Chapter 13

The man wanted to scoop Asher up into his arms, but Asher felt that was absolutely unacceptable. How could an Alpha allow himself to be carried like that?

It completely lacked any sense of dignity.

Thus, squeezing out the very last of his strength, he pushed the other away. "Who gave you permission to enter my house? This is breaking and entering."

The push was as weak as a kitten's scratch. Sebastian, feeling both amused and irritated, bypassed any further discussion and semi-forcefully swung the boy straight onto his back.

"Since when do I need your permission to walk into your house?"

"Tyrant."

After utilization of his remaining vitality to deliver that final insult, Asher lost consciousness and slipped into a semi-stupor.

He had suffered a similar injury back in the seventh grade.

It was during a monsoon season too. The sycamore leaves had been thoroughly battered by the wind and rain, scattered all over the ground into a slick, muddy mess.

Young Master Asher, who habitually walked with his eyes fixed toward the sky, took a massive tumble and fractured his ankle.

Back then, it was also Sebastian who carried Asher on his back all the way to the clinic, attending to him tirelessly until Eleanor finally managed to rush over.

At that time, Asher was excessively thin-skinned. Embarrassed to let Sebastian carry him, he threw a massive tantrum, offering all kinds of rejections and excuses. Sebastian, however, ignored him entirely, hoisted him up, and marched off.

As for what exactly it felt like to be carried on that back, Asher couldn't recall the specific details.

He only remembered that the rain was torrential that day. He held the umbrella as the drops hammered against the fabric with a loud pitter-patter, the wind raging with a fair amount of arrogance while the air remained freezing and damp.

Yet the boy beneath him felt entirely dry and warm, taking each step with absolute stability.

Exactly like right now.

Asher was so consumed by the fever that he lost all sense of time and place. Slumped over that familiar back, breathing in that familiar scent, he felt dazed, as if he had drifted back to that rainy day years ago.

His hands instinctively tightened their grip around the other’s neck, his lips trembling as he let out a low, muffled murmur: "Sebbie."

That was a childhood title from when he was a mere toddler.

The hands Sebastian used to support his legs froze for a fraction of a second. The severe, tightly strained expression on his face suddenly softened, and then he let out a soft smile.

How could this person still act so spoiled while he was sick?

It genuinely made him look like a tyrant who had just abducted a little bride.

But what choice did a tyrant have?

He had originally intended to use the uniform return as an excuse to coax him, but the moment he reached the bottom of the stairs, the pheromones were flooding the air with an all-encompassing weight.

He had never seen any Alpha's presentation phase trigger such an absolute loss of control. He called multiple times, yet the phone went unanswered.

Refraining from smashing the door down was already a testament to his absolute rationality.

He simply didn't dare imagine what would have happened if he hadn't shown up today.

The overwhelming anxiety and tension left Sebastian completely oblivious to the fact that something was fundamentally amiss.

After settling Asher comfortably inside a VIP ward, Sebastian went to consult the physician regarding the situation.

Seeing two remarkably striking teenagers arriving in the dead of night without a single adult accompanying them, the physician couldn't help but wonder, asking tentatively, "What is your relationship to the patient?"

Recalling that muffled murmur, Sebastian lowered his eyes. "I'm his brother."

The physician nodded, his tone laced with a hint of disapproval. "An Omega presentation—and a late-stage Omega at that. For such a critical transition, how could the parents comfortably leave him unattended without staying by his side?"

"An Omega?"

Sebastian lifted his eyelids. His amber eyes, usually as flat and still as a frozen lake, instantly surged with ten thousand distinct, unspeakable waves of complex emotion.

"Yes," the physician stated while writing out the medical forms. "An Omega of this height is indeed rare, but he is definitively an Omega. The Omega hormone levels in his system have reached their absolute threshold, and his internal systems have fully matured. The final transition will be completed tonight. Fortunately, his physical build is excellent, so there are no major issues. Once the fever breaks, he’ll be fine. I’ll write another prescription for you; go collect the suppressants and blocking agents."

Sebastian listened to the physician’s words, trying intensely to commit every single precaution to memory. Yet his strength fell short; his mind was a complete chaos.

An Omega.

How could Asher possibly be an Omega?

Returning to the ward, he sat down by the edge of the bed. Staring at the face he had traced countless times within his mind over the past three years, Sebastian suddenly found himself at an absolute loss for words.

This face was indeed stunning, radiating an exquisite perfection from every angle. A faint flush touched the corners of his eyes and cheeks, blooming against his pristine, pale skin into a beautiful peach-blossom allure that was staggeringly seductive.

He was tall, yet his skeletal frame was noticeably more delicate than that of a standard Alpha. He was lean, too, making him effortless to carry on one's back.

Looking at him this way, he did possess some traits of an Omega.

Recalling further, the moment he smelled Asher's pheromones, he had been intensely attracted from the start, completely lacking the primal hostility shared between Alphas.

He had assumed it was simply because his own infatuation was too deep and had endured for too long, to the point where whatever he should like, and whatever he shouldn't, he loved anyway.

After all, he had held absolute, unyielding faith in the fact that Asher was an Alpha.

For that precise reason, he had departed without a single word of farewell, staying in Northmont for three long years.

When he finally resolved his thoughts and returned, the heavens dropped the boy right before his face, stating: Look, this is an Omega.

The relief, secret joy, and deep sigh that should have accompanied such a revelation were entirely missing.

His chest held nothing but sharp pain.

For such a fiercely proud child, what on earth was he going to do?

He reached out his hand, touching the child's cheek, as if the contact could deliver a sliver of comfort and warmth.

Yet his fingertips were instantly caught.

Asher turned his body over, curling slightly into a ball, his brows knitted tightly together as if enduring intense discomfort. Yet he seemed to derive a wave of soothing relief from the scent on Sebastian's fingers. Like a small kitten, he crawled upward, greedily wrapping his entire arm around Sebastian's.

Pulled forward by his strength, Sebastian’s body leaned down, nearly crushing right over him. Giving up on resistance, he simply climbed onto the bed, wrapping his entire frame around the boy to hold him securely in his arms.

With one hand caught in Asher's embrace, he used the other to gently stroke his back, step by step, attempting to utilize his own pheromones to soothe the other.

Yet the person in his arms was far more greedy than he anticipated, relying on pure instinct to demand comfort, burying his head deep into Sebastian's neck with zero restraint.

Sebastian felt he was completely done for.

The boy he had locked inside his heart for so many years was currently seeking absolute comfort in his embrace as an Omega.

That smooth, white, completely unmarked gland was resting right before his eyes, emitting the precise fragrance of his unique pheromones.

As long as he marked him, this person would depend on him, belong to him, and find immediate relief from this agonizing pain.

It seemed there wasn't a single reason why he must strictly restrain the raging wave of possessiveness in his chest from delivering a mark.

He lowered his head, pressing his lips directly onto the location of Asher's gland.

He delivered a kiss as light as a dragonfly skimming water, and then swiftly pulled away.

His fingers smoothed down the forehead hair that had been soaked with sweat. Letting out a sigh, his voice filled with indulgence: "I’m sorry. Just endure it a bit longer; the pain will pass very soon."

He couldn't mark Asher.

For someone he treasured this deeply, how could he bear to mark him while he was completely oblivious?

He would wait a bit longer—until the boy reached adulthood and understood the true meaning of love.

The road ahead was long, and he was accustomed to waiting; he could afford to wait.

Asher shifted his body slightly, showing signs of waking up. Sebastian moved with total gentleness to step off the bed.

Only a single hand remained pinned down by Asher's grip.

Yet this person lacked any sense of gratitude, forcing his heavy eyelids open to hiss, "Are you planning on taking advantage of my vulnerability? Wanting to ruin my handsome face while I'm asleep?"

Fine, he could still manage a cocky front. It seemed there was no major issue.

Sebastian tried to withdraw his hand, but Asher didn't release his grip. He even pulled the hand closer to the tip of his nose, wrinkling it to take two sniffs.

Amused, Sebastian asked, "A puppy?"

"Stingy," Asher curled his lip, finally releasing his grip. "Is this the scent of your pheromones?"

"Did you discern what it smells like?"

"Like a pine forest in the snow."

Close enough. Covered in snow, my unique scent.

"Does it smell good?"

Asher suddenly recalled that he had previously insisted on sniffing Sebastian's pheromones and even praised them as smelling good. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but reviewing it now, how was that phrasing any different from flirtation?

Embarrassed, he averted his gaze. "I must state, why the hell do you blindly unleash your pheromones like that anyway? You should learn to keep them properly restrained. If you can't, spray more blocking agent."

Sebastian didn't counter his groundless shifting of blame, speaking in a calm and gentle tone: "You are currently presenting. Having an Alpha's pheromones to soothe you makes the transition much easier."

"Why would I, an Alpha, require an Alpha’s soothing?"

Asher shifted his gaze back, staring at Sebastian with total bewilderment.

Due to weakness and confusion, his look was somewhat blunt and dull, appearing a bit dazed.

Sebastian watched him. Within a brief ten seconds, a wave of intense reluctance surfaced multiple times, yet in the end, he delivered that exact line utilizing the most ordinary, flat tone.

"Because you are an Omega."

Because.

You are an.

Omega.

It was an exceptionally short sentence, yet Asher took a full minute to digest it before speaking up: "What did you just say? Say that one more time?"

Sebastian didn't speak, sliding the diagnostic report directly right before his face.

Asher stared at it for a minute, turned his body over, and shrank beneath the blanket. "I truly am thoroughly consumed by the fever, still dreaming."

Sebastian: "..."

Thirty seconds later, he turned back over, casting another glance at the report.

"Yeah, I haven't woken up yet."

With that, he turned back over to shrink inside the blanket.

Sebastian: "..."

This person was practically flipping like a pancake.

He knew this revelation was a bit difficult for Asher to accept, yet no matter how difficult, it had to be faced.

Restraining the pain in his heart, he forced a nonchalant front. "I can smell your pheromones; you are definitively an Omega."

The silhouette facing away from Sebastian went completely rigid. The lines of his shoulders and neck tensed with an absolute tightness in an instant, his grip tightening violently on the blanket as the creases deepened bit by bit. The shadow cast by the floor lamp onto the ground trembled slightly.

Asher didn't utter a word.

Sebastian didn't utter a word either.

After a long while, the tightly strained shoulder blade lines slowly relaxed downward. His tone was entirely calm: "I don't seem to be able to smell it myself yet. Well, what is it? What scent? It should smell pretty good, right?"

"Yeah, it smells very good. The scent of roses."

"Tsk," the young master appeared somewhat dissatisfied. "Why is your scent so lofty and crisp, while mine turns out so cliché?"

"It’s not cliché. It's a wild rose, with a relatively heavy wood fragrance—not cloying at all."

"Oh, then I suppose it’s acceptable."

Asher never turned his body back around.

There was no hysteria, no interrogations or breakdowns, nor any self-abandonment.

He simply accepted this fact with absolute calmness, poise, and pride.

Sebastian had originally wanted to ask Asher: if the answer on that report seventeen years ago had been an Omega, what would life look like right now?

But in the next fraction of a second, he felt there was no necessity to ask. Because he could be absolute certain that it wouldn't have stopped Asher from growing into the staggeringly radiant boy he was today.

Exactly like himself—his decade of life hadn't turned fragile simply because of that past report predicting an Omega.

He and Asher were cut from the exact same cloth.

The gene engraved into their very bones wasn't Omega or Alpha, but pride and strength.

A long silence ensued before Asher finally turned back around, looking at Sebastian with absolute calm and rationality. "Your pheromones count as top-tier among Alphas, right?"

"Mm."

"Then in the future, when we have spare time every day, can you unleash your oppressive pheromones on me for a bit? I want to see if I can hold my ground against them."

Sebastian lifted his eyelids, looking at Asher with a deeply complex gaze.

Asher felt somewhat embarrassed under his stare. "I know this request is quite bothersome, but I simply want to train myself to remain unaffected by an Alpha's pheromones. Just do me a favor."

If he could achieve a perfect retreat under the absolute suppression of Sebastian's pheromones, then the vast majority of pheromones wouldn't be able to affect him.

Yet for this kind of resistance training, no one could predict how long it would take, nor whether it would yield any actual results. And for an Omega, every single minute and second of that training was absolute torture.

"It might be much more grueling than you imagine."

"I know. But since I happen to be an Omega by an unfortunate twist of fate, what else can I do? Enduring a bit of hardship is just enduring a bit of hardship; your 'Big Brother Ash' has never feared hardship."

His tone was light and teasing, as if challenging destiny was merely a casual game the boy could flip with his wrist.

Those jet-black eyes caught the moonlight streaming from the window.

Sebastian thought that even a brilliant, crowded galaxy amounted to nothing more than this.

The pain inside his heart surfaced through every single pore once more, laced with an unspeakable wave of intense pride.

The child never failed to deliver.

So what if he was an Omega?

He didn't require heartbreak, sympathy, or being spoon-fed with a forced show of gentleness and pampering.

He would only become more powerful, and he himself would remain alongside him the entire way, regardless of how thorned the path became.

Sebastian nodded. "Alright."

"Boss Seb truly is loyal."

If I weren't loyal, you would have already been thoroughly handled by me right now.

Alluring without a shred of self-awareness; he had to claim a bit of interest sooner or later.

A smile hooked Sebastian's lips, his narrow eyes squinting slightly like an absolute fox spirit. "Since I’m doing you such a massive favor, aren't you going to offer a gesture?"

Asher gave a generous wave of his hand. "Make whatever request you want."

"Whatever request?"

"Whatever request."

"Your word is absolute?"

"Must be absolute."

Sebastian stared at Asher’s thoroughly honest face, pausing for a moment before speaking up: "Fine. Consider it recorded for now; just don't back out when the time comes."

"When have you ever seen your 'Big Brother Ash' back out?"

"Well, you still haven't called me 'Dad' for that bet."

"..." Asher choked. "Why are you so incredibly petty, always dwelling on wanting someone to call you 'Dad'?"

Sebastian was thoroughly amused. His ability to launch a preemptive strike as the true victim was spectacular. "Do you still remember my dad?"

Just as Asher was preparing to open his mouth, he added: "My Omega dad."

Asher remembered. That was a gentle yet powerful man, an exceptionally excellent physician. When Sebastian was six years old, he had volunteered to provide medical aid during a Third World conflict, sacrificing his life during a bombing raid to protect refugee orphans.

"Although my dad was an Omega, he was also the rank one top scorer for the science track in his year, and his medical skills were quite formidable."

"You also know my father. To some extent, my dad's death became a political chip for his career; even the funeral was conducted directly in front of the cameras. My grandfather was hospitalized, and my maternal grandparents were abroad and failed to return. At that time, it felt as though the entire world held only myself who was genuinely grieving my dad's passing."

Yet Sebastian didn't appear to dwell on the sorrow, letting out a smile as if recalling a humorous incident. "But back then, you possessed quite a bit of conscience, offering me plenty of comfort."

Asher offered a mock-villain smile. "Can't be helped, born an excellent person."

"Then do you remember exactly how you comforted me back then?"

"..."

"'Don't be sad. Since you no longer have a dad, from this day forward, I am your dad. Call me whenever you want, don't be polite.'"

Sebastian spoke in a slow, deliberate manner. "Your exact words."

So who exactly was the one who was constantly dwelling on wanting the other to call them "Dad"?

Asher's mock-villain smile froze somewhat awkwardly on his lips. "That... well, actually, I suppose I counted as quite loyal then too?"

Sebastian nodded. "Mm, loyal."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, and finding that Sebastian was thoroughly wicked beneath his quiet front, Asher turned his body back around to bury himself inside the blanket, resolving to ignore him.

Yet the person who was usually concise and silent suddenly possessed a massive horde of words today. "My dad loved you very much. He said you were the smartest child he had ever met. I hold quite a bit of faith in my dad's words, so can you ensure you become an even more formidable Omega than him?"

The words weren't merely abundant; they were somewhat heartwarming.

Asher rubbed his nose.

Sebastian added another line: "Otherwise, it’ll look like I’m bullying you."

Heartwarming my ass.

"Sebastian, you absolute..."

Before he could finish cursing the man, a strange sensation suddenly began to spread from his neck, instantly sweeping through his entire frame and triggering waves of sharp shivers.

That intense discomfort craving an Alpha's pheromones had returned.

A wise man knows when to yield to immediate circumstances.

Asher bit his lip. "Sebastian, you absolute... can you get the hell over here and let me take a sniff?"

Due to the shivering, his voice turned completely soft and compliant. Yet the speaker remained entirely oblivious, fiercely fighting to maintain his dominant front.

Fierce, yet thoroughly endearing.