He Juan picked up a tinge of lavender underneath the cool peppermint. He recognized the scent very well because he had always used lavender scented oil as a headache reliever. But Mu Yuze's scent was different. It was still lavender, yet the hint of sweetness interlaced in between made He Juan feel like he had just chewed on a bubblegum and the taste stuck to the roof of his mouth, his system, his blood — everywhere.

It was the sweet scent of an Omega.

He Juan's mind instantly crashed down. Every thought screeched to a halt, leaving only 'Omega, Omega, Mu Yuze is an Omega' looping endlessly like a curse that sent him into overdrive. 

He couldn't breathe all of a sudden. What was wrong with him…? He Juan had never felt so unhinged just by a whiff of Omega's pheromones before, or any kind of pheromones. It made him assume that he had a good rein of his Alpha, that it was just as mild as him; gentle, soft and un-Alpha-like at all.

Oh, how wrong he was. Even as Mu Yuze successfully pulled out of the parking lot, He Juan still couldn't regain his bearings. Something within him was burning up, simmering like a crackle of overheated coal and he had to forcefully restrain his canines back and firmly kept his hands on top of his lap where he could see them. He did not know what would happen if he just let down his guard a bit. The idea of grabbing the back of Mu Yuze's neck, forcing him into submission and tucked his nose right on his scent gland sounded especially tempting—

He Juan choked on the saliva that already pooled in his mouth. Goddamnit, He Juan! How could you—?!

"What's wrong?" Mu Yuze asked cooly. He did not even deign He Juan a glance. Heavens, if only he did, then he would be able to see how wide He Juan's pupils had become, how his silver irises had darkened almost into pure black, and the wild, raw hunger of an Alpha from his face…

He Juan bit the inside of his cheek so hard that he tasted blood. "No… nothing." He was going to go crazy soon if he smelled Mu Yuze again, so He Juan asked with a tone as light as he could muster, "Can I open the window, Officer Mu? It's a bit warm here…" 

It took one second too long before Mu Yuze gave an almost inaudible, "Mn." So soft that He Juan almost missed it if not for how painfully aware his senses were to every single thing Mu Yuze did. 

Almost fumbling, He Juan pressed on the button and allowed the humid mid-spring air to blast his face. Only then could he regain a semblance of composure.

He Juan could not help but hold his forehead as helplessness overcame him. Goodness, what kind of torture was this? Had Mu Yuze not realize how dangerous it was for unmated Alpha and Omega to be alone inside an enclosed space especially with how deliciously sweet smelling he was? Or… did he not even consider He Juan as an Alpha at all? 

Somehow the thought sent his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach. He Juan was a fairly mild and detached person, Jia Molei could attest to it. It was not like no Omega had tried to get close to him in the past seven years — no, to be exact Jia Molei had to yell at him every Valentine's day because he would bring home a box full of chocolates, so much that some of it spilled out of the bag. Some were from Omegas He Juan knew from his workplace while the others he had not even heard of before. In He Juan's defense, those single unmated Omegas only wanted someone to accept their gifts on that special day. And He Juan was unlike any other Alphas in terms of temperament, he was so mild just like a Beta, making him the suitable target for them to throw their chocolates to.

He Juan had always been kind, polite and gentle with them… but that was that. He tried to be as careful as possible when he was rejecting the Omegas' — and sometimes, Betas' — confession, when in fact his heart did not even ripple…

…until now. 

Until he met this cold police officer Omega who did not even try to… to get close to him or something! Wake up, He Juan! No matter how alluring his smell was, it did not mean you could force your desire on him! It was the most despicable thing an Alpha could do! 

He Juan breathed through his mouth and closed his eyes when the breeze caressed his hair softly, fluttering the end of his braid. His logic and instinct might war with each other but in the end, his logic would always win. He Juan would make sure of it. 

"What's wrong with the scar?"

"Hmm?" He Juan was so deep in berating himself that he almost missed Mu Yuze's quiet voice. "What did you say?"

"Here." Mu Yuze tapped on his own forehead. "That's a long scar."

"Ah, this…" He Juan stroked his forehead where a long, horizontal scar lay. It was not like he was ashamed of it, but he did not think it was some kind of badge of honor either. "It's from the accident seven years ago. Jia Molei — I mean, the one who came by this morning — was the one who operated on me. Anyway, it's a long story. I don't think Officer Mu will be interested in that." He chuckled.

To his surprise, Mu Yuze refuted outright, "Tell me."

He Juan must have taken too long to answer due to surprise because the Omega said again, "How bad was your accident, He Juan?"

He Juan. Not Mr. He. His heart skipped a few beats before it thundered madly in his chest. Fortunately, it was drawn by the sound of engines and honks around otherwise He Juan would really dig a hole, climb in and never surface again forever. How sappy of him to be this moved simply with Mu Yuze calling his name! 

"Let's see…" He Juan pondered on what to say and to his relief, it took some of the heat away from his chest. Reliving the accident always caused him to feel a little desolate. 

It must have shown on his face because Mu Yuze added quietly, "Of course, if you're willing to share."

He Juan couldn't help but let out a brief chuckle. Just this sentence alone was already enough to lift whatever gloom was there in his heart. And then because his mouth and brain decided not to cooperate today, He Juan slipped out, "You're really so good, you know?"

Before his last word could truly form in the air, the car jerked violently without a warning, and the tires made a shrill screech against the asphalt. Before He Juan could think, he already stretched out an arm in front of Mu Yuze's body to prevent him from crashing right against the wheel. Their car had swiveled sharply to the side, almost creating a chain incident. Fortunately, Mu Yuze braked in time before they could crash into the pedestrians. 

Behind them was an ear splitting string of horns and curses but He Juan could focus on nothing but Mu Yuze. 

Anxious, he undid his seatbelt and grabbed hold of Mu Yuze's face, forcing the man to turn toward him. "What happened?" Worry bled into his tone as he raked his gaze across Mu Yuze's face. "Are you o—"

He Juan's eyes quietly widened as the words disappeared from his throat. 

The skin under his palms was hot, very hot and under his stunned gaze, a beautiful flush crawled up Mu Yuze's face, so quick that his whole face became as red as a boiled lobster in the matter of seconds.