Apex Predator - Chap 57

Qu Moyu was shuttling back and forth between guests, busy fulfilling his obligations as a host. In his right hand he held a glass of wine, on the crook of his left arm, his fiancée. This was their first time meeting, and he should have been gentle and attentive, fostering a bit of understanding to build a strong foundation for a harmonious marriage ahead. Instead, he was constantly distracted, checking his phone at every opportunity, waiting for news from his people about the whereabouts of his mother and Shen Dai.

Today marked the day of his engagement, and everything, from finalising the terms of the marriage agreement to sending out invitations and organising the engagement party, had been completed within the span of one extremely rushed week. All day today he was so busy that stepping away had been impossible. Never did he expect that his mother would choose now of all times to cause trouble. For the time being, he had no choice but to handle it discreetly and wait until he could find some time tomorrow.

“Yu-ge, do you have some matters to attend to? Let me cover for you for a bit,” his companion offered, giving him an appropriate smile.

His fiancée’s name was Zhou Xiaochu. His grandfather was a prominent banker, and he came from a distinguished family. He was a top Omega, with exceptional looks, a prestigious background, studied art at a prestigious school, and had a gentle and understated personality. Like many Omegas from elite families, he had been brought up from childhood to be the legitimate spouse of a top Alpha. His intellect, emotional intelligence, upbringing, taste and conversational skills were all beyond reproach.

This was a choice of wife that satisfied Qu Moyu. From a very young age, he had always known what kind of Omega he would marry.

The criteria of “like” was not required to pass the selection process, the closest thing it corresponded to was “not dislike”; Not disliking was enough. Everything could be given a clear and straightforward value, except for “liking” which was an overrated trick.

The image of Shen Dai’s face appeared once again before his eyes and Qu Moyu could not stop feeling on edge. Ever since he found out that Shen Dai had been taken away, his emotions had been in constant turmoil. Glancing again at his phone, he gave Zhou Xiaochu a courteous smile, “There actually is something I need to attend to. Please help me take care of things while I go make a call.”

Qu Moyu walked to the terrace and called Old Wu.

“Hello, Mr. Qu,” Old Wu, letting out a sigh as soon as he spoke, “I’m sorry, but we haven’t found them yet. Your mother must have anticipated that we would send people to look for her and used her own family’s car and people. On top of that, you instructed us not to alarm your father.”

“Keep looking. There’s no need to let my father know about this sort of thing,” answered Qu Moyu, his face gloomy.

“Alright.”

When he hung up, Qu Moyu was so furious that he kicked a flower bed. It was only after taking several deep breaths that he managed to control the raging pheromones within his body.

His father had already warned him to settle the matter of Shen Dai as quickly as possible. His fear was not of being reprimanded if word of this matter got out; rather, he could not stand the sheer humiliation of not being able to keep his own omega in check.

He didn’t need to investigate the whole matter to guess that it was Auntie Lan who had tipped off his mother. The nanny who had raised him from childhood and his own birth mother had actually joined forces against him. And then there was Shen Dai, repeatedly defying him, fuelling his rage.

Why couldn’t Shen Dai be like other omegas? Sometimes he really couldn’t tell if Shen Dai wanted too little or too much.

Recomposing himself, he then returned to the glowing, resplendent dining hall. To his astonishment, he noticed that his mother had appeared at some point of time and was presently standing beside his father. Her makeup and hair were luxurious, her posture calm and serene  as if, apart from being slightly late, nothing at all was out of the ordinary.

He strode over to them. But in the presence of Qu Shen, he couldn’t raise the question outright, so he simply frowned and fixed his gaze on her.

Mrs Qu’s expression remained unchanged: “And where is your future wife? Bring me over to go meet him.”

At that moment, Zhou Xiaochu happened to come over as well, greeting his future in-laws with ease and confidence. Mrs. Qu, wearing a gracious smile, struck up a conversation with him, while Qu Shen lowered his voice and started to speak to his son about work-related matters. For the moment, Qu Moyu was unable to find the chance to confront his mother privately.

Shortly after, all the guests had arrived. A simple engagement ceremony was held, jointly presided over by Qu Shen and the elders of the Zhou family. The greatest significance of this evening lay in the extensive news releases set to flood the media tomorrow, along with the guaranteed rise in stock prices. It was obviously a matter of business, with the majority of those present primarily focused on its value. Yet, everyone’s words were cloaked in a veneer of love and romance, sending their well-wishes to the couple that “true lovers would eventually be united in marriage”.

Qu Moyu had a fake smile plastered on his face, and underneath this perfectly polished facade, he was constantly suppressing and adjusting his own state of mind.

What exactly was going on this evening? He felt constantly anxious, his emotions were fluctuating wildly. The image of Shen Dai’s face kept resurfacing before his eyes, and every one of his expressions seemed to foreshadow something ominous.

He had encountered challenges before, any one of them bigger than the trouble Shen Dai had caused him. This was hardly worth being called a crisis, so why was he so anxious? It didn’t make any sense.

Fine beads of sweat started to appear on his face, and he found it hard to stop fidgeting. Even Qu Shen noticed that something was wrong and said in a hushed voice, “Drink a little less.”

It wasn’t the alcohol, but he didn’t know what was happening to his body either. The fluctuations in his pheromones were getting more and more intense. He had to divert some of his attention to control himself in order to avoid inappropriately releasing pheromones. A strange and unfamiliar perception had sprung up within him, one that was elusive and difficult to define, bringing about feelings of anxiety, fear, panic, and discomfort. He was convinced that this sensation had something to do with Shen Dai.

His body stumbled for a moment, and if it hadn’t been for his timely grip on the arm of the chair, he might have embarrassed himself right there and then.

“What’s up with Moyu?”

“Ha ha, have you had a bit too much to drink? You must be overjoyed.”

“Gosh, your face is already white! Drink a little less, are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Qu Moyu set his glass down and forced a laugh. “Please excuse me, I’ll have to head to the washroom for a bit.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” asked Zhou Xiaochu gently.

“No, it’s fine,” replied Qu Moyu, and headed to the washroom without turning back.

At the sight of his pale face in the mirror, he was dumbfounded for ten seconds.

The physical capabilities of top alphas far exceeded those of ordinary people, so it was rare for them to feel ill. If they felt a distinct discomfort without any apparent cause, it was most likely related to a fluctuation in their pheromones. Moreover, his pheromones would not be having such a significant fluctuation for no reason. This had never happened before he marked Shen Dai, but since then, he had found himself affected frequently by Shen Dai’s influence. So what exactly was happening to him now, and more importantly, what was happening to Shen Dai?

Could something bad have happened to him? That couldn’t be, could it? After all, he had left with his mother. What could be so difficult about finding a place for a capable adult to settle down?

But why was he this ill at ease, with this indescribable fear constantly invading his thoughts and judgement? He had no interest in anything else; at this moment, his strongest desire was to see Shen Dai immediately, to confirm as soon as possible that Shen Dai was safe.

He glanced at his watch; the engagement party was far from over. Though he could leave under the pretext of health concerns, it would certainly incur the displeasure of his father and the Zhou family. But who would dare to gossip anyway? The fact that he was actually contemplating leaving his own engagement party early to go and find Shen Dai was what truly worried him.

To be this impulsive, this driven by emotion, this lacking in judgement – these were not thoughts he should be having, let alone actions he should be considering. Had he lost his mind?

He stayed in the restroom for a good ten minutes, washing his face repeatedly with cold water, before realising that he still couldn’t shake off this feeling of anxiety. He pressed his hand against his heart, creasing his expensive tailored suit. His pheromones were chaotically surging within him. One moment of inattention, and all it would take was the slightest provocation to cause him to hurt someone.

He couldn’t possibly go back in such a state. Taking out his phone, he dialled his mother’s number.

“Mother, I don’t feel good. Would you please come to the restroom, by yourself?”

His hoarse voice didn’t sound like an act, and Mrs. Qu became alarmed. She quickly headed over to the restroom and locked the door from the inside. The upscale perfume mixed with the scent of ebony wood pheromones within was enough to drive any omega away. However, there was one type of person in this world who was highly resistant to the pheromones of top Alphas, and that was their mothers.

Seeing Qu Moyu’s face devoid of colour, Mrs. Qu ran over in a panic to support him, “What’s wrong? What’s troubling you?”

Qu Moyu grabbed Mrs Qu’s wrist, looked into her eyes and asked in a low voice, “Where is Shen Dai?”

Mrs Qu frowned and said nothing.

“Mum!”

“You don’t have to care about where he is any more. That’s not important. It’s your engagement today. You should be looking after your future wife.”

“Shen Dai is my omega. What right do you have to take him away? Who do you think you are? What ‘place’ do you think you have? How can you do something so irrational? Do you even have any idea—”

“He’s not your Omega anymore.”

Qu Moyu was stunned: “…W..what do you mean?”

“I told you not bother with him anymore. I’ve already taken care of it for you,” Mrs. Qu said, her face tense and void of any emotion. “He‘s having an operation right now to remove the mark and have the child aborted.”

Qu Moyu stood frozen, staring blankly at the gleaming marble floor.

The problem was solved. Shen Dai had followed his orders. He had removed the mark and aborted the child. He wasn’t even burdened with the emotional stress of confronting Shen Dai any longer; his mother had resolved it for him.

Wasn’t this exactly what he had wanted? If so, then why did his heart feel as if it were splitting apart in actual pain – a pain so concrete and tangible it was close to inducing spasms, instantly gripping him with a suffocating terror?

Was it because of the mark? Was it the severing of pheromones that had fused with Shen Dai which was causing such a violent reaction within his body? It had to be. Otherwise, there was no other way to explain this overwhelming panic.

Shen Dai was no longer his omega. He was no longer Shen Dai’s Alpha. Even the little life that they had conceived together no longer existed, just as if, in the twinkling of an eye, the one thread linking the both of them had snapped.