Kapitel 13: Listen To Me

"He almost thought I couldn't make it," He Juan huffed out a wry laugh.

He did not have the memory of that entire year, despite spending only four months in a coma. All he knew was tidbits that Jia Molei accidentally let out either when he was drunk or when he teased He Juan intending to get a reaction out of him.

All he could say was that he was utterly… unpleasant. Brain swelling had messed with his personality. Aside from not being aware of his surroundings, he showed many aggressive Alpha behaviors. He rejected everyone who got close to him to the point where five people had to hold him down to register the tranquilizer. His mood was also so destructible that he often snapped and destroyed things. As per Jia Molei's words, he was truly a handful to deal with.

He Juan almost could not believe it when he first found out about it. Was he really such a violent Alpha? Because of this incident, it made him even more guilty because a bunch of kind people had to put up with his shitty personality for a whole year. Maybe that was why he subconsciously suppressed his Alpha side ever since he was released from the hospital. He tried not to be aggressive anymore, to be as kind and gentle as he could…

But all of it went down the drain today when he snapped at the traffic cop. Once again, he reverted to his aggressive Alpha behavior, making the other misunderstand that Mu Yuze was his omega…

Goodness! He Juan snapped himself out of his reverie and almost slapped himself silly. Enough! How could his mind go there again?!

He cleared his throat and said in a cheerful tone, a rumble of laughter echoed deep in his chest. "But see where I am now, alive and kicking! Even Molei said that I am more resilient than a cockroach!" He tried to crack a joke to lighten the mood but was met with silence instead.

Mu Yuze did not look like he bought the joke. Instead, he had his lips pressed together into a thin line and his grip on the wheel was particularly strong to the point where his knuckles turned white. He Juan couldn't smell any emotion from him, not when he had regained a better control of his pheromones. Nonetheless, it did not deter him from leaning closer to inhale the air around the Omega, trying to chase after the whiff of pheromones that had almost driven him insane earlier.

"It's not something to be joked with," he finally said through gritted teeth after a lengthy silence. His frosty voice contained agitation that could not be masked. "You almost died."

He Juan's smile couldn't help but soften. He had really misjudged Mu Yuze's personality earlier. The man was nothing like the detached and hostile exterior he tried to show. Yes he might be a little cold, intense and definitely not good for He Juan's heart. But beneath it all was a glimpse of kindness that came in the form of buying snacks for a murder suspect and worrying about the aforementioned suspect. When He Juan thought back about it, Mu Yuze had been so, so kind to him — this stranger Alpha whom he had just met.

"But I am still alive, am I not?" He said softly.

Mu Yuze did not answer that. They spent the rest of the journey in relative silence, each harbouring different thoughts in their mind.

Mu Yuze drove to a familiar street and finally arrived in front of his apartment complex.

"Ah, that's my car." He Juan pointed at black car. He was delighted that he could at least still remember what his car looked like. "You should just park on the empty spot beside mine, Officer Mu." Mu Yuze nodded and skillfully slid the car into the parking lot. He Juan almost swooned at how smooth it was. When the car engine stopped, he asked tentatively, "Can I follow you up? I swear I won't mess with the crime scene."

Mu Yuze leveled him with a heavy stare. "I've told you before to stay within my sight, Mr. He."

So they were back to formal basis, He Juan thought wryly. Well, he had no one to blame but himself. "My bad," he chuckled. "I will make sure to stick with you at all times."

The corner of Mu Yuze's left eye twitched but in the end, he merely turned away and got out of the car altogether. Only then could He Juan breathe again. Not good, his mind kept regressing to Mu Yuze's heavenly scent, so much that that was all he could think of if he were to be alone with the other. He was really wary of himself now. Who knew what kind of heinous thing he could attempt if he let his guard down?

Sighing, He Juan got out of the car and caught up with Mu Yuze who had entered the building.

He Juan's heart skipped a beat again when he saw the elevator. Enclosed space! Just the two of them! Dangerous! Warning bells rang in his mind, this time louder than when they were in the car. At least he could get fresh air inside the car but this! How was he supposed to cope inside this metal cage?! Was it not just like dangling a piece of fragrant meat in front of a starving wolf?!

The elevator dinged open and Mu Yuze stepped in. Against He Juan's better judgment, his gaze involuntarily trailed down to the omega's slender legs and the way his hips swayed softly when he walked. Exactly which eyes of his saw that Mu Yuze was an Alpha?! He was clearly so slender, so soft and slim…

Mu Yuze turned around and found that He Juan had not moved yet. He frowned. "What are you doing?"

He Juan tore his gaze off Mu Yuze's shapely legs to meet his eyes. Something must have shown on his face, definitely, because Mu Yuze's eyes widened by a fraction. So infinitesimal that He Juan wouldn't have noticed it if he did not tune in to every shift of the man's expression.

The alpha within him was struggling to break free from its constraints, clamouring for him to move his body closer to the omega but He Juan firmly nailed his feet to the ground. Nope, he was a hundred percent certain that there was no way he could ride in the same elevator with Mu Yuze, alone, even though the distance between this floor and the fifth floor might only take less than one minute. He could not bear it even for a second. As soon as the elevator door closed, he might—

He Juan kept his trembling fists inside his pocket and showed a dazzling smile, his voice did not even falter when he said, "Officer Mu, you should go up first."

Of course Mu Yuze wouldn't have that. "Don't you dare try anything funny, Mr. He." He growled deep in his throat and oh, He Juan really wanted to latch his teeth to his jugular and taste the snarl on the tip of his tongue. He wanted. He really wanted… but he couldn't.

He let out a helpless chuckle. "I won't try anything funny. I will just ride on the next one. I swear."

Did Mu Yuze really not know? It was not possible. He must have caught a glimpse of raw hunger on He Juan's eyes. There was no way he wouldn't catch on He Juan's filthy desire for him. So why was he doing this? Glaring at He Juan with those dark captivating eyes, jaws clenched tight and lips pursed stubbornly. Did he not realize how alluring he was? Why did he keep pushing He Juan's button one by one?

"Mu Yuze." He Juan let the warning bleed into his tone. Or was it a plea? He smiled at the way Mu Yuze's eyes flew open, shocked at the sudden change of address. "Mu Yuze, listen to me on this one. Please."

There, He Juan had put it in the open. Surely, Mu Yuze would step back and—

Instead of doing the things He Juan expected him to do, Mu Yuze marched forward in two long strides and grabbed onto He Juan's collar roughly, yanking him in. Before He Juan could so much as blink, he suddenly found himself being cornered to the elevator wall while the metal door slowly slid close.

No…! His eyes widened in horror as he stared at the door as though it was the hammer that would seal his fate. Oh nonono…

So close… They were so close that He Juan could count Mu Yuze's dense lashes one by one. So close that He Juan could feel the heat radiating from his body, could smell the traces of pheromones sticking to his hair and collar…

Mu Yuze looked tall and domineering in one glance, but it was not until now that He Juan realized that he was more than half a head taller than the other; his frame broader and bigger that if Mu Yuze was the one who was being cornered, He Juan could definitely engulf his slender frame wholly.

The height difference was perfect. Perfect for He Juan to press his lips on the omega's forehead, to bury his nose on the omega's temple and inhale the scent of his sweet and addictive pheromones. His waist was so slim that He Juan could encircle it in one arm. Everything about him was perfect. He was so perfect. A perfect omega. A perfect mate.

Yes, his alpha howled in delight. Mate, my mate. Mine.

"What?" Mu Yuze leaned closer to him with a sardonic smile, unaware that He Juan was barely hanging on his last thread. His voice was oh so sultry yet sarcastic that it should be a sin. "Do I smell so bad that you can't bear to be in the same space as me, Mr. He?"