Fated To Be His...

13. My Everything..

Zhan finished patching up the little lion shifter and stuck a kung fu panda sticker on her bandage. "There. It's done", he said with a smile and pouted when he saw the tears in the little one's eyes. "Is it too ugly?", he asked and the girl shook her head, her pigtails flying with the movement. "A-Ling will complain to Uncle Lei, Zhan-ge", the little girl said in a small voice and Zhan patted her head. "You shouldn't have pushed Ling-er off the swing, A-Niao", he scolded and the girl's eyes filled with tears again. "My lion got too angry, gege. I couldn't stop it", the girl sniffled and Zhan took the little girl in his arms, rocking her back and forth as she cried. Zhan had been watching over the kids in the playground when he saw the lion cub pushing her friend off the swing. The cougar shifter had retaliated and now, the little lion had scratch on her arm because of it. It was a scene Zhan had witnessed too often so he wasn't new to it. It was important for the shifters to get along but many times it didn't happen.

Every animal was different and it was harder for the little children as well as the adults to control their inner animals sometimes. Wolves and cougars tended to be very territorial but playful while the lions and tigers preferred to stay among themselves and were calm unless they were provoked. The pumas and jaguars didn't really give a fuck about anything but food and jackals were extremely troublesome coming up with new ways to play pranks on others. Zhan had himself gotten into a nasty fight with a tiger shifter when he was small but like always Yibo had come to his defense, kicking the tiger's ass for him. Come to think of it, Zhan had been the one who started the fight because the tiger had been sitting on his bed. He had thrown the first punch and the tiger had roughed Zhan up pretty bad and Zhan had cried a lot in Yibo's arms cursing the tiger to moon and back. Zhan remembered he had received a big lecture from Yibo because of it. A faint smile made its way on his lips and Zhan shook his head to get rid of his crazy thoughts, gently placed the girl back on the ground. "If you go and apologize to her maybe she won't complain to Lei", he suggested and the girl growled softly. "That will mean I lost to her." It shouldn't have but the answer made Zhan chuckle. Lion shifters were stubborn to their core and the children even more so. Zhan lifted the girl in his arms again and took her to where Ling was playing. He put A-Niao on the ground and motioned her to go to Ling. "You shouldn't hurt your friends, A-Niao. A-Ling is your best friend. Friends forgive one another", he said softly and the lion cub stared at the cougar, contemplating how to apologize before she spoke in a bland tone. "I am sorry I pushed you, A-Ling. I won't do it again. But, please don't take my cookies next time." To Zhan the words sounded more like a warning than an apology but it must have been good enough for the cougar shifter because she tackled Xiao Niao to the ground yelling, "BESTIE!!!" Zhan stood up laughing and turned around, freezing when he saw Yibo standing a few feets away.

"If friends are supposed to forgive each other, why haven't you forgiven me.  Why are we still fighting?", the Alpha asked and Zhan avoided his eyes. "What made you think we are friends, Wang Yibo?" The Omega walked away but Yibo followed him all the way to the Common Hall where everyone was watching a movie. "Why are you following me?", Zhan whisper-yelled well aware of the curious glances being thrown their way and Yibo shrugged a shoulder saying, "It's nothing new. I have followed you for years." Zhan looked around him and the calculating gazes of all the elders and young people pinned onto him and Yibo made him nervous. Even Wei Wei was staring at the both of them with interest and the look on her face told Zhan that she would bother him later. Thinking they couldn't have this conversation in public, Zhan grabbed Yibo's wrist and took the Alpha to the backyard. "Want to tell me what you are doing?", he asked with a deep sigh and Yibo stepped closer to Zhan, his face blank. "I am doing what I have always done. Following you, protecting you." "I don't need your protection and I don't want you to follow me", Zhan hissed and once again Yibo's eyes turned darker although this time they didn't turn red. Zhan froze instinctively but this time the Alpha got himself under control pretty fast.