Fated To Be His...

48. Forgive yourself...

Rope cut deep into his wrists, the iron chains around his neck were pulled taut tightening with every breath Yibo took, and white, hot agony rushed through his blood as claws stabbed deep into his side. "Are my people taking good care of you?" Yibo felt a hand snag his throat but Yibo's eyes were swollen shut, his vision hazy and all he could do was weakly wrench his body away from the grip. "Still thinking of ways to get out of here, little Lan?", chuckled the monster scoring the flesh from Yibo's bones and Yibo stifled the pained gasp that threatened to leave his mouth. "There's no escaping me, mutt. You will die here at my hands. The same way your father died..the same way your mother did." Yibo growled harshly pulling at his chains and was punched hard across the face, blood filling his mouth. "I heard from the guards that you kept calling for someone in your sleep. Were you calling for your parents, Little Lan? Or were you calling for your Omega?" Blood seemed to freeze in Yibo's body as he began to struggle violently. "I bet you were missing your Omega. My people say he is a pretty thing. Should I make arrangements and bring him here for you?" Yibo's heart began to race at those words and an icy fear settled in his veins. His wolf's simmering rage transformed into bone-shaking fear and for a while, Yibo thought he had stopped breathing. The burn of the hot iron rod against his back, the stench of his blood, his rotting flesh, and more than anything else the fear constricting his heart was getting too much. It hurt. Everything hurt. Every breath of Yibo's told him he was still trapped in this hell. Trapped and it was impossible to get out.

Agony seeped from his pores along with his blood and Yibo's wolf howled inside him. The animal was enraged but trapped. He wanted to surface, wanted to tear apart the man who had killed his parents, put him through all this misery, and threatened his mate but Yibo couldn't even muster the strength to shift because he had been drugged. Rage and hate pumped through his veins getting stronger with every second that passed and Yibo growled feeling his wolf's anger rush through him. The pain returned stronger than before and Yibo snarled ready to rip apart the ones who hurt him when all of a sudden he smelled something...heard someone. "Baby lion?" The words washed over Yibo's soul like a balm, easing the very core of him, and followed by that voice came a feather-light touch to Yibo's head. A soft caress that had Yibo's eyes burning with tears. Holding onto the thought of the person that brought him peace, Yibo began to struggle against his binds fiercely trying to free himself. "Z-Zhan", the words Yibo's lips like a prayer, and the Alpha fought with everything in him. He wanted to go to his little wolf. He needed to. Yibo had to keep him safe. He had to go home. It had been so long. So damn long. Soon, the scent of plum blossoms covered Yibo's entire body until all the Alpha could feel and smell was his little wolf and Yibo felt his lips stretch into a smile even when tears poured from his eyes. "Little wolf... little wolf... little wolf." Yibo chanted the name with every breath he took but the chuckling of his tormentor overpowered the calls of his little wolf, the scent of burning flesh and the metallic tang of blood began to suffocate him, and just when he thought he was going to die, Yibo's eyes snapped open. He heaved on the bed trying to make sense of what had happened and felt arms come around him. Yibo's first reaction was to fling the body around him off the bed but a sense of peace came onto him when he took in a deep breath, smelling Zhan. "You're okay, baby lion." His vision was still blurry and Yibo's wolf was still caught up in the fury that had clouded his thoughts every breathing moment since that year. Yibo knew he had been having another nightmare but his wolf didn't snap out of it, returning the same broken, distorted images of his torment to Yibo. Yibo pressed his hand to the side of his head, his temples throbbing so badly it was unbearable. And his wolf...his wolf was about to lose his mind. The wolf felt fear...anger...helplessness because he had been unable to help Yibo. Unable to protect him.

"Baby lion?" Zhan's voice came to him and Yibo found himself being rolled onto his side and being hugged. The warm body was pressed onto his front, arms coming around his body and Yibo greedily closed the distance between himself and that warmth, wanting to crawl into his little wolf's body. "It's okay. It was just a bad dream. You are not there anymore. You're home. You're safe, Yibo." The words were softly spoken against Yibo's ear, lips pressing under his ear softly and slowly Yibo's breathing evened out the scent of his mate and the feel of him making Yibo's wolf calm down. "Are you with me, Yibo?", Zhan asked him softly and the Alpha nodded his head against Zhan's throat, clutching him tightly. "Give me the words, baby lion. Did you escape that man? Did you come back to me?" "I did", Yibo croaked the words and Zhan's arms squeezed him tight before dropping a kiss to Yibo's mark. "You're with me, baby lion. You came home to your little wolf." The lingering feelings from the nightmare might have been the reason but all of a sudden all Yibo could think of was being close to Zhan. There was nothing else he cared about. The only way he would feel safe was if he was in his Zhan-Zhan's arms and Yibo let out a shaky breath, licking his dry lips. "Hold me", Yibo rasped, slowly rolling Zhan onto his back and seeing what his Alpha needed Zhan pressed a kiss to Yibo's lips saying, "Come here."