Liquor streamed down his throat, burning hot as if igniting a fire within him.

Chen Nian casually tossed the empty bottle aside, navigated through the narrow, dark corridor, and stepped out of the nightclub’s secretive back door. Before he could take another step, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Chen Nian.” The voice of the Alpha, as immediate as his approach, was filled with barely hidden desire. “Where have you been these past few days?”

Narrowing his eyes, Chen Nian recognized the blond-haired man before him, though he couldn’t quite recall the name—was it William, Eddie, or Bertrand? But that wasn’t important.

“You guess?” Chen Nian relaxed, leaning back against the wall under the Alpha’s force, tilting his head up slightly to look into the eyes so close to his. “Why don’t you use your little dog nose and find out?”

The Alpha bent down to sniff around his neck, his keen nose picking up a mix of many scents—numerous pheromones mingling with the strong smell of alcohol, tingling his nerves. These were the scents of many Alphas, clinging to Chen Nian, carrying the subtle fragrance of night-blooming flowers. He didn’t know how many embraces he had lingered in tonight, drinking until he was slightly tipsy before lazily rising.

Chen Nian let the Alpha nuzzle in his neck, one of the man’s hands tightening around his waist, the other supporting his thigh, almost lifting him against the mottled wall. His jacket, already worn loosely, hung even more slackly off his shoulders, revealing the thin black fabric underneath that outlined his body contours and gathered at his waist.

The other’s pheromones wafted into his nostrils, and Chen Nian squinted his eyes, enjoying the sensation of being enveloped in the Alpha’s pheromones, soothing the surges deep inside his body. He never minded who was embracing him. To Chen Nian, an Alpha was just a tool for his pleasure.

“You’ve been looking for me this long, not just to showcase your dog nose, right?” Chen Nian’s voice was soft and seductive, but his words were not so pleasant.

The Alpha was accustomed to this treatment; being Chen Nian’s dog was not a bad thing. This was the Omega all the Alphas in the Underground City, Z Zone desired—so beautiful that despite knowing the poison and thorns he carried, they couldn’t help but want to touch him. Countless people had racked their brains trying to please Chen Nian, believing that with a little more effort, they could coax him into their beds. This included the Alpha currently with him, Drake.

“Of course, there’s something else. How could I dare disturb you for no reason?” Drake chuckled, raising his head from Chen Nian’s neck to look into the youth’s bright eyes under the night sky, whispering, “There’s a royal parade tomorrow, and I, fortunately, got a pass to the upper levels.”

“Oh?” Chen Nian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting—”

“Shh.” Chen Nian raised his index finger to Drake’s lips, silencing the cheesy endearment about to be uttered. In the brief silence, he leaned forward, kissing his own finger.

The young man’s eyelashes trembled slightly, feeling the other’s disbelief and involuntary stiffness. This was the kiss he granted the Alpha, separated only by a finger.

Drake’s eyes widened, holding his breath.

But before he could take the opportunity to make a closer move, Chen Nian stepped away, leaving only the scent of night-blooming flowers lingering like a dream.

“Alright.” Chen Nian extended his hand, gently pushing Drake away. He casually grabbed his nearly falling jacket and walked towards the other end of the alley. “See you tomorrow then.”

Chen Nian’s steps were light, and he was about to slip away—if it weren’t for his clear acceptance, he seemed completely unattached.

Drake hurried to follow, took a couple of steps, and looked down at his own increasingly intense transformation, muttered a curse under his breath, but ultimately did not dare to follow where more people were present.

And he missed the fleeting smile in the Omega’s eyes at that moment of turning.

Chen Nian walked home with his hands in his pockets, his stride relaxed.

He was well aware of these people’s intentions—they simply wanted to get him into bed after a date. Too bad they never considered who the real prey was.

But an invitation to see the royal parade in the upper levels was a nice gift. Chen Nian hadn’t seen real sunlight in a long, long time—who would refuse such an offer?

Chen Nian returned to his living area, stepping over trash and sewage, passing under short tents, leaving behind the constant disputes and curses. He pushed open the rusted iron gate, entered the building, and didn’t bother fixing the broken light again. Fumbling in the dark, he reached the third floor, pressed his hand against the fingerprint lock, which clicked open in response, and the security door swung open.

Stepping inside, he passed the iris scanner and the password lock before truly entering his home. The warm light instantly dispelled the darkness of the hallway. Chen Nian shut the door and called out, “Uncle Jiang, I’m back.”

The middle-aged man in the study looked up, “You’re late today.”

“Just stayed a bit late at work.” Chen Nian approached the middle-aged man from behind and naturally began massaging his shoulders and neck. “Do we still have enough medicine at home?”

“Enough for a week,” the man continued looking down, focusing on his translation work. His appearance was marked by severe burn scars covering much of his face and the hands protruding from his sleeves—quite a terrifying sight.

“I get my paycheck in a couple of days,” Chen Nian said as he massaged, the dissolution and allure he exhibited outside nowhere in sight. If not for the lingering scent of Alpha pheromones, he would appear just like a good child returning home from school.

Jiang Dai, a Beta, couldn’t smell the pheromones and simply remarked, “Drinking again?”

“Just a little.” Chen Nian replied, and Jiang Dai didn’t press further—given the strong smell of alcohol, it was more than just a little.

From the time Chen Nian could remember, the two had lived together, Jiang Dai raising him alone in the Underground City, the hardships untold. Chen Nian had called Jiang Dai ‘dad’ from a young age, but was always stopped; eventually, he settled on ‘uncle’ as Jiang Dai requested. Yet in Chen Nian’s heart, this man was his father.

“Uncle, you should rest earlier. Your eyes won’t be able to take much more.”

“Alright, I’m going to sleep now.”

Jiang Dai set down his glasses. The burns weren’t just on his skin; his eyes had also been damaged, and his vision had declined severely over the years, now only able to work with the help of a magnifying glass.

After ensuring Jiang Dai was settled for the night, Chen Nian finally had some time to himself. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, eager to wash off the mess of scents clinging to him.

The hot water rinsed over his body, Chen Nian sighed deeply, his body slightly trembling.

The scent of night-blooming flowers drifted out, a fragrance that only emerged in the darkness, rich and enticing.

The restlessness deep inside continued, not eased by the calming moment. His palms were already warming up.

Without control, it wouldn’t be long before Chen Nian would have a fever, entering a special period in the heat.

The tattoo on his lower abdomen turned a particular shade of crimson due to the temperature rise, clearly a lewd mark, inked by Chen Nian himself.

Chen Nian was not like other Omegas.

Most Omegas were soft and compliant, embarrassed by their body’s changes and instincts.

But Chen Nian felt no shame about it. From the moment he differentiated, he had craved Alpha, his needs swelling silently every day, nearly filling him up.

Like his pheromones, intense to the point of suffocating.

Carrying Jiang Dai’s expectations, Chen Nian hadn’t truly crossed that line.

In Jiang Dai’s eyes, the youth he raised was responsible, respectful to elders, and quite capable of enduring hardships.

Of course, it was also because Chen Nian found those aimlessly mingling Alphas dirty—he was cautious about catching some strange illness.

Chen Nian closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around himself, the hot water becoming a sort of stimulation. He resisted for a moment but then decided not to.

Without an Alpha, he still had the silicone tools hidden under his bed.

Turning off the shower, Chen Nian wrapped a towel around himself, took a suppressant from the mini fridge, and injected it into his arm before tiptoeing into the bedroom, ready for the night’s pleasures.

Facing his desires openly was nothing to be ashamed of.

With a click, the empty suppressant syringe was tossed into the trash, Chen Nian gently pressed the injection site, stepping out of the bathroom.

He wore a loose bathrobe, his wet hair clinging to his temples and forehead, his pale skin steamed to a faint crimson by the heat, bare feet stepping on the polished floor.

Water dripped from his hair tips, tracing a path down his neck to his collarbone.

The rich scent of night-blooming flowers quickly faded with the injection of the suppressant, the lurking heat also suppressed.

Chen Nian breathed a sigh of relief, changed into a

 pure white loungewear, and sat on the edge of the bed.

This was a luxurious yet monotonous bedroom.

Everything was exquisite, perfectly neat, as if the person living there was not of this world.

The anti-bite neck ring lay on the bedside table, a necessity in any public setting, regardless of the others’ statuses, Chen Nian had to wear the collar, firmly protecting the Omega glands at the back of his neck.

Because from a very early age, that spot had belonged to someone else.

The smart home assistant projected a virtual screen, timely reminding him of his schedule:

11:50, lunch with His Highness Shavri.

13:30, nap.

15:15, temporary physical examination.

16:25, pipe organ lesson.

…

Chen Nian glanced at it, his eyes resting on the last item, “Royal Parade at 9:00 the next day.”

“Got it.” His voice was flat, almost cold.

The virtual screen retracted, a robotic arm extended from the wall, blowing dry his hair.

Chen Nian sat quietly at the edge of the bed in the warm air, his eyes slightly closed, like a lifeless porcelain doll, simply waiting for time to pass until the moment he needed to act.

His hair dried quickly, and the clothes he was to wear for lunch with the Grand Prince were neatly folded and placed on a chair.

Chen Nian buckled the anti-bite collar around his neck, layering on the elaborate and luxurious clothes.

He soon left the room, greeted at the door by a Beta maid who bowed and led him to the top-floor dining room.

Upon arrival, someone was already seated at the table by the window, slightly older than Chen Nian, a twenty-four-year-old Alpha with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes—the Empire’s Grand Prince, Shavri Vitaljevich.

Also, Chen Nian’s fiancé.

“Have you been waiting long?” Chen Nian sat down across from him.

“I just arrived,” Shavri responded without much expression, setting down his terminal. “Let’s eat.”

Chen Nian nodded, picking up the utensils. His fingers were slender and pale, each movement during the meal seemed meticulously calculated, so elegant.

This was the muscle memory from long-term training; since his earliest memories, Chen Nian had been learning complex dining etiquette.

He was an elector of the Empire, and the future prince consort.

Chen Nian ate slowly, his body still uncomfortable, the symptoms of his special period silently tormenting him as an Omega.

The fragrance of night-blooming flowers quietly spread again, filling the air.

However, the Alpha across from him was so indifferent, focused on eating as if he hadn’t noticed.

And truly, Shavri hadn’t noticed; he couldn’t smell Chen Nian’s pheromones. In fact, neither could sense the other’s scent.

Omegas naturally attracted Alphas, especially an Omega like Chen Nian, whose pheromones could easily drive a less resolute Alpha mad with desire.

Only in cases of genetic incompatibility would there be no reaction.

However, after thorough genetic testing, there was no incompatibility between them; on the contrary, their compatibility was very high.

The only explanation left was that Chen Nian and Shavri felt nothing for each other—their relationship was purer than water purified through thirty-eight processes.

Yet these two individuals were bound together by a marriage contract.

This wasn’t a secret in the upper circles, or perhaps it was more of a joke.

A doomed marriage awaited the Grand Prince and the sole heir of the Chen family—outwardly compatible but spiritually apart, sharing a bed but dreaming different dreams. It was tailor-made for them, and many were waiting in the shadows to see the farce unfold.

Shavri had once suggested to his family that he wanted to annul the marriage.

Chen Nian’s father, Chen Wei, had been a grand marshal who died protecting the Empire. Even without the future prince consort’s status as a backup, Chen Nian would still be a noble elector.

The annulment of the marriage wouldn’t affect Chen Nian’s life; it might even make him happier.

But the Emperor refused Shavri’s suggestion and made it clear that the matter was not up for discussion and should not be brought up again.

For a while, the only sounds in the dining room were the light clinks of utensils as the two ate their lunch in silence, without any form of communication.

Shavri ate faster, setting down his utensils and waiting for the Omega across from him, though his gaze was not on Chen Nian.

Compared to his fiancée, the terminal on the table seemed more appealing.

Chen Nian had little appetite and soon finished his meal.

Shavri looked up, and for the first time in a while, their eyes met—finally, a moment of eye contact during this period.

Both the Alpha and Omega stood up almost simultaneously. Shavri picked up his coat and said, “See you tomorrow, I’ll come to pick you up.”

Chen Nian nodded slightly: “See you tomorrow.”

As Shavri left, like Chen Nian’s afternoon filled with various appointments, the Grand Prince also had many duties to attend to.

Even dining with his fiancée had been specially scheduled in the Grand Prince’s timetable, ostensibly to foster affection.

Of course, Chen Nian didn’t see what there was to foster.

Returning to his room, Chen Nian looked out the window, watching a bird fly past the White Tower, its figure quickly disappearing into the distance.

At this moment, the smart home assistant spoke up, reminding him to take a nap.

Chen Nian hummed in acknowledgment, preparing to rest. Everything was unchanging, fixed in its routine.

And this was his life for the past eighteen years.

Tomorrow’s parade was a rare opportunity for him to leave the White Tower and breathe some fresh air outside.