Always you...

31. This is our chance...

Zhan was watching as Jiyang handed Yubin the orange he had peeled while batting his eyelashes at the Alpha making Zhan roar with laughter. Yubin made no attempt to take the fruit from the Omega's hand eyeing it like it was weapon of destruction. "Yubin, it isn't a grenade. It's just an orange", Zhan said wheezing and Yubin glared at the man. "I am not eating that."  "Yubin-ge, how can you be so cruel to me? Since the moment you mated with A-Qing you have changed. Did our connection mean nothing to you?"  Zhan laughed again seeing the bewildered look on Yubin's face while Jiyang wiggled his eyebrows at Yubin making the man even more uncomfortable. "When will you stop this? Don't joke like that! I am going to go crazy one day", Yubin grumbled and Jiyang smiled. "Ge, I will love you just the way I do now even if you lose your mind. I promise."  "That's it. I am out of here."  Yubin dashed out of the living room leaving the two friends behind to laugh at his expense. "Why do you tease him like that?", Zhan asked shaking his head which made Jiyang laugh even more. "Didn't you see his face? He blushes so hard."  "I am amazed Qing sides with you on this. If I was her I would have whooped your ass a long while ago. I can't even imagine the thought of you speaking that way to Yibo."  "Whoa...let's make one thing clear, Zhan-Zhan. I am never going to flirt with that deranged man. Call me selfish but I like my head attached to my body."  Zhan smiled again at the theatric antics of his friend. "My Yibo isn't that bad, you know. You keep sullying his name."  "Yeah, right. You would have had more chances convincing me that Yibo is sane if I hadn't seen him rip Yifeng's spine out and the way he dragged his body away. The thought still gives me the creeps."  The memory was not a fond one so Zhan's smile vanished from his face and Jiyang placed a hand on Zhan's thigh scooting closer to the half-Omega his voice dropping to a low whisper. "Call it mere curiosity but you really didn't feel anything that day? We all heard Yifeng call out to you, Zhan."  Zhan chewed on his lips contemplating an answer and Jiyang continued. "A true mate bond is a strong thing, Zhan-Zhan. I mean I knew who Xuan was to me the moment he walked into the bar that night. The day you met him didn't you feel anything?"  "I get what you mean but honestly I didn't feel any pull towards him", Zhan began thinking over what was actually going on his head the day him and Yifeng met. "I remember being angry. The moment he claimed that I was his mate my wolf snarled refusing to accept it. On the day he died I just saw him as the person who had tried to hurt Yuan.  I know I am mated to Yibo but even then my wolf shouldn't have been that angry with Yifeng. If he was my true mate and my wolf recognised him, I am not saying I would have fallen in love at sight but at least my wolf should have made an attempt to get closer to the man. Isn't that how a mating bond works?", Zhan wondered and Jiyang's eyes thoughtful. "You are right. So, you don't believe he was your fated one?", Jiyang queried and Zhan shrugged a shoulder. "I was denying it since the very beginning but Yibo insisted that it could be true. It's just that the way I am with Yibo, I can't even picture myself with anyone that way. So, even now I am not convinced", finished Zhan and saw a different look on his friend's face. "You have a theory?", Zhan asked and Jiyang nodded. "Let's hear it."

"First could be that you are right and Yifeng was not your true mate to begin with. But, a person wouldn't go to such lengths just to claim someone who isn't theirs. He did believe he was your fated one and held onto that notion for years."  "What else?"  "I think he was your true mate and your life bond with Yibo stopped you from feeling anything towards the man."  Zhan wanted to object but Jiyang raised a hand effectively stopping Zhan from speaking. "Hear me out. Fated pairs are rare and every shifter longs for a connection like that. You yourself held onto that hope for years, Zhan. You fell in love with Yibo but when your wolf surfaced not once you felt the need to find your true mate. There are people who find happiness without their true partners but even then they do recognize them. It's their choice whether they want to cement the bond or not but it isn't possible for someone to not recognize their mate. The day he died and called your name, your wolf should have answered the distressed call of his fated mate."  "That just means he wasn't my mate", Zhan argued and Jiyang shook his head.  "When you met Yifeng, your wolf didn't even consider the possibility of him being anything to you. I think your wolf was angry with Yifeng for showing up and posing a threat to your bond with Yibo. Think about it, Zhan. Yibo is not just another wolf. He is the wolf your Alpha marked as his. He is the wolf who marked your Omega as his. On top of that he bound your lives together just like a fated pair have their lives tied to each other and your wolf had no issues with it. Any other wolf would have balked at the idea of being chained that way but  your wolf welcomed it. Which brought me to my conclusion and I think your wolf chose his true mate, Zhan. He chose his fated one."
"That's a load of crap, A-Yang", Zhan said laughing but the serious look on his friend's face had him stopping. "You seriously think my wolf said "fuck off" to mother nature and chose his own true mate? Really?"  Zhan had heard of chosen true mates in stories before. There was a fairytale that Zhan and many other shifters had heard as they grew up. It was the story of a man who had fallen in love with a woman, a wolf shifter just like him. They hadn't been fated mates but the man had been so in love with the woman, the moment she took her last breath the wolf had willed his own heart to stop. How he did it...no one knew. An old man had witnessed the scene and he had written their story saying that the wolf had chosen his own true mate. The one he chose to live and die with. Zhan remembered being a child and smiling at the idea of being loved like that. It was just a legend which was why the idea of Jiyang suggesting something like it make Zhan laugh. "I know it sounds crazy and I did feel the same way as you before but I do believe it now. I have only heard about this in folklores but I truly think this is what happened here, Zhan. I mean all the signs are there. Your bond with Yibo is just as strong as a true mate bond, your wolf refused to even acknowledge Huang Yifeng's claims, saw him as a threat. You let Yibo knock you up, Zhan. Was your Alpha upset with that fact? No. Infact your wolf was satisfied because you gave Yibo a pup and tied Yibo to you in your own way. This is way deeper than a simple case of mating, Xiao Zhan." Zhan laughed again but he couldn't help the hope that flared within him until he squashed it. "Yibo wouldn't stop his heart for me or something, Jiyang."  "Won't he? Binding himself to you like that. Isn't that exactly what Yibo has done?" Zhan's brows furrowed at the conviction he heard in Jiyang's tone and was ready to make some points when he picked up on Yibo's anger through their bond. "Something's up", Zhan announced standing up and made his way to Yibo's study.

Zhan opened the office doors and found Yibo standing behind his desk growling at his enforcers. Everyone stood still while Yibo's eyes were flashing wolf and Zhan stepped into the room questioning Guo Cheng. "What happened?"  Guo Cheng was about to answer when a growl left Yibo and Zhan turned to his mate arching a brow. "Really? I can't even ask what happened?"  Zhan walked to Yibo and didn't put up a fight when Yibo pulled him close breathing him in. "What made you so angry?", Zhan asked softly caressing Yibo's shoulder and Yibo growled again.  "These fuckers suggested I put you out as bait for Han Shuo", Yibo spat menacingly and Zhan's brows arched at the words. "Bait?"  "That's not what we suggested, Alpha", Rong tried to reason and Yibo would have pounced over the man if not for Zhan holding him back. "Hey! Yibo, calm down! Rong can you tell me what happened?", Zhan sat on Yibo's table motioning Yibo to sit down as well and turned his attention to the pack members. "Fill me in. What bait?"  Yibo snarled again and Zhan swatted the Alpha's shoulder in annoyance. "Let him talk!"   "Wang An suggested that we should have a party given the good news. Me and Xuan were just telling Yibo that maybe we could use this opportunity to lure Han Shuo onto Lan territory and execute him."  Zhan nodded at the enforcer's words thinking that they made sense. "That could work. It has been almost a month since Han Yi's death and no one has seen Han Shuo since then. The rumours of Yibo killing Han Yi were already circulated. Maybe this way, Han Shuo will think of taking revenge and walk into the trap. Then what's this bait talk?", Zhan frowned and an exasperated sigh left Haoxuan. "No one said that you had to be the bait, Zhan. We would never...never suggest anything foolish like that. We would never risk you like that. It's just Yibo and his wolf being dickheads.  "Don't make me hurt you, Haoxuan", Yibo growled and Zhan eased the man by placing his hand atop Yibo's while he gave orders to the enforcers. "Inform the Jiangs, Talu and Bai Li about the plan. If we want this to work, we will have to work together. Han Shuo needs to think he can sneak into Lan territory and do damage to Yibo."  "No such thing will happen!", Yibo hissed darkly making Zhan scowl at him.  "You might want to drag this Han Shuo fiasco out and have it hanging over our heads for years but I don't want that. Who knows when he will go on a killing spree again. Our attention is divided right now with Han Shuo and Xie Chong. The sooner we solve this problem the sooner we can plan our lives against the cougars. This is our chance."  Zhan turned to his pack members and fixed all of them with a hard gaze. "We will have the celebration in two weeks. Two weeks should be enough for us to strengthen our defences and plan meticulously. You all better keep your eyes and ears open because if anyone slips up and something happens, I will hang you people upside down by your intestines. This has to be a zero mistake plan. I will ask Xize to closely monitor the cougars. I don't want uninvited guests."  The pack members nodded their heads  and left the study while Yibo raged silently.

"Why are you being so difficult, Wang Yibo?", Zhan asked and hissed when a strong hand fisted his hair wrenching his head up. "There will be no party and there will be no face off with Han Shuo. I will handle this on my own. I won't put you in jeopardy."  "We have to do something, Yibo. Han Shuo is-"  "You promised me you won't be reckless and now you want me to knowingly put you in harm's way? Don't you care about yourself, Xiao Zhan? If anything goes wrong and you get hurt what will I-"  "Since when did you become a coward, Yibo? Over thirty Omegas have died at Han Shuo's hand. You promised Hua, Gao Fang and me that you will stop Han Shuo. Now that we have an opportunity to put this bastard where he belongs you are chickening out?"  Yibo turned quiet at his words and Zhan softened his tone. They were Omegas just like me, Yibo. What if it was me who was attacked instead of Hua? Would you still do nothing?" Yibo's hand flexed in his hair and Zhan knew he had Yibo. "We have a better chance at controlling the situation here on our territory. We shouldn't wait for Han Shuo to make another move. You know what I say makes sense, baby."   Zhan parted his thighs and pulled Yibo closer until the Alpha was standing between his legs. "I swear that I won't leave your side for even a moment unless you tell me to. Guo Cheng and Fan Xing will be my personal bodyguards throughout the party and they won't leave my side. Zhuocheng and Zi Yi will be there too, Yibo. Nothing will go wrong. Han Shuo has lived longer than he deserves and it's time he pays for months of pain and suffering he has inflicted upon our kind."  Yibo still stood silent and Zhan turned the Alpha's face to him looking deep into the conflicted eyes. "Don't make me your weakness, Yibo. If we lose this chance and someone else gets attacked, I will blame myself for it. If I wasn't pregnant you would have already planned everything. I will never be able to forgive myself, Yibo. Please. Do this for me. Do it for your chosen true mate."  Yibo's eyes narrowed at the last words and Zhan grabbed Yibo's hand in his looking into his mate's eyes. "Me and Jiyang were talking outside and he told me something. He has a theory as to why I never felt the mating pull. I do think his theory is far fetched but if by any chance it's the truth, I will be the happiest man alive."  "What is it?", Yibo asked in a gruff tone and Zhan extended a hand. "Proceed with the plan and I will tell you. Deal?"