The heavy steel door of the private locker room clicked shut with a sound like a guillotine. Inside, the air was suddenly still, but it wasn't quiet. Lin Xiao could hear his own heart—thump-thump, thump-thump—like a panicked bird trapped in a cage.
He sat on the cold bench, wrapped in Ye Shikai's oversized team jacket. The jacket smelled like the Captain: sandalwood, cold rain, and expensive detergent. Usually, that smell made Lin Xiao feel safe. Now, it felt like a trap.
His mask was gone. His face was flushed a deep, feverish pink, and his silver hair was damp with sweat, clinging to his neck. His eyes, usually sharp and obsidian-black, were hazy and soft.
"Captain..." Lin Xiao whispered. His voice was a broken thread. "I'm sorry. I... I can go. I'll leave the team. Just let me go back to District 13."
Ye Shikai didn't move. He stood by the door, his back to Lin Xiao. His shoulders were broad, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. The "Alpha Pressure" coming from him was massive, but it wasn't the mean, bullying pressure of the players outside. It was a protective wall, a shield made of sheer willpower.
"Back to District 13?" Ye Shikai's voice was lower than usual, a dark rumble that vibrated through the floor. "In this condition? You wouldn't make it to the subway station before every Alpha in the city found you."
He finally turned around. His eyes were dark, his pupils blown wide. He looked at Lin Xiao—not as a teammate, but as something precious and fragile.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ye Shikai asked.
"Omegas aren't allowed in the Pro-League," Lin Xiao said, a single tear trailing down his hot cheek. "They say we are too weak. That our cycles distract the Alphas. That we can't handle the stress. I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted the Honor of Rose to mean something."
The Scent of the Storm
The small locker room was becoming a pressure cooker. The scent of a blooming rose—sweet, honey-like, and intoxicating—was filling every corner. It was a "Heat," triggered by the extreme stress of the 10,000 screaming fans and the intense mental focus of the Penta-Kill.
Ye Shikai felt his own biology roaring. He was a Peak-S-Rank Alpha. Every instinct in his DNA was telling him to claim the Omega in front of him. To mark him. To keep him.
He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted copper. The pain helped him stay grounded.
"You're not weak," Ye Shikai said, stepping closer. Each step was slow, like he was approaching a wounded animal. "You just wiped the floor with a Tier-1 Alpha team while your body was fighting a fever. You are the strongest player I've ever seen."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick, coded text to the team's private doctor.
"Emergency at the Arena. Level 4 Blockers. Now. Do not tell the manager."
"Captain?" Little Seven's voice came from the other side of the door, followed by a loud knock. "Is Rose okay? The reporters are going crazy! They want to know why you carried him off like a princess!"
Lin Xiao gasped, pulling the jacket tighter around his shoulders. He looked at the door with terror in his eyes. If the team saw him like this, the secret was over. The 500-chapter dream would end at chapter five.
"Go away, Seven!" Ye Shikai barked. His voice was so sharp it made the door vibrate. "Rose has a severe migraine from the stage lights. He needs total silence. Tell the manager I'm taking him home in my private car. No interviews. No photos."
"Oh... okay!" Seven sounded confused but obedient. "Get well soon, Rose!"
As the footsteps faded away, Lin Xiao let out a long, shaky breath. "You're... you're helping me?"
"I'm protecting my Mid-laner," Ye Shikai said, though they both knew it was more than that.
The Shadow in the Light
Ye Shikai sat on the bench next to Lin Xiao, but he kept a respectful distance. He didn't want to overwhelm the boy. He looked at the high-tech monitors on the wall, which were still showing the replay of Lin Xiao's "Penta-Kill."
The screen showed the soft glowing gold light of the Lunar Shadow's ultimate. It looked beautiful—a dance of ghosts and stars.
"You played like a god today, Xiao," Ye Shikai said softly. "The fans... they don't know who you are, but they love you. You gave them something they've never seen before. You gave them hope."
Lin Xiao looked at his hands. They were pale and trembling. "I just wanted to win. In District 13, if you don't win, you don't eat. I didn't think about 'hope'."
"Well, you have it now," Ye Shikai said. He reached out, hesitating for a second, then gently placed his hand on top of Lin Xiao's head. He smoothed down the messy silver hair with a tenderness that didn't match his "Cold King" reputation. "And as long as I'm the Captain of this team, you will keep winning."
Lin Xiao looked up, his eyes meeting Ye Shikai's. For the first time, he didn't see a "Wolf." He saw a man. A man who was fighting his own nature just to make sure Lin Xiao felt safe.
"Why me?" Lin Xiao whispered. "There are thousands of Alphas who would kill to be your Mid-laner. Why go through all this trouble for an Omega from the trash-pit?"
Ye Shikai leaned in closer. The sandalwood scent of the Alpha wrapped around Lin Xiao, cooling his fever better than any medicine.
"Because a wolf doesn't choose his mate based on a Rank," Ye Shikai said, his voice a deep, dangerous silk. "He chooses the one who can run beside him without falling behind. He chooses the one who has the same fire in his eyes."
Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Mate? The word felt heavy, like a promise.
The Escape
A secret door at the back of the locker room opened. It was Dr. Song, the only person Ye Shikai trusted with his own health. The doctor took one look at the red-faced Lin Xiao and the scent-filled room and immediately pulled out a high-grade injection.
"This is a neural-blocker," the doctor whispered. "It will stop the Heat in ten minutes, but it will make him very sleepy. You need to get him home before the media finds the back exit."
Ye Shikai nodded. He waited for the doctor to give the shot, then he picked Lin Xiao up again.
Lin Xiao was already starting to drift off. The medicine was working, turning the fire in his veins into a soft, cool mist. He leaned his head against Ye Shikai's chest, listening to the steady, strong beat of the Alpha's heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"I've got you," Ye Shikai whispered.
He carried Lin Xiao through the dark, underground service tunnels, avoiding the bright lights of the main arena. He put him into the back of the black hover-car and pulled the curtains shut.
As the car drove away from the screaming fans and the flashing cameras, Lin Xiao finally closed his eyes. He was safe. For now, the "Honor of Rose" was protected by the King's shadow.
But outside, the world was changing. On the internet, a new hashtag was trending: #TheRoseSecret.
The fans were starting to ask questions. The rival teams were starting to dig for information. And in the dark corners of District 1, someone was looking at a photo of a silver-haired boy in a mask and smiling a very mean smile.
The battle on the screen was over, but the battle for Lin Xiao's life was just beginning.