Omega Manual chapter 3

Marking

With this statement, the surroundings immediately stirred.

“Your Omega? Since when do you have an Omega?” Robert was shocked.

“Is it strange for an Alpha to have an Omega? Why can’t I have one?” Irey flicked the ash off his cigarette, which happened to land at the pretty Omega’s feet.

“Why do you say he’s your Omega? Have you marked him?” someone shouted.

“Of course,” Irey said.

“Nonsense!” Robert exclaimed. “If you’ve marked him, why can’t we smell your pheromones on him?”

“You can’t smell it?” Irey countered, turning his gaze to the other Alphas. “What about you? Can’t you smell it either?”

Irey’s gaze was sharp and forceful, his pheromones spreading pressure among everyone present in the confined space.

Soon, some began to waver. “Well, I can kind of smell something.”

“It seems like there is…”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense!” Robert shouted. “He’s just a fraud. How could an Omega marked by him not have his scent?”

“Do you want to bet?” Irey exhaled the last puff of smoke, casually saying, “If this Omega really is marked by me, your actions right now constitute a crime. Should I tell the sheriff and let you experience what you went through last time?”

Robert’s face changed color rapidly, glaring fiercely at Irey for about two seconds before saying, “You wait,” and storming out of the bar.

The other Alphas looked at each other, their expressions lacking enthusiasm, and soon dispersed.

Irey flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground, crushing it with his foot, and reached out his hand to the beautiful Omega.

The Omega still didn’t speak, but the hostility in his eyes was noticeably diminished. After hesitating for a few seconds, he grabbed Irey’s hand.

Even though he was in heat, the Omega’s hand was cold, sweaty in the palm. Irey gave a tug, pulling him up from the ground.

It was already late, the bar deserted outside, with the blue moonlight spilling onto the street. Only a few shopkeepers, preparing to close, noticed the overly sweet pheromones here and lost interest when they saw him accompanied by an Alpha, continuing their own affairs.

Irey silently dragged the Omega’s hand, traversing the entire dirty street, entering an even more dilapidated residential area.

“What’s your name?” Irey finally broke the silence.

After seemingly undergoing some internal struggle, the Omega eventually decided to speak. “Shelley.”

Irey nodded. “Irey, Irey Halton.”

“I heard it at the bar.” Shelley’s voice was a bit hoarse, perhaps affected by the heat.

“You’re not from Lansai, are you? Where are you from?” Irey asked. “Hanco? Povey? Lysao?”

Shelley didn’t answer, seemingly having no intention of responding.

Irey didn’t mind and continued, ‘Did you sneak out on Offering Day? There are always a few every month. Do you know what kind of punishment runaway Omegas face if they’re caught?’

Then Irey felt a tug on his wrist. The Omega he was holding suddenly stopped, furrowing his brow.

Irey was surprised that an Omega in heat could have such lasting autonomy, but what surprised him more was the elegance and refinement he read on this Omega’s face, which seemed out of place in their surroundings.

‘Mr. Halton, I’m grateful for your help just now. If possible, I’d like to repay you generously later. You don’t need to worry about what happens next; I can handle it myself.’

With that, Shelley forcefully freed himself from Irey’s grasp, floated his steps but stubbornly turned to walk in another direction.

Irey watched him, unable to suppress a chuckle. It wasn’t his fault; the scene before him was indeed a bit surreal: an obviously non-local Omega in heat actively refusing shelter from an Alpha and walking towards a crowded area.

What was going on in his head?

After Shelley struggled to take three steps, Irey took a step forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back.

“What are you doing—let go!” Shelley struggled, but his effort had no effect on Irey, who forcefully pulled him into a nearby room and pinned him against the wall.

The dilapidated wooden door closed behind them with a thud.

Irey easily restrained all of the Omega’s movements. At such close range, Shelley smelled the pheromones emanating from Irey. Unlike the overpowering scent of other Alphas, it leaned towards a cold, crisp fragrance, not very aggressive but everywhere hinting at presence and pressure.

Shelley’s scalp tingled, and his nerves danced with this scent, which seemed familiar… the scent of oolong tea.

“Do you know about the woman who was killed today on the Chedelan Line Railway?” Irey approached Shelley, speaking softly.

Shelley couldn’t speak; he could only shake his head reluctantly.

“She was an Omega bought by the district mayor. She tried to escape on Offering Day, but she didn’t even make it a block before a group of Alphas, sniffing her scent, found her. She was raped in a bar warehouse for over ten hours and died,” Irey said. “Then they threw her body onto the tracks, and when the train came—bang.”

Shelley shuddered, completely awake now.

“What you’re talking about is murder, it’s a crime!” Shelley looked at him in shock. “Why hasn’t anyone reported it?”

Irey sneered, “Report it? Do you think reporting it will make the police intervene? Resources are limited in the Lower City, and people fight every day for food and jobs. The authorities wouldn’t mind a few more deaths, especially if it’s an Omega.”

Shelley’s beautiful blue eyes were filled with shock and a complex emotion Irey couldn’t quite understand.

“It wasn’t like this five years ago,” Shelley murmured. “Five years ago… everything was normal, everything was good.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Everyone wants to go back five years,” Irey let go of Shelley, took off his coat, and casually threw it on a nearby chair. “But what’s happened has happened; this is reality.”

Shelley watched as Irey unbuttoned his shirt, his brain finally realizing something. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you think?” Irey threw his shirt aside, grabbed Shelley, and pushed him forward.

After a dizzying whirl, Shelley fell onto a small bed.

“You don’t think I saved you out of kindness, do you?” Irey grabbed his wrist, looking down at him. “I don’t know where you’re from, but in Lansai, miracles don’t just fall from the sky.”

In the late night, the wind rose, whistling outside the window incessantly. Every crack was its instrument, and its eerie sound echoed over the precarious city. Occasionally, when it stopped, only distant barking could be heard, followed by a silence as dead as death itself.

At first, Shelley made symbolic struggles, but whether he truly agreed with Irey’s words or simply had no more strength, he eventually ceased all movement.

The scent of pheromones grew stronger, permeating the room like a substance, rolling, entwining, and rising. It was like stepping into a steamy bakery, where every breath was filled with tantalizing aroma.

Shelley buried his face in the pillow, his temples and neck soaked with sweat, his teeth biting the fabric, refusing to make a sound. But Irey had no intention of showing mercy; finally, a broken muffled moan escaped Shelley.

There was a small mole on the Omega’s waist, embellishing his fair skin, particularly prominent in the dim light.

Their pheromones matched surprisingly well, with no rejection from either side from start to finish, as if they were born for each other. Although Irey still didn’t know what Shelley’s pheromone smelled like, it didn’t stop him from lowering his head, burying his face deeply in Shelley’s neck, and sniffing that almost intoxicating aroma.

“Shelley, look up,” Irey said simply.

Shelley instinctively lifted his head, and then he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

“You—!” Shelley cried out in pain, tears almost bursting from his eyes. He had never been marked by any Alpha before, and he didn’t know it would hurt so much.

But as he struggled for a moment, he was firmly held down by Irey’s strong arm.

“Don’t move, it’s just a temporary mark.” As the gland was pierced, the increasingly intense pheromones made Irey’s voice somewhat hoarse. “You don’t want to be surrounded by a group of Alphas again tomorrow, do you?”

Shelley fell silent, and thin streams of blood dripped down his neck. From the corner of his eye, Irey saw this seemingly delicate Omega, who lowered his head and clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.

“Don’t push it in.” Finally, Shelley squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.”