Free Web NovelChapter 211: Beta Pheromone (1)
Kestrel understood that she really, really liked sweets, maybe a bit too much. It kind of felt like she needed them in her brain to keep going. Whenever she got stuck or couldn’t find the energy to continue, a piece of candy would always give her a push. Just by having it in her mouth, she felt she could get back on her feet, no matter how tough or dangerous the situation was, and find the power to keep moving.
In Kestrel’s world, every alpha had their own unique smell. Some smelled like certain plants, others had a different kind of aroma, ranging from elegant to intense. Then, there were those whose smell was pretty bad, something her antennae found really yucky.
This wasn’t about their physical smell but something deeper that her tendrils could easily pick up on and identify.
Out of all the different smells in the world, Ren’s was the sweetest and most attractive.
He reminded her of a walking piece of candy. Trying it once just made her want to experience it even more, to explore every part of it.
She gently bit his finger and looked at his face.
He seemed to be trying really hard to keep something in, looking at her intensely, a storm of emotions hiding in his eyes. His whole body seemed nervous, constantly playing with strands of her hair.
Kestrel soon figured out that Ren really liked her long hair, in the same way she secretly loved touching his fingers. Then, she bit down a little harder, her tongue picking up a slight sweet metal taste. Just as she thought, even his blood tasted just like she imagined.
She felt like one of those witches from storybooks, who caught a knight wandering in a magical forest, excitedly taking off his armor, eager to taste his sweet blood.
At that point, everything around them was silent. Above ground, there were still fires burning. But underneath, a mysterious and ancient blue flame started growing from deep within, beginning to consume everything.
Then, suddenly, they both stopped when they felt the ’signal’ of their heat cycle. This was a strange and rare connection, usually happening only between alphas and betas who had really high compatibility. This could occur between mated pairs who had been together for a long time and shared a really deep bond and perfect sync.
The heat cycle, once it started, was hard to control, and couldn’t be stopped just by wanting to.
Kestrel wasn’t sure why her body was reacting this way. But she wasn’t scared. She was the kind of person who went straight for what she wanted without hesitating.
She let go of Ren’s finger, daringly licked the blood from the wound on it. Ren suddenly grabbed her clothes, pulling her closer to kiss her. His gaze had completely changed, resembling a true fierce beast roaming in the deep sea, emanating an extremely dangerous vibe as he revealed his cruel face from the icy depths of the ocean.
His fingers wrapped around Kestrel’s shoulders, holding her tightly, every kiss searingly hot. That sense of pride and self-control he was proud of was gradually being melted away as the alpha’s instincts began to overshadow all his pride.
Something was surging out unrestrained; his deeply buried secret desires finally exposed to the hot air. He was like that ravenous beast from the seabed, navigating alone for countless years, worn down to the bone, finally about to consume the prey he had yearned for day and night in his heart, wishing to crush even the bones and swallow them at this moment.
His rationality and thoughts were being consumed by that burning passion, even blurring the lines between a killing intent and desire. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Kestrel had never seen Ren like this. He was very close to her, his gaze burning, his fingers burning, even the kisses that landed on the tips of her hair were scorching.
His broad shoulders, narrow waist, stained with blood, covered with sweat, completely devoid of his usual rationality, looked wildly seductive and very charming. Only, he was overly excited, even unable to control the strength in his fingers well, causing some pain as he pinched Kestrel’s shoulders.
Ren’s strength was terrifying, if out of control, even for a brief moment, it might shatter Kestrel’s bones.
The pain made Kestrel slightly furrow her brow. This woke Ren up instantly, releasing his grip on Kestrel’s shoulder, where five bruised finger marks were left.
Ren stared at the bruise, his fervent gaze regaining clarity in that moment.
Both of them leaned their foreheads against each other, sitting in the dim light gasping for breath, trying to calm their racing hearts.
"I... I don’t know what might happen next," Ren’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse, as if he was struggling to control something. "I might hurt you."
"You can tie my hands up first," he tried to make his voice sound steady, to convey his meaning clearly. "No matter what, don’t let go. Even if I beg you."
His burning fingers gripped Kestrel’s wrist, holding onto the cold, black and white bracelet — a gift he had given to Kestrel, an unbreakable metal that could freely change shape.
The cold bracelet turned into a liquid, slithering like a snake, winding around to Ren’s back, forming a thin double loop, locking his powerful arms behind him.
Alphas are way stronger than betas. Sometimes, when they can’t control themselves and act on their basic instincts, betas can get hurt or even seriously hurt. This kind of stuff doesn’t usually make the news since it happens behind closed doors. But all alphas are aware that the heat cycle can be super wild and risky, especially for betas.
Ren couldn’t stand the thought of hurting Kestrel; he just couldn’t let something like that happen. He couldn’t bear to see someone he cared about so much getting hurt. If he was the one who hurt her, he might lose his mind.
Even when he felt like he was falling apart, seeing those marks on her makes his heart hurt like nothing else. He’d do anything to avoid this, even lock himself up, limit his own actions, and let the other person take charge, whatever it took.
He maybe didn’t notice, but in the dim light of the cave, Kestrel’s eyes were shining a soft golden color, getting brighter and showing her excitement.
Kestrel laid her head on his shoulder, let out a sigh, and couldn’t help but bite her tongue a little to snap herself out of it through the sting.
Up above, where everything seemed as beautiful as paradise, a fire was destroying everything. The fierce fire moved fast, wrecking the pretty flowers and soft grass, and swallowing up all the bugs and moths that couldn’t get away. A lot of creatures, all kinds of bright colors, were caught up in the intense heat, turned to ash, and transformed into thin smoke rising up to the scorching sun.
Some time went by.
The land under the hot sun wasn’t safe to walk on, giving the two lots of time in the world underneath.
Tiny lights blinked in the caves. Ren tried to collect his scattered thoughts, opening his eyes a bit confused. He tried to move his arms but found that they were still tied behind him, unable to move.
Slowly, he started to remember everything like waves coming back to the shore, remembering all the crazy shaking and trembling came flooding back, hitting his guilty heart over and over.
He wanted to hide his face.
He felt a strong pain in his wrist, where the skin had gotten hurt from struggling too much before — knowing this was a result of his own actions, he could only hold back his moan.
He couldn’t bear to think about how he had begged silently, or even remember the look in Kestrel’s eyes then. He just remembered that her eyes were golden, watching him the whole time.
He didn’t even understand his own actions, wondering if he had acted like a regular alpha. Maybe, he thought, maybe he had been act awful, totally out of control, showing an embarrassing side of himself. Now he wished he could hide away and not have to face Kestrel.
Right now, Kestrel was asleep next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, sleeping really soundly. The soft light lit up her glowing face, making her look like she had a gentle glow. She had a bit of sweat on her beautiful face, her cheeks had a touch of pink on their pale skin, and her lips were slightly turned up at the corners, showing she was in a good mood. Ren could see happiness on her face, which was usually pretty emotionless.
Ren was looking at her face really closely, caught up in the small smile on her lips, and he kind of lost himself for a bit. She was resting on his shoulder, feeling safe and cozy. Seeing her like this made his heart, which had felt like on fire, find some sort of calmness.
It seemed like her smile was taking away all his burning guilt, the embarrassment he couldn’t stand, and the anxiety that had been with him for a long time.
Ren really wanted to gently kiss her hair again, but he didn’t want to disturb this peaceful moment. He hoped time could stand still, so he could just keep watching her like this, forever.
The air still held her unique beta pheromones. This smell was really special to Ren and he knew no one else in the world would have this scent. It reminded him of the amazing wine he’d only find in magical places in dreams, the purest kind, with a really strong and nice smell. And Ren had gotten a taste of it, getting completely lost in its effects.
At this moment, it felt like all the gaps in his life were filled. He let himself get swept away in this feeling, forgetting all his worries, not caring about anything else. He didn’t dare to think too hard about what she had done for him.
But he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it, because all those small things had completely captured his heart, his body, every part of him... He just knew he felt loved, comforted, and treated kindly. He was being held tightly and gently by the person he wanted the most.
Ren leaned in softly and gave Kestrel’s hair a gentle kiss.
From this point on, he would really be her mate.
