After the Top Omega Degenerates

As an S-rank Omega, a rarity even greater than S-rank Alphas and comprising less than one-thousandth of the gene pool, Yan Che should have been a highly coveted top-tier Omega.

Six years later, however, people saw again the Omega who had been "well protected" and was "said to possess both rare beauty and pheromones." For reasons unknown, his originally S-rank glandular cells had regressed to the lowest rank, C.

That meant his engagement to an S-rank Alpha was bound to be called off. Everyone thought that Shao Yuncheng, an S-rank Alpha, would never mark a C-rank Omega.

Yan Che was assigned to the school Shao Yuncheng attended, and finally saw him again.

The heir to the Shao family stood out even among numerous S-rank Alphas. He was supposed to be with an Omega of the same top rank as Yan Che.

Still, Yan Che held on to a sliver of hope. He would have been happy even if this Alpha were willing to be just an ordinary friend.

He had waited many years for this day, when they would meet again.

When they met again, the Alpha walked past him as if he didn't know him.

Behind him, someone joked, "Yuncheng, I heard that Omega of yours, the one who used to be S-rank, transferred here. Have you seen him? Maybe his looks regressed along with his glandular cells?"

"Who knows?"

Yan Che heard the Alpha's casual, indifferent voice. "Even if he were still S-rank, I don't know that I'd be interested."

*

Later, a rumor appeared from nowhere.

People said Yan Che had enrolled at a school that normally didn't admit C-rank Omegas just to get close to Shao Yuncheng and have him mark him. That way, the highly compatible S-rank pheromones could help Yan Che undergo a second differentiation and return to S-rank.

Yan Che couldn't deny it, because he knew his family really did have that plan, and it was probably the only way to help him achieve a second differentiation.

But he didn't want that, so he began avoiding Shao Yuncheng.

Then, one day after Yan Che's eighteenth birthday, Shao Yuncheng cornered him at school and asked, "Do you want me to help you undergo a second differentiation?"

Yan Che said nothing. The question only made him feel humiliated.

He clearly didn't feel that way, but whenever Shao Yuncheng released even a little pheromone, Yan Che's glandular cells began clamoring like mad. All he could do was run away.

Before he could speak, he heard Shao Yuncheng say thoughtfully, "If that's what you want, I can try to help you."

Yan Che froze for a moment, then understood.

No one would help a C-rank Omega for no reason, unless they had an ulterior motive. For example, using this as a way to break off their engagement.

"Even if you don't help me, I can accept your conditions," Yan Che told him. "The success rate is less than ten percent. There's no need for you to make such a sacrifice."

"...You're overthinking it." Shao Yuncheng stared into his eyes, then reached through the collar around his neck and gently pressed the gland at the back of it. "I've never been a good person who sacrifices himself for others."

Dedication and self-sacrifice were not in his nature.

An Alpha's genes carried an instinct to possess, take, and control. This instinct became even more intense when an S-rank Alpha encountered an Omega whose pheromones held an irresistible appeal for him.

Whether or not this Omega was still S-rank, their pheromones would always be the highest possible match. No one could resist that, and neither could he.

The collar sensed the Alpha's powerful, intense pheromones drawing ever closer and began sounding alarm after alarm.

Then came a click. Yan Che's pheromone collar was forcibly opened, and his pheromones burst out, quickly intertwining with the Alpha's.

Yan Che finally realized that this Alpha wasn't joking or testing him. He meant to go all the way!

Amid their pheromones, now madly entwined, Yan Che heard Shao Yuncheng say in a calm, restrained voice, one word at a time, "You've always been wrong about what I want."

ABO setting, old-fashioned aristocratic school. No children; original worldbuilding.

The protagonist starts out physically weak, but will return to the highest S-rank. His early insecurity and frailty have their reasons, and he will grow and change.

A one-sided crush turns into a mutual one; slow-burn turns passionate. Both are sexually inexperienced. The crush has its reasons and isn't random; the story will explain later.

This is my first novel. My writing and logic are amateurish, so please be gentle if it's not to your taste. Thank you!

Theme: Achieve personal growth through adversity