When an Alpha is Marked by One of His Own Kind

Chapter 49

Lu Zhe was silent.
In the dark, he couldn't help but crack a grin. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the sound of Shen Qiao shifting and rustling the covers next to him. And Shen Qiao's movements weren't subtle. He was wrapping himself up tighter and sending a clear message-

I'm going to sleep.

But how could Lu Zhe possibly let him get away with this? He reached out and lightly shook Shen Qiao by the shoulder. "Who's the daddy?"

Shen Qiao flatly answered, "Whoever you ask. That's who."

Lu Zhe breathed a laugh. In that room, with only the soft whir of the air conditioning in the background, his laugh was especially clear. The feelings carried on that laugh were crystal clear too.

"Qiaoqiao, remember what you said tonight," Lu Zhe warned.

Shen Qiao could tell there was a meaningful promise of future retribution in Lu Zhe's words. He turned his back to Lu Zhe and scoffed, showing his own blatant disregard of that threat.

Lu Zhe lifted a hand and gently brushed his fingers over Shen Qiao's nape. His fingertips ghosted over Shen Qiao's glands, and he took back his hand before Shen Qiao could even react. Quietly, he whispered, "Sleep now. Good night."

He didn't try to scoot any closer to Shen Qiao. It was best to be cautious. Their combined body heat, under the covers, in the summer... it was just better to keep a safe distance to avoid getting fired up.

Shen Qiao shifted his shoulders, then tugged on the covers again. He cocooned himself like a caterpillar and mumbled, "Good night."

In the scorching hot summer night, the air conditioner continued to whir, blowing cold air out from the overhead vent. That cool air swirled through the room, carrying and mixing the scents of mint and cedarwood until it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the concepts of 'your scent' and 'mine'.

Lu Zhe listened until he heard Shen Qiao's breathing even out. A smile touched his lips as he finally moved to grab his cell phone. He turned the screen brightness down to the lowest setting, put in his earbuds, and loaded up the video of a previous match Team XHG had played.

Originally, they should have reviewed that video with Coach Fang and their teammates. But due to Shen Qiao's condition, the two of them had both missed out on the review session of XHG's tactics.

Lu Zhe was used to studying an opponent before a game; if he didn't go through that routine, he would feel like he was forgetting or missing something. Since it was still relatively early at night, he figured he may as well make up for that review session now.

The dim, rectangular screen of the cell phone was the only light source in the room. Lu Zhe was careful not to disturb Shen Qiao's rest. He even hid his phone under the blankets, using the fabric to further obscure the light of the screen.

He stayed on his side, facing Shen Qiao, so that his phone's light wouldn't spill towards Shen Qiao. It was always difficult for people who were awake to lie still for long periods of time, but Lu Zhe stubbornly held that same position and watched the footage for more than two hours.

During that time, Shen Qiao rolled over twice. The second time he shifted, he practically threw his whole self into Lu Zhe's arms.

Lu Zhe lifted his phone and pulled out his earbuds. He thought Shen Qiao had been woken by his cell phone. But when he lifted a hand to wrap an arm around Shen Qiao's waist, he found that he was met with no resistance.

The person he loved had taken the initiative to burrow into his arms-

Who could possibly resist a tempting invitation like that?