Why Is This Omega Stalking Me…?

Chapter 47

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The sharp sound of porcelain clinking against glass echoed faintly through the spacious dining room, but it did nothing to soften the tension that had settled heavily over the table.

"Why did you keep this from us... from me, Shen Mei?"

Shen Yong’s voice cut cleanly through the silence.

He sat at the head of the long dining table, his posture straight, his presence suffocating without effort. To his right sat Su Ran, her gaze lowered to her plate, her fingers resting lightly against her utensils though she had long stopped eating. Across from them, Shen Mei mirrored that same stillness—except hers was not calm.

It was fear.

Her fingers tightened around her fork, the metal pressing uncomfortably into her palm as she bit down on her lower lip. The moment her father spoke, the entire room seemed to freeze. Even the air felt heavier, harder to breathe.

Shen Mei swallowed.

There was nothing more terrifying than Shen Yong when he was angry.

And right now—

He was furious.

"I..." she began, forcing herself to speak before the silence stretched too long, before his patience ran out completely. "It was Shen Yu’s personal matter. I couldn’t tell Father or Mother something like that."

Her voice was steady—but barely.

As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her gaze, her eyes instinctively turning toward her mother in silent plea. She didn’t need to say anything. The look alone was enough.

Help me.

Su Ran hesitated.

For a brief moment, her expression shifted, torn between concern and caution. She turned slightly toward Shen Yong, lips parting as if to speak—

But the moment Shen Yong’s cold gaze flicked toward her, she froze.

Whatever words she had intended to say disappeared instantly.

Her eyes lowered again.

Silence.

"Personal matter?" Shen Yong repeated slowly, his tone dropping into something far more dangerous. "Do you even understand what that means, Shen Mei?"

Her grip tightened further.

"After so many years, your brother finally manifests," he continued, his voice rising now, controlled anger slipping through, "and you choose not to tell me? You call that a personal matter?"

The sharpness in his voice made Shen Mei flinch.

Instinctively, she turned her head—her gaze landing on the man seated not too far away.

Kim Taehyun.

The dominant Alpha sat comfortably, one hand lazily holding a glass of wine, his posture relaxed as if the tension in the room had nothing to do with him. A faint, familiar grin rested on his lips, one that only deepened when he noticed her looking at him.

Shen Mei’s brows furrowed.

Confusion twisted into something sharper.

She had already been unsettled when she was suddenly called to dinner earlier that evening. But finding out that her father somehow knew about Shen Yu’s manifestation—

That made no sense.

No one should have known.

Unless—

Her grip on the fork tightened again.

Kim Taehyun.

Shen Yu trusted him.

Out of everyone, he trusted him enough to reveal something so personal—something so fragile.

And yet—

He still told.

Their father.

Shen Mei’s chest tightened at the thought.

How could he?

As if sensing her thoughts, Taehyun’s grin widened slightly.

"Answer me," Shen Yong’s voice snapped, pulling her back instantly. "You went behind my back and hid this from me. Are you trying to betray me like your brother did?"

His eyes narrowed behind his frameless glasses.

"Are you, Shen Mei?"

Her breath hitched.

Betray.

The word felt too heavy.

Too final.

She had never once thought of betraying her family.

But if she had done what they wanted—if she had told them the moment she found out—

Then she would have betrayed Shen Yu.

Her older brother.

The one who, despite his cold exterior, had always cared for her in ways no one else ever did.

Even when he was distant.

Even when he was hard to read.

There had always been one thing she understood clearly.

He loved her.

So how could she betray him?

"A-Mei!"

Shen Yong’s voice rose sharply.

Shen Mei flinched violently, her thoughts shattering as tears finally slipped down her cheeks.

"I... would never betray you, Father," she said, her voice trembling.

But deep inside, another voice whispered quietly—

Even if it meant betraying your brother?

The question lingered.

Unanswered.

Shen Yong studied her for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly as he stood and walked toward her.

When he reached her, his hand lifted, gently brushing over her head.

"Stop crying," he muttered.

The harshness in his voice had faded, replaced with something calmer—controlled. Even his pheromones softened, the oppressive weight easing just enough for her to breathe properly again.

Shen Mei nodded weakly, her arms instinctively wrapping around his waist as she leaned into him.

Behind them, Su Ran exhaled softly, relief flickering briefly across her face before her attention shifted.

Her gaze moved toward Kim Taehyun.

"How did you find out?" she asked quietly.

Taehyun turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze with ease, that same unreadable smile still lingering on his lips.

"Oh," he said lightly, "Doctor Norman mentioned something. I was curious, so I called Shen Yu to my office... just to confirm."

Shen Yong’s eyes shifted toward him immediately.

"You have his number?" he asked.

Taehyun chuckled.

"Of course."

"Then call him," Shen Yong said without hesitation. "I want him here."

Taehyun tilted his head slightly, as if considering it.

"Unfortunately, it’s not that simple," he replied casually. "I don’t exactly have direct access. But..." His smile deepened. "I have my ways."

Shen Yong’s gaze sharpened.

"Then use them."

A brief silence followed before Taehyun let out a soft laugh.

"Seems I’ll have to pay a visit to his omega again," he said, almost lazily. "How troublesome."

Something twisted violently in Shen Mei’s stomach.

Disgust.

Anger.

How could Shen Yu still call someone like this a friend?

This wasn’t friendship.

This was betrayal.

Her mind drifted, unbidden, to a memory she had tried to ignore for years.

The day Shen Yu left.

She had asked him why.

At the time, she didn’t understand.

But now—

After being forced to attend Chairman Xu’s gathering, after being pushed toward Xu Tianlong as if she were nothing more than a bargaining piece—

She finally did.

This house—

This family—

It wasn’t a home.

It was a gilded cage.

And she was trapped inside it.

Just like he had been.

"...Excuse me," Shen Mei whispered suddenly.

No one stopped her.

No one paid her enough attention to care.

Their conversation had already shifted—to schedules, to events, to Kim Taemin’s upcoming birthday as if nothing had happened at all.

As if she hadn’t just been interrogated.

As if her brother’s life wasn’t being discussed like a transaction.

She stepped out of the dining room quickly, the moment the doors closed behind her, she leaned back against the wall.

Her breathing was uneven.

Too fast.

Too shallow.

She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself—

And then she felt it.

That familiar scent.

Cool.

Deep.

Like the ocean before a storm.

Her eyes snapped open.

Kim Taehyun stood a few steps away, watching her.

Silently.

"Why would you do that?" Shen Mei asked, her voice sharper now, her eyes narrowing. "How could you tell them?"

Taehyun shrugged lightly, completely unfazed.

"What’s wrong with it?" he replied. "Isn’t he happy? Becoming an Alpha?"

His dark eyes settled on hers, intense and unreadable.

Too intense.

Shen Mei found herself looking away first, her chest tightening under the weight of his gaze.

"I thought you understood him," she said quietly. "I thought, out of everyone, you would."

She lifted her gaze again, determination flickering through the lingering hurt.

"But now I see..."

Taehyun’s expression didn’t change.

"...you don’t know anything about him at all."

For the briefest moment, his eyes widened.

Just slightly.

But it wasn’t guilt that surfaced.

Nor regret.

Only—

Amusement.