remain gentle. “If it makes you feel better.”

“I’m not afraid of pain.”

After he said that, Ji Jixuan’s breathing stopped.

Xu Lin froze, thinking something was wrong. Before he could turn to check, a sharp pain tore through his nape—his hair had been yanked back.

Sharp canine teeth pierced his skin. Hot breath mixed with the smell of blood. The fangs embedded in his flesh bit deeper, like a predator holding down a struggling prey. Xu Lin couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

He wanted to ask Ji Jixuan to bite softer, but his pained gasp seemed to be taken as a sign of resistance. To stop his prey from escaping, Ji Jixuan used his whole body to pin Xu Lin against the seat, imprisoning him.

Xu Lin’s temples throbbed. His hands instinctively clenched into fists. He bit his lower lip and let Ji Jixuan bite.

He didn’t want to struggle.

He just wanted Ji Jixuan to feel better.

Ji Jixuan bit deep. The skin on Xu Lin’s nape burned and swelled, aching from inside. He couldn’t tell if it was the bite itself or how long it lasted.

After what felt like minutes or longer, the pressure on his nape lifted. Ji Jixuan released him.

Xu Lin hissed and reached for his neck, but Ji Jixuan grabbed his hand.

He stopped reaching and turned his head. “Feeling better?”

When he turned, he saw Ji Jixuan’s face and froze.

Ji Jixuan’s lips were stained red. His eyes were vacant, fixed on Xu Lin. When Xu Lin looked back, he didn’t look away. Under Xu Lin’s stunned gaze, Ji Jixuan licked his lips, his tongue tasting the blood from Xu Lin’s nape.

He seemed to have completely lost control.

He was no longer lucid.

Ji Jixuan had fully entered his rut.

Xu Lin tried tentatively, “Xuan-ge?”

Ji Jixuan lowered his head and nuzzled against Xu Lin’s neck in an intimate gesture. In the past, Xu Lin could never have imagined Ji Jixuan acting like this.

Xu Lin blinked. Then he noticed something else moving against his leg.

He looked down and turned bright red.

“I… this… wait a minute…”

Ji Jixuan’s hand slipped under Xu Lin’s clothes. Xu Lin panicked, glancing at the open car door and the endless night beyond.

They were still outside.

The mountain was empty, but still…

Xu Lin shook his head, pressing Ji Jixuan’s hand through his clothes, mortified. “No, not here. Let’s go inside, okay…”

Xu Lin was carried into the bedroom. His face grew redder with each step. When Ji Jixuan set him on the bed, he was flushed from head to toe. Realizing what was about to happen, Xu Lin felt a wave of fear. He’d barely shifted toward the headboard when Ji Jixuan grabbed his ankle and pulled him back, so eager that he tried to climb on without taking off his shoes.

“Shoes, your shoes…”

Ji Jixuan kicked off his leather shoes, letting them fall like discarded trash onto the carpet.

Using a childish method to take off his shoes—Xu Lin was certain Ji Jixuan wasn’t in his right mind. He wondered if Ji Jixuan would feel embarrassed when he came to his senses.

Before he could laugh, Ji Jixuan pressed down on him.

---

Usually, an Alpha’s rut lasted about a week.

Xu Lin had never thought much of a week before, until he became one of the people experiencing it.

He couldn’t tell day from night. The bedroom curtains were never opened.

The bed creaked incessantly.

Xu Lin thought movies were all lies.

Actors, after all, were just acting. Comfortable?

It hurt. Xu Lin nearly passed out from the pain at first.

Though he eventually began to savor it, even a machine made of iron needed rest. Xu Lin was only human.

Ji Jixuan couldn’t communicate during his rut. Xu Lin couldn’t smell pheromones and wasn’t affected by them so he thought it would be easier than if he were an Omega, that he could refuse more easily.

He’d forgotten Ji Jixuan had other methods.

For the first time, he experienced the strength of a high-ranking Alpha. For the first time, under the light, he saw the dazed, possessed expression of an Alpha consumed by desire.

Sometimes Ji Jixuan scared him.

When Xu Lin’s body couldn’t take any more and he had to refuse, Ji Jixuan, single-minded in his need, would grow displeased. He would stare at Xu Lin without speaking. His look made Xu Lin’s blood run cold, and he couldn’t say no.

It felt like if Xu Lin dared refuse, he’d die in that bed.

If Ji Jixuan wanted it, Xu Lin had to give it.

Consumed by rut, Ji Jixuan was obsessed with sex. Xu Lin didn’t know how long he’d been holding back. It was the complete opposite of his usual self.

Xu Lin hadn’t left the bedroom in three days.

By the third day, he was dizzy with hunger.

He hadn’t eaten in three days—just a little water. If this continued, he was afraid he’d starve to death. Dying of starvation in bed—how humiliating.

Taking advantage of a lull while Ji Jixuan slept, Xu Lin propped himself up on trembling legs and left the room.

He couldn’t manage the stairs, so he took the elevator.

He’d just turned on the stove and dropped the noodles in when he heard rapid footsteps approaching.

Ji Jixuan was wearing a bathrobe and had followed him.

“How are you awake? Go back to sleep… wait, no…”

Ji Jixuan wrapped his arms around Xu Lin from behind and bit his shoulder. Xu Lin said, “Let me eat something first. Let me just…”

Gurgle, gurgle.

The water in the pot boiled dry. The noodles turned into a pasty mess.

Xu Lin was carried into the study.

Ji Jixuan retrieved a tube of white liquid from the cooler and poured it into Xu Lin’s mouth. Groggy, Xu Lin swallowed it. Within minutes, his hunger was gone.

“What is it?” Xu Lin asked hoarsely.

“Nutrient supplement,” Ji Jixuan murmured against his ear. “Is it good?”

Xu Lin smacked his lips. The texture was odd, but not unpleasant. “It’s good.”

Ji Jixuan’s lips curved slightly, for reasons Xu Lin didn’t understand.

He grabbed a few more tubes and carried Xu Lin back to the bedroom. Using the supplement as a replacement for food.

---

How many days had it been?

It had been over a week now.

Why wasn’t he better?

Empty tubes littered the floor. The room was filled with the mingled sound of their heavy breathing.

Ji Jixuan grabbed a pillow and tucked it under Xu Lin’s lower back.

Xu Lin counted the days through the haze of his blurred vision.

His mind wandering in such a moment seemed to displease Ji Jixuan.

Ji Jixuan lowered his head, looking for Xu Lin’s lips.

As he was about to kiss him, Xu Lin struggled to lift his head, and Ji Jixuan’s lips landed on his chin instead.

Failing to kiss him, Ji Jixuan tried again.

Xu Lin quickly covered his mouth. “No…”

“Even though I really want to kiss you too, but,” he kissed Ji Jixuan’s forehead, “You said you don’t like kissing. You’re not lucid right now. When you wake up and realize what happened, you’ll be upset.”

Ji Jixuan lowered his head and began moving with force.

Xu Lin arched his neck back, a vein bulging. He whimpered but kept his hand over Ji Jixuan’s mouth.

“Be good. No kissing.”