After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 19

Pei Yule felt like he was about to suffocate, trapped on all sides by the dense, coiling pressure of pheromones.

His limbs were so weak they didn’t feel like his own. His entire body was draped over Huo Juan, held fast by the other man, his head forced into the crook of Huo Juan’s neck. They were both sunk deep into the sofa, their legs entangled inextricably, pressed together without a gap.

“Ugh…”

Pei Yule’s chest felt crushed by the powerful pheromones Huo Juan was releasing. It wasn’t just a simple lack of oxygen; it was accompanied by a dizzying sense of vertigo, as if he were being devoured by something.

An inexplicable sense of panic followed. His heart hammered violently against his ribs, and his thoughts were scrambled into a mess by the inescapable, clinging scent.

Even though he felt, deep down, that their posture was far too intimate… his limp hands had no strength to push Huo Juan away, let alone to climb off him. He could only let his full weight rest on Huo Juan, feeling the warmth of another body. That warmth, combined with the pheromones, felt like a great net surrounding him—inescapable, unavoidable.

Sensing his distress, the pheromones would occasionally recede, but a mere second or two of reprieve was nowhere near enough for Pei Yule to recover. His breathing was ragged, his fair face was flushed a deep red, and beads of sweat stood out on his forehead.

Pei Yule wasn’t an Omega; this wasn’t the instinctive submission of an Omega to an Alpha, nor was it an induced heat. As a Beta subjected to the suppression of a top-tier Alpha’s pheromones, the pressure he endured was immense. It wasn’t the mutual repulsion Alphas felt, nor the desire to accommodate that Omegas felt—it was pure, crushing torment.

Before becoming a Beta, Pei Yule had been an ordinary person. This unknown, unexperienced agony was far more terrifying than any of Huo Juan’s previous pheromone displays.

“Whimper…”

He opened his mouth slightly, unable to stop a soft whimper from escaping.

The hands pressing into his back paused for a fraction of a second, but it was only a moment. The comfort of being pressed against Pei Yule was too much to resist. A flash of chaos crossed Huo Juan’s face, and his palms began to move and squeeze again, pulling Pei Yule even tighter.

Not enough…

If Pei Yule had the strength to look up, he would have seen that the man he thought was “emotionally dead” was wearing an expression of intense, strained restraint, his eyes shot through with blood. Huo Juan used enough force to leave bruises; his instincts told him it wasn’t enough. Mere proximity couldn’t satisfy him; he needed more, much more.

Yet his reason told him that the whimpering boy in his arms was a Beta, no stronger than an Omega. Those slender wrists felt as if they would snap with a single twist, and even the narrow waist he held was alarmingly thin. Even with the boy’s full weight pressing down on him, Huo Juan felt almost nothing—aside from a sense of total physical relief.

The physical pain receded rapidly with the touch, replaced by a strange restlessness. This restlessness made Huo Juan lose control of himself; it was harder to stay rational than during a Rut.

The overwhelming pheromones forced the boy in his arms to gasp and groan, but because the boy wasn’t a biological match for pheromones, there was no resonance—only a suffocating, painful suppression.

This made the pheromones grow even colder, even more aggressive. The increase in intensity deepened Pei Yule’s agony; his whole body began to tremble in Huo Juan’s arms, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Sweat began to bead and roll from his temples, soaking his soft clothes.

The sensation of the damp, cool fabric and the uncontrollable sounds from Pei Yule’s throat finally allowed Huo Juan’s wild mind to snap back to reality. He lowered his dark, shadowed eyes, slowly withdrew his hands from the boy’s back, and tilted Pei Yule’s face up.

Aside from the trembling, the boy’s face was flushed a deep red, and tears had been forced from the corners of his eyes by the sheer weight of the pheromones. His wet eyelashes were half-closed. Pei Yule seemed barely conscious; his dark eyes peered through the moisture, looking at Huo Juan, yet looking at nothing at all, his lips parted as he gasped for air.

Seeing him like this, Huo Juan’s pupils constricted. The “beast” had escaped its cage, and a sense of dissatisfaction gnawed at his heart. Even with Pei Yule pressed into his chest and their limbs entangled, it wasn’t enough.

Why isn’t it enough? What is missing? How far must I go to satisfy the beast screaming in my soul?

His dark eyes locked onto Pei Yule’s face—not exquisite, but warm and handsome. Huo Juan’s gaze grew even darker, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the boy’s chin.

If just pressing together isn’t enough, then…

A flash of confusion crossed his handsome, cold face. Huo Juan lowered his eyelids and slowly brought his face close to Pei Yule’s. The distance shrank until he could feel Pei Yule’s breath—ragged, anxious, and tinged with fear.

The beast in his heart screamed for capture, for possession…

He closed his eyes and lunged forward to bite.

Beep-beep-beep!

The sound of the electronic lock opening rang out abruptly. Footsteps approached rapidly, accompanied by Xu Yanxi’s voice, which lacked its usual calm: “Ah-Juan! What’s going on? Your pheromones are so thick they can be felt from outside! You—”

He stopped dead at the sight on the sofa.

Four long legs were tangled together, protruding from the sofa cushions. The slightly shorter pair was visibly trembling. Looking up, the boy’s back was clamped in a dominant grip. He seemed to be pinned helplessly onto the person beneath him, who was buried in his neck. The fabric at the shoulder was soaked in blood.

For a moment, Xu Yanxi’s heart jumped into his throat; he nearly thought there had been a murder.

Fortunately, the boy’s trembling body brought him back to his senses. His expression turned grim, and as he stepped forward to get a better look, another figure moved past him, saying: “Call a doctor.”

Prompted by the voice, Xu Yanxi remembered himself. He pulled out his phone to call for help while moving in for a closer look. He realized that if they hadn’t walked in, someone might actually have died—though not the trembling boy. It would have been the Alpha beneath him, who was biting his own wrist with savage intensity.

Blood flowed from the torn wrist, creating the “crime scene” look.

The person who had spoken to Xu Yanxi moved to pull Pei Yule out of Huo Juan’s iron grip. The moment he touched the boy’s clothes, Huo Juan moved, lifting his face to glare at him with eyes full of dark, cold malice.

There was blood on the corner of Huo Juan’s mouth. Combined with that look, it was enough to terrify anyone with less courage.

The newcomer didn’t blink. He said coolly, “Xu Yanxi, watch your friend.”

With that, he scooped Pei Yule up and carried him away. Simultaneously, a gentle, soothing violet-scented pheromone covered Pei Yule, slowly calming his mind. This allowed the panicked boy to breathe a massive sigh of relief. He opened his red-rimmed eyes dizzily; while still not fully conscious, he could at least breathe again.

Seeing the person in his arms being taken away, Huo Juan reached out to pull him back. But as he touched Pei Yule’s fingers and felt them trembling violently, he paused. Finally, very slowly, he withdrew his hand.

Bian Chuan shot him a look, then turned to Xu Yanxi. “He’s yours.” He meant Huo Juan. As for the Beta in his arms, he had to help him recover; if the boy remained under Huo Juan’s overwhelming pheromones, he might suffer a rejection reaction—possibly resulting in vomiting or a coma.

Xu Yanxi saw the sweat-drenched, incredibly weak Pei Yule in the other man’s arms and frowned. “Fine.”

As Bian Chuan carried Pei Yule away, Xu Yanxi turned to Huo Juan on the sofa, rubbing his brow. “Ah-Juan, you need to let a doctor look at your hand.”

Huo Juan slowly sat up. Blood flowed from his wrist, dripping onto the sofa and the floor in bright red spots. He ignored it, staring silently in the direction Bian Chuan had gone. He had truly suffered this time. Being suppressed by pheromones was no small thing; even if Huo Juan hadn’t used his full power, it was enough to break Pei Yule.

Only when Bian Chuan was out of sight did Huo Juan look away, lowering his unreadable eyes. He had almost lost control. No—he had lost control. He had almost let his own inexplicable madness destroy that Beta.

“This is the second time.”

Xu Yanxi glanced at Huo Juan’s neatly bandaged wrist. His tone was somewhere between a sigh and a lament. No matter how fast an Alpha’s healing factor was, it couldn’t keep up with this kind of self-mutilation. And he hadn’t held back; the bite was deep enough to see bone.

“You’re going to leave a scar if you keep this up,” he warned.

“It doesn’t matter,” Huo Juan replied. He paused. “…How is he?”

“Bian Chuan helped him settle down. He’s much better. No need for a doctor; he’ll be fine after a night’s sleep.” Xu Yanxi sighed. “Thank god he’s a Beta. If he were an Omega, you would have triggered a heat and probably marked him. It’s also a shame he’s a Beta; your pheromones are so strong even most Alphas can’t take them. The fact that he lasted that long is a miracle. If he were an Alpha, his genes would be incredible.”

“…”

Huo Juan didn’t respond. The light hit his face, leaving half of it in shadow. Xu Yanxi had grown up with him and knew him well. Seeing his silence, he arched an eyebrow. “What, did I say something wrong?”

Huo Juan remained noncommittal. His mind flashed back to Pei Yule’s flushed, panicked face full of fear, and he closed his eyes. At first, he too thought it didn’t matter because the boy was a Beta. He had been careless.

He was wrong. Even as a Beta, that person was fragile. Huo Juan could snap that thin waist with a bit of pressure. His pheromones alone could kill. He had never imagined his own nature would nearly destroy a Beta who trusted him, who approached him, and who—out of kindness and a lack of understanding—had agreed to those “Three Rules.”

He was the one who broke the promise. The boy owed him nothing, yet Huo Juan had made him pay multiple times. The sound of the boy’s whimpering seemed to echo in his ears. If he hadn’t managed to stop himself, things would have ended terribly.

Huo Juan clenched his fist, putting pressure on the bandaged wound until blood seeped through the gauze.

Sensing the unusual silence, Xu Yanxi asked curiously, “Seriously, what happened? Did Pei Yule do something? Or did something happen to you? I’ve never seen your pheromones go out of control like that.”

As a bystander, Xu Yanxi knew Huo Juan felt differently about Pei Yule. He assumed his friend had just found a “toy,” but he felt he should warn him: this was the second time he had bitten himself over this “toy.” Even if it was to stay rational, it was weird.

Was it really just to stay rational? Or was it because he didn’t want to hurt the Beta?

Facing Xu Yanxi’s curiosity, Huo Juan also wanted to know what was happening. Since childhood, he had never really wanted anything. This meant he was naturally indifferent, which was why he could endure a decade of pheromone disorder without becoming irritable or violent.

Yet, looking back, he had been aggressive with Pei Yule. He knew the boy was unwilling, but the lure of comfort had made him force the boy to submit. It was wrong. He had realized this and given Pei Yule the rules he wanted. And then he had destroyed them in a single day.

Why do I want to touch him so badly?

The more time passed, the more Huo Juan realized it wasn’t just about the disorder or the pain relief. It was something deeper, something darker… an unspeakable craving. He lifted his bandaged hand, his gaze falling on his fingertip. This hand had touched Pei Yule’s back, his shoulder, his cheek, his lips… every touch brought an even greater, unquenchable thirst.

Only now did he realize how wrong it was. Since differentiating as an Alpha, he had never craved an Omega. Yet, from a Beta, he had tasted an uncontrollable desire. He wanted the boy to be stained by his scent, he wanted to bite that scentless neck, he wanted to steal every breath, and he wanted those red, bright eyes to… reflect only his face.

Huo Juan hid the darkness in his eyes and said lowly, “…Touching him calms me down.”

Xu Yanxi’s eyes widened. He knew all about the pheromone disorder and the loss of regulatory control. For ten years, no medicine had worked. The Huo family was constantly worried, as a loss of control was a ticking time bomb. No one knew what would happen if the bomb went off. And the mortality rate for pheromone disorder wasn’t low.

Huo Juan had tried everything for ten years with no luck. To think Pei Yule had that effect. No wonder Huo Juan was so different with him.

Xu Yanxi quickly thought of something. “Should we have someone examine him? See if there’s something pheromone-related about him that soothes your symptoms?”

He paused, then added: “Or is he a latent Omega? It’s not unheard of. Some Omegas have hormones that lean toward Beta, making them look normal, but they’re actually Omegas who just haven’t differentiated clearly. Maybe he’s a special case.”

“No,” Huo Juan refused the suggestion. “He is definitely a Beta.” Having been so close to him, Huo Juan was certain. Pei Yule was a genuine Beta. If anything, there was only one thing about him… something Huo Juan desperately wanted. Something that had already influenced him before he even realized it.

Xu Yanxi didn’t push. He respected his friend’s decision. He shrugged. “Fine. Beta or Omega, he suffered because of you. He’ll probably sleep until tomorrow. I’ll have someone call the school to excuse him. What do you plan to do?”

What do I plan to do? Huo Juan looked at his right wrist and exhaled slowly. Tear it all down and start over. This time, I won’t let myself lose control.

He said, “Have your uncle write a prescription for U-type drugs.”

Xu Yanxi’s mother’s family, the Fu family, was a medical dynasty. Most of the suppressants on the market were Fu products. “What?” Xu Yanxi frowned. “No. You’re crazy. I’m not getting you those.”

U-type drugs were prohibited blocking agents. If an Alpha or Omega took them, their pheromones would be completely blocked. It was fine for emergencies, but long-term use had severe side effects—the most serious being the permanent loss of the ability to release pheromones. An Alpha or Omega without pheromones was essentially crippled.

“My family would never agree to it anyway,” Xu Yanxi said. “Give up on that.”

“Then give me X-supplement,” Huo Juan requested.

X-supplement was an injectable that could temporarily dissolve the pheromone genes in the body. It was gentle with almost no side effects, and one injection lasted a day.

Xu Yanxi understood. “So this was your actual goal?” Using the U-type drug as a decoy to get the X-supplement. That drug was even harder to get because it wasn’t on the market yet. It was his uncle’s latest experimental drug. He’d probably have to sign his life away to get it.

“I must have owed you in a past life,” Xu Yanxi complained, though he knew he would help. He didn’t want a repeat of today. If he didn’t help, Huo Juan would eventually do something catastrophic.

Besides… he was curious what Huo Juan wanted with it. Remembering his guess that Huo Juan didn’t want to hurt the Beta, he smiled. “Since I’m going to have to sign a bunch of unfair treaties for this, answer me one thing.”

“What.”

“That little Beta… he’s actually pretty cute. That fluffy hair makes me want to ruffle it. Can I tease him a bit?”

Huo Juan’s expression didn’t change. “If Bian Chuan doesn’t mind, do as you like.”

“…” Damn, countered. But Huo Juan’s meaning was clear: Don’t touch him.

“OK, I get it,” Xu Yanxi said, changing the subject. “Want to see him? He’s probably still asleep.”

Bian Chuan had taken Pei Yule to his villa. With the soothing pheromones there, the boy was out cold. Huo Juan could see him as long as he didn’t release any more pheromones.

Xu Yanxi led the way. “You can look through the window.” He was joking, but Huo Juan actually agreed.

They went to the other villa, where the air was full of a powerful pheromone—Bian Chuan’s. The thick scent of violets made them feel like they were in a sea of flowers. Xu Yanxi was used to it, but Huo Juan’s back went rigid. Alphas instinctively repelled each other. No matter how gentle, another Alpha’s scent was a provocation. And this violet scent had a hidden aggression.

Huo Juan thought of Bian Chuan carrying Pei Yule away. While Huo Juan’s scent caused the boy pain, the violet scent had soothed him. His eyes darkened. He could fight Bian Chuan’s pheromones, but that would only make the boy in the room uncomfortable.

Xu Yanxi didn’t want a fight. He called out to Bian Chuan, who was sitting on a sofa outside the room. Bian Chuan looked like a model student with his glasses and neat hair—which made sense, as he was the top student and student council president.

“Bian Chuan, retract your pheromones,” Xu Yanxi said. Bian Chuan looked at them and complied.

“Let my friend see the kid,” Xu Yanxi said.

Bian Chuan didn’t move. “He might lose control again,” he said coldly.

“He won’t, trust me,” Xu Yanxi replied. Huo Juan had stayed rational enough to bite himself rather than hurt the boy. The main issue was Pei Yule’s inability to withstand Huo Juan’s specific pheromones.

Bian Chuan smirked. Huo Juan ignored them and walked toward the half-open door. He pushed it open and stepped inside.

The boy on the bed was sleeping deeply, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. Huo Juan sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at him. The boy wasn’t trembling anymore. Huo Juan reached out and gently took the hand resting outside the blanket.

He interlaced their fingers. Because the boy was asleep, the grip was one-sided. The touch without a response meant the pain only receded slowly.

This confirmed it for Huo Juan. It’s only this person I crave. His pheromones had known it before he did. That’s why they retracted their fangs when he touched Pei Yule, giving him peace. Pheromones don’t lie.

Huo Juan squeezed the hand and slowly brought it to his lips. He closed his eyes and kissed the fingers that were no longer trembling.