Come Here, Mark Me

The cramped storage room was saturated with the scent radiating from Jin Zhaoye.

An overwhelming, rich, sweet fragrance completely submerged Xie Li. The scent of pheromones burrowed into her nasal cavity, making the back of her neck burn in waves.

Her throat was dry and itchy. Xie Li pulled out a bottle of Mineral Water, twisted off the cap, and drained it in one breath, yet it did nothing to soothe that parched sensation.

Outside the door, a Zombie kept slamming against the wooden panel, strike after strike. The door frame shuddered, and dust rained down in soft flurries.

Even though this fragile wooden door could be smashed open at any moment, Xie Li’s focus was still involuntarily drawn to the woman leaning against the cardboard boxes.

She cast her gaze over once more. The fierce heroine had slumped into the boxes, her long, straight legs stretched out powerlessly, her head tilted slightly back to reveal a fair neck and thin, sharp collarbones.

Her flush was even deeper than before, and sweat slid down her jawline into the hollow of her collarbone. The Baseball Bat, stained with blood and grime, was gripped tightly in her hand.

‘Heroine… are you alright? Honestly, if we hadn’t bothered with them earlier, we might have already escaped.’

Jin Zhaoye looked toward her at the sound. As Xie Li met her gaze, her heart seemed to skip a beat.

That look was frantic and intense, harboring an irrepressible craving.

Xie Li hurriedly lowered her eyes, not daring to look further. Her fingers fumbled blindly at her side, grabbing a bottle of Mineral Water and tossing it toward her.

‘Drink some water. Drink some water and calm down.’

Jin Zhaoye raised a hand to catch it, silently twisted off the cap, and tilted her head back to gulp down a few mouthfuls. Transparent droplets of water flowed down the corners of her mouth, which she wiped away casually with the back of her hand.

The storage room fell quiet, leaving only the sound of her rapid breathing echoing against the thumping from outside.

Xie Li braced herself against the door panel, watching the dust continue to fall from above, trying to think of any other way to escape.

After a moment, the woman’s hoarse voice sounded in the storage room: ‘This door won’t hold much longer.’

Xie Li felt a bitter ache in her heart. Of course she knew the door wouldn’t last; there wasn’t even a window in this storage room, and the only exit was the crumbling door before them.

Once the door was breached, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar, with nowhere to run.

Xie Li licked her dry lips and asked tentatively: ‘Can you still fight?’

Jin Zhaoye shook her head: ‘I have no strength left.’

‘I’ll carry you on my back. You fight the Zombie while I run. Can we break through?’

Looking at the Young Alpha’s face, Jin Zhaoye remained silent for two seconds before shaking her head again. Simply maintaining the dignity of sitting upright had already exhausted all her strength.

‘Oh, then let’s rest for a while first.’ Xie Li said, drooping her head in disappointment.

...It was quite an accomplishment, she supposed. She hadn’t dated while she was alive, and now, at the moment of death, she was actually going to die alongside such a beautiful woman.

If they were eaten by the same Zombie, would that count as being buried together?

‘There is one more way.’ The woman’s hoarse voice sounded again, interrupting Xie Li’s wild thoughts.

She lifted her head to look at the fierce heroine leaning against the boxes.

‘What way?’ Xie Li asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice.

Jin Zhaoye stared at the young Alpha.

Her gaze moved slowly down from her eyes, landing on her lips, her neck, and her thin collarbones.

‘Mark me.’

‘...What?’ Xie Li suspected she had misheard.

Jin Zhaoye watched her, her face devoid of any particular expression, her eyelashes wet and soaked with physiological tears.

‘Come here, mark me.’

Xie Li pressed her back against the door panel, firmly refusing: ‘No, I can’t do that.’

According to the biology she had read, marking was no different from making love. In this world, a mark was equivalent to having done it.

How long had they known each other? At most two hours. How could they do something like that so casually?

Jin Zhaoye’s eyes were clear and cold, and her voice turned chilly: ‘If you don’t want to die, give me a temporary mark.’

Xie Li wanted to refuse again, but another violent impact came from outside, shaking her chest until it felt stifled.

‘If you hesitate any longer, we will both die here,’ Jin Zhaoye said, panting.

Xie Li’s heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat. She felt a wave of panic; she had no experience with this kind of thing.

‘I... I’m Xie Li,’ she introduced herself incoherently. ‘Twenty-three years old—oh wait, twenty—never dated, single, no bad habits, I’m an Alpha, and I like girls.’

Jin Zhaoye was charmed by the young Alpha who started her self-introduction like a blind date, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

She nodded: ‘I know. Xie Li, come here and mark me.’

‘But... but I don’t know how,’ Xie Li said, on the verge of tears. ‘I’ve never marked anyone, I...’

‘I’ll teach you.’

Jin Zhaoye interrupted her, braced herself against the boxes to stand up, and walked slowly toward Xie Li.

That sweet scent grew more intense as she drew closer.

Xie Li felt as if she were about to drown in the other woman’s pheromones.

Jin Zhaoye stopped in front of her and lowered her head to meet her gaze, the two of them standing very close.

Xie Li could clearly see the tiny beads of water hanging on her eyelashes and the thin layer of sweat covering her skin.

This woman before her was radiating a delightful scent from head to toe, intoxicating to the point of madness.

Jin Zhaoye was half a head taller than Xie Li, who was crouching with her knees against the door. She raised her hand to brace it against the door panel above Xie Li’s head, as if circling her in an embrace.

Xie Li felt even more nervous due to this aggressive movement.

‘Don’t be nervous,’ Jin Zhaoye whispered, reaching out to touch the back of Xie Li’s neck.

With her gland being touched, Xie Li subconsciously shrank her neck.

‘Relax,’ Jin Zhaoye said. Her fingertips rubbed against the edge of the scent patch, and with a slight tug, the patch was peeled away.

Without that thin barrier, the scent of lime and mint escaped without reservation, tangling with the sweet fragrance filling the room.

Jin Zhaoye’s fingertips lingered on the back of her neck, gently stroking the reddened gland. ‘Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?’

As she spoke, her warm breath fell against Xie Li’s ear. Xie Li nodded and then shook her head; her mind was a complete mess.

This development was far too strange, exceeding the cognitive limits of a single person; she had no idea how to handle it.

‘I don’t know. It feels very strange, it’s been burning.’

Jin Zhaoye gave a soft ‘mm,’ her fingertips lingering on her gland, tracing circles as she stroked it.

‘It seems student Xie Li is truly a very innocent Alpha, not even aware of an Alpha’s instincts.’

Xie Li didn’t know if she had Alpha instincts; she had only been an Alpha for half a month and hadn’t yet adapted to the shift in her new identity.

Jin Zhaoye didn’t need an answer. She pushed aside the hair falling over Xie Li’s neck and leaned down, pressing close to the back of Xie Li’s neck.

Her warm breath fell upon that small patch of reddened skin, carrying the sweet scent of an Omega.

She leaned in and took a deep breath of the Alpha pheromones.

Even though they didn’t have much physical contact, Xie Li felt a tingling sensation shoot from the back of her neck straight down to her tailbone, and half her body went limp.

‘Do you need me to teach you how to bite me?’ Jin Zhaoye whispered against her ear, her voice low, like a murmur between lovers.

Xie Li swallowed, her throat dry, her Adam’s apple bobbing. ‘Are... are you going to bite me?’

‘You don’t know how, so I will teach you.’

Jin Zhaoye turned her head, her burning lips nearing the reddened gland on the back of Xie Li’s neck.

Her lips descended, and her teeth caught the Alpha’s gland, the movement as light as a kiss.

Xie Li’s breathing was rapid and chaotic. She rasped out her confusion: ‘Can an Omega mark an Alpha?’

Jin Zhaoye paused for a moment. ‘I can.’

The moment the words fell, her teeth applied a bit of force, piercing the Alpha’s gland.

The pheromones of a top-tier Omega surged into her body.

Xie Li felt as if something within her had been ignited; it was like fire rushing through her veins, and fireworks seemed to explode inside her skull, the sensation so intense her soul trembled.

Her own pheromones poured out uncontrollably, entangling with the scent on Jin Zhaoye.

Xie Li finally knew what the other woman’s pheromones smelled like.

White tea and cedar.

The *bang, bang, bang* of the impacts continued, but the two in the storage room could no longer pay them any mind.

Xie Li could only feel the warm touch on the back of her neck and the surging tide within her body.

Jin Zhaoye’s teeth were embedded in her gland, having bitten open a small wound, and her pheromones were constantly pouring in.

It was Xie Li’s first time experiencing being marked, and the feeling was incredibly peculiar.

It was as if something invisible had invaded, filling her entire body. The pain was mixed with pleasure, spreading from the back of her neck, making her legs go weak.

She subconsciously reached out and held the slender waist of the person in front of her.

This action was entirely instinctive. By the time Xie Li realized what she had done, she was already holding the woman tightly in her arms.

Jin Zhaoye’s body stiffened for an instant before she released her teeth, her warm lips pressing against Xie Li’s gland, licking and kissing it gently.

The movement was very tender, as if she were soothing the young Alpha’s emotions.

Xie Li was licked until even her breathing trembled.

‘Don’t... don’t lick...’

Jin Zhaoye leaned against the back of her neck, gave a low laugh, and asked in a husky voice: ‘Did I bite you too hard?’

Xie Li bit her lower lip and didn’t answer.

It didn’t hurt much, but it felt wonderful. How could she say such embarrassing things out loud?

Jin Zhaoye lifted her head, looking down at the young Alpha whose eyes were somewhat unfocused.

The young Alpha was flushed red like a boiled shrimp, from her cheeks all the way to her neck. Her eyes were wet, looking as if she had been bullied terribly, gazing up at her pitifully.

Marking an Alpha couldn’t completely alleviate Jin Zhaoye’s heat, but it could make her feel a bit more comfortable.

More importantly, this young Alpha was truly delicious, and the fact that she was willing to let an Omega mark her was truly rare.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment. Jin Zhaoye asked in a low voice: ‘Did you learn? We don’t have much time left.’

She looked up at the already loosening door frame.

Xie Li followed her gaze to the door frame above, taking a few seconds to process what the fierce heroine was saying.

‘I... I think I learned?’ Xie Li wasn’t very sure.

Jin Zhaoye nodded at her: ‘Give it a try.’