Little Pink Starfish

What can a drowning person do in a flood?

Nothing.

The massive waves surged around him, engulfing him, tossing him to the storm’s peak and then slamming him down into the deepest, blackest abyss. He had no strength to resist, no power to swim—only to drift wherever the torrent dragged him.

He had completely lost control over himself. He didn’t know where he was, nor how long this heat, this chaotic and overwhelming wave, would last.

The only thing he could do… was to cling desperately to the solid, unyielding driftwood in the flood.

---

Su Liang cried hard.

Not even when he had faced Lu Taipan in a state of spiritual frenzy had he ever felt so helpless, so confused as he did now.

He felt like a handful of honey.

Placed in a silver goblet, the honey was heated over a flame until it became a pool of hot, dripping syrup.

It boiled under the licking fire, spilling over drop by drop.

Su Liang had no idea why his body was reacting so strangely.

It was like he had fallen into a dream—fevered, maddening, drenched in liquid.

What should have been bliss had turned into a prolonged, delicate torment.

He was falling, being devoured and assimilated by a dark, endless abyss. And at the peak of the wave, he suddenly sensed a shift deep within his body.

Like a silver cup tipping over the fire all at once.

“No—!”

His voice, already hoarse beyond recognition, cracked in the dark with a desperate cry.

Su Liang’s body tensed violently, thoughts scattering into a glowing haze.

Held in the arms of a greedy, beastly Alpha, his preciousness was wrung into a trembling cloud of mist.

“Xiao Liang?!”

Only then did Lu Taipan’s voice return to himself—shaking off desire, now edged with panic.

---

A few hours later—

Wrapped in a fresh medical gown, Su Liang sat weakly in the treatment room, a thick pheromone-blocking blanket over his shoulders. He sat awkwardly far from a certain Alpha beside him.

Even the most advanced hospital wear and blanket couldn’t conceal the faint marks on the Omega’s slender neck and wrists… or the lingering scent of another man on his skin.

There was a thin suppressant patch on the back of Su Liang’s neck. His lips were slightly swollen, his eyes still red.

In stark contrast, the Snake Lord looked… radiant. Like a demon who had drunk his fill of vital essence—his features darker, his lips bright, his entire presence radiating a dangerous, seductive energy. And yet, he looked a little disheveled.

He tried to maintain a composed expression, but his eyes kept flicking toward his mate, with a rare flicker of nervousness.

When the medical officer walked in, this was the scene he was met with. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to maintain professionalism.

“Young Master Su Liang. Lord Snake… Let’s take a look at the results.”

The Beta medical officer spoke evenly, though when his gaze passed over Lu Taipan, it carried a clear, sharp edge.

“How is he?”

Lu Taipan seemed oblivious to the hostility, his attention wholly on the report.

“Did I hurt him?”

“You should count yourself lucky…” the doctor said coldly. “There were no serious aftereffects—this time.”

Then he turned to Su Liang, his tone softening despite a clearly disappointed expression.

He transferred the results to their terminals.

“While I personally do not agree with Lord Snake’s… actions, I must admit that the physical stimulation over this period has, in a way, accelerated the development of your gestational pouch. Congratulations, Young Master Su Liang. Your pouch has finally fully matured.”

Lu Taipan’s pupils contracted sharply.

Su Liang blinked in surprise. Maybe because the doctor didn’t look happy at all, it didn’t feel real.

He murmured, “You mean I’ve… successfully differentiated? But… my body still feels strange.”

The doctor sighed, clearly reluctant to answer, and avoided looking at the tightly restrained Alpha beside Su Liang.

He retrieved a device from his kit—inside was a fluid-filled apparatus with a wire ending in a transparent, tooth-like adhesive patch.

“Turn around and expose your neck.”

Su Liang obeyed, confused, pulling his collar down.

Just as the doctor reached out to apply the patch, another hand interrupted.

“I’ll do it.”

The Snake Lord’s voice was firm, his eyes a bit stiff.

The doctor rolled his eyes. Of course—typical Alpha behavior.

He tried to stay professional, pretending not to notice Lu Taipan’s possessiveness.

“It’s a test patch with simulated marking teeth,” the doctor explained, deliberately enunciating every word. “Just place it over the gland area.”

Lu Taipan responded flatly, “I know.”

Despite the doctor’s obvious disapproval, he didn’t retract his hand. It was just a patch—eventually, the doctor gave in.

The twin “teeth” settled onto Su Liang’s gland. The doctor activated the device.

“How does it feel, Young Master Su?”

Su Liang blinked blankly. “It’s fine—ah! It hurts!”

He flinched in pain a few seconds later.

The doctor immediately shut the device off before Lu Taipan could react with some overly protective outburst.

He then gathered his equipment and turned to the pair seriously.

“This is our current issue. Su Liang’s gestational pouch is fully developed, which explains his unusual response earlier. While it’s rare, it’s not unprecedented in high-level Omegas like yourself. Don’t be frightened.”

Su Liang’s cheeks burned crimson. He couldn’t say a word.

The doctor continued, “Usually, once the pouch matures, the gland does too. They’re supposed to develop in tandem. But this test showed that Su Liang still reacts to simulated marking—indicating his gland isn’t fully mature yet.”

He looked at Su Liang with resignation.

“It’s rare, but not impossible. Some Omegas develop out of sync—but no one’s seen a case like yours where the gland lags so much.”

Lu Taipan’s expression turned grim.

“Was it because of me? Did I hurt him?”

“Personally, I think it’s due to his unique type,” the doctor replied, coolly stabbing at the Alpha. “His level is too high—much like an Alpha, which complicates differentiation. And someone got to his body a bit too early, which may have aggravated the desynchronization.”

“There’s also a serious issue,” the doctor added, “After the pouch matures, an Omega’s pheromones change. They become more potent to their destined Alpha, increasing the attraction drastically.”

His eyes flicked to the marks on Su Liang’s body.

“I believe you’ve… already noticed.”

Then he handed a sleek black case to Lu Taipan.

“We’ll be needing this.”

Lu Taipan opened it—and inside was a reinforced bite suppressor made of dark metal.

“This was supposed to be delivered later. I retrieved it ahead of schedule.”

The doctor’s gaze was sharp. “Lord Snake, I strongly advise you to stop tearing off your bite suppressor. Su Liang is no longer the same. He’ll only grow more enticing—and none of us can guarantee there won’t be damage if you lose control again. As it stands, your self-restraint seems… questionable.”

He sighed, glanced at Su Liang, and seemed to swallow words he wanted to say.

“As for you, Young Master Su… never mind. This thing has some new features. Figure them out yourself. If anything happens, don’t expect me to clean up the mess.”

---

By the time they returned to the “Throne,” both Su Liang and Lu Taipan looked a bit shame-faced.

The news from the doctor had been mixed.

The bad part: Su Liang’s gland and pouch hadn’t matured together.

The good? Well… the strange reaction in the equipment room wasn’t a “condition.” It was just a sign that his pouch had completed development.

Su Liang tried to soothe himself with that. At least it meant he wasn’t broken.

Still, it was little comfort.

Especially when he recalled how he had completely lost himself in the equipment room—that alone made him want to disappear.

Maybe he should leave for District 48 and teach for ten or twenty years before returning…

He was still spiraling when a shadow fell over him.

“Mr. Si… I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

Su Liang muttered.

But the man didn’t leave.

Su Liang finally looked up, face flushed, and glared at the Alpha before him.

Yes, he knew Lu Taipan had lost control because of his body’s changes… but he couldn’t help being upset.

“Don’t be mad…”

Lu Taipan crouched a bit, lowering himself before his mate.

“It was my fault. I lost control.”

His voice was rough and low.

Mentioning the incident, his throat bobbed, and he unconsciously licked his fangs, gaze darkening.

Then he handed Su Liang the cold, heavy suppressor.

“I’ll be more careful now. Could you… lock it for me?”

“…Me?”

Su Liang blinked in confusion.

Lu Taipan smiled faintly.

“I had the controls reassigned to you when it was made—to prevent ‘accidents.’ I’m glad I did. Because right now… your scent is almost too much.”

The Snake Lord—usually so composed—sounded fragile and helpless.

“I’m scared I might… hurt you.”

“I want you so badly, I can’t think straight.”

Despite sensing something was off, Su Liang still obeyed and locked the suppressor around Lu Taipan’s neck.

The tall Alpha bent slightly to allow him to do it.

This is getting weird, Su Liang thought.

But it wasn’t too different from a husband asking his little wife to help with a tie before leaving the house, right?

That’s what he told himself.

Until, with a soft click, the suppressor snapped shut—and Lu Taipan whispered:

“Perfect. From now on… I belong to you.”

He lifted Su Liang’s hand, and pressed a kiss to it—through the metal.

There was joy in his voice.

And Su Liang… Su Liang knew he’d lost again.

Because just looking at Lu Taipan like this made his heart beat completely out of control.