The Beta Says They Want to Mark Me

[Updates daily at 9 p.m.]

[Sharp-tongued but soft-hearted beta top x easygoing, wealthy alpha bottom, a long-running romance]

Lin Junxiu hates Liao Keqi. The latter has never denied it.

But Liao Keqi can't figure out why. He hasn't picked fights with anyone, bullied anyone, and he's always been well-mannered and mild-tempered. So where did this animosity and hatred come from?

So he decides to have a proper talk with him.

-

Liao Keqi calls out to Lin Junxiu.

He plans to get on the other's good side, but ends up frustrated and mocked for playing house.

He thinks it over from every angle, searching high and low, until he finally gets a second chance.

But he misspeaks, and the other guy throws his hatred right in his face.

Their relationship gets worse and worse.

-

Lin Junxiu runs into trouble.

Liao Keqi has no intention of stepping in. The other guy has always treated him badly, and he should look out for himself. But before he knows it, his body has acted before his brain.

"It's got nothing to do with who you are."

Liao Keqi puts up a tough front. He expects the other guy to snap back or throw another "I hate you" in his face, but instead, he just freezes, his face turning red too.

A simple "Thank you" reaches his ears.

And settles in his heart.

-

Lin Junxiu seeks him out.

In the dim archive room, whispered words mingle with footsteps, their breaths intertwining, their scents blending.

Liao Keqi sees his reflection in those usually shadowed eyes for the first time, and his heart skips a beat, his pulse slowing.

"Do you know what I've been thinking about all this time?"

A cold hand touches his neck, making his skin shiver. Liao Keqi keeps his eyes open as warmth slowly spreads from where they touch.

But what he hears is a cold sentence he never wanted to hear.

"I hate you most of all."

-

Lin Junxiu hates Alphas.

Everyone at school knows it. Even Liao Keqi, the person least like an Alpha, gets insulted, mocked, and put down by him again and again.

Then one day, a video is posted on the campus forum.

Inside a quiet equipment room, faint whimpers mingle with muffled sounds, while impacts and the clanging of metal ring out again and again. Through a gap in the window, a slender hand reaches out helplessly, only to be pinned to the ground by someone else.

Everyone sees the ferocious Beta who once beat an Alpha into the hospital, eyes red as he presses his sharp teeth against the nape of the school's second-ranked student.

"I'm going to mark you."

A preview of another story: After Falling for a Cold Omega

[Cool and obsessive omega top x easygoing, avoidant alpha bottom]

He Xizhou doesn't really like Omegas.

They're hypocritical and affected, always using their status to demand everything and seeking everyone's protection.

But Bai Xingqing is different. He doesn't need special treatment, doesn't fall for every Alpha he sees, and doesn't care about the supposed differences in status between Alphas and Omegas.

He Xizhou even thinks Bai Xingqing doesn't need an Alpha.

Until the day he is drugged and goes into heat.

-

He Xizhou thinks he's hidden it well.

He can fill out a questionnaire on a whim, volunteer for an experiment out of boredom, or invite someone out to ask about an experiment out of curiosity. No one would think he was interested in Bai Xingqing.

But one day, a post blows up on the forum.

[Shocking news! The campus heartthrob Bai is dating someone!]

He Xizhou: ?

How did he not know?

-

He Xizhou runs away.

He doesn't know why, but his instincts tell him something's wrong. The situation is wrong, the timing is wrong, and the way the two of them get along is even more wrong. Besides, he's an Alpha.

So, the day after finishing the paperwork to take a leave of absence, he boards the next flight and flees overnight.

But when he wakes up, there's a collar around his neck.

"From now on, you'll live here."

-

Bai Xingqing doesn't like parties.

They're noisy and chaotic, full of all kinds of people using their words to lure others toward their own ends. They're boring and troublesome, but he can't just skip them.

Until someone walks in.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late. Here, I'll make it up to you by downing a bottle."

"You just want to drink, you rascal!"

The young man smiles, pouring drinks for everyone. He does much the same as the others, but Bai Xingqing feels that, like himself, he hasn't truly fit in here.

More surprisingly, he's a high-quality Alpha.

Bai Xingqing decides to observe him. From the opening to the end, from going along with everyone to smoothing things over, from bantering after the party to checking that every guest gets home safely, he plays his part perfectly: a somewhat spoiled but well-mannered young Alpha.

But he can't fool Bai Xingqing.

This person doesn't care about anything at all.

"What are you thinking about?" someone suddenly asks.

Bai Xingqing takes a sip of his drink, his eyes darkening slightly. He raises his glass toward the crowd at the table in front of him, framing the bright figure in its glass.

He says:

"I'm wondering whether I should get a dog."

"A dog that's been a stray for a long time, and never stays home."

Theme: Love means being there for each other as we grow