Always You(#0.5)

Part two

Noticing his mate's eyes burn with wrath Zhan crossed the distance between them placing a hand on Yibo's forearm. "Don't. Let's-" "Take Zhan away from here, Yubin." Dark, ice-cold eyes roamed over Zhan's face concern evident in them and the frigid anger in the air had Zhan's grip on Yibo's hand tightening. The Omega urged with his eyes for Yibo to not pursue the matter but Yibo only offered his mate a small squeeze of his hand gesturing him to go inside. "I'll be right behind you, Zhan-Zhan. Go on." "Yi-"  "Go, firecracker. Please." Knowing that Yibo wouldn't back off, Zhan left the balcony with a heavy heart.

Saying his goodbyes, Zhan walked out of the party hall trying his best to appear normal despite his nerves being shot. "They have to see the truth. It's not fair how they keep bringing up Xinyue to hurt you.", stated Yubin behind him as Zhan closed his eyes briefly."  "They are hurting too, Yubin", Zhan whispered massaging his throbbing temples as they entered a private elevator to Yibo's penthouse. "They lost both their children. Liu Song looks at me and sees what her daughter would've had if she were alive. Yibo is the only link they have to their dead daughter. Naturally,they dislike me."  "That does not mean they have to attack you. You both fell in love. Fuck what they wanted or didn't want. You should've said something, Zhan-Zhan."  The elevator dinged open and Zhan shook his head slightly walking through the empty living room. The place was chilly without Yibo. "The more I defend myself the more they'll get angry." A hand came on Zhan's shoulder and the part-Alpha took the comfort his friend offered. "You aren't responsible for the distress they are in, Zhan-Zhan. The kinder you are to them, the more offensive they get. They don't deserve your consideration." 

"What could I possibly say, Yubin? That I will take care of Yibo, love him for life? You think they would've reacted well to that? Yibo was Xinyue's true mate, Yubin! I can't ask Yibo to throw away the only connection he has to her. And Yibo will do it. He won't ever question or go against my wishes. I just don't want to put him in a difficult position." "You don't want him in a position where he has to choose between you and Xinyue. But, the truth is. He has chosen you, Zhan-Zhan. There's nothing you can do about it. That's why her parents loathe you from every fiber of their being. You should have said something. Because you didn't, now Yibo will. And, I don't think Yibo will be nice about it." A worried look came onto Zhan's face thinking back on the fury he had seen in Yibo's eyes. "That's what I am afraid of."

Yibo's head went back to the scene where his firecracker had walked away. The half-Omega's slumped shoulders flashed in Yibo's eyes and his body went rigid. The one thing the wolf within him loathed beyond reason was Zhan in pain. Yibo himself could bear any form of torture be it physical or mental but something about seeing Zhan hurting weakened his knees. The man and beast both had taken the fiery firecracker under their wing and vowed to keep that beautiful smile always on Zhan's face. Nothing and no one was going to take that beautiful sight away from Wang Yibo. He dragged Zhan with him to these social gatherings to send a message to everyone he knew. All his friends and his enemies needed to know what would happen if Yibo's man was touched. Zhang Wei's story had reached a lot of ears and people were curious to see the man who had dragged Yibo in love beyond sanity. Yibo almost hoped for someone to make a move on Zhan just so Yibo could give everyone a live demonstration of how far he could go to protect his firecracker. To his disappointment, no one had come forth. So far, the words had worked and everything had been going well until Yibo saw his firecracker leave. Moments later surprise and anxiety had reached Yibo through their bond for just a second and Yibo knew something had happened. To his disapproval, the Lan Alpha had found Xinyue's parents talking to Zhan. The sight was enough for Yibo to feel violent. The words hadn't worked for the Liu couple. It seemed like these two needed a warning up close.

Liu Yang saw Yibo advance towards them, the Alpha's eyes horribly vacant and he forced a smile onto his face. "We were just speaking with Xiao Zhan, Yibo.  It's just that-" "He has been nothing but respectful towards you", Yibo began stopping within a few feet of the two shifters. Xinyue's parents always had a glimpse of fear in their eyes whenever they gazed at Yibo. Although they tried hard to treat Yibo as family, the Lan Alpha's cold demeanor and reputation scared them. The fear in their eyes was a sight Yibo was familiar with but today the fear was more profound than ever before. The two shifters had once hoped that Yibo would be closer to them but fate had meddled into their lives. "We don't want any animosity between us, Yibo."  "Even though he owes you both nothing, despite the hatred you have for him, he still treats you well. You shouldn't take advantage of my mate's kindness, Aunt Liu. I don't like it." The words were not loud but they rang with an emotion so ominous, Mr. Liu pushed his mate behind him out of fear.