Always You(#0.5)

The darkness in him...

Xiao Zhan was done. So done. The part-Alpha could barely stand, his face was frozen stiff because of the forced smiles he had been giving away all evening, and his wolf was ready to claw his way out if suppressed a second longer. The animal was also tempted to bite off the heads turning his way, gouging out the eyes that were staring at him. He shouldn't have let Yibo talk him into this. That pout of Yibo's was going to get Zhan into serious trouble one day. It was unhealthy how easily Zhan gave in to his mate's wishes once that pout came into view. Just a single glimpse and Zhan was ready to give up his life. Who knew being in love was so dangerous? Zhan would have liked to get a heads-up before he dived into this headfirst. He cursed his mate again in his head letting out an exasperated sigh. He was going to get even with his mate for sure. Later. For now, he had to endure this a little longer and try to leave the crowded area without flashing his claws.

"Mr. Xiao, so good to meet you." The cheery voice from behind him had Zhan groaning on the inside. ''Here we go again'', he mumbled to himself before smiling wide. Before him stood two women and Zhan cursed again under his breath. The universe was testing him tonight. "Hello, Ms. Tang. Mrs. Su. How are you doing?" The woman on the right, Tang Yun made a show of raking her eyes over Zhan from his head to his toes not hiding her attraction in the slightest and Zhan wished Yibo saw him getting eye fucked by the woman. Maybe then Yibo would stop hauling Zhan to these lavish events. "I am doing just fine. You look sharp like always." Zhan was hoping the woman would move along but her eyes made it clear. Tang Yun was in a particularly chatty mood today while the woman beside her drilled holes into Zhan with her wrath-filled eyes.

"It was a pleasant surprise being invited to a party hosted by the Wangs. We all know how private they are." 'Private, my ass', Zhan thought to himself taking in his surroundings. There was nothing private about the gatherings hosted by the Wangs. They had a knack for organizing events on a grand scale. It was hard for Zhan to believe how they managed to pull it all off. On second thought, Zhan wasn't surprised. His mate did everything to the best of his abilities. There was no room for error when Wang Yibo did something. Yet, Zhan couldn't help but be in awe of his Alpha. Shifters didn't do well in crowded places. Seeing them trying to mingle with humans was always entertaining. A lot of things could go wrong in a setting like this one but clearly, Wang Yibo liked to play with fire. What amazed Zhan was how well-behaved the guests were. The fear Wang Yibo had instilled in the shifter world could be sensed in the air.

The Wangs were celebrating their expansion overseas in a grand way. The party was being hosted in one of their luxury hotels and Zhan had to resist the urge to stare. The high ceilings, mirrored walls, beautiful carpet, and classy decor had a lot of eyes glazing with appreciation. The Wangs were becoming Chun Hua's regulars and Zhan had to say, his friend had knocked it out of the park this time. He had always believed in Hua's talent but this time, he was truly spellbound. He had heard numerous murmurs of appreciation and figured Hua was going to be nose-deep in work after this. "I hope you enjoy the night", Zhan responded playing the host. "That I will." The woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear leaning closer to the part-Alpha and Zhan resisted the urge to lean away. His wolf...well, the animal almost surfaced to snarl at her. "Wang Yibo keeps you hidden well, Xiao Zhan. You are rarely seen alone. Finding you without the Lan Alpha breathing down your neck is nothing less than a miracle. How about we talk somewhere more private?", offered  Tang Yun and as Zhan was about to respond a snicker came from Mrs. Su. "Come on Tang Yun. You aren't desperate enough to go after Wang Yibo's sloppy seconds." Su Xi chuckled to herself but Zhan's eyes flashed with peril catching the bitterness in her tone when she took Yibo's name.

"Still upset about the beating your husband got from Yibo, Su Xi?" The woman's smile froze and Zhan raised a brow at the glare she shot him a second later. It was only two months ago that Rong and Hedi had found Wang An drunk and sobbing over a man. Su Xi's husband, Zhang Fengyi had approached Wang An and swept the woman off her feet but he had forgotten to mention that he was a married man. The two had been in a relationship for a few months and An had thought she was falling in love. When the truth had come to light, the she-wolf had been devastated. The fact that many had accused her of being a homewrecker had been even worse. Heartbroken and embarrassed, the she-wolf had lost the shine in her eyes, something that had upset everyone in the Lan pack. So along with Hedi, Wang Yibo and Wang Rong had paid Zhang Fengyi a visit to teach the man a lesson. The visit had ended soon with Fengyi crying for his life. Xiao Zhan saw the woman turning red before him and smirked.