"The Alpha Who Abandoned Love—And Got a Second Chance" - Chapter 10

Ten Minutes Ago—
From the moment Chu Muqing entered the mall, a dull, suffocating pressure began to settle in her chest.
Even though she deliberately avoided crowds and took a quieter escalator to the third floor, she was still affected by the pheromones of several passing Alphas nearby.
Normally, especially in public, most Alphas use inhibitors to suppress their pheromones.
But those few Alphas must’ve just come from the gym. As they passed by her, laughing and chatting about their workout, it was clear they’d recently exercised—the effect of their inhibitors had long since worn off. Their Alpha pheromones clung to her like ivy with legs, wrapping around her, impossible to shake off.
The moment the pheromones hit her, even though they weren’t particularly intense, her strength drained completely.
Instinctively, her fingers curled and she gripped the wall tightly to keep herself from collapsing.
Just then, a stunningly beautiful woman approached her. Dressed in a professional suit with long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, she stopped by Chu Muqing’s side.
“Nan Qiu? It’s really you?” the woman called out her former name. “You’re having an episode, aren’t you?”
That feeling hit her again.
As the woman moved closer, Chu Muqing’s vision darkened—everything turned pitch black.
The woman was an Alpha. As she drew near, her pheromones instantly spread. A sharp pain radiated from the glands at the back of Chu Muqing’s neck, like someone was jabbing her repeatedly with needles in her most vulnerable spot.
She gasped for air, but it was useless. The sensation triggered her asthma—her throat constricted as if gripped by invisible hands.
Recognizing who it was, Chu Muqing tried to leave.
But the woman grabbed her wrist, her eyes roaming over Chu Muqing’s pale, elegant face.
“I heard you got married,” the woman said, staring at her with an almost possessive hunger, like she was admiring a priceless piece of porcelain. “Didn’t I say… you’re mine? Who gave you permission to marry, hmm?”
Chu Muqing mustered all her strength but still couldn’t break free. Fighting off the dizziness, she gritted her teeth and spat, “Get lost!”
The woman only chuckled and deliberately pressed her body closer, wrapping Chu Muqing completely in her own pheromones.
She knew exactly what she was doing. Chu Muqing’s condition meant that any Alpha getting close during an episode would render her powerless and in agony.
“Look,” the woman sneered, pressing against her, “I still have the mark you left the last time you hit me.” Her scent—like that of hawthorn blossoms—was chilling, sickening. Chu Muqing nearly gagged.
Breathing grew harder, her pale face void of color.
“I’m so heartbroken, Nan Qiu.” The woman clutched Chu Muqing’s wrist, forcing her fingers to touch the spot over her heart. “Do you know what your betrayal meant to me?”
Chu Muqing yanked her hand away and clenched her fists. She barely managed to stay upright by bracing against the wall with one pale, delicate arm.
Her resistance made the woman’s lips curl into a bitter smile. “It doesn’t beat anymore… It used to beat only for you.”
Despite the pain in her glands, Chu Muqing laughed—cold and scornful.
The woman’s brows instinctively furrowed.
“Lu Lingyu,” Chu Muqing said, emotionless, “you make me sick.”
Her calm, detached tone seemed to cut deep.
Lu Lingyu stared at her with a wistful look, murmuring, “Back in the orphanage, you said you’d take care of me forever…”
Chu Muqing smirked coldly. “And as you said—back then.”
“You promised that once you were adopted, you’d take me with you. We’d go to school together, grow up together…”
Lu Lingyu seemed deaf to her words.
“Nan Qiu, you swore… Why didn’t you keep your promise? When the Chu family took you, I waited in the woods behind the orphanage all day. You said you’d come back for me.”
“But it’s fine… Even if we couldn’t grow up together, I can still mark you. You’re married, sure, but with your condition, I bet your Alpha hasn’t marked you yet, right?”
She leaned in, inhaling Chu Muqing’s scent, her lips nearly brushing her cheek. As Chu Muqing recoiled, Lu Lingyu stopped abruptly, intoxicated by the cedar scent of her Omega pheromones.
Chu Muqing’s asthma worsened with every word Lu Lingyu uttered. If she had been barely holding on before, now she was on the verge of collapse.
Her vision was fading.
She could no longer hear what Lu Lingyu was saying.
“Mmm… Cedar… You smell amazing.” Lu Lingyu closed her eyes in delight. “Your suppressant is useless now. In half an hour, you’ll be in heat… Let me mark you.”
“So, what do you say? Should we go to a hotel, or to my place?”
She smiled manically. “My place. Your first time should be… special.”
She raised her hand to touch Chu Muqing’s face—
BAM!
A punch landed squarely on Lu Lingyu’s face.
Dazed for a few seconds, Lu Lingyu turned to see who had hit her.
A young woman.
White shirt, jeans, white sneakers—likely a college student, flushed from adrenaline, her pale, refined face tinged red.
From her simple, budget clothing, it was clear she wasn’t wealthy.
Lu Lingyu wiped the bl00d from her mouth. The pain only fueled her madness.
Lin Xi, having just punched someone for the first time in her life, felt the ache in her knuckles sink in.
Lu Lingyu gave a dark smile, pointing at her own face. “You like hitting me, huh? Want to keep going?”
Lin Xi had seen Lu Lingyu harassing Chu Muqing and rushed over. The moment she heard her talk about marking Chu Muqing, she saw red.
Even if she was new to this world, she knew what it meant for an Alpha to mark an Omega—especially without consent. It was no different than rape.
She didn’t have romantic feelings for Chu Muqing, but that didn’t mean she’d let someone hurt her supposed Omega.
What shocked her was that this woman didn’t fight back—she just kept taunting her.
Lin Xi frowned and noticed two security guards coming out of the elevator.
She waved. “Hello!”
The guards quickly approached.
“Is someone causing trouble here?” one asked.
Lin Xi pointed at Lu Lingyu and said coldly, “This woman is harassing my wife. Please call the police.”
Then she walked over to Chu Muqing and gently supported her by the waist.
Chu Muqing, barely conscious, instinctively tried to resist the unfamiliar touch.
But Lin Xi whispered in her ear, “Chu Muqing, it’s me.”
Strangely, despite her fading senses, Chu Muqing clearly heard Lin Xi’s voice.
Her gentle, comforting words eased the tension in her body. Even when Lin Xi’s hand touched her waist, she didn’t resist.
“Don’t worry. No one will hurt you,” Lin Xi said firmly.
“I’m here.”
Lu Lingyu stood frozen, her eyes narrowing. Jealousy flashed across her face but quickly faded into calm.
She didn’t seem flustered at all. In fact, she smiled coldly.
“You married… a loser?” she sneered, eyes fixed on Chu Muqing. “What can she give you?”
One of the security guards recognized Lu Lingyu and hesitated.
“Miss Lu…” he started, turning to Lin Xi. “Apologies, ma’am. The cameras on the third floor are down. We recommend settling this privately. No need for the police.”
Lin Xi immediately realized what was going on.
She laughed in disbelief. So, this sick creep had powerful connections?
“Privately? Are you kidding me? We’re calling the—”
Before she could finish—
Chu Muqing grabbed her wrist and rasped, “Don’t call the police.”
Lin Xi frowned. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Chu Muqing paused, then met her gaze. “I know.”
Lu Lingyu was the adopted daughter of the Lu family. Both her parents were Betas—unable to have children of their own.
They had adopted Lu Lingyu from the orphanage and made her their only child.
The Lu family was powerful and indulgent, even allowing her to keep such an ominous name as “Lingyu” (which means “prison”).
Neither Lin Xi nor Chu Muqing could afford to provoke her.
Lin Xi, remembering what the woman had said earlier, turned to Chu Muqing.
“You two know each other, don’t you?”