Secrets of the Blossom

Chapter 1

The eleven-year-old chats happily as the doctor examines him. For the most part the doctor ignores his chatter while he presses the child’s scent glands and checks his level of spiritual energy. Only when he listens to the child’s lungs and heart did he say anything, and that is only to tell the child to be quiet so he can hear. Once he finishes that the child resumes his almost nonstop chatter.

The doctor glances across the room at the scholar waiting to record this auspicious moment and shakes his head with a frown.

Master Sun, the scholar feels a growing sense of unease. So, the boy isn’t an alpha, his parents had been so sure he would be. Master Sun isn’t sure why they had thought so; he has never seen a less alpha like child in his life.

Master and Madam Jin will just have to accept the fact that this child is a beta. Although not as distinguished as their alpha counterparts, there are plenty of young masters that have the beta designation. They aren’t usually as good with martial skills, but the Jin family is rich enough to hire plenty of guards to help protect this young master. Betas are generally better at business and politics anyway, which will serve the boy well as the heir of the Jins.

The doctor goes back and examines the boy’s scent gland and reflexes as if he just wants to make sure of something. Then he says, “Jin Xiao Bao, could you go out and send your parents in?”

Master Sun’s frown deepens. There is a fearful tremble in the doctor’s voice. The boy doesn’t notice, he jumps down and runs from the room to find his parents. The scholar’s sense of foreboding increases. This isn’t just about the boy being a beta, if it were the doctor wouldn’t look so scared.

Master and Madam Jin come in with an expectant look.

“Can I speak to you alone?” The doctor asks them.

Madam Jin looks surprised at this. Realizing something has gone wrong she asks Master Sun to wait outside.

The scholar moves close to the door and he’s able to catch some snippets of the conversation taking place inside. Phrases like, “impossible,” and “he can’t be”. An idea is starting to form in Master Sun’s thoughts, but it seems so unbelievable that he pushes the idea to the back of his mind.

When Master Jin comes out and says tightly, “You will record that Jin Xiao Bao is a beta, born to lead the family to higher levels of nobility and commerce. You will not speak of anything else that transpired today.” Master Sun only nods. If he was in the habit of spreading the things he heard in confidence, none of the families would trust him to record their illustrious histories. He would soon be penniless or dead. Maybe, considering his numerous gambling debts, both. He will record only what he is told to.

Nineteen-year-old Jin Xiao Bao has always been spoiled and pampered by the entire household. His parents, especially, have indulged him since the day he was born. Even the few times in his life his parents have had to punish him, that has only been kneeling and the servants have always put cushions in place to keep even that small punishment from feeling too harsh to the young master.

However, Xiao Bao isn’t stubborn or willful, he almost always listens to his parents and obeys them. This time is different however, they want to marry him off to an insipid omega daughter of a family friend. Xiao Bao has nothing against the girl, she is pretty enough, and intelligent. The only problem is she doesn’t stir his heart. He has always dreamed of finding his one true love. He doesn’t know where or who she is, but he knows it’s not the simpering girl that his parents had arranged for him to marry. He doesn’t care if the girl he marries is a beta or an omega, but he won’t marry for status or his business connections. He’ll only marry for love.