I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 46: Clash of the Heat Period and Heat Cycle

Chapter 46: Clash of the Heat Period and Heat Cycle

"What is a heat period?"

Yuri pondered, the phrases springing to mind: vulnerability, hypersensitivity, extreme possessiveness, territorial...

It’s eerily similar to a beta’s heat cycle.

Yuri gave Tuss a nudge. Her initial push was weak, so he didn’t budge; then, she used more strength, but Tuss still didn’t respond.

Rubbing Tuss’s fluffy head resting on her shoulder, Yuri tried to persuade him, "Your heat period is here and my heat cycle is nearing. Why don’t we each retreat to our rooms for a few days? No crossing paths."

"No." Tuss’s refusal was immediate, "I want to be with you."

Yuri’s fists clenched instantly. Only she knew how her glands were beginning to heat up, smoldering. She couldn’t predict what she’d do next.

"You’re not in heat, you’re just drunk." Yuri ground out through gritted teeth.

Tuss gave Yuri a mournful look, "Yuri, if you don’t want to help me through my heat period, fine, but don’t try to fool me."

The scent of cold, woody musk floated in the air. To an alpha, it was a dangerous intoxicant, but to a beta like Yuri, it was an aphrodisiac.

Yuri’s expression darkened. She used her metallic right arm to push Tuss a few feet away.

Tuss glanced at her extended new arm, surprised, "So, it works like that, huh?"

"Get out." Yuri’s voice was icy. How can he still be joking at a time like this?

Tuss didn’t budge, looking a bit more sober. He sat down on the couch, apparently uncomfortable. He then lay down, "Yuri, I’ll control my pheromones. But promise me, let me stay here. I’ll just sleep on the couch, I won’t bother you."

"I disagree." Yuri glared at him, but he had already closed his eyes.

A minute later, Yuri reluctantly activated the room’s exhaust system, saying, "You can stay, but first wash off that mess of a scent."

The seemingly sleeping Tuss shot up. "I’m going right away."

Yuri lay on her bed, searching her opticomputer for knowledge on heat periods and heat cycles. Soon, she came across a forum post, "My heat cycle and my partner’s heat period. How to handle?"

Other users responded:

"Heat period meets heat cycle? Wow, you’re lucky! What do you mean ’handle’? Leap on him and have at it for a few days!"

"The advice above is very sincere, you should consider it. Also, if you want to verify a man’s love for you, see if during his heat period the only person he wants is you, if the only person he’s looking for is you. If it’s all you, congratulations, your boyfriend loves you to his core."

"Isn’t it said that alphas during their heat period are just animals? Any female will do?"

"Absolutely not. To the commenter above, are you prejudiced against alphas?"

"I’m just an omega. Just being curious. My apologies if I’ve offended."

"No problem. Let me clarify. It’s true that alphas display wild behaviors during their heat period. But loyalty is also a characteristic of many animals. Beyond the physical, an alpha during their heat period values the mental and emotional aspects more. They are at their most honest and open. If you want to gauge your boyfriend’s or husband’s sincerity, this is the time."

"A word of caution, if your relationship is shaky, don’t test this. Be cautious, or you might lose everything."

"Tried it, ended up single."

"Tried it, ended up divorced."

"Tried it, got into a fight, ended up in the hospital."

"....."

The further Yuri read, the more she frowned. Is a heat period really that big of a deal?

Yuri continued scrolling until she found a post by a beta. The beta asked: Guys, what’s the thing you most want to do during your heat cycle?

The range of responses widened Yuri’s perspective.

"What do I want to do? Isn’t it obvious? Spend time with my favorite person, doing the most enjoyable things."

"You can’t always be intimate, you’ll die of dehydration."

"Then hydrate. Making love in water isn’t bad."

"I wish to keep smelling his pheromones, I’d love to soak my entire body in his scent."

"I don’t like it too intense. I just want him to hold me."

"Ah, for those of us whose partners aren’t always around, I make incense out of his pheromones and burn it during my heat cycle."

"No matter what we do, as long as he’s with me, it’s all good."

"The friend above is right, we can’t be alone during our heat cycle. If our partner isn’t around, we could lose our minds."

"I totally agree. I tried to endure a heat cycle alone once. The process was torturous, almost led me to commit suicide. Ended up with mild depression afterward."

"If possible, you should have your own alpha with you. If you don’t have an alpha, it’s best to be with friends or family."

Reading this, Yuri became quiet.

She glanced around her bedroom. For the first time, she felt the room was a tad too large.

The fifty square meters of space, she only filled up less than two. The lack of furniture made the room seem empty and even lonelier than before.

Yuri could distinctly feel her mood dipping, like falling from a peak, dropping and dropping, until it hit rock bottom.

For a moment, life seemed pointless.

It must be the hormones affecting her.

Stay cool. Yuri told herself.

But it wasn’t helping.

Her thoughts uncontrollably circled back to her past in a chaotic world full of disorder, hunger, fear, separation, betrayal...

Those emotions seemed magnified in this moment.

When Tuss came back fresh and clean, he found Yuri quietly shedding tears, her eyes glossy. In an instant, he was beside her on the bed.

"Yuri, what’s wrong?" Tuss quickly wiped her tears with his sleeve.

Yuri blinked, seeing him kneeling on the bed startled her, "Didn’t you say you’d be on the couch?"

Tuss was speechless, surprised that, even now, she still worried about that.

"Why are you crying?" Tuss asked, choosing not to respond to her question.

It was only then that Yuri realized her eyes were sore, and her cheeks were damp. She wiped them off abruptly and voiced her frustration, "The hormones are messing with me, making me remember some unpleasant things from the past."

Tuss thought about her childhood—abandoned by her mother, unloved by her father, and living at the mercy of her father’s first wife. Yuri had to endure so much, and it made his heart hurt for her.

Tuss said, "The past is the past, I’ll be here for you from now on."

"I understand, but I’m still feeling down." Yuri felt powerless.

She had heard that such an emotional state could linger for several days. She was certain she would lose her sanity.

Tuss pondered for a moment, then pulled her into a hug. His warm body pressed against hers as he asked, "Does this make you feel a little better?"

Yuri tensed up. Her senses told her she shouldn’t let this happen, but at this moment, she realized clearly that she didn’t want to push Tuss away. Not even a little bit.