Fated To Be His...

21. I'll never stand in your way...

"This must be so weird for you", Yu Qi began and Zhan tried to muster a smile in response, failing miserably. "Not weird but definitely unexpected. What can I help you with?" The look on the girl's face changed then, her smile dropping from her face and sorrow taking hold of her features. "You must have guessed already. It is about Yibo." Even though Zhan had known something like this was coming, he still stiffened in his seat and Yu Qi noticed. "I didn't want to come here like this. I barely know you and the things that I want to say will come off as extremely selfish but I have run out of choices. I need to say this because I can't lose my Alpha." A growl left Zhan as the woman claimed that Yibo was her Alpha and his eyes flashed a bright amber with fury. The woman jumped at the sound and Zhan had to restrain himself from jumping over the table and bite her head off. His wolf was hounding him to stake his own claim, pull the woman's throat out for even thinking of Yibo as hers but Zhan reined himself in. "My bad", he mumbled an apology and the woman seemed to relax a little into her chair although, her form remained cautious. Zhan wasn't sure if he caught it right but she seemed satisfied seeing Zhan agitated which caused Zhan's hackles to raise. "This is why I had to talk to you", she began again making Zhan eye her warily. Zhan had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever came out of the woman's mouth. "Listen, I totally get that you and Yibo were close. You guys were best of friends maybe even more but that isn't the case anymore. So.." She stopped speaking suddenly and Zhan's gut churned again. He didn't like that Yu Qi talked about Yibo and him in the past tense but honestly, he couldn't deny her words. He knew that Yibo and him weren't as close as they had been in the past and moreover, he wanted to know where the Omega was headed with her words. "I'd rather you just get to the point, Ms. Yu Qi." "I love Yibo, Xiao Zhan." Zhan's fists clenched under the table listening to her words and if Yu Qi saw the change in him, she didn't comment on it. Infact, her tone was even firmer than before as she continued talking.

"I have been by his side for the past five years and whenever I needed someone, he was there for me. I knew that coming back here would cause some troubles in my relationship but I didn't hold Yibo back because I know how much he cares for this place. This was his home once and you all were his family. I can't ask Yibo to shirk of his responsibilities to Wang Lei and this place but, I am not comfortable with the fact that you are here around him. You and him share a past and I guess you have feelings for him too, given the way you reacted." "What do you want from me, Yu Qi?", Zhan asked bluntly and saw the woman's shoulders sag as if the weight of the world was on them. "I think you and Yibo need to stay away from each other." Another growl rose in Zhan's throat but this time he stopped himself. "You can't be suggesting that I leave my own home, Ms. Yu Qi?", Zhan asked with an arch of his brow, anger bleeding into his voice and Yu Qi's lips pursed. "That's not what I am saying but I won't lie, I did consider asking you to do it. I also heard that the Zhuo Alpha has offered you a place in his pack but from what I was told you denied the Alpha." Zhan remained silent staring at the woman and her eyes raised to Zhan's again, tears shining in them.

"It hurts to see you both together and I know Yibo's old feelings are surfacing again. He has started to pull away from me, acting as if all these years there was nothing between us and it hurts, Xiao Zhan!" The pain in the woman's voice was obvious but Zhan didn't feel sorry for her. He couldn't bring himself to feel anything but anger and jealousy. "Ever since he came back, he is getting involved in things that aren't his business. Chang Xia is after him, all the Alphas that have sided with her now see Yibo as their enemy and I am worried." "Are you here because you want me to ask him to withdraw his protection from Hope?" Zhan questioned and saw the woman sigh hurt and helplessness etched onto her face. "I will be honest with you. I wanted to ask Yibo to drop this matter. I couldn't tell him how much this situation was bothering me and make him choose between me and Hope." "He won't do it, Yu Qi. No matter who asks Yibo to do it, Yibo won't back off now", Zhan reasoned because he knew how Yibo's head worked. Wang Yibo had made this fight his own and Yibo couldn't let Hope down. This was his home too. "Then you have to take a step back, Zhan. You need to stay away from him." Yu Qi's features lost all signs of pain and anger flashed in her eyes surprising Zhan. Rage was buzzing under her skin and Zhan realised this woman hated him to her core. Not a big surprise. If she was infact in love with Wang Yibo, she could see Zhan as someone who was a threat and Zhan understood that. But, he wouldn't let go of Yibo just because someone asked him to. "I understand what you feel but I am afraid I can't give you what you want. I won't stay away from Yibo, Yu Qi." Yu Qi's eyes were blazing orbs of fury as she glared at Zhan but Zhan wasn't worried. The woman shouldn't have come here expecting Zhan to do what she wanted. No one told Zhan whom he could and whom he couldn't be with. Zhan hadn't given those rights to his own mate, forget someone who was a mere stranger. "He isn't the same man who stayed in this shelter, Zhan. The person you loved is no longer there. It would be foolish of you to hold onto him", said the woman with a jut of her chin and this time a smile made it's way on Zhan's face. "That's where you are wrong, Yu Qi. He will always be the Wang Yibo I knew. He will always be the man I love." Zhan stood up from his chair not interested in talking to the woman anymore but Yu Qi apparently wasn't done.

"The Yibo you knew is long gone, Xiao Zhan. Alpha has gone through tough times and it has taken him a long while to finally forget everything. You don't know him anymore. You are in your prime and you will have hundreds of Alphas who would be ready to claim you but Yibo won't be one of them. So, I suggest you wake up from your dreams and try to move on. From the looks of it, you won't have to try very hard in that department." Her eyes moved over Zhan's shoulder and Zhan turned to see Zhuo Yichen standing feets away a frown on the man's face. When Zhan turned back to look at Yu Qi there was a sad smile on her face and her gaze pleading. "You have people who understand you and love you, Zhan. I only have Yibo. Five years is a long time and I love Yibo with everything in me just like he does. His wolf makes it hard for him to accept that fact, he is still hung up on the life he had here but Yibo doesn't need all of this anymore. He has a new life now." "What happened to him?", Zhan found himself asking and Yu Qi directed Zhan a look full of pity. "It wasn't anything good and it's Yibo's story to tell. If he hasn't already told you about it, maybe he doesn't want you to know. Whether you admit it or not, a lot has changed in these five years. You aren't Yibo's confidant anymore I don't say this to make you feel bad but you need to know the truth." "And according to you the truth is that Yibo doesn't want me to be a part of his life so I need to stay away from him." Zhan hadn't realized how much venom had leached into his voice but he guessed it did because Yu Qi took a step back away from him.

"You have misunderstood me", Yu Qi said evenly making Zhan shake his head. "No, I haven't. You love Yibo and you want me to stay away from him because you feel insecure. This has less to do with Yibo and more with what you want." "You're getting it all wrong! I just-" She shut up when Zhan raised a hand standing up from his chair. "As much as this conversation has been enlightening, I have to take my leave. But, before that there are a few things I need to tell you. Wang Yibo is important to me, Yu Qi. No matter who asks me to, I, Xiao Zhan, will never stop caring about him. If he wants me to stay away, you should go tell him to say those words to me himself. The day he says he wants me out of his life, I'll leave. And if I am creating troubles in your relationship, I'd like Yibo to be the one who points that out to me. You were right before, you don't know me very well which is clear by the way you came here like this. But, I'll tell you something. I have a mind of my own and I don't need you to tell me how I should handle my personal life. It will be better if rather than coming here and warning me off you have a talk with Yibo regarding how you feel. Let him decide if he wants to stay away from me. Be careful on your way back, Ms. Yu Qi." Zhan turned away and took a step forward only to stop when her voice came from behind him. "Remember that he left you in here for five years, Xiao Zhan. The time you were waiting for him, possibly pining for him...he was in my arms. The only reason he came back was because Lei was in need of his help. This has nothing to do with you. He doesn't care for you. If he did, he would have taken you with him to the Wang territory. He didn't because he doesn't fucking care for you!" Zhan heard the words and even though he didn't want them to get to him, they did. She was right. Atleast, on surface it did look like Yibo hadn't given a damn about him and had left him alone but he also believed Yibo more than her. Yibo had told Zhan he couldn't come back and he had his reasons, Zhan believed that. It could be his blind affection for the Alpha or that he was just that foolish but he chose to believe Yibo's words over a total stranger. Zhan stared right ahead and didn't turn around when he said the words, "If that's the case then you have nothing to worry about, Yu Qi. If Yibo really doesn't care for me then you are getting worried for nothing. If you love him and he loves you, I will never stand in your way. You have my word."

Yibo palmed his face feeling so physically and emotionally exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open. He hadn't slept well in days. Everytime he closed his eyes Gu Yinjun's face came to him and those nightmares were getting worse and more lifelike every passing day. Yibo woke up most mornings drenched in sweat, his wolf stronger than him, battling him to surface and Yibo needed to hide himself in his room to keep himself in control. Zhan's hoodie had helped initially but now, the piece of clothing had started to smell more like Yibo and it was annoying Yibo's wolf even more. Yibo pinched the bridge of his nose sighing out loud and turned around sharply when he heard hurried footsteps coming close. "What's wrong?", Yibo asked his Beta taking in his heaving form and Haoxuan was silent for a moment before he bit the words out. "Feiyu called. Yu Qi went to Hope, Alpha. She talked with Zhan and Feiyu said that she was furious when she left. He didn't know what they talked about but I guessed you should know." Yibo's eyes turned a deep shade of red and a chilling growl left him once the words registered. Pushing Haoxuan out of the way, Yibo dashed to his car ignoring the incessant calls behind him. His Beta was running after him, telling him to calm down and keep himself in check but Yibo was too far gone. Feeling perilous the Alpha got into his car and the tired screeched in the driveway as he went. "Xuan-ge, What happened?", FanXing asked with a frown on his face and Haoxuan cursed out loud. "Something bad is going to happen, FanXing."