Temporary Mark

The Alpha's pheromones flooded the air, engulfing Annie completely. Her nose and lungs filled with the scorching metallic scent, so thick it was choking.

Damn it!

An agent of Arthur Kane's caliber wouldn't make the mistake of forgetting his heat, no matter how reckless he was. It had to be an accident.

Annie quickly realized: the electric restraint had been placed on the back of Arthur's neck. While it knocked him out, there was indeed a chance it stimulated the Alpha's gland, causing a brief pheromone imbalance that would trigger an early heat. But the probability was incredibly low—she had tested it countless times on animals and volunteers, and run a month of computer simulations.

A pheromone imbalance occurred in less than one in ten thousand cases.

How could it happen to Arthur by coincidence?

...Or was it truly a coincidence, or were there other variables?

As Annie pondered, the frame on her nose emitted a warning. A red arrow in the virtual projection pointed toward the window. She had no choice but to stand, walk to the window, and pull back the curtain.

The motel room faced the parking lot. The virtual projection magnified the view through the lenses. In the darkness, Annie clearly saw two tracked armored vehicles emblazoned with the Twilight organization's insignia pulling up slowly.

The motel owner hurried out to greet them, and the lenses zoomed in further. She couldn't hear the conversation from this distance, but the glasses automatically translated the owner's dialogue with the leading officer from lip movements.

"Routine check for Omegas," the officer said impatiently. "Get the registration form and follow me."

Not good.

To ensure fertility rates, the terrorist organization Twilight strictly controlled Omegas in the areas it governed. Any unmarked Omega had to be registered to prevent escapes or defections to the rebels.

When it rains, it pours. Arthur going into heat was trouble enough, and now Twilight soldiers were at the motel checking for Omegas.

However...

Annie, of course, wasn't marked. At the outpost, she had almost aroused suspicion. But not all terrorists were as reasonable as that Red Badge officer. Arthur being in heat was actually a blessing—it would make it easier for her to bluff her way through.

A plan quickly formed in Annie's mind.

She closed the curtain and turned back to Arthur.

He was still bound on the floor, and he spat out through gritted teeth, "Stay away."

His face was flushed an unnatural red from the heat. His forehead, neck, and the sliver of chest exposed were covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Despite warning her off, his blue eyes locked onto Annie's every move, as if ready to break free and devour her at any moment.

Annie ignored him, twitching her fingers. The sensors recognized the gesture, and the cords restraining Arthur loosened on their own, retracting into Annie's wristband. She picked up her personal terminal and strapped it back on.

"Mr. Kane," she said, standing before him, turning to pull aside the collar of her hoodie. "Twilight soldiers are searching for unmarked Omegas. You need to—"

She didn't finish.

A powerful arm yanked her off the ground. Her feet dangled as her back pressed against Arthur Kane's chest. He gripped her waist tightly, as easily as if she were a rabbit. The Alpha's pheromones enveloped Annie instantly, thick as molten metal that poured into her senses.

Then he aimed at the back of her neck without hesitation and bit down.

The sharp pain when his fangs broke skin shot straight to her skull. Annie sucked in a breath.

...Fine!

That was what Annie had intended. Without full mating, an Alpha could leave a temporary mark, letting Arthur's pheromones linger on her skin. Normally, a temporary mark was too faint to fool other Alphas. But with Arthur in full heat, the rich scent was enough to pass off.

It was just... he bit too damn hard!

Her gland, pressured and invaded, released its own pheromones in response. The scent of lemon leaves curled around that burning odor—submitting, anticipating.

The next moment, Arthur bit down even harder.

The fiery pain made Annie's vision blur, and with it came a creeping itch. The temperature in the room seemed to ignite with pheromones, the thick burning smell now laced with something crisp and clean. The mingled scent meant the temporary mark was complete, but it wasn't enough for Arthur.

He didn't let go.

His breath brushed against her skin, his arms tightening further, his heat penetrating their thin clothes.

Annie's head spun from the bite, but her lenses were flashing urgently, reminding her that Twilight soldiers were approaching the room.

"That's enough," she tried to pull away. "Twilight soldiers will be here any second. Let me go."

But Arthur didn't release her. Sensing her struggle, he let out a low, warning growl from his throat. One large hand moved up, pressing firmly against her ribs with enough force to make it hard to breathe. Then he bit down a second time—

Ouch! What a brute!

"Bang, bang, bang!" Three knocks sounded at the door.

Arthur finally opened his eyes.

Annie seized the opportunity to slap him: "Let go!"

The Alpha, slapped again, turned his head away but finally released his bite.

Annie felt the pressure on her gland lift abruptly, but she sensed Arthur's gaze still drifting over the back of her neck and face. Because of the sudden heat, Arthur Kane's gemlike blue eyes were misted with a faint sheen, and his clothes were soaked with sweat, making him look like a drenched, fierce hound.

But his willpower was astonishing. With their pheromones blended as thoroughly as this, any other Alpha would have been overwhelmed by the heat. Arthur still had his wits about him.

With a reluctant snort, he set Annie down. But the hand around her waist didn't let go; he half-carried, half-dragged her to the door.

Suppressing his agitation, Arthur opened the door.

"What is it?" he asked, his face expressionless.

He was nearly two meters tall, almost level with the doorframe. He stood like a wall, making the front desk girl step back in fright before Twilight soldiers in the corridor shoved her forward again.

"Um..." the front desk stammered, "we got a complaint that there was a fight in this room. Is everything okay?"

Arthur's eyes were still rimmed with red. He glanced at the front desk girl.

"Doing something," Arthur replied.

"Wh-what?"

"Man-and-woman stuff."

"..."

The front desk girl was clearly a Beta; she couldn't smell the pheromones pouring from the room. But when the terrorists behind her burst into laughter, she looked at Arthur, then at Annie, who was held by his waist, and finally realized—a blush exploded across her face.

"Sorry for interrupting your... 'business,'" the terrorist said lazily, no longer teasing the girl. He lowered his weapon and held out a hand. "Just routine checks. No worries. Your personal terminals."

The front desk might not smell it, but the leading soldier was an Alpha.

Annie saw clearly that when Arthur stepped out reeking of pheromones, the soldier wrinkled his nose.

Like repels like. When an Alpha meets another Alpha in heat, all they smell is foulness. That scent alone made the Twilight soldier lose patience. He quickly scanned Arthur's ID, then turned to Annie.

"You," he prompted.

Annie hurriedly offered her wristband.

The terminal scanned, and she "obediently" lowered her head. The bitten gland and the marks on her neck were exposed to the soldier's view.

"Quite intense," the soldier teased.

Despite disliking Arthur's scent, the soldier still showed envy. What Alpha wouldn't want such a delicate, obedient Omega? "All that thin arms and legs," he sighed, "paired with this one... it's like a lamb to the slaughter."

"Seen enough?" Arthur said darkly.

The soldier gave a dry laugh and returned Annie's terminal.

A heat-ridden Alpha, their interlaced pheromones, a freshly registered marriage date, the red marks and bite on Annie's neck, and Arthur's predatory gaze—everything told the soldiers this was a young couple in the heat of passion, inconveniently interrupted.

"We're here to check for unregistered Omegas, not to tear lovers apart," the soldier said, waving his hand and pushing the front desk girl. "Next room."

The soldiers left, and Arthur immediately grabbed Annie's arm and pulled her back inside, slamming the door. When the scent of the Alphas in the corridor faded, Annie let out a long breath.

They'd bluffed their way through.

So it was lucky Arthur went into heat. Even a temporary mark, with such overwhelming pheromones, was enough to cover for her.

Annie closed the door. "I brought suppressants," she said. "They're universal, works on Alphas too. So—"

Arthur's large hand reached out. His knuckles pressed against the door panel, and his heat pressed against Annie's back for the second time. Due to their height difference, he bent down, trapping her between his chest and the door.

The scent of burning metal rose in the cramped space. His breath brushed against the back of her neck and ear. Through the thin fabric, she could feel his heart pounding like a drum.

"You're not reacting."

Arthur's voice was hoarse from the heat, carrying not just fever but a guarded wariness. An Alpha's heat could trigger an Omega's, and in turn, an Omega was supposed to be affected by an Alpha. Under normal circumstances, any Omega exposed to such potent pheromones would be barely able to stand. But Annie showed no reaction. She even turned in his arms and looked up at him. Even with a temporary mark, even when his pheromones were potent enough to drive other Alphas away, she remained calm, decisive, and even now, thinking about using suppressants to solve his problem.

Her dark eyes looked into his, clear and bright, with no sign of being swayed by desire.