Chapter 12
The planet, labeled as W58-2, had an introduction that stated its original name was "Soltar Planet." Yize's hand stopped, and he stared at the virtual image in the air.
Simultaneously, Ella, seeing this planet, also froze.
Both of them continued to gaze for a long time, until the e-book automatically went to sleep, and the image disappeared. That's when they finally snapped out of it.
Ella touched her nose uncomfortably.
Yize noticed Ella entering the room and nodded at her. "Let's have dinner."
Ella, head bowed, obediently followed him.
Dinner concluded in a quiet atmosphere, and Ella had gone from her initial awkwardness to feeling more accustomed to the situation.
Yize was also used to Ella's astonishing appetite.
After dinner, Ella stood up to go to her room, just as she usually did. Yize stood up with her.
"I'll help you with your medication," Yize said.
Ella was briefly puzzled, then remembered the bandages on her arm. She usually never paid attention to her wounds to heal faster; it was part of Ella's experience.
But now that Yize had offered, she wouldn't refuse.
With a medicine box in hand, Yize silently followed Ella into her bedroom.
Ella sat on the bed, and Yize sat down beside her. He carefully unwound the bandages on her arm. The wound had already healed nicely, with scabs forming. It would probably be completely healed in a couple of days.
Yize was relieved and didn't reapply the bandages. He just sprayed some medicinal solution.
After he was done, Yize stopped and looked at Ella. She stared at him, puzzled.
"Oh, right!" Ella suddenly realized and took off her t-shirt without a second thought.
But because she had forgotten about the wound, she hadn't put on a matching bra. It was black, pure cotton, and extremely secure – in fact, it couldn't get any more secure!
Yize, in a straightforward manner, removed the gauze to inspect the wound carefully. He paused briefly, not saying anything, and then applied the medicinal solution.
"Don't get it wet," Yize said, applying a new bandage to Ella's wound.
Ella obediently nodded in understanding.
"Ella," Yize suddenly spoke.
"Yes?"
"Can we talk about your past?" Yize calmly inquired.
Ella: ??? She couldn't help but think of inappropriate things. Perhaps it was because she had spent the entire day watching adult content, but she still felt that Yize bringing up this topic might lead to something inappropriate!
Ella glanced elsewhere and answered softly, "I'm an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage."
"What happened afterward?"
"My foster parents adopted me."
After answering, Ella couldn't help but mumble to herself. Yize had probably already dug up all her history; why did he need her to talk about it?
"I heard that your foster parents passed away," Yize said.
Ella: "Heard?" It was clear that he had sent people to investigate!
"Yes, due to a traffic accident," Ella appropriately displayed a touch of sadness.
"When you were fifteen?"
"Yes."
"Over the five years that followed, you worked at the Little Sun Repair Shop?"
"No, for the first two years, I worked at other shops. That's when I met Ahong. Then, after saving some money, we opened this shop together." Ella explained earnestly.
She could tell that Yize was conducting some sort of credibility assessment, not exploring the colorful developments. However, she never really cared about credibility assessments, mainly because she had none.
Yize didn't press further, bidding her goodnight and leaving.
Ella watched the closed door and resentfully removed her black cotton bra, throwing it under the bed.
Inhibitor
Yize didn't return to the bedroom; instead, he headed for his study.
While inspecting Ella's wound earlier, he noticed that the injury, while looking like a simple abrasion, was healing significantly slower than the one on her arm.
As a military man, Yize was familiar with wounds. Suddenly, he harbored suspicions, for upon closer inspection, it appeared that beneath that injury, there were residual scars, as if the skin had been forcibly bonded by some sort of medical device.
What kind of wound was it that needed to be concealed with a simple abrasion?
Yize contacted his adjutant: "Investigate Ella's foster parents thoroughly."
"Yes, sir," the adjutant responded. A thorough investigation meant exploring every possible avenue.
Yize rubbed his temples, hoping that Ella wouldn't spring any more "surprises" on him. He just needed a regular Alpha wife.
Thinking about Ella, Yize couldn't help but remember the scent of her pheromones that had lingered around his nose earlier. It was like the fragrant aroma of nature under the sunlight, and merely thinking about it relaxed his mind.
But at the same time, his body's instincts intensified his desire. His scent glands behind his neck involuntarily released Omega pheromones.
Yize's face instantly darkened.
This was the first time in his life that he had involuntarily emitted pheromones, merely due to imagination. He attributed this phenomenon to the high pheromone compatibility with Ella, especially since he had already been thoroughly marked by her. From a biological standpoint, this was a normal response.
However, as someone working in places populated by Alphas, not being able to control Omega pheromones was a significant failure.
Yize sighed, got up, and retrieved a suppressant. He expertly administered the injection into his vein, the suppressant stimulating him and making him shiver. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, and he took several deep breaths, finally calming down after a few minutes.
He was 26 years old this year, and since he had undergone differentiation at 18 and entered the estrous phase, he had been relying on suppressants. However, suppressants were not a long-term solution for Omegas. Prolonged use would harm their bodily functions and accelerate aging.
Moreover, the body's rejection response would become stronger over time.
So Yize had originally planned to take advantage of this truce period to return to the Capital Star and find an Alpha to marry. Although it was an unexpected turn of events, the result was still within the plan.
The plan was well-thought-out, but Yize found that he still couldn't accept another person appearing in his life. He had been living with a concealed identity, and he hadn't interacted closely with others his entire life. Since the age of 12, he had accompanied his father to live on desolate border planets.
He didn't know how to interact with people in close relationships. He told Ella that he had "husbandly duties" to fulfill but simply couldn't put it into action.
Yize helplessly tossed the suppressant into the trash can and picked up the documents on his desk, trying to focus.
The next day, during breakfast, Ella noticed that Yize was not present.
"The young master has already left for work," the butler said, standing nearby to answer Ella's questions.
Ella nodded and sat down, quickly finishing her breakfast. After wiping her mouth, she prepared to head to work.
She realized she had forgotten something and rushed upstairs to retrieve it. In her haste, she accidentally collided with a maid who was carrying a trash bag.
"I'm truly sorry, madam," the maid quickly lowered her head in apology, but Ella's attention was drawn to the spilled contents of the trash bag. Inside, she noticed a used suppressant syringe.
A suppressant?
"Where did this come from?" Ella pointed at the trash bag.
The maid quickly picked up the bag and replied, "I apologize, it's from the young master's study."
Ella waved her hand. "No need to apologize. It was my fault for bumping into you. You can go about your business."
The maid nodded and left.
***
Sunlight Repair Shop.
Ella slumped on her bed while Ahong was furiously typing away at the computer.
"Why do you think he's using suppressants?" Ella mumbled. "He's not even in his estrous phase."
She continued to mutter to herself, "But come to think of it, it's not too far away."
"Could it be that he watched those color films, so he can't control his pheromones?"
"No, that's impossible. Yize doesn't seem like someone who'd watch color films."
"Could it be because he's attracted to me?" Ella laughed.
Ahong couldn't tolerate Ella's self-talk any longer and shouted, "Stop self-romanticizing! Yize is an adult Omega; he can have his needs. What's wrong with that? Why do you have to assume he's attracted to you?"
Ella chuckled. "But why is he using suppressants?"
Ahong turned away from her muttering and said, "Even though he's 26, he's still in his prime, and it's not too late, but using suppressants for too long can damage his health."
Ella nodded in agreement. "That's true, which is why I find it strange. I'm readily available, and it's even free."
Ahong gave her a disapproving look. "Free? What about the costs of feeding you?"
Their conversation had taken a turn, but neither of them thought there was anything wrong with Ella's definition of "selling."
"However, it's your fault!" Ahong concluded after thinking for a second. "It's all because of you, an Alpha with issues. You don't even fulfill the needs of your Omega. What kind of garbage Alpha are you?"
Ella looked innocent. "We're not even in the same room; how am I supposed to know?"
Ahong was infuriated, staring at her with flaring nostrils. "You were studying those color films yesterday; what happened to your 'learning'? Did it go in one ear and out the other? I'm sorry; I insulted dogs; you're not even worthy of being compared to one."
Ella groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands and collapsing onto her bed.
She felt helpless; what could she do about Yize's high-and-mighty attitude? She was equally exasperated!
Ahong sighed, turned back to her computer, and said, "Next time, try studying from some decent material. Forget about male Alpha and male Omega; they're utterly useless."
Ella, lying on the bed, replied, "What do you mean, 'useless'?"
Ahong continued typing and retorted, "Just get back to work."
Ella, resigned, got up from her bed.
After Ella finished smoking a cigarette, Ahong called her, "Alright, get back to work."
Ella complied and went back to work.