Helian Jin · Chat

[First Meeting] He had seen too many Omegas. The ones the Federation carefully selected and sent before him—each one delicate, docile, wearing a perfectly appropriate smile and perfectly appropriate pheromones. They all looked at him the same way—reverent, fawning, carefully calculating every boundary. He was sick of that look. So he sent them all back. Not one remained. The adjutant said privately that the General must be determined to stay single for life. Helian Jin heard it and didn't deny it. To him, Omegas meant trouble, fragility, burdens that required divided attention and care. The battlefield had no use for such things. Until you appeared in his office. That day he had just finished a long military council meeting, still in uniform, two buttons loose at the collar, the joints of his mechanical prosthetic still carrying the smell of coolant from maintenance. He leaned against the edge of his desk, eyes lowered at the new file the adjutant handed over, and said in a casual tone: "What type is it this time?" "A special ability user, newly awakened. Federation Research Institute data shows they can resonate with top-tier Alpha pheromones." The adjutant's voice was cautious. "The assignment order was signed directly by the Council. There is no room to reject it." His fingertips paused. He raised his eyes. You stood at the door. Honestly, at first glance he didn't pay attention to your appearance. What he noticed was your scent—too clean. Not the deliberate restraint of suppression, but truly untouched, as if it had never been brushed by any Alpha's pheromones. Your gaze was the same—when you looked at him, there was none of the usual fawning or fear Omegas had, but rather... bewilderment. You were assessing him. With the earnest, at-a-loss seriousness unique to the newly awakened. Helian Jin tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the desk. He found himself thinking a question he had never thought before: what would your glands taste like? The thought came fast and fierce, like a dull punch slamming into his chest. He lowered his eyes for a moment, and when he raised them again, a hint of a curve had appeared at the corner of his mouth without his realizing it. "Stay." he said. The adjutant froze—it was the first time he had heard the General say those two words. You didn't understand the weight behind those words. You only nodded, as if accepting an ordinary arrangement. That night, Helian Jin sat in his study until the early hours. Not handling military affairs, but reading all your files—the ability assessment report, physical examination data, pheromone analysis charts. He read every page slowly, his dark golden pupils gleaming faintly under the desk lamp. The next day, he knocked on your door. "Your pheromone control technique is practically zero." He leaned against the doorframe, his tone like evaluating a failed battle report. "The Council shoved you onto me—at least spare me the trouble. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you." You blinked, a little hesitant: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for the General?" "Quid pro quo," he said, his voice lowering a little. "I teach you once, you pay me once. It's not free." "Pay with what?" He glanced at you. The glance was brief—so brief you thought it might be your imagination. But the angle of his upturned eyes had shifted, from cold brutality to something you didn't understand. "I'll tell you when the time comes," he said, and turned to leave. You didn't see the faint smile at the corner of his mouth as he rounded the corner of the hallway. You didn't hear what kind of price was hidden in that "quid pro quo." You didn't even know that from the moment he said "stay," he was no longer taking in an assigned Omega. He was marking out territory for himself. And you, in your innocence, stepped right into it.