Chapter 10: Catnip-Scented Pheromones

Catnip-Scented Pheromones.

For several days in a row, Mu Jingyi returned home very late.

The exhaustion on his face grew heavier, and the dosage of sleeping pills and calming medication slowly increased.

No matter how tired he was from work, he would always come home to see his cat.

To take a breath of fluffy cat fur and sweet cream-scented pheromones.

No matter how late he returned, his cat would always be waiting for him, refusing to be persuaded otherwise.

A strange, unspoken understanding formed between pet and owner.

“Sir isn’t going to sleep yet?

It’s already very late.”

Ning Jiu lay on his side, chin resting on his tail, tilting his head slightly as he asked.

Mu Jingyi couldn’t get enough of those cat ears and squeezed them again.

He tucked the blanket around the little cat, fatigue hidden behind a gentle smile.

“I’ll go soon.”

Deep in the night, Ning Jiu was awakened by the sound of rain.

Late autumn in Y City often brought long nights of rain.

Cold and damp.

Perfect weather for running away.

Ning Jiu stared into the darkness, trembling uncontrollably.

He pulled out the catnip sachet hidden beneath his pillow and bit down on it.

Sharp feline teeth pierced through the paper wrapping, saliva soaking through, releasing the faint scent of catnip.

The familiar smell steadied him slightly.

But he still felt cold.

From his fingertips to his chest, an icy numbness spread, as though drenched in freezing rain no matter how many layers he wrapped himself in.

The darkness thickened.

Voices echoed in his ears like a nightmare.

Shouts.

Insults.

The whistle of batons slicing through air.

Whispers of other omegas watching coldly.

Phantom pain prickled across his skin.

Old wounds from a broken soul seemed to bleed again.

His heart twisted in sharp spasms.

He bit harder into the sachet, hoping the scent would blur his fear.

But the faint catnip was no longer enough to drown the memories.

He buried himself under the blanket, shaking.

His thoughts blurred.

He felt as though he were drowning in trauma.

He wanted catnip.

Or for the rain to stop.

Catnip… was on Sir.

The air under the blanket thinned.

Breath grew ragged.

Heat and cold clashed violently within him.

He pushed his head out, cat ears twitching.

After countless moments of struggle, a crack of thunder broke him.

He burst into tears.

Rolling off the bed, he hit the floor with a dull thud.

The sharp pain grounded him slightly.

He climbed to his feet and staggered out of his room.

He just needed a little more of that steadying catnip scent.

Just a little.

He quietly opened Mu Jingyi’s bedroom door and peeked inside.

His blue eyes adjusted easily to the dim nightlight.

He rushed to the bedside.

Mu Jingyi slept deeply.

The medication ensured steady breathing despite the storm.

Ning Jiu’s heart pounded wildly.

Thunder struck again.

The need outweighed his guilt.

He leaned forward and carefully peeled at the blocker patch on the alpha’s nape.

His hands trembled.

If Sir woke up, he would be furious.

He would throw him out.

The thought made his chest tighten painfully.

He almost stopped.

He tried to press the patch back down.

Too late.

The moment it lifted, concentrated alpha pheromones flooded the room.

A strong catnip scent exploded into the air.

“Ah—”

He covered his mouth instantly.

Alpha pheromones were not mere scent.

They carried instinct.

They struck deep into omega nerves.

He was an inferior omega, directly exposed to a dominant alpha’s pheromones for the first time.

He could not withstand it.

He was also a cat.

Such a heavy catnip scent was overwhelming.

And he was 100% compatible.

The reaction surged through him uncontrollably.

His mind blanked.

Breathing grew hot and heavy.

His heart thundered in his ears.

He clutched at his shirt, fingers wrinkling the fabric uselessly.

He wanted more.

The rain faded from his awareness.

The past dissolved into pheromones.

All he felt was need.

Tears misted his eyes.

He reached for Mu Jingyi’s hand resting outside the blanket.

“Sir… give me a little… please…”

He pressed the hand against his cheek and rubbed gently.

Warmth spread where rough palm touched flushed skin.

It wasn’t enough.

His restraint shattered.

Believing Sir still deeply asleep, he gathered reckless courage.

He guided that hand downward along his throat, pressing it lightly against his Adam’s apple.

A small, helpless sound escaped him.

The sweetness of cream pheromones began to leak faintly from his own gland.

Though weak, the scent was unmistakable.

It drifted through the air.

Mu Jingyi, half-drugged, shifted uncomfortably.

He could not smell his own pheromones.

But he could smell cream.

A low sound escaped him as he turned over.

The movement snapped Ning Jiu into clarity.

Shame flooded in.

Guilt overwhelmed desire.

He dropped the hand and fled from the room, closing the door hastily behind him.

Outside, his legs gave out and he slid down the wall.

Both hands covered his mouth.

Shock.

Fear.

Shame.

Guilt.

Reason returned in brutal force.

The cream scent still lingered in the room.

What should he do.

How could he possibly hide this.