Can Alpha Also Be A Wife? - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: It’s All Over…

This time, Lin Fansheng didn’t push Lu Shihuai away.

Instead, he gently patted Lu Shihuai on the back. Something about his demeanor felt off, and Lin’s instincts were telling him so.

Playing along, he replied, “Why wouldn’t I want you with me?”

“You planning to dump me for someone else?”

“No!” Lu Shihuai bit down on his neck without hesitation.

“Hiss—!”

Despite Lin’s protest, Lu Shihuai didn’t back off. His voice was muffled against Lin’s skin as he said, “You’re the one who doesn’t want me anymore.”

“How could I not want you?”

Lin Fansheng carefully pushed him away and wiped at the damp bite mark.

“Whether or not I get my memory back,” he said sincerely, “you’re still the most important person to me.”

“How could I possibly abandon you?”

The roles flipped. With just a few heartfelt words, the comforter became the one comforted.

Lin sighed. “I was wrong before. No matter what, we’re the same person.”

“Whether I’m called Lin Ling or Lin Fansheng, those are just names. But you’ve always seen me for who I truly am.”

Yes… why had he been so caught up in names before?

People come first. Names only matter because of the people behind them.

Still, he couldn’t quite shake this vague feeling of comparison—he didn’t even know who he was measuring himself against.

“It’s good that you’ve figured it out.” Lu Shihuai kissed him gently on the cheek.

Lin Fansheng didn’t move—just let the kiss land.

Even though he knew this kind of intimacy wasn’t exactly appropriate, his body instinctively let down its guard around Lu Shihuai.

From his reflexes to how their pheromones harmonized, everything about him seemed naturally attuned to this man.

If anyone else had tried that, he would’ve kicked them out on the spot.

He really wanted to know what had happened between them in the past.

“We—”

But before he could finish, Lu Shihuai grabbed his waist and pinned him back down onto the bed.

His body reacted immediately—just being touched in the wrong spot made Lin bite his lip to suppress a gasp. His eyes shimmered with heat, and his entire expression turned flushed and helpless.

Damn it.

This damned body…

Whatever Lu Shihuai was about to say caught in his throat. He looked away, his voice low: “I want you to get your memory back… because Yan Li can’t hold on much longer.”

He didn’t beat around the bush. “Yan Li is your friend—he’s been helping you manage military affairs.”

“But he’s a wanted exile in the Empire. He can’t stay hidden forever. You need to take his place.”

“…I understand.” Lin Fansheng took a deep breath, pushing through the heat muddling his thoughts.

“Can you… get off me now?”

Lu Shihuai really did know how to take advantage of a moment.

He had probably done it more than once before.

Silently, Lu Shihuai let go of him. They both sat up from the wrecked bed, clothes disheveled.

Lin climbed off and adjusted his wrinkled outfit.

He glanced at Lu Shihuai. “You’re in a susceptible phase, right? Can you manage?”

Alpha susceptibility wasn’t easy to deal with.

There were two main ways to get through it. One was to bite an Omega—obviously not an option here, and even if there were one around, Lu Shihuai wouldn’t casually mark someone he didn’t intend to spend his life with.

The other method was using inhibitors.

Modern medicine made inhibitors pretty effective. Some Alphas, especially those uninterested in relationships, relied on them long-term without issue.

But Lu Shihuai had said he didn’t bring any this time, which complicated things.

No Omega, no meds.

He had no choice but to tough it out.

This round might pass, but there’d be another. Susceptible periods for Alphas (and heat cycles for Omegas) came like clockwork every six months and lasted a week—irregular bursts during that time.

He’d be vulnerable all week, but he also couldn’t afford to leave right now.

“Two days is still too slow,” Lin muttered.

“I’ll manage,” Lu Shihuai said calmly.

Lin didn’t reply, but he made a mental note to stay close during the nights—keep an eye on him.

He also planned to end things with Benson that evening.

But before he could act, word came from Benson’s guards: he wasn’t to visit anymore, and it’d be best if he kept quiet about everything that had happened.

Lin received the message and looked at Lu Shihuai.

That was unexpected.

Even if Benson had started ignoring “Lin Sheng” recently, it didn’t make sense to completely cut contact like this.

They decided to go ask Fu Mingxi about it, but before they got far, Yu Heng returned—grinning from ear to ear and carrying takeout.

“Lin Sheng, Lu Huai! Benson’s finally screwed!”

He was so giddy he momentarily forgot to be afraid of Lu Shihuai.

“What happened?” Lin asked.

Yu Heng played coy for a moment, unpacking dinner before plopping down on a chair with a smug look.

“Did you know Benson has a wife?”

Lin nodded. “Everyone does.”

Benson wasn’t much on his own—his post came thanks to his powerful wife. Her people handled his dirty work. He always listened to her and kept things low-key.

When they came to the mining zone, she had him covered, and he got bolder—openly abusing his power and preying on attractive people. Lin knew of at least two victims before him.

Yu Heng continued: “So his wife came to visit today. Normally, Benson would be pretending to work hard, waiting for her in his office.”

“But this time? She walked in on him trying to strip a Beta.”

“She lost it—had the guards beat him right then and there.”

Yu Heng’s eyes lit up. “They didn’t hold back either—he’s crippled now.”

Lin was stunned. “He really tried that during the day?”

From what he knew, Benson only acted out at night.

Yu Heng clarified, “It was a fluke. That Beta used to be one of Benson’s lovers—he’d already dumped him, but the guy couldn’t take it and spiked Benson with some untraceable drug.”

“So when Benson lost it, he had no idea his wife was there—kept yelling that he wanted to sleep with the Beta.”

Yu Heng chuckled dryly, then added, “Benson’s wife is decent, really. Just didn’t know who she married. Now she’s compensating the victims and made Benson apologize on his knees.”

“They’re divorcing too.”

Lin raised an eyebrow. “Was that the ‘big secret’ you mentioned earlier?”

“Hehe.” Yu Heng scratched his head. “Part of it.”

So there was more.

Lu Shihuai narrowed his eyes. “How do you know all this? Did you make it happen?”

Yu Heng froze. “Hey! I was gonna tell Lin Sheng!”

“Don’t steal the rest!”

He shut the curtains dramatically, leaned in, and whispered, “Turns out, Benson’s involved in some serious illegal dealings. I’ve got evidence—enough to take him down.”

Yu Heng clearly wasn’t just a random person.

Lin didn’t care who he was, as long as he wasn’t an enemy.

He thanked Yu Heng and gave him his contact info. “If you ever need help, just ask.”

Lu Shihuai gave his too, and the two left.

But Yu Heng’s interference threw a wrench in their plan—Benson was now bedridden, and they weren’t sure the smuggling deal would still go through.

**

To their surprise, Benson was tougher than expected.

Despite his injuries, he still got out of bed and personally moved the ore to make the trade.

Lin suspected he’d developed some kind of pain resistance from all the times they’d beaten him up.

The transaction was scheduled for nighttime.

His guards had all conveniently “fallen asleep,” likely in on it. Corruption ran deep through the whole mining compound.

Lin and Lu Shihuai shadowed Benson from a distance as he limped into the snow-covered plains outside the zone.

Without the climate control system, the air was frigid and raw.

Benson, bundled in layers, staggered forward, his footprints quickly erased by the swirling snow.

Lu Shihuai used his mental powers to shield them from the wind and conceal their movements.

There was no cover on the ice field, so they couldn’t follow too closely—they kept a careful distance.

Eventually, huge mechanical shapes loomed on the horizon.

In the dull, gray light, the exact models were hard to make out, but their sheer size was unmistakable.

Lin activated a small device to record everything.

Sound wouldn’t transmit at this range, but the visuals were clear.

They watched as Benson handed a subspace container to one of the machines. Its robotic arm extended, delivering the cargo inside. A hatch slid open—and Lin caught a glimpse of someone inside.

The image was sharp: vivid red hair, slitted pupils—clearly not human.

“So, it’s aliens after all.”

“El Yasuo,” Lu Shihuai said grimly. “From the Red Snake Clan—one of the eight major alien races.”

“A noble?”

“Yeah.”

Lin was stunned. First Lanlos, now El Yasuo. The Alliance really was making its move against the Empire.

“Should we act?”

“No.” Lu Shihuai shook his head. “We couldn’t capture him even if we tried.”

El Yasuo had entered the Empire legally. Even if they did catch him, he’d find a way to cover it up.

Lu Shihuai didn’t waste time on dead ends.

He watched the machines lift off and vanish into the sky, then said, “Let’s go back.”