Chapter 102: Don’t Be Afraid

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The inborn dominance of an alpha over an omega pressed down on Lu Yao, filling him with instinctive fear. His hands pushed at Zhou Yunchen as if to drive him away, yet at the same time his fingers clutched the man’s collar, refusing to let go. Flight and dependence tangled together in his throat, thickening his voice. “Cat…” he whispered.

Fine—cat. Zhou Yunchen could only sigh in helplessness. Especially when he saw the faint streaks of tears clinging to Lu Yao’s long black lashes. He set him gently on the cold, hard floor. Lu Yao curled in on himself at once. But immediately, something soft and warm pressed close. His arms stretched out on instinct, pulling the great cat against his chest to fill the emptiness inside.

A damp nose nudged his cheek. The snow leopard lowered himself, stepping forward before Lu Yao could draw him in. He pressed his plush white belly onto Lu Yao’s body, pinning him in place. Two broad paws planted on either side of Lu Yao’s head, larger than his face, while the snow leopard rubbed his cheeks and throat against him with relentless fervor. Dehydration had left Lu Yao’s skin pale, but now the fur burned it red. It was worse than Zhou Yunchen’s human touch—ten times worse.

And whenever Lu Yao tried to push the leopard away, those pale gray jewel-like eyes locked on him—pleading, wounded, almost endearingly so—stealing every word from his lips. Perhaps it was because a snow leopard’s mind could not match a human’s—too impulsive, lacking restraint—or perhaps because Zhou Yunchen, shielded by his beast form, felt no shame. In human shape he was a statue of discipline, austere and unyielding. But as a leopard, he sprawled on Lu Yao, licking and rubbing without hesitation.

This form was smaller than his human self, small enough that Lu Yao could barely hold him. Yet the cat’s fierce rubbing, his back paws braced against Lu Yao’s legs, pinned him completely. Buried beneath thick fur and scorching heat, Lu Yao struggled for breath. Help. The cat was smothering him.

While the snow leopard writhed in delirium at the overwhelming catnip-sweet scent, Lu Yao nearly broke. Just then, the base’s AI, Oasis, faithfully dispatched a robot. It rolled in carrying pillows, cushions, and blankets, neatly stacking them on the lab’s central table.

Torque clambered from the solar pack, sauntered past the chaos, and spotted the soft pile of pillows. His eyes brightened. With a nimble leap, he landed on the table, curled into the bedding, and peeked his tiny head over the edge to watch.

Lu Yao, swallowed in a blanket of spotted fur, revealed only the tips of his ears—flushed scarlet like boiled shrimp—and his long black hair spilling across the floor. Torque caught the pheromone scent and blinked hazily. “Mrrrow…”

The predator on the floor, enjoying his “prey,” caught wind of the intruder. The snow leopard’s ears shot up. He spun, bared his teeth, and loosened a deep, warning growl.

“Meow!!” Torque’s fur exploded. He bolted like lightning, vanishing behind a hot, humming server tower. Lu Yao saw the blur of his escape and nearly wept. Torque could flee. He could not.

His head swam, his body drowning in boiling broth, swollen and overfull. The leopard’s weight pressed down, squeezing every last drop from him. Yet no pain reached him. Instead, inside he was that molten cheese bun again—swelling, pulsing, ready to burst.

He was at the brink. He reached for a rope at the cliff’s edge, clutched fistfuls of the leopard’s fur, but his hands grasped nothing. His strength had nowhere to go. The pressure battered his defenses, demanding release. Bloated, yet hollow. Overflowing, yet empty.

“Zhou Yunchen…” Lu Yao cried out. At once, the snow leopard stilled. Breath rasped hot and ragged from his throat as he bent to lick Lu Yao. “Zhou…” Lu Yao clung to him, still calling his name.

Tonight, Lu Yao was nothing like the aloof, cool-headed chief engineer. He was stubborn, fragile, powerless. Even his weak hands tugging the leopard’s fur couldn’t hurt him. He called for the snow leopard, then for Zhou Yunchen, back and forth—desire leaking from every trembling gesture, yet his lips quivered between fear and hesitation, pheromones spilling in sweet waves.

A surge of electricity shot through Zhou Yunchen’s mind. Before reason could stop him, he shifted back to human form and pulled Lu Yao into his arms. The snow leopard could get away with many things, but some things required a man.

The fur vanished beneath his hands. Lu Yao stiffened, forcing his bloodshot eyes open. Through the haze he saw Zhou Yunchen’s face—sharp as chiseled stone, dark with suppressed intensity. A shiver raced down his spine. “You… turn back into the cat…”

Zhou Yunchen cupped his cheek, nearly covering it with his palm. His voice came low and hoarse. “Lu Yao, what do you really want?”

Lu Yao clutched his sleeve, his thin fingers wrapping his wrist. His knees trembled as they locked around Zhou Yunchen’s thigh. His voice cracked with betrayal.

“I want… the snow leopard…”

“Fine,” Zhou Yunchen said. The single word carried bottomless depth, warmth, and a fleeting curve of amusement. Yet his frown made the smile look like a bitter one, though laced with an aggression and possession too sharp to be gentle. It was indulgence cloaked in a sigh.

Lu Yao froze, breath ragged, as if water already filled his lungs. But in Zhou Yunchen’s gaze he found himself trapped in an eternal moment. Then Zhou Yunchen shifted. Lu Yao tried to scramble away, but Zhou Yunchen caught his wrists in one hand, lifted him, and laid him on the pile of cushions atop the table.

Lu Yao tried to rise. Zhou Yunchen pressed him down with one palm. The pillows slid—not beneath Lu Yao’s neck, but tucked beneath his waist. Lu Yao clutched Zhou Yunchen’s sleeve with both hands, but his feet lashed out, leaving several dusty footprints across General Zhou’s pristine uniform. Zhou Yunchen endured it, his gaze flicking toward the cylindrical robotic arm on standby nearby. He beckoned the little robot over. “Help him take off his boots.”

As soon as Lu Yao’s feet were caught in the robot’s grip, Zhou Yunchen freed one hand to lift a cup and offer him water. Lu Yao took only a sip or two before turning his head away, refusing more. The spill trickled down his cheek and slid into his ear, making him flinch.

“Drink more water,” Zhou Yunchen said, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “You won’t have time later.”

Lu Yao seemed to realize what he meant. He glared at Zhou Yunchen, his lips pressed tightly shut, until Zhou Yunchen lowered the cup. Then Lu Yao whispered faintly, “Zhou Yunchen…”

Again. He had gone from calling for the snow leopard back to calling Zhou Yunchen, from resisting to pleading. There were no suppressants here—neither omega suppressants nor alpha ones. Lu Yao knew that well. From the look of things, a temporary mark was no longer enough to ease his heat symptoms. He knew exactly what was coming. That was why he clung to Zhou Yunchen without letting go, even while struggling in hesitation. 

Zhou Yunchen took a sip from the cup himself. Lu Yao still held onto his sleeve, his fine-boned face lying there like the most perfect work of art. Standing now, Zhou Yunchen found it far easier to restrain him than when they were both on the floor. His shadow swallowed Lu Yao whole, looming like some snarling specter.

The specter leaned closer, staring at Lu Yao’s lips as they parted, murmuring again for the snow leopard. Zhou Yunchen drank deeply, then bent his head and pressed the water directly into him.

“Mmph—” Lu Yao cried, struggling as their mouths locked. The contact sent the restless lake inside him boiling to life again. Zhou Yunchen pressed his palm against Lu Yao’s abdomen, his splayed fingers sinking into him. He poured the water down Lu Yao’s throat, tasting a sweetness that made his head swim. Stray locks of hair fell loose across his brow, brushing over Lu Yao’s nose and lips.

He stared into Lu Yao’s eyes, holding him there until those pale blue irises reflected only his face. “Chief Engineer Lu,” Zhou Yunchen murmured, voice rough, “I’ve admired you for twenty years. I will turn back for you—but not now.”

“Cat…” Lu Yao trembled, trying to turn from the sight devouring his vision. Alpha pheromones wrapped around him, rain pounding into a landslide lake. The stones were loosening. Tears welled, caught between terror and anticipation.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s all right.”

A powerful, furred length coiled around Lu Yao’s hand. Zhou Yunchen freed one palm to brush the sweat-damp hair from his face. The tip of the leopard’s tail traced across Lu Yao’s cheek, as if to show him—see, here was the cat he wanted.

The tail, more than a meter long, swept back and curled around his ankles, forcing them apart. Lu Yao shrank back, startled—he had never imagined the snow leopard’s tail could be used this way. Zhou Yunchen seized his wrists again, lowering his head and guiding Lu Yao’s hand to his own head. His fingers brushed the two rounded leopard ears swaying there.

“The cat you wanted.” He buried his face, then lifted his gaze with a hoarse whisper. “Please…”

What remained of Lu Yao’s reason and shame threatened to crumble to dust. How could Zhou Yunchen do this? Only the snow leopard ever looked at him like that—pitiful, aggrieved, hiding every bit of hunger and possessiveness in his heart. “Won’t you say yes?”

The dam burst. The flood drowned everything in its path, stones crashing down the mountain. Lu Yao’s eardrums roared, his pupils began to blur.

Author’s Note:
Still targeting the leopard belly.

 

 

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