When an Alpha is Marked by One of His Own Kind

Chapter 35

As the sun grew more and more intense in the sky, Shen Qiao made his way back to DG's headquarters. He was just on his way to the training room when he saw Lu Zhe descending from the stairs directly ahead of him.
The smile in Lu Zhe's eyes instantly grew warmer and gentler as soon as he saw Shen Qiao. A glimmer filled up those long, sloping eyes of his. He approached in just a few wide steps and reached out to grab hold of Shen Qiao's collar, tugging him closer to stand directly before him.

In the next instant, Lu Zhe brought his face close to Shen Qiao's. His proximity carried a hint of cedarwood.

"Where'd you go?"

Upon noticing Shen Qiao wasn't carrying his usual gym bag, Lu Zhe guessed right away that Shen Qiao hadn't gone to the swimming pool. But he still instinctively sniffed the air a few times-

And sure enough, the scent of chlorine that usually lingered after Shen Qiao visited the pool wasn't there. In its stead, there was a faint, rapidly vanishing... floral scent.

The smile in Lu Zhe's eyes sharpened. Without waiting for Shen Qiao to answer, he asked another question of his own:

"Which omega did you go on a date with? Who left such a strong flowery scent on you?"

When he heard that question from Lu Zhe, Shen Qiao couldn't keep a smile from rising in his own eyes. He found himself thinking that it was true after all, what people said about alphas having noses that were even sharper than a dog's. Seeing Lu Zhe react like this today proved that much.

Shen Qiao took note of the deliberate edge of aggression in Lu Zhe's tone. He answered with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. Lazily, he retorted, "Whether or not I can date an omega is something other people don't know. But are you telling me you don't know either?"

Hearing that, Lu Zhe couldn't contain his mirth. He huffed a low breath of laughter and felt an inexplicable wave of joy wash over him.

Lu Zhe had always loved being 'included' by Shen Qiao in this way. He loved when Shen Qiao made it clear that Lu Zhe was part of his life, and not just any random outsider. He loved when Shen Qiao laid all his secrets bare to him.

The two of them had walked side by side through the storms of life, and when they passed through those storms, they would also stand together in the glittering sunlight.

At first, long ago, Lu Zhe hadn't realized he was special to Shen Qiao. He'd thought all of the secrets Shen Qiao revealed to him were simply things that Shen Qiao didn't mind letting others find out about. As a result, Lu Zhe had spent a long time paying close attention to the other people who passed through Shen Qiao's life. The thought of anyone else knowing such private things about Shen Qiao inevitably filled Lu Zhe up with jealousy.

It wasn't until after they got together that Lu Zhe received the confirmation, from Shen Qiao's own lips, that those were secrets Shen Qiao only ever shared with him.

While Lu Zhe had been sent away to study for his college entrance exams in his third year of high school, his mind had often drifted away from his studies. He'd often wondered, What kind of people will Shen Qiao meet while I'm away?

Would there be someone else like him, who walked into Shen Qiao's life and grew close to him? Would there be someone else who came to understand Shen Qiao's past, to sympathize with his pain, and to share in his future glory?

Just the thought of that had caused an almost unbearable urgency to rise in Lu Zhe's heart. It was like a voice was urging him on, telling him, Hurry up and grow up. Hurry up and become strong.

He was practically like a young sapling growing in a field, endlessly bothered by an impatient farmer, until he finally grew strong enough and hardy enough to claim a small piece of land as his own.