Little Pink Starfish

At the medical officer’s reminder, Su Liang finally realized something was off with his body.

When he saw the marks all over his back in the mirror, he froze.

“How can this be? Last night, we only…”
His voice cut off abruptly.

The examination room fell into a heavy silence.

After a long while, the medical officer glanced at the Omega boy in front of him, who looked like steam was about to come out of his ears, and rubbed his temples with a sigh, sounding utterly resigned.

“For a highly compatible A-O pair, physical attraction is almost impossible to resist,” he said. “And Snake Master is different from ordinary Alphas. He can’t accept any pheromones but yours. Because of that, he has zero resistance to your scent.”

As he spoke, he pulled up a pheromone interaction diagram on the floating screen, showing the attraction mechanism between Alpha and Omega.

It was clear: the stronger the Alpha, the more intense the needs—and control.

“He’ll appear incredibly addicted… and also have, well, extraordinary demands. That said, Snake Master has shown exceptional self-control in the past. Even now, he’s still capable of restraining himself. But—”

The medical officer’s tone changed slightly.

“I checked the status of Snake Master’s bite inhibitor… sigh. His capabilities have increased since your arrival. Even the highest-grade inhibitor developed by Snake Den barely works on him anymore.”

Su Liang ducked his head in embarrassment.

He had already experienced firsthand just how ineffective that inhibitor had become.

“So… at this stage, the only thing that can keep your pheromone therapy safe… is your willpower.”

“…Mine?”

Su Liang looked at the doctor, stunned.

The doctor coughed lightly, trying hard to maintain a professional expression.

“Yes. Your body hasn’t fully matured, so you’re less affected by pheromones. Most importantly, your classification is extremely unique. I’ve told you before—your mental strength has a very direct, powerful influence on Snake Master. As long as you firmly say no, he should be able to control himself. But if you show even a hint of weakness…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

But the bright red flush on Su Liang’s face showed he’d understood everything clearly.

The medical officer looked at the teen with a trace of sympathy. From the state of Su Liang’s body, it was obvious that the older man had already thoroughly enjoyed himself.

“Alphas really are dogs,” the doctor muttered under his breath.

It was unprofessional, yes—but looking at Su Liang, it was hard to stay objective.

Compared to Snake Master, Su Liang was still very young. Beautiful, quiet, and obviously gentle—the poor boy looked like he’d been sucked dry by some kind of spirit. His eyes were dark with fatigue, and he moved like someone sore all over. The doctor couldn’t help but feel bad.

“No matter how calm and composed Snake Master appears, at the end of the day, he’s still an Alpha,” the doctor added seriously. “And Alphas always push boundaries when it comes to their mates. Give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.”

“I… I understand.”

Su Liang wished he could just crawl into a hole and disappear.

Thankfully, the doctor seemed to notice his discomfort and changed the subject, returning to the medical exam.

The results came quickly.

As the report loaded on the screen, the doctor’s expression went from bad to worse.

Su Liang, noticing the change, tensed nervously.

“…Is something wrong?”

“Your maturity level…”

After a long pause, the doctor finally spoke again, sighing deeply.

“It’s really strange.”

His gaze flicked between Su Liang and the report.

No wonder Snake Master couldn’t resist him.

From the numbers alone, Su Liang’s body was nearing complete maturity—a mature, highly compatible, and still unmarked Omega. The pheromones he emitted were like a top-grade stimulant to a matching Alpha.

And yet, for some unknown reason—like those plants from Laia—Su Liang had stalled at the final threshold of maturity.

His glands hadn’t fully developed.

The doctor tapped at his terminal, flipping through medication options, but ended up deleting them all. Su Liang’s gestational sac was still developing, and his physiology was too unusual to risk it.

“Forget it. For now, wear this and see if it helps,” the doctor finally said.

Su Liang blinked in confusion as the doctor handed him a small, clear glass pendant.

It looked like a decorative charm, glowing faintly with a teal and violet shimmer. As it was passed to him, a familiar floral scent wafted from the thin metal tube attached to it.

“This is a common tool in aroma therapy,” the doctor explained. “Usually we use synthesized pheromones and some neural stimulants, but in your case, this one’s filled with Laia flower petals, seeds, and essential oils.”

Su Liang was puzzled.

Why give him this?

“They’ve probably contacted you too, right? The team researching the Laia flower?”

Hearing this, Su Liang realized what the pendant was for.

Yes—the researchers had found a strange correlation between Laia plants blooming and Su Liang’s mental strength. It was like his mind was the catalyst for the plants’ growth and fruiting.

It matched the strange legends recorded in ancient Laian texts.

Ancient Laians were believed to have godlike mental powers, said to nurture the Laia flowers with their minds. Their civilization once spanned the entire galaxy… but vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving only ruins and scattered records.

“Laia flowers were considered sacred by ancient Laians,” the doctor murmured.

“…Right. The records say the flowers were used to summon the god ‘Sigma’…”

Su Liang tried to recall what the researchers had told him.

Sigma was the deity of Laian myth—gentle, powerful, and beloved. When the monstrous Igura attacked their world, Laians planted flowers and prayed for salvation.

Sigma descended from the heavens, and the planet bloomed with Laia flowers.

Igura wrapped Sigma in its serpent tail and nearly tore them apart, but the flowers’ scent gave Sigma strength—and calmed Igura’s mind. The two fell in love.

“Sweet nectar flowed. Flowers bloomed. Sigma and Igura became one in the garden. Snake fangs pierced the blossom.”

The doctor read from an old scroll.

“For ten suns and ten moons, they forged an eternal bond.”

“Laia fruits ripened red with sweetness. The monstrous god became divine. From the fallen fruit, the Emperors of Laia were born.”

The doctor finally sighed.

“According to legend, these Emperors built Laia’s golden empire. But their glory drew the attention of demons. Sigma was taken, Igura went mad with grief, and the civilization fell. From that day on, the Laia fruit could no longer ripen. They remain green on the branch, awaiting Sigma’s return.”

The story was fantastical, but held some eerie parallels to reality.

Perhaps Sigma wasn’t a god—but a person with extraordinary mental power. Perhaps the legends of Sigma came from surviving Laians whispering ancient truth.

If Laia flowers bloomed under Su Liang’s influence… maybe this pendant would help him.

“At the very least, it’s worth a try,” the doctor said. “We don’t have any better options.”

Su Liang wasn’t sure he really believed he had anything to do with godlike Sigma—but he could feel the doctor’s genuine concern. So he accepted the pendant and slipped it around his neck.

“Thank you.”

“No matter what, remember—you have to learn to say no during treatment,” the doctor said sternly. “Snake Master won’t stop unless you do.”

That parting warning echoed in Su Liang’s ears as he finally left the clinic, eyes glazed over from everything he’d heard.

“You need to treat an Alpha like a dog. That’s not an insult—it’s just fact. They need discipline. You let them run wild, they’ll never stop causing trouble…”

Su Liang wondered, not for the first time, what kind of traumatic Alpha the poor doctor had encountered to draw such conclusions.

He looked up—only to see a familiar face in the hallway.

“…Xiao Huan?”

He called out in surprise.

Xue Yinhuan snapped his terminal shut and jogged over with a bright smile.

“Thank god, you’re finally done! Boss asked like, fifty times already why you weren’t finished yet…”

As he approached, Xue Yinhuan suddenly stopped in his tracks—like something had shocked him. He stumbled back several steps, clutching his arm.

“Ow—ow ow ow!”

He winced and waved his arm around.

Staring at Su Liang, he looked utterly baffled.

“What did you do to the boss—no wait, what did the boss do to you?! Didn’t you guys already make it official? Why is your scent still this strong?!”

Lu Taipan wasn’t even here, but the instant Su Liang’s pheromones reached him, Xue Yinhuan’s scalp went numb.

It felt like he’d stumbled into the den of an ice dragon—one wrong move and he’d be frozen and shattered into dust.

Xue Yinhuan, who had gleefully volunteered to escort Su Liang, suddenly understood why no one else had wanted this “easy job.”

There was a very good reason for that.