After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 5

Not only was Pei Yule nervous, but even Xu Yanxi’s expression tightened as he watched Huo Juan approach step by step.

As Huo Juan walked into the light, the two of them could clearly see the look on his face.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Though his face remained expressionless, the veins at his temples were bulging slightly, and his thin lips were pressed into a hard line. His normally pale complexion now carried an unnatural flush. In this state, Huo Juan looked like a blade about to unsheathe—tense to the extreme, as if ready to strike at any moment.

Damn.

Seeing Huo Juan like this, Xu Yanxi felt a pang of regret. He should have listened to Huo Juan earlier and taken Pei Yule away.

He had miscalculated. In the past, Huo Juan’s Ruts never lasted long; he possessed incredible self-control and had never been ruled by Alpha instincts since his first cycle. So, even though this Rut had seemed violent, Xu Yanxi hadn’t been overly worried. He hadn’t been brushing Pei Yule off earlier; he truly believed the Rut would subside quickly.

But now, it was clear it hadn’t subsided—it had escalated. This was the first time Xu Yanxi had ever seen Huo Juan like this.

No wonder Huo Juan had changed his mind and told him to take Pei Yule away; he likely sensed that this cycle was unlike any before. Usually, Huo Juan could suppress his primal instincts with sheer willpower, but what if he actually lost his mind?

Pei Yule was a Beta, not as fragile as an Omega, but even a fellow Alpha might not be able to withstand a mindless Huo Juan.

In those few seconds, Xu Yanxi’s mind raced. Since his own meddling had caused this crisis, he stood up and blocked Pei Yule’s path, hoping to lead Huo Juan back before he hurt the boy. “Ah-Juan, you…”

Before he could finish, Huo Juan spoke coldly: “Move.”

Xu Yanxi paused, meeting Huo Juan’s cold, bloodshot eyes. He saw a flash of intense irritability cross that expressionless face.

“…”

An Alpha in Rut scans everything indiscriminately. Even though he and Huo Juan grew up together, if Huo Juan lost control, he would definitely fight any Alpha standing in his way. There is a subtle competitive tension between Alphas by nature; an Alpha in Rut isn’t rational enough to differentiate between a friend and a rival.

Xu Yanxi didn’t persist for long. He raised his hands and moved two steps to the left, exposing Pei Yule, who was still slumped on the sofa due to his weak limbs. He adopted an air of “do as you please.”

He couldn’t fight a Rutting Huo Juan. In Huo Juan’s current state, it would take a mutually destructive brawl just to stop him. He had to find another way.

Xu Yanxi hurried out of the door he had kicked in earlier. Behind him, he heard Pei Yule’s panicked voice: “Wait, Xu Yanxi, don’t leave me alone—!”

The boy’s cry cut off abruptly. Xu Yanxi glanced back and saw Huo Juan pressing a hand against the person on the sofa. He tried to look closer, but an object came flying toward his face. Xu Yanxi dodged instinctively as a wooden board shattered against the floor. A cold voice followed: “Don’t come near.”

“…”

Good lord. Xu Yanxi clicked his tongue inwardly. Huo Juan was exceptionally dangerous right now. He turned and sprinted away.

Sorry, hang in there. Give me two minutes, I’ll be right back.

Left alone with Huo Juan, Pei Yule cursed Xu Yanxi in his head. That unprincipled bastard! He actually left me alone with him! Even without seeing an Alpha lose control before, he knew the current Huo Juan was terrifying.

The man had just thrown something at his best friend. If he had lost his mind, did Pei Yule have any chance of surviving?

He wanted to run, but his limbs were still like jelly. He couldn’t move a muscle! Especially at such close range, the domineering pheromones were suppressing him so hard that even breathing felt like a chore.

When he had called for help, Huo Juan had slammed a hand onto his shoulder and leaned over him. The man’s fingertips were dangerously close to his neck. Pei Yule immediately imagined his neck being snapped and froze in terror.

Fortunately, the boy with the unnatural flush didn’t move further after pinning his shoulder. He simply stared at him with dark, unreadable eyes.

Pei Yule felt a sense of “impending doom.” He swallowed, desperately trying not to provoke him. He was worried that if he spoke too loudly, that hand would slide up to his throat. He looked up and said in a small, careful voice: “Um, calm down, let’s just talk…”

Huo Juan’s gaze fixed on the boy’s frightened face.

He was clearly terrified, unsure of how to handle the situation, his body rigid as he was enveloped by Huo Juan’s shadow. Even his usually bouncy curls seemed to droop. Though he wasn’t particularly short, he looked small beneath him.

This person had no pheromones; he was a pure Beta. And because he had no scent, Huo Juan—who was currently repulsed by the scent of others—did not find him repulsive. More importantly… he knew that touching this person could quiet the turmoil in his blood.

Huo Juan had endured the agony of Ruts for years. He was used to it. But this time, the agitation was more violent than ever. His rationality was teetering on a precipice.

He remembered that he shouldn’t drag this person into his mess, which was why he told Xu Yanxi to take him away. But Xu Yanxi hadn’t. Now, he could clearly sense the boy’s presence; he knew that by getting closer, he could find peace. His crumbling sanity was on the verge of total collapse.

The boy trembling beneath him, combined with his panicked expression, was a powerful trigger for an Alpha’s primal urge to dominate and destroy.

Huo Juan was an Alpha. He possessed pheromones far stronger than the average. If his destructive instincts were fully ignited…

The corners of Huo Juan’s eyes grew more crimson. He narrowed his eyes and leaned down.

Pei Yule felt the strange breath approach. Combined with the forceful invasion of pheromones, he felt a paralyzing fear of being “devoured.” As the other person opened his mouth to bite down hard on his shoulder, Pei Yule shrunk back into the sofa, screaming instinctively: “No—!”

Crunch. The sound of teeth sinking into flesh was crisp enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Pei Yule stopped breathing for a second. His mind went blank, tears of terror pricked his eyes, and his shoulder went stiff.

After a moment, his survival instinct forced him to breathe again. He could smell the metallic scent of blood growing stronger, yet the expected pain in his shoulder never came.

Was I so scared that I can’t even feel the pain? He sniffled, not daring to look down for fear of seeing a bloody mess on his shoulder. As long as he didn’t look, he could pretend it was a dream. But after several seconds of rigidity, he still felt nothing, despite the thickening smell of blood. Finally, he decided to face reality—if he was badly hurt, delaying treatment would be even worse.

He suppressed his fear and carefully lowered his gaze.

Then… he saw.

Huo Juan was biting his own hand, which was pinned over Pei Yule’s shoulder.

His teeth were sunk unceremoniously into his own flesh. Blood flowed down his slender knuckles, dripping onto Pei Yule’s collarbone and shirt.

“…”

Pei Yule was stunned.

The other boy had his eyes shut tight, his expression wild. He was biting himself ruthlessly, his white teeth stained with blood. He didn’t let go, seemingly using the pain to anchor his sanity.

If that bite had landed on my shoulder, it would have hit the bone.

Sensing Pei Yule’s shocked gaze, the person with closed eyes stirred. He slowly lifted his eyelids, and those eyes—now redder than before—locked onto Pei Yule’s.

Pei Yule was at a total loss. Seeing the man refusing to let go, and biting even deeper to stay awake, he was genuinely shaken. He was terrified the man would permanently damage his hand. He finally whispered: “You… don’t do this. Let go, quickly…”

Hearing him, Huo Juan seemed to think for a moment. He slowly straightened his body and, with the change in posture, gradually released his grip.

There was a faint squelch as his teeth left the skin. Then, a splat followed as the blood, no longer obstructed by teeth, gushed from the wound and slid down his palm.

The young man, with blood staining the corner of his mouth, kept his eyes fixed on him.

The sight was horrific. Huo Juan looked like a vampire scouting for the best place to sink his fangs. He didn’t look like a normal person… though Alphas weren’t exactly “normal” to begin with.

Pei Yule swallowed nervously. He was both afraid the man would bite him and afraid the man would continue biting himself. He didn’t know how to react when Huo Juan once again, slowly, increased the distance between them.

“…Leave.”

Huo Juan’s voice was incredibly low, vibrating with suppressed emotion.

Pei Yule wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to leave, it’s that my legs are made of lead! His limbs didn’t feel like his own; standing was hard, let alone walking.

He wanted to go, but were his legs listening? Pei Yule wanted to cry, yet he didn’t dare talk back and provoke him. After seeing the man choose to mangle himself rather than hurt him, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of emotion…

No, no, no. He snapped himself out of it. He couldn’t be “touched.” This whole situation was the man’s fault to begin with! He was an innocent bystander stuck in this mess.

“…I told you to leave.”

Seeing him stay still, Huo Juan’s eyes, which hadn’t calmed down, narrowed dangerously again.

“I want to!” Pei Yule tried to force his limbs to move, but they were still useless. He really was on the verge of tears. “I… I…”

Huo Juan’s eyes reflected the distressed boy. His fingers curled slightly. He took a silent step forward, closing the distance he had just created. Just then, sensing something, he whipped his head around. A thin blanket dropped over him. Huo Juan’s reflexes were fast; he jerked back to dodge, but then stopped himself mid-motion.

The blanket settled over his head. Huo Juan stood still for a second, then reached an arm out toward the newcomer.

Xu Yanxi, who had returned thinking he’d have to fight Huo Juan to stop him, was surprised by the cooperation. Huo Juan was actually offering his arm; it seemed he hadn’t lost his mind entirely.

Xu Yanxi raised an eyebrow. His gaze swept over Huo Juan’s bloody palm and the gruesome bite mark, then shot a meaningful look at Pei Yule. He then pulled out a slender syringe and pricked Huo Juan’s extended arm.

It all happened while Pei Yule watched in a daze. After the injection, the dangerous aura around Huo Juan vanished like a snapped string. His body slumped forward, and Xu Yanxi caught him as expected.

Immediately, the leaking pheromones began to retract. Pei Yule felt the weight lift; his limbs regained their strength. Even Xu Yanxi’s expression softened.

He helped Huo Juan onto the sofa and tapped a few keys on his phone. A few moments later, several tall men filed in and took Huo Juan away.

Pei Yule was completely out of the loop. He stood up as his strength returned, watching the group leave. Xu Yanxi stayed behind. He walked a circle around Pei Yule, staring at him with a strange look.

“You okay?”

“…” Physically, yes. Mentally, I’m traumatized.

Pei Yule didn’t know what to say. They stood in a silent standoff for a few minutes. Just as Pei Yule thought they might stand there until the end of time, Xu Yanxi let out a soft chuckle and clapped twice. A refined-looking young man walked in.

Xu Yanxi nodded toward Pei Yule and told the man: “Take this student home.”

“What?” Pei Yule instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xu Yanxi dropped a final, cryptic line:

“Go home and get some good rest. You might have big trouble coming your way soon.”

After all… letting a Rutting Huo Juan hurt himself while the other person remained unscathed? If word reached the Huo family, it would cause a sensation.