逆转 (Reverse) – 莲鹤夫人
Chapter 11
As the omega made his way back to his cramped room from his husband’s study, he held onto the report tightly.
Nothing had changed. Completely nothing.
The soft, mocking laughter of his husband echoed through the air, continuing to jolt through the omega’s spine like a steel whip slicing through his chest.
He’d been threatened, warned, and even seen through—the omega had every reason to feel assured. It was easy for politicians to get what they wanted; sometimes they didn’t even have to say a word. He was immediately pushed back into the corner from which he had fought so hard, just by reading one short report.
There was still no cure for the “reverse” virus, and his marriage would always hold him captive.
He lowered his gaze, fixating on the paper damp with sweat, while slowly clenching his fists.
It wasn’t hard to picture how brave the omega had to be to get his husband to divorce him during the rut or how frightened and unstable the alpha had been to hurt his wife badly by mauling him. At the height of his predatory instinct, he wouldn’t think of anything else—whoever took his mate, he’d kill, even if it was the mate themselves.
…But in the end, the “mate” role was all that mattered to the alpha. Whoever attempted to divorce him during the rut—another omega, a beta, or even a same-sex alpha—would suffer his violent attack. He didn’t love that omega as a person; he only loved his role and their bond.
The omega leaned back on the bed and let out a tired sigh.
Was this really the last resort?
No. Not yet. It wasn’t a dead end. He quickly put the idea out of his mind, thinking that it was unnecessary to go to such lengths. That was a rather brutal strategy—if he had to leave, he would at least need his body in one piece.
Opening his eyes, the omega stared up ahead as if he were making a choice. His posture was stiff, yet a fire flared in his pupils, lighting up his delicate face.
The progress is taking way too long. At this pace, when would he ever be free again?
…It was time to try a new approach.
⋮
In the evening, the alpha had to go to a social event, and the omega had to go with him. The reverse virus had somehow reshaped society. Omegas no longer emanated sweet, enticing pheromones at all times, which meant alphas no longer considered them as easy prey and no longer went insane while rutting in a neighborhood. Now, omegas could go to public events with a lot of alphas and do social things they weren’t allowed to do before.
The omega looked around the pheromone-filled, jewel-studded, and expensively decorated golden hall, finding the change both intriguing and funny. However, when he sniffed his husband’s scent, he detected a hint of anger.
Understandable. He used to be the only one on the stage, but now new people were joining. He naturally felt territorial anger and resentment at sharing the cake.
And not only him. Other alphas showed the same emotions, but they were more subtle. The omega missed his omega sister, so he pretended not to notice and asked his alpha in a low voice, “Sir, please allow me…”
The alpha’s gaze turned, locking onto the face related to his omega by blood. He gave a little nod and said, “Go ahead.”
“Thank you!” The omega finally showed some real warmth in his charming smile and said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He turned quickly, without hesitation, and rushed towards his family. The alpha took a deep breath as he watched him leave. Since his wife wasn’t there, he should have been able to talk about sensitive matters and decisions that omegas shouldn’t hear, but he felt worse instead.
The omega didn’t care. Walking quickly toward his omega sister, he greeted her with a smile and hugged her tightly, both of them covered in perfume.
“You’re here, baby bro! God, it’s been so long!” she exclaimed with a cheery tone.
The omega wiped sweat from his brow, unimpressed, “What’s with that accent…? Where’s my brother-in-law?”
“Who knows where he ran off to?” his omega sister scoffed, “I didn’t ask or care, and now he’s hovering around me… What are you looking at?!”
She brushed out her soft, elegant hair and gave a young alpha nearby a strange look, saying, “No manners at that age…”
“Alright, alright,” the omega chuckled, his tone a little annoyed, “You aren’t that old yourself. Don’t tell him off.”
She pushed her gold hairpin out of the way and said, “I may be young, but I’m a mother of two. Ugh, men, what a mess.”
During her unmarried years, she had a fiery attitude. Her husband’s position wasn’t low once the family arranged their marriage, but he was cold and uncaring, as if he were planning to go to the mountains. She had been venting to the omega about his behavior on the phone several times. Now, while staring at someone, she pushed the omega into a corner and nervously whispered, “You… you weren’t lying, right? Do you actually want a divorce?”
“Yes.” the omega nodded, “I have a rough plan in mind, but I’m not sure how to execute it…”
“Didi[mfn]Dìdi (弟弟) means younger brother.[/mfn], didn’t you love him to death before? After all the marriage and love advice I’ve given you, now you just want a divorce?” his omega sister asked in shock.
The omega smiled softly, “You said it yourself, that was before.”
She quietly fiddled with her ring. Finally, she spoke up and said, “Look at you, so plain, no wedding ring… Hey, where’s your wedding ring?”
The omega was caught off guard and stammered, “He’s not used to it, and I don’t wear it. Plus, I’ve dropped some weight over the years, so it’s a little big…”
Habit wasn’t the issue. He never wore it. The ruby red ring on the alpha’s hand stood for wealth, life, family power, and authority. A wedding ring for the titular wife? It’s not worth taking up space on his hand.
“Enough.” she abruptly said, “I get it. He’s a powerful man. My husband can’t even talk to him, which makes things worse for me. But we can only stay away from him, not provoke him. Do you have any ideas? Let’s talk now and think together…”
She suddenly pushed the omega’s hand, “Hey, look behind you. A big shot is being harassed.”
The omega turned to see the alpha surrounded by young, gorgeous, elegant omegas. His overwhelming presence and imposing pheromones made them afraid to move closer, but by old standards, this was unacceptable.
Their families appeared to encourage the omegas to hunt, as the reverse virus allowed them to do so.
The alpha maintained his unwavering composure, his spine straight like an unbendable sword, and his dashing features more defined than before. In an instant, his gaze fixed on the omega, standing at the far end of the crowd.
Omega: “??”
The alpha raised a hand, picked out a stunning young man, took a sip of his drink, and gave him a faint smile.
Whispers quickly became louder. The stunning young man’s family smiled and coughed to hide their excitement. Only the omega sister’s eyes widened, almost seething. The omega realized that the alpha’s eyes still occasionally lingered on him despite everything that had happened.
Omega: “???”
His face was covered in question marks.
…Huh?
What was that all about?
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Translated and edited by janemoyu (01/08/26)
