My Alpha
The sound of rain grew louder, the drumming against the French windows like countless tiny drumbeats. Shao Wei stood at the intersection of light and shadow, a smile almost mocking on his pale face.
"Proof?" He repeated the word softly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the wedding ring on his left ring finger. "Siqi, how long have we known each other?"
Si Qi's Adam's apple rolled: "Three years, seven months and four days."
"So precise." Shao Wei's eyes widened slightly, and then he regained the calmness that broke Si Qi's heart. "Then you should also know that I'm not the kind of person who would believe a sudden confession."
"This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision!" Si Qi took a step forward, his Alpha pheromones overflowing uncontrollably, a mixture of anxiety and pain. "Every day I—"
"What?" Shao Wei suddenly looked up, his eyes, always as calm as a lake, now stirred. "Are you watching me circling around you like a fool? Are you enjoying my efforts but never responding?" His voice was soft, but every word was like a knife. "Siqi, love is not like this."
Si Qi was struck by lightning. He had never seen Shao Wei like this before—sharp, sharp, like a sword finally unsheathed. For three years, Shao Wei had been eternally quiet and submissive, a shadowy figure with no sense of presence. And now, this dying man had suddenly come to life, exposing his cowardice in the most brutal way possible.
"I know." Si Qi's voice was hoarse, "So give me a chance to make amends."
Shao Wei shook his head and bent down to continue packing his luggage. "No need. The doctor said it's best to calm down during this last period of time." He paused, "And you never let me calm down."
This sentence was like the final blow, completely breaking down Si Qi's defenses. He knelt on one knee and grabbed Shao Wei's wrist: "Then at least tell me, have you ever loved me?"
Shao Wei's wrist trembled slightly in his palm. Silence stretched between the two of them, filled only by the sound of rain.
"It doesn't matter anymore." Shao Wei finally pulled his hand back. "You don't need a reason to love someone, but you can have a million reasons to leave someone."
Si Qi watched Shao Wei drag his suitcase out of the master bedroom and suddenly realized that this might be his last chance in life. He rushed forward, hugged Shao Wei tightly from behind, and buried his face in the back of his white neck. Alphas didn't have the sweet glands like Omegas, but the faint cedar scent on Shao Wei had long become the most familiar smell in his world.
"I was wrong." Si Qi's voice was muffled in Shao Wei's shoulder. "Give me three months, no, one month. If you still want a divorce after one month, I...I will sign."
He could feel Shao Wei's body stiffen in his arms, then slowly soften.
"Why?" Shao Wei asked, his voice filled with a weariness Si Qi had never heard before. "Sympathy? Guilt? Or did you suddenly realize you were going to lose a competent 'spouse'?"
Si Qi turned Shao Wei around and forced him to look him in the eye. "Because I saw the contract you revised for me at three in the morning, I remember the way you trembled every time you cleaned up after your susceptible period, and I know you stood outside the study door for three whole years..." His voice choked. "Because I fucking love you, Shao Wei, I'm just too dumb to know how to express it."
A tear slipped from the corner of Shao Wei's eye, leaving a shining mark on his pale face. Si Qi wiped it away gently with his thumb, and then did what he had wanted to do for three years - he kissed Shao Wei, not the rough possession he had during the sensitive period, but a gentle, tentative kiss, like treating a fragile treasure.
Shao Wei didn't push him away, but he didn't respond either. When Si Qi stepped back, he saw that those eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
"One month," Shao Wei finally said, "but I want to stay in the guest room."
Si Qi wanted to object, but seeing Shao Wei's tired eyes, he could only nod: "Okay."
That night, Si Qi lay on his half-empty bed, staring at the ceiling until dawn. At four in the morning, he tiptoed to the door of the guest room and pressed his ear against it, listening for any movement inside. There was no sound. He hesitated, then turned the doorknob.
Moonlight streamed through the slits in the curtains onto the bed, outlining Shao Wei's huddled form. Si Qi quietly approached, noticing that even in his sleep, Shao Wei's brow was furrowed, a fine layer of sweat covering his forehead. On the bedside table lay several bottles of medicine, and Si Qi examined them—powerful painkillers, pheromone stabilizers, sedatives...
His chest ached. These medications suggested Shao Wei's pain was far worse than he'd imagined. Si Qi gently sat down beside the bed and reached out to smooth Shao Wei's furrowed brow. In his sleep, Shao Wei unconsciously rubbed his palm, like a small animal seeking comfort.
"I will save you." Si Qi promised in a low voice, "No matter what."
The next morning, Si Qi was frantically busy in the kitchen. The fried eggs in the pan were burnt black, and the toast was emitting a suspicious amount of black smoke. He had never cooked before—Shao Wei always prepared breakfast.
"Do you need help?"
Si Qi turned around suddenly and saw Shao Wei standing at the kitchen door. He was wearing loose house clothes, which made him look even thinner. He had dark circles under his eyes, and it was obvious that he hadn't slept well.
"I...want to make breakfast for you." Si Qi awkwardly blocked the burnt frying pan.
Shao Wei's mouth curled up slightly: "Let me do it." He walked to Si Qi and took the spatula. Their arms accidentally touched each other and then quickly separated.
Si Qi didn't leave, but stood by and watched Shao Wei expertly beat and flip the eggs. Sunlight streamed through the window onto Shao Wei, casting a warm golden hue on his pale skin. Si Qi suddenly realized that this was the first time in three years he had truly "seen" Shao Wei making breakfast.
"Do you get up at this time every day?" Si Qi asked.
Shao Wei nodded. "Six o'clock sharp. Yours is a hard-boiled egg with a slice of cheese, no mayonnaise."
Si Qi's chest tightened: "You remember."
"I remember a lot of things." Shao Wei put the fried eggs on the plate. "For example, you hated celery, liked blue ties, and rubbed your left eyebrow when you were stressed at work."
These details pierced Si Qi's heart like an arrow. He had never thought that Shao Wei knew him so well, while he knew very little about Shao Wei.
"Tell me what you like." Si Qi suddenly said, "Colors, food, music...anything."
Shao Wei's hand paused for a moment: "Why?"
"Because I want to understand you." Si Qi said seriously, "The real you is not the Shao Wei who always hides himself in front of me."
Shao Wei placed the breakfast on the table and was silent for a moment. "Lavender purple, mango ice cream, Chopin's nocturne." He paused, "And the sound of rain."
Si Qi took note and decided to go buy lavender, mango ice cream, and a Chopin record today. As for the sound of rain... He looked out the window at the clear sky, hoping it would rain tomorrow.
In the days that followed, Si Qi began his "pursuit plan." He left work early every day and brought home small gifts that Shao Wei liked. He learned how to brew coffee, precisely to Shao Wei's preferred temperature and sweetness. He even turned down all social engagements just to have dinner with Shao Wei.
But Shao Wei always maintained a polite distance, treating Si Qi like a passionate suitor rather than a spouse. He accepted Si Qi's kindness, but he no longer silently handled Si Qi's work as before, nor did he stand outside the study door. They were like two cautious strangers, getting to know each other again.
On the seventh night, Si Qi worked in his study until the early hours of the morning. When he emerged, he found the guest room door ajar. He gently pushed it open and found Shao Wei wasn't in bed. A wave of panic washed over him until he heard the soft tapping of keyboards downstairs.
Si Qi tiptoed downstairs and found Shao Wei sitting at his desk in his pajamas, staring intently at the computer screen, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. The light from the screen reflected on his face, outlining his thin features. Si Qi quietly approached and saw that the screen was exactly what he would use for the next day's merger and acquisition plan—a problem that had been bothering him for several days, being easily solved by Shao Wei.
Shao Wei suddenly started coughing, his frail body shaking violently. He hurriedly grabbed the medicine bottle on the table, poured out two pills, swallowed them, and then continued working as if nothing had happened.
Si Qi's heart felt torn apart. He retreated to the stairs, deliberately making footsteps. Shao Wei immediately minimized the file, pretending to be just looking for something.
"Not asleep yet?" Si Qi pretended to have just discovered him.
Shao Wei stood up: "Okay, I'll go right away." When he walked past Si Qi, Si Qi smelled a faint medicinal scent mixed with cedar pheromones - much lighter than before, like a disappearing winter forest.
"Shao Wei." Si Qi called him, "Thank you."
Shao Wei turned around with a questioning look in his eyes.
"For everything," Siqi said. "For the acquisition, for every cup of coffee over the past three years, for...putting up with me like this."
Shao Wei's eyes looked particularly deep in the dim light. For a moment, Si Qi thought he would say something, but in the end, Shao Wei just nodded lightly and turned to go upstairs.
The next day, Si Qi woke up early and drove two hours to a lavender farm on the outskirts of the city. He personally picked a large bunch of the freshest lavender and then took a detour to buy Shao Wei's favorite mango ice cream. When he returned home, he found his father's car parked at the door.
Siqi's heart sank. His relationship with his father had always been strained, especially over his insistence on marrying Alpha.
In the living room, Si's father sat upright, while Shao Wei stood by the window with a stiff back.
"I heard you're giving up the Country M project?" Father Si said straight to the point, "That's a billion-dollar contract."
Si Qi placed the lavender and ice cream on the table and walked over to Shao Wei: "I have more important things to do."
Father Si sneered, his eyes sweeping over the items on the table. "Like these childish pursuits?" He turned to Committee Member Shao, "Mr. Shao, I thought you Shao family members at least knew when to stop. What right does a dying Alpha have to drag down my son?"
Shao Wei's face instantly turned pale. Si Qi felt a surge of rage, his Alpha pheromones erupting uncontrollably: "Father!"
"Am I wrong?" Father Si stood up. "The doctor said he has at most three months to live, and you're going to give up the family business for these three months?"
"Enough!" Si Qi stood in front of Shao Wei, "Please leave."
Father Si looked at them coldly: "Remember, Si Qi, if you persist in your wrongdoing, the board of directors will reconsider your inheritance rights."
"Whatever." Si Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Now, please leave my house."
After Si's father left, the living room fell into a dead silence. Shao Wei stood there motionless, like a statue.
"Shao Wei..." Si Qi turned around and wanted to explain, but saw a trace of blood oozing from the corner of Shao Wei's mouth.
"Shao Wei!"
Shao Wei's body fell forward, and Si Qi hugged him. His face was pale, and his breathing was so weak that it seemed like it would stop at any moment. Si Qi frantically dialed the emergency number, then hugged Shao Wei tightly, as if this could prevent the life from slipping away from his arms.
"Hold on, please..." Si Qi's voice trembled, "Don't leave me, don't leave me like this..."
Shao Wei opened his eyes slightly in his arms, and forced a smile: "Lavender... smells so good..."
The sirens of the ambulance were blaring from afar, but Si Qi could only hear the deafening sound of his own heartbeat. He bent down to kiss Shao Wei's cold forehead, and finally understood a simple fact - he could not lose this person, even if it meant making the whole world his enemy.
The pungent smell of disinfectant in the hospital corridor was nauseating. The doctor emerged, his expression grave. "Mr. Si, your spouse's condition is very grim. Their pheromone system has begun to irreversibly collapse. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."
Si Qi grabbed the doctor's arm: "Impossible! There must be a way! Money is not a problem-"
"It's not about money." The doctor shook his head. "This case is too rare. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless we can find an Alpha or Omega with a pheromone match of over 95% to temporarily mark them, we might be able to delay the disease. But with such a matching rate..."
A thought flashed through Si Qi's mind: "The matching test must be done now."
An hour later, the test results came back—98.7%. The doctor looked at the report in disbelief: "This is almost impossible... for two Alphas to have such a high degree of match..."
Si Qi rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let's get started."
The temporary marking process was more painful than expected. Alpha glands weren't designed to accept marking, but Siqi insisted on using the most traditional method—tooth mark marking—to inject his pheromones into Shao Wei's body.
When his teeth pierced the fragile skin on the back of Shao Wei's neck, Shao Wei uttered a painful whimper in his unconscious state. Si Qi's heart ached, but he had to continue. His pheromones and Shao Wei's cedar scent intertwined in the air, forming a strange, mixed fragrance, reminiscent of a forest after rain.
After the marking was completed, Siqi collapsed exhausted into a chair, watching the numbers on the monitor slowly stabilize. The doctors left in amazement, leaving only the two of them in the ward.
Si Qi held Shao Wei's hand and placed it on his forehead: "Wake up, Shao Wei... Give me a chance, let me prove that this is not sympathy, not guilt... Let me prove that I love you..."
Outside the window, the rain began to fall again. The sound of the rain was gentle, like a long-lost lullaby.
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