In the morning, Wei Ying woke to the sight of Lan Zhan getting dressed for breakfast. He knew it was time for breakfast because it was at a ridiculous hour and he was still half asleep when Lan Zhan's gaze met his from across the room.
"If they punish you again, tell them I'll be very angry," he growled.
The fact that they hadn't slept much the night before had put Wei Ying on edge. Lan Zhan could calmly accept his pack's rules and the consequences of disobeying a direct order from the Alpha, but Wei Ying didn't have to like it.
"I'm being serious," he said with a frown that was too intense for so early in the morning. "I'll show them their intestines if they fuck with you again. I'm the one who keeps you away from the pack gathering, so they should speak to me about it. Not you."
"Wei Ying, you're the Sena. You are above reproach. And, as one of the high ranking members in my pack, I should lead by example," Lan Zhan said.
Wei Ying huffed. "It's breakfast, not war negotiations. You can miss a few if you want to."
Lan Zhan strode over to the bed and sat on the edge, beside Wei Ying's naked body. Wei Ying curled towards him like a puppy drawn to warmth and Lan Zhan stroked his fingers through his hair and across his cheek.
"It's not about the meal, Xīngān," Lan Zhan said. "Disobedience. Insubordination. The good of the pack comes first, not individual wants. There are visiting Alphas in our territory, some of whom would be brazen enough to test boundaries and to find the weak spot in our ranks. If Xichen says the pack members need to be there for every meal, we should all be there."
"I grew up in a pack. I know all of that," Wei Ying said. "But I outrank every other wolf, including the Alphas. And if I command you to be by my side then my order is paramount."
Lan Zhan leaned over to press little kisses against Wei Ying's temple and cheek, as if once he started he couldn't stop himself.
"But you haven't commanded me to do anything, have you?" Lan Zhan said quietly. "And it's inconsequential now, because I am going to breakfast so I won't be disobeying orders."
"Stay. Get back in bed," Wei Ying commanded.
Lan Zhan chuckled very softly like a breath of air against his skin and murmured, "No, Tiānzî. No matter how much I want to. I'll just end up being inside you again, and you're already sore. You admitted that last night was your first time, Wei Ying. I should have been more gentle."
Wei Ying groaned long and loud, as his cheeks reddened and he half hid his face against his pillow.
"Says you," he countered grumpily. "Don't think I don't remember you admitting that it was your first time too. And I didn't want you to be gentle. I'm not glass. I don't break easily. I wanted to feel you, and you gave me exactly what I wanted."
Lan Zhan unearthed him from the pillow and then ran his thumb over Wei Ying lips as if he was memorizing the shape of it. His gaze was so soft that Wei Ying almost hid from him again, and the way he made Wei Ying feel, just looking at him.
"I'll be back as soon as possible," Lan Zhan soothed. "I can arrange for your meal to be brought here instead of to the guest house, so that you can get some more rest."
Wei Ying shook his head and said, "You probably shouldn't. The less people who know where I spend my nights now, the better for both of us. I'll just run over to my room to eat, like I've been doing, and it will be less suspicious."
"Mn," Lan Zhan said before he leaned down and pressed his lips against Wei Ying's for a gentle goodbye kiss.
Since Wei Ying didn't want him to be gentle though, and he definitely didn't want early morning goodbyes, he moaned softly and slid his fingers into Lan Zhan's hair and deepened the kiss. He sucked on his lower lip and then licked it before pressing his mouth back to Lan Zhan's mouth until he could slide his tongue past his teeth to taste him even more.
In response, Lan Zhan slid his arms under Wei Ying's body and pulled him up so that they were both sitting on the bed.
Wei Ying immediately wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan's neck and moaned again as Lan Zhan's tongue moved against his and their heated breaths mingled. When it wasn't enough, he pulled away from the kiss only long enough to climb onto Lan Zhan's lap with his knees straddling his waist on either side. Then he wrapped his arms around his neck again and pressed his body against him as he went in for another deep, passionate kiss.
Lan Zhan's arms wrapped around Wei Ying's naked body and his fingers pressed against his back to hold him tightly, as one kiss turned into another that was filled with soft gasps and little groans.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan sighed in resignation when their lips finally parted long enough to breathe.
His voice was all low and husky and sexy as fuck, and it made Wei Ying really not want to let go of him. But he did though. He sighed like it was the most difficult thing he ever had to do, before he rested his forehead against Lan Zhan's.
"Go to breakfast before you get into any more trouble because of me," he grumbled. "I'm going back to bed until I decide that it's a decent hour to wake up."
Lan Zhan left for breakfast and then disappeared for the rest of the morning. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Wei Ying was finally ready to open his eyes again.
He quickly got dressed and shifted into his wolf form so that he could run as covertly as possible from the Jingshi to the guest house.
He passed a few familiar looking Ice Wolves on the way back who he thought for sure would notify Lan Xichen of his escape from Lan Zhan's house. But each time one of them saw him they gave him a tiny nod in greeting and then somehow managed to divert others' attention away from the Sena.
It wasn't until Wei Ying was safely back into his suite and shifted into his human form that he allowed himself a quiet chuckle. Lan Xichen was definitely going to have an issue on his hands if this continued for much longer. Lan Zhan's squad was small and seemingly innocent, but his warriors were efficiently trained and fiercely loyal.
Wei Ying spent his morning on the training field with Lan Yuan, Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling and Ouyang Zizhen.
The four of them seemed to have formed their own little coalition, so Wei Ying led them to one end of the field and trained them through various fighting techniques that incorporated many of the styles that they had observed in the evening battles. Since Wei Ying had spent so much time when he was younger, visiting the smaller packs, he figured that they weren't going to get a better instructor to help.
It led to a lot of bruises, one very deep gash on his thigh from Zizhen's claws, and a bite from Rulan which caused Lan Jingyi to almost punch the younger wolf in the jaw.
Wei Ying healed with spiritual energy within the hour, but by mid afternoon he felt depleted, so he slipped away from lunch with the Etas and escaped to the quiet, oasis of the Cold Pond Cave.
That was where Lan Zhan found him again.
— — —
Wei Ying was standing near the center of the pond, when the white wolf entered the cave.
Since the competitions were winding down, and as it was the middle of the day, most of the Etas chose to use the readily accessible Cold Springs for minor concerns instead of the Cold Pond Cave. Which was why it was a surprise when light footsteps echoed softly around him and he noticed the intruder to his little retreat. Not to mention that Lan Zhan should have been at lunch with his packmates. But Wei Ying's white wolf was stubborn and rebellious when he wanted to be.
"Took you long enough to track me," Wei Ying said quietly. "I was beginning to think I'd have to go another day without seeing you again."
The wolf began to walk slowly along the ice banks to get closer to Wei Ying. He kept his eyes locked on Wei Ying's gaze, and Wei Ying tracked his movement as he slowly approached.
"The remaining Snow Wolves finally left this morning. Su She left with them. Then more Gold Wolves arrived, including one of Jin Guangyao's Betas, Jin Zixuan. Interesting dynamic there. They despise each other very much."
Wei Ying sighed. "Makes sense that they would. I think Jin Ling was their peace treaty. Zixuan wouldn't challenge his Alpha, and Guangyao wouldn't kill the boy, if Zixuan remained his Beta. But now that Jin Ling is learning to fight his own battles, the agreement between them must be on the verge of crumbling."
"Like I said. Interesting way to lead a pack. Not even I realized before how much resentment was there until they were both standing in a room together."
The wolf had paused at the edge of the pond and Wei Ying gave him a sullen look.
"I don't really want to think about that right now though," he said. "Lan Zhan, come here and keep me warm. I missed you."
The white wolf shifted to his human form. Then Lan Zhan carefully removed his shoes and his knife harness, including the blade, before he stepped down into the freezing cold water of the healing pond. He shivered at the shock before his core kicked in and stabilized his internal temperature. Only then did he carefully make his way over to where Wei Ying stood half naked in the center of the pond, watching him.
As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around Wei Ying's waist from behind and pulled him firmly against his chest.
They were the same height, which made it easy for Lan Zhan to tilt his head and nuzzle against the side of Wei Ying's neck. Lan Zhan was larger and broader in general, but considering their training, their bodies were similar in most aspects. Wei Ying had said he wasn't glass and Lan Zhan knew he wasn't. He could hold him tight and treat him rough and not worry that Wei Ying was too fragile to take it.
Wei Ying gave a contented little groan as Lan Zhan's warmth and scent surrounded him. He tilted his head back and inhaled deeply as Lan Zhan began to kiss along his neck, behind one ear and along one shoulder, before the kisses travelled back towards his neck.
He raised his arms and laced his fingers on top of his head, effectively trapping Lan Zhan in a hold against the side of his neck. Lan Zhan slid one hand upwards along the smooth line of Wei Ying's chest and the other hand down underwater to unclasp the button and zipper of Wei Ying's pants. Then he slowly slid his fingers past the waistband of Wei Ying's underwear to grasp his burgeoning erection.
Wei Ying gasped at how good it felt to have Lan Zhan's hand on him again. He was so hot for this man. His body burned for him. He was addicted to his scent, and to his touch, and to the taste and feel of him.
He lowered his arms so that he could clutch tightly at the leg of Lan Zhan's pants with one hand while the other hand rested along Lan Zhan's arm and he interlaced his fingers with Lan Zhan's fingers around his cock.
The sound he made as the two of them stroked him together to full hardness, was filthy and raw, and fuck did it feel so good. His hips thrust into the tight fist that their fingers made, before pressing his ass back and grinding against the erection in Lan Zhan's pants that said that he was enjoying this as well.
When Wei Ying circled his hips again, he leaned his head forwards and squeezed his eyes shut to suck in a breath as pleasure chased all the way through his body to the tips of his toes.
"Fuck!" Wei Ying groaned.
Lan Zhan nuzzled against his ear and whispered like a promise, "Want to. So much. When you're in my bed again tonight."
Wei Ying raised his head and opened his eyes, still panting as the fingers around his cock worked his shaft relentlessly. Lan Zhan's hand that was on Wei Ying's chest, slid further up to the column of Wei Ying's throat and gently curled around it. Not squeezing but firm enough to hold Wei Ying's head steady.
Then Lan Zhan moved his mouth from the side of Wei Ying's face to the back of his neck.
He licked all the way from the top of Wei Ying's back to the edge of Wei Ying's hairline. And then he groaned like the taste of Wei Ying was the best thing ever. Not wasting time, he moved his mouth to that sensitive spot on Wei Ying's neck. And he began to suck on it.
"Mmm. Yes. Fuck. Yes. So good. You're so good at this. Making me come for you," Wei Ying babbled.
His knees almost buckled as Lan Zhan pressed into him to suck even harder, and he cried out in pure bliss as pleasure raced all the way up and down his spine. The sounds echoed in the cave, unmistakably wanton and filled with lust, when their joined fingers began to speed up, pumping Wei Ying's cock in a relentless rhythm that had Wei Ying panting and groaning.
Lan Zhan stopped sucking and began to gnaw at the spot, licking and kissing and grinding his teeth against it.
Wei Ying was lost in a world of sensations as he writhed and moaned and gasped in Lan Zhan's arms. Lan Zhan pressed his clothed erection tight against Wei Ying and rocked against him as if he wished he was fucking Wei Ying's ass again as Wei Ying's cock fucked into their fist on each back and forth motion that Lan Zhan's hips forced him into.
When his orgasm started building at the base of his cock it was almost a relief for Wei Ying. He thrust his hips harder and leaned his head back against Lan Zhan's head, as Lan Zhan's canines became sharp enough to scratch at Wei Ying's skin.
"Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying sobbed.
He wanted it. Fuck, he wanted it so badly, he was almost tempted to push hard against Lan Zhan's mouth to force Lan Zhan's fangs in. But before he could lose his mind, Lan Zhan groaned against his skin as if he was in pure, excruciating anguish, and quickly slipped his hand from around Wei Ying's neck.
He bit hard into the flesh of his own wrist, just as the two of them simultaneously climaxed together.
Wei Ying's cock pulsed between their fingers and his hips twitched with each spasm. Until there was nothing else left of him to give, and his knees finally gave out beneath him.
Wei Ying waded to shore as quickly as he could before he ended up drowning. As soon as he could, he sat down in the shallow water, with his arms wrapped around his knees, head bowed and his body shaking and shaking like a leaf.
He knew that Lan Zhan was likely misinterpreting his retreat, and he wanted to apologize, and reassure him, but first he needed a moment to breathe.
His wolf was so close to the surface. So close that he was actually terrified that for the first time, he was about to lose control and shift back into his wolf form before he could stop it. Every muscle in his body, every bone, everything inside of him screamed for his mate. It was all he could do not to get on his hands and knees and crawl to him. Beg him to give in. It took another few painful minutes of mental warfare to wrestle back the shift, before Wei Ying could finally breathe easier.
Lan Zhan joined him on the shore and wrapped his arms around Wei Ying and pulled him close.
"I'm sorry," Lan Zhan said in a voice raw with restrained emotions. "Wei Ying. Forgive me. I'm sorry."
And at the opening of the cave a single man began an applause that echoed around the cavern like a stadium.
"Hā! I'm sorry too," Jin Guangyao called out. "That was some performance you just put on. I know whorehouses that would have paid millions for the pleasure of being your audience."
At the sound of the intrusive voice, Wei Ying's gaze snapped to Lan Zhan in disbelief. Lan Zhan closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath, as if today was just a day of mistakes for him.
"Unbelievable," he exhaled softly in the space between them. "I was distracted."
Wei Ying shook his head. They had both been careless assuming that they would be alone for hours. It wasn't Lan Zhan's fault for not being on high-alert. It wasn't either of their faults for not even being aware of the Gold Wolf's approach, but at the sound of his words, panic raced through Wei Ying's entire body, and as all those times before, it wasn't worry for himself.
So many wanted to be Xiandu. The Sena hadn't claimed his mate yet so there was no soulbond, which made Lan Zhan vulnerable to jealous Alphas. Those Alphas would attack Lan Zhan for being what they wanted. Every instinct inside of the Sena howled to protect him. Because this white wolf was his other half, and even the idea of him being killed was unbearable.
Lan Zhan met his gaze again. Dominant Alpha, fierce and dangerous Zeta, with a protective Epsilon streak.
"I'll go," he said still in a quiet whisper so that his words didn't travel to Jin Guangyao.
Wei Ying shook his head again and said, "No way! I'm better at handling tricky situations."
But Lan Zhan was already rising to his feet. He dried his clothes with a wave of one white gloved hand, and called his shoes and his knife to himself.
While he was putting those on, Wei Ying looked around for the rest of his clothes to do the same.
He was barely a few minutes behind as Lan Zhan strode out of the cave to where Jin Guangyao had retreated. But, by the time Wei Ying made it outside it was to find the two of them already standing almost chest to chest, in a show of aggression.
"If you have something to say, then say it to my face," Lan Zhan snarled in a deceptively calm voice that hinted at violence. "Straight to me. Don't be coy about it. I don't need you to hide your words, Guangyao."
Jin Guangyao's smile twisted into an ugly sneer even as he pretended to incline his head in a show of mutual respect.
"I knew men like you when I was just a pup, Lan Wangji," he said. "Men who put their hands on things they weren't meant to touch. Men who used their rank to manipulate others, while knowing that their intentions weren't pure."
He glanced down at Lan Zhan's hands and huffed in disgust.
"Don't think I don't know how difficult it is to resist him. We all want him!" he continued. "Wen Ruohan and my father both destroyed themselves trying to own him. To get a taste of what you just had between your fingers. Hanguang Jun is rumored to be virtuous and strong. An enforcer. A true wolf warrior. And yet, here you are debasing yourself for the chance to touch him. No wonder it's taking him so long to choose his Xiandu. He already has you to fuck in the meantime."
Lan Zhan's expression went ice cold and he made a sound in his chest that was pure animalistic rage. It was deep and low and unmistakably the growl of an Alpha wolf, except Lan Zhan was still in his human form.
Jin Guangyao's eyes widened in shock and he gasped loudly in fear and took a hasty step back. But Wei Ying was already moving. He stepped between the two of them and rested one hand on Lan Zhan's chest. With the other hand he grabbed the front of Jin Guangyao's uniform.
"The next words you say to him better be worth your life," Wei Ying said. "I don't care if you say I'm rude and shameless, but I won't accept you insulting Lan Zhan like that. I'm more than willing to fight you on this. And you've made him so upset that he wants to tear you open with his claws."
The rumble in Lan Zhan's chest calmed, and Wei Ying turned his gaze away from Jin Guangyao to look at him.
Lan Zhan's eyes were like a pair of amber fire glass reflecting light. Beautiful, with a storm of colors. He was definitely back in control though, so Wei Ying nodded reassuringly at him and moved his hand away. As soon as he did, Lan Zhan stepped back to provide Wei Ying with some space.
Wei Ying turned to look at Jin Guangyao before he released his hold on the man as well. Jin Guangyao gave him a look that was mixed with equal parts admiration and irritation.
"I have to commend Xichen's foresight in this. He has been so cunning in setting his pack up for success! Gusu will remain in the Sena's favor now, even after the Xiandu has been chosen. How were the rest of us supposed to compete with having a Jade as your lover?" he sneered. "This is a plan that I would have executed myself if I'd known. Qin Su was in Lanling when you were there. She could have climbed into your bed if sex was what you were interested in."
Wei Ying's eyes narrowed into a glare as he responded, "She tried. Even your father did, back then. Lanling didn't have anything I wanted."
"Well Lanling has me now," Jin Guangyao pointed out. "And I'm much better trained in the art of sex than a wolf with a reputation for being cold. So if it's a lover you want then I'm more than capable of satisfying that urge whenever you need."
He reached out as if to stroke Wei Ying's face. Before his fingers could make contact though, Lan Zhan grabbed his wrist in a firm grip, and leaned forward to get up close to the Lanling Alpha.
"Try to put your hand on him again and I will rip it from your shoulder," Lan Zhan warned.
Jin Guangyao opened his mouth to respond, but then he seemed to remember Wei Ying's earlier warning regarding the next words he said to Lan Wangji, because he pulled his arm out of the Ice Wolf's grip with a bark of laughter and a shake of his head.
Wei Ying glanced at Lan Zhan again.
He seemed as outwardly in control as always. Even the subtle threats were on point. But Wei Ying could sense that his white wolf was agitated. Whatever the reason he thought had caused Wei Ying's reaction to move away from him in the pond, he was blaming himself for it.
Wei Ying wanted to wrap his arms around him and whisper into his ear that nothing he ever did when he was with Wei Ying was wrong. They were figuring this out together, one painful, heart-wrenching decision at a time. There was no guide on becoming the Xiandu, just like there wasn't one on being the Sena.
"I'm not interested in having multiple lovers at a time. And as you saw yourself, I already have a lover that I want," Wei Ying said simply, as Lan Zhan stepped back again. "Why were you sneaking around out here, Guangyao?"
"Why, Tiānzî? To have some alone time with you of course. But I was a few minutes too late, apparently."
He did genuinely look upset, Wei Ying realized. For all the vicious, spiteful words, he did look disappointed and angry, and even a little sad. Whether it was really about getting into Wei Ying's good graces or for other reasons, Jin Guangyao had wanted to meet with the Sena.
Wei Ying took a calming breath and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about? Does it have anything to do with Nightless City?"
Jin Guangyao bowed his head and nodded.
"No matter what Mingjue and Xichen say, I never betrayed them. They were my closest friends. I did everything I could to protect them from my father! When you needed to escape from Qinghe, didn't I offer my life to Xichen? And during the battle in Nightless City when my father was rabid, attacking his men, attacking me, I stopped him from hurting them."
"All lies," Lan Zhan countered.
But Jin Guangyao ignored him. He lowered to his knees in front of Wei Ying and pressed his shaking hands to his face.
"I did what my Alpha asked all those years because he was my father! The good of the pack outweighs the individual's need and my father wanted a son who he could trust. I had to gain his trust somehow before Zixuan could take the opportunity away from me. I was nothing to him except the son of a whore who he had fucked one night and soon forgotten. But she was my mother!"
He desperately clutched at Wei Ying's clothes and looked up as a broken man pleading to a deity.
"When he realized I was a shifter, he took me from her and had her killed to hide his filthy secrets. Nightless City was my home before he dragged us away. I only want to see the city thrive again, and I have the means to do it!"
Wei Ying reached out to him. This city of blood and pain wasn't even worth one man's anguish, much less an Alpha's. But before Wei Ying could coax the Alpha to his feet, Lan Zhan got to him first. He nudged Wei Ying out of the way to get Jin Guangyao to let go of the Sena, and then he hauled Jin Guangyao up by the collar of his shirt.
"Every time you open your mouth, I just want to pull your snake tongue from out of your throat," Lan Zhan breathed. "Not even my brother knows all the things you did to him. And to Mingjue, which Huaisang discovered. And even to Qin Su, your sister. A Mu who is now an Omega. Why is that Guangyao?"
"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying said, as he looked at him.
Lan Zhan's gaze darted to Wei Ying. Calm. Still calm and in control, but barely. And then Lan Zhan spoke again, very quietly.
"Wei Ying, his first friend in Nightless City was Xue Yang. He begged his father to have them live together in Koi Tower. What happened to you when you left Lanling was because he wanted to know all your secrets. Just like he used Xichen's and Mingjue's secrets to stay close to them. It took months of Huaisang and me working together back then to unravel his lies."
Lanling and Xue Yang. Wen Ning and Wen Zhuliu chained next to him. Because of Jin Guangyao. Three months locked in pain and darkness, filled with screams and terror. Days that he couldn't remember. Days that had left him curled into a corner shaking from his nightmares and Wen Qing's voice the only thing that could guide him back. Three months that shaped his actions in Nightless City. Three months that left him broken for thirteen years, when he couldn't trust his own body not to betray him.
Wei Ying felt like he was choking on the air in his lungs as he looked at Jin Guangyao in horror.
"Why?" he asked in a hollow voice. "I'd barely met you in Qinghe. And I was kind to you."
Jin Guangyao's expression changed from despair to frustration in a second.
"How could you understand anything?" he asked. "I wasn't born an asena like you. I was born to shame and poverty. I had to fight for my place in my pack, and even now I'm not respected. What choice did I really have? Was I supposed to just accept abuse all my life and not fight back? My father despised me, and the only way that I could change that was to appease his greed. He was a horrible man, and I had to become worse than that to kill him. What would you have done if you were me?"
Wei Ying looked at him, and tried to figure out what to say to someone like him.
But Jin Guangyao wasn't done speaking yet. He took a step forward, bringing him close to Wei Ying and spoke very softly, so that only the Sena would hear.
"What choices do I have, Wei Wuxian? We are the same. I do what I have to do in order to survive," he whispered.
Wei Ying turned his head to meet his gaze, but Lan Zhan was already there again, shoving the Alpha away from the Sena.
"So protective of your master. Like a guard dog." Jin Guangyao laughed. "Little does he realize that we barely stop ourselves every day from doing the unthinkable to have him. Even you, Lan Wangji. We haven't been paying attention to you because we trusted you with him. Now, what would all the Alphas say if they knew that you've been touching him in secret, behind our backs? Should I tell them how good you are at making him moan for you?"
"Yes," Lan Zhan said coldly. "Tell them. And tell them that I would destroy every one of them if he asked me to."
He grabbed Jin Guangyao by the collar again and hauled him close.
"Nothing you say will make me ashamed of how I feel about him, or pull me away from him. I'm here now, and I'm done watching you all manipulate him, and hurt him, out of greed and spite. I realize now that not one of you ever deserved him. The Sena chooses his mate. Only he gets to decide who puts their mark on him. So come at me. All of you. I'm willing to fight you until I die for him."
Wei Ying stared at Lan Zhan in awe.
He had not expected any of that to come out of Lan Zhan's mouth and he was so surprised, his jaw almost fell open. How many times did he tell Lan Zhan that he was powerful enough to defend himself? How many times did he have to prove it? Yet looking at the resolve on Lan Zhan's face and the shock on Jin Guangyao's face, Wei Ying felt like everything in his life was in perfect clarity.
"Lan Zhan," Wei Ying breathed into the silence as he stared at him.
He didn't even know what he was supposed to say next. All he wanted to do was to build a life with this man. Wei Ying just always wanted to be near him. He wanted to fall asleep beside him and wake up with him and never be away from him again. Fuck all the rules and the expectations of finding an Alpha who was willing to lead the wolf packs. Wei Ying wanted to be with Lan Zhan, not because the world was waiting for the Xiandu or because of being the Sena. The simple truth was that this man was his whole entire heart, and he knew that he couldn't live without him.
"Wangji! Wangji, what is going on here?"
Lan Qiren's voice was sharp and loud. As soon as the Gamma walked into view, all three of them took a step away from each other. Both Jin Guangyao and Lan Zhan bowed deeply to the older man, but Wei Ying was too lost in thought to worry about propriety.
Lan Qiren bowed to Wei Ying next. But even as he did his expression was full of judgement and disapproval.
Wei Ying ignored him.
He took a step towards Lan Zhan instead. When Lan Zhan looked over at him, Wei Ying reached out to grab his arm.
"Lan Zhan, can we talk?" he asked. "I really, really need to say something to you."
Lan Zhan nodded.
"Yes," he said. But he looked so distant in his expression, that Wei Ying shuddered from the uncertainty in seeing it. "We can speak soon, Wei Ying. I'll send a message with one of the Deltas when I'm available."
And then, as abruptly as that, he shifted into his wolf form and walked over to where Lan Qiren was waiting on the path for him. He didn't even spare a backwards glance to Wei Ying, before the two of them walked away.
— — —
Wei Ying spent the rest of the afternoon with a knot of worry in his stomach. Jin Guangyao's words were a thinly veiled threat that he thought Lan Zhan curtailed really well. But that look in Lan Zhan eyes had been one that Wei Ying didn't know how to interpret.
"Why do you look like a dog who's just been kicked? Whose face am I going to need to punch?"
Wei Ying was sitting sprawled on the steps of the Yashi again, finishing off an apple, when Jiang Cheng walked over. He immediately huffed out a short laugh at the words and it helped to lift his mood.
"I thought you didn't want to be my guardian. Isn't that what you said? I can't keep up with you," Wei Ying teased.
Jiang Cheng groaned in exasperation as he joined Wei Ying on the steps.
"I'm definitely capable of punching someone in the face for you, without wanting to follow you around. Besides, someone needs to take care of you." He reached over and wrenched the mostly eaten apple out of Wei Ying's finger. "Like this! Why the fuck are you eating this when Xichen makes sure that you would be served whatever you wanted for your meals?"
"I like apples," Wei Ying grumbled as he tried to get his dinner back.
"Are you a wolf or a donkey!" Jiang Cheng shouted.
Wei Ying narrowed his eyes and glared at him as he said, "It's not polite to discriminate against other animals."
Jiang Cheng sighed, like he hadn't missed this part of being around Wei Ying. He handed over the apple and watched as Wei Ying stuffed his mouth full of it, barely being able to chew.
"You look like the Sena, but you never act like a wolf prince," he pointed out as he turned away. "Do you know how confusing that used to be when we were kids? I wanted to treat you with reverence but you would get just like this, and next thing I knew I was fighting with you."
"Losing to me, you mean. But we'll go with your version."
Jiang Cheng looked back at him. The apple was gone and Wei Ying grinned his happy, teasing grin again. Jiang Cheng just stared at him.
"Is he here?" Jiang Cheng asked.
The knot in Wei Ying's stomach tightened, but he nodded, suddenly very serious.
"Do you want to know who it is?"
Jiang Cheng made a face. "Definitely not. I don't know how I would handle knowing. I never see you openly flirting with any of the other Alphas so it can't be going that well. He's already pissing me off. Imagine if I knew who it was. I might actually punch him."
"It's going better than I expected actually. It's just taking some time to navigate," Wei Ying said quietly.
"So, still complicated then?"
"Like you would not fucking believe."
They sat in silence for a little while as Wei Ying's mind drifted to thoughts of Lan Zhan. He thought of Lan Zhan's teeth on the back of his neck and how good it felt. How much he wanted it, and the desperation he had felt earlier in the Cold Pond Cave. Every time that Lan Zhan was able to pull away from the call of the bond was incredible. Wei Ying felt intoxicated by it.
"Huaisang and Zixuan have been plotting all day since he got here, by the way. They want to make a play for Lanling," Jiang Cheng said after a few more minutes had passed.
That got Wei Ying's full attention again.
"Really?" he asked.
Jiang Cheng nodded. "I don't give a fuck about what the peacock decides to do. After what Guangyao did to his Alpha in Nightless City, I support Zixuan's right to tear that dog into strips if he wants to. I'd help him do it. But Huaisang is a different beast. He might actually make a good Alpha, but he's not the kind of wolf to fight battles all the time. So he'll be ruthless and cunning."
"Are you worried for him or for his chances of becoming Xiandu?" Wei Ying snorted.
"Who the fuck is worried about that right now!" Jiang Cheng snapped. "I'm talking about another war. Last I saw of Guangyao he looked like a man backed into a corner with a pack closing in on him, and stinking of desperation. Huaisang and Zixuan are not trying to be secretive."
Wei Ying sighed. "Can we blame them though? There's a lot of history there. Between Lanling and Qinghe, Gusu and Lanling, Guangyao and Zixuan, and between me and that shă bī. Really, Jin Guangyao will be lucky if he lives another three years."
"You too?" Jiang Cheng asked in surprise. "What the fuck have I missed?"
"Old wounds. I'm not going after him, but if Huaisang and Zixuan form an alliance against him, I can understand why," Wei Ying responded.
Jiang Cheng huffed. "I thought the last thing you wanted was another war, Tiānzî."
"It is the last thing I want. But some shifters deserve to lead their packs and some deserve to be put down like the animals they are," Wei Ying snarled quietly.
Jiang Cheng stared at him.
"What the fuck have made you so upset? Seriously. What did I miss?" he asked again.
Wei Ying sucked in a sharp, calming breath and looked away. He was more upset than he wanted to admit. He had hated Jin Guangyao's words to Lan Zhan from earlier. He hated even more that Lan Zhan had to stand there and listen because Guangyao was a named Alpha.
Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan, who fought the instinct to mark his mate because of shifters like Jin Guangyao and Lan Qiren. They kept implying that Lan Zhan should know his place. That there were better, more deserving Alphas who had trained all their lives to lead. Making Lan Zhan think that he wasn't good enough to even consider becoming Xiandu. But Lan Zhan's place was by Wei Ying's side. Even if he chose not to be the Xiandu, Wei Ying still needed him.
"It's nothing," Wei Ying finally said. He stood up and brushed off his clothes. "I'm going for a walk. Until both sides make their move, we can only keep watching from the sideline."
Wei Ying turned and began to walk away before Jiang Cheng's next words reached him.
"The Xiāndū has the power to command Alphas. To instill fear in us, and to force us to obey. I'm just saying that this could all be easily resolved if we had one. And we should have had one by now," Jiang Cheng said.
Wei Ying held up both his middle fingers and growled, "Fuck off, Jiang Cheng!"
— — —
Wei Ying waited until just after dusk, before he shifted into his wolf form.
The Gusu pack had already left for their night run and more and more as the days ticked by, Wei Ying wondered about asking Lan Xichen again if he could join them. It had been so long since he ran with a pack. Unlike when he was younger, as part of the Yunmeng pack where he had a rank, running with any other pack meant throwing the pack dynamics off. It was an experience that Wei Ying preferred to skip. Somehow though, he felt that running with the Gusu pack would be different.
Tonight, he ran for himself.
Wuxian dashed along the winding paths of the Ice Wolves' estate. Through trees and bushes, he challenged the wind by moving at inhuman speeds. As fast as his legs and his strong golden core could carry him.
When he picked up the scent of non-shifters, he doubled back and retraced his tracks towards the base of the mountain range. He considered hunting for prey then, but was too distracted by his own thoughts to really want to set up an ambush. Even when he began to hear snippets of communication between other nearby wolves on their own nighthunt, he shied away to find his own path.
"Wei Ying. Come here," he heard when he was halfway back to Cloud Recesses.
Only then did he stop running and began to follow a distinct path in the fading light of the evening. He followed it all the way to a familiar quiet meadow deep into the mountainside. He followed it to Wangji, who was waiting for him. So strong and beautiful, and he smelled like home to Wuxian.
Lan Zhan shifted into his human form in the middle of the meadow, without once taking his gaze off the black wolf. Wuxian ran to him. Toppled him over to his knees. Licked his cheeks and his nose. Licked the fingers that petted his head and scratched beneath his muzzle. Until Lan Zhan wrapped his arms tightly around Wuxian's neck and buried his face against black fur.
Only then did Wei Ying shift into his human form, just so that he could wrap his arms around Lan Zhan and hold on to him just as tightly.
"Lan Zhan," he said in a low, serious tone. "I don't care what anyone says, and you shouldn't listen! You're more than any Alpha. More than their dumbass ideas about what the Sena wants or what Tiānzî needs. All that matters is how I, Wei Wuxian, feel. And I am stupidly, ridiculously, fucking in love with you, by the way."
Lan Zhan pulled out of the hug to look at Wei Ying. He ran one thumb lightly back and forth over the shape of Wei Ying's mouth. With eyes as spectacular as a glowing star, his lips turned up at one corner as he nodded.
"Mn," he rumbled softly. "I, Lan Wangji, am stupidly, ridiculously, in love with you too, Wei Wuxian."
Wei Ying smiled and then jumped him.
He wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan's neck and pushed until Lan Zhan was sitting in the grass. Then Wei Ying climbed onto his lap and straddled his legs.
He leaned over to rub the tips of their noses together and laughed loudly when Lan Zhan moved away to nip at his nose instead. When his laughter died down he pressed their foreheads together, as their breathing became synchronized.
They sat there in the silence of the night, their only light from the moon above them and the sounds of wolves far, far away, howling in the distance.
Lan Zhan's fingertips traced the contours of Wei Ying's face as Wei Ying breathed in their mingled scents. Sandalwood on a bonfire. Then Wei Ying tilted his head, just enough for their lips to meet.
Lan Zhan sucked gently on Wei Ying's lower lip. Over and over. Soft little kisses that made Wei Ying lean in each time, desperate for more of them. Lan Zhan teased him with them. Coaxing Wei Ying to press even closer, to tilt his head in anticipation, to chase after Lan Zhan's lips when they parted. Like magnets drawn to each other.
When Wei Ying had finally had enough, Lan Zhan seemed to immediately sense it. He slid one hand around Wei Ying's waist and the fingers of the other hand into his hair. And then he kissed him, hard and deep with enough passion to elicit a soft groan from Wei Ying.
Even then, Lan Zhan didn't break the kiss. He only seemed to deepen it more as his tongue flickered and licked on the inside of Wei Ying's mouth and against his tongue. Tasting him and stealing all of his breath.
When they parted for air, Wei Ying kissed one corner of Lan Zhan's mouth, and then his chin, and then the tip of his nose.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan said. "This is still in Xichen's territory. Sentries patrol the borders at night. Some of them are Sizhui's age."
Wei Ying chuckled quietly as he stroked his fingers down one of Lan Zhan's perfect cheekbones.
"Such a prude," he teased. "We can shift if we need to. I'm sure the Nu aren't stupid. They'll give us plenty of warning. Especially if they're anything like Sizhui."
Lan Zhan moved his head to bite Wei Ying's fingers with a very serious mock-glare.
"Not a prude, Wei Ying. But remember you said that when we're covered in grass stains tomorrow morning," he said.
"Yessir! Noted, sir!"
Wei Ying laughed again when Lan Zhan growled at him as if Wei Ying was ridiculous and wild. Before Wei Ying could begin another round of laughter, Lan Zhan stifled it with his lips, and his teeth, and with his tongue.
Wei Ying hummed into the kiss as Lan Zhan's fingers slid up the back of his shirt and drew tiny circles on the skin along the ridges of his spine.
"I love the way you touch me, like you know exactly what to do to make me feel good," Wei Ying said with a shiver.
"Because I love touching you so much," Lan Zhan said. "Let me touch you some more."
He untangled Wei Ying's limbs from around his body, and then gently coaxed him to the grass. Wei Ying went very willingly. He laid on his back with a smirk on his face, and gazed up at Lan Zhan with moonlight eyes.
Grasping the edge of his shirt with one hand, he slowly pulled it up to reveal his torso, inch by inch. Once the shirt was hiked up around his chest he licked his bottom lip and then sexily tucked the hem of the shirt between his teeth.
"Shameless," Lan Zhan said, but he hadn't stopped looking.
He crouched over Wei Ying, knees between Wei Ying's open legs and his hands on either side of Wei Ying's arms. Then he lowered his head so that he could lick a stripe from the top of Wei Ying's navel all the way to his chest. When he was done, he went back to follow the path with open mouth kisses across Wei Ying's ribs and abs and the center of his chest.
Wei Ying slid his fingers into Lan Zhan's hair to hold him there, as Lan Zhan's lips and tongue played across his skin. Lan Zhan's mouth moved from Wei Ying's torso to the side of Wei Ying's neck and he lowered his arms so that his body was stretched out on top of Wei Ying's body.
Wei Ying immediately wrapped his arms around him and moaned at how good it felt to hold him close.
When Lan Zhan began to rock his hips against Wei Ying's growing erection, Wei Ying moaned again, and hooked his legs around Lan Zhan's legs. They continued to slide and rock their bodies together like that, while Lan Zhan kissed and sucked on Wei Ying's neck and then captured Wei Ying's lips into another scorching kiss.
Wei Ying reached between their bodies, wriggling around a little, before he was finally able to unbutton his own pants and lower the zipper. With both hands he tugged his pants and his underwear down past his knees to catch at his ankles.
Lan Zhan, who had lain on top of him for most of that, met his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
Wei Ying grinned as he teased, "Are you going to say that you didn't come prepared?"
"Hmm."
Lan Zhan reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a qiankun pouch. Out of the pouch, he pulled out a bottle of lube.
Wei Ying howled with glee.
Lan Zhan slid off him, back onto his heels between Wei Ying's legs so that he had the most delicious view of Wei Ying's body. Shirt drawn up to his chest, his body covered in red marks from Lan Zhan's mouth on him. His pants hanging off one ankle, one knee bent with his legs apart, which left his cock resting to one side of his stomach, fully erect and already drooling precome. He was absolutely gorgeous to look at.
"So cocky," Lan Zhan growled. "What would you have done if I hadn't been?"
Wei Ying pretended to consider, before he said, "I hear spit works in a pinch, but I feel like we're never going to ever have to resort to that."
Lan Zhan uncapped the bottle, squeezed some of the lube onto his fingers and reached between Wei Ying's legs to find his hole. One finger, two fingers, three fingers much later, Wei Ying was no longer being smug.
Knees raised, back arched, fingers digging into the grass at his side, he gasped and moaned with abandon.
It was so unique the way he reacted to being opened up by fingers in his ass that Lan Zhan was mesmerized by him. He almost didn't want to stop working those fingers in and out of Wei Ying's body to see what other unique reactions his Sena displayed. But he was so hard for him, wanted to be inside him too much, that it was only a fleeting thought.
He quickly slid his fingers out of Wei Ying's body and attacked the fastenings on his own pants. Once the button and the zipper were open, he slid the waistband of the pants and his underwear down to his thighs. Then he rolled over onto Wei Ying's body.
Wei Ying opened his legs wider to accept him and reached between their bodies to line up Lan Zhan's thick, stiff cock with his slick hole. Lan Zhan pushed into him in a single deep thrust and Wei Ying pulled at his body, and wrapped his legs around him until their hips were flushed together and Lan Zhan's cock was buried inside him.
"Fuck me, Lan Zhan," Wei Ying demanded. "Fuck me so good. I want it. Give me everything."
Give me everything. Just like he had said that time before, Lan Zhan realized. And he marked those words down in his memory.
Lan Zhan began to move inside him.
Wei Ying's hands and legs tightened around Lan Zhan's body as Lan Zhan thrust into him. Every time he slowly pulled out, Wei Ying's body tensed as if he really believed that Lan Zhan was leaving him. Every time he pushed inside him, Wei Ying made a sound of pure, raw pleasure.
Lan Zhan was never going to keep going slow though. It felt way too good to fuck him.
"Your body wants me so much, it doesn't like letting go of me," Lan Zhan murmured. "Do you feel it, Wei Ying? You like having me inside you."
Wei Ying felt everything, and he gave a choked sob at Lan Zhan's words.
"Yes. Fuck. Your cock is so big and so hard. It fills me up. I like it so fucking much," he admitted.
Their rhythm sped up as Wei Ying raised his hips to accept the deep pounding. The sounds their bodies made together as they found their pace, were hard and fast.
When Wei Ying's legs began to ache, Lan Zhan read his mind again and hiked both of Wei Ying's legs over his shoulders, bending Wei Ying almost in half without even slowing down.
The change in position, changed the angle of Lan Zhan's cock and soon the force was directed on Wei Ying's prostate on each penetration. It was all Wei Ying could do not to shout and curse into the night air as pleasure climbed through his entire body.
Wei Ying clenched and unclenched his fists and bit his lower lip to hold back the loudest reactions. He was sweating and panting from the exertion, and still it felt so amazing.
Just when he thought he might be on the edge of his orgasm, Lan Zhan pulled out of his body.
"Turn over for me, baby. I need to go deeper," Lan Zhan said.
The endearment was so unexpected that a shot of heat fluttered through Wei Ying's body, and he had to inhale a shaky breath.
Lan Zhan flipped Wei Ying roughly over onto his stomach and then climbed on top of him. Big, strong hands spread Wei Ying's ass cheeks open before Lan Zhan was pushing his cock inside Wei Ying's body. Wei Ying lowered his head, raised his ass, and almost choked on a gasp as his body opened up to be fucked again.
It didn't take long before the feeling of pleasure began to build.
Crawling to his hands and knees, Wei Ying reached for Lan Zhan's hands and coaxed it between his legs to his painfully hard shaft. As soon as Lan Zhan's fingers closed around it, Wei Ying gave a strangled moan.
"Oh fuck! Fuck. Make me come, Lan Zhan," he begged.
It only took a few thrusts into Lan Zhan's fist before Wei Ying had to bite back a shout as his body shivered and he came into Lan Zhan's hands.
Lan Zhan's hips seemed to go into overdrive as Wei Ying's muscles clenched around him. He wrapped his arms around Wei Ying's hips and almost bodily lifted him from the grass as he grounded his pelvis against Wei Ying's ass and held Wei Ying tight against his body. He came deep inside Wei Ying's channel with a long, soft groan.
Simultaneously, they collapsed together onto their sides with Wei Ying in front and Lan Zhan curled protectively around him.
"I think you've killed me," Wei Ying said in a hoarse whisper. "I can't move anymore."
Lan Zhan huffed a quiet breath into the back of Wei Ying's hair and that made Wei Ying actually laugh.
They lay together in silence after that and listened to the sound of the night around them. There were no more howls to be heard, but considering how loud they had been, Wei Ying figured that having no shifters in their vicinity was a good thing.
"Wei Ying," Lan Zhan said a few moments later when their breathing had finally evened out.
"Hmm?"
Lan Zhan's fingers gently played with Wei Ying's hair and it felt so nice that Wei Ying's eyes drifted close.
"In Nightless City, I watched Wen Ruohan bite you. I watched his warriors hold you down while he tried to mark you, and I couldn't stop him. I would rather die by my own hands, Xīngān, than force you to endure that again."
Wei Ying sucked in a sharp breath of air at the quiet, unexpected words.
"Lan Zhan," he protested as he tried to turn around, but one of Lan Zhan's arms snaked around him to keep him still. "Lan Zhan, that was a long time ago. Who even still remembers that? You shouldn't."
But Lan Zhan wasn't finished speaking, and he inhaled softly before he spoke again.
"In Nightless City, I wanted to rip them all apart as they tried to get to you. But I couldn't, because I was alone and there were too many of them. I didn't have a pack to command. What was the use of my spiritual powers if I couldn't even protect you? The one time I needed to be strong for you."
Wei Ying's heart felt like it was in a vice grip, and it took all his breath away as he said, "Lan Zhan, I didn't need an army to save me. I can create my own army out of any wolf pack. In Nightless City, Lan Zhan, all I wanted was to see you."
"I know," Lan Zhan whispered as his fingers continued to stroke gently through Wei Ying's hair. "As soon as I saw you too I could breathe again."
He pressed his lips to the back of Wei Ying's neck and kissed him there.
"But I still needed a pack, Wei Ying. An Alpha needs a pack. Otherwise, how could I call myself an Alpha?" he asked.
"What?"
Wei Ying's heart rate sped up at those words, and at the casual acknowledgement of him being an Alpha. It was something that Lan Zhan had been careful to never admit out loud before.
Realization sliced like a blade through Wei Ying.
"Tiān na! Lan Zhan! Did you do it on purpose? I thought it was Sizhui being naive! Did the two of you plan it together? I wondered how he could have named you as his Alpha without you accepting his oath! Lan Zhan, Xichen could have killed you. The Ice Wolves could have ripped you apart if they knew. A pack within a pack, Lan Zhan? That's mutiny, and you're his Zeta!"
Lan Zhan's arm tightened around Wei Ying's waist as he pulled him closer. Wei Ying curled around that arm, feeling like his chest was going to explode from the risk that had been taken.
"I understood that it was dangerous," Lan Zhan said. "I knew that if I didn't explain it to Xichen then I would be killed. I told him that I wasn't trying to contest his title as the Alpha of Gusu. I just wanted to build a pack for you so that you would never have to fight alone again. We made an agreement. He would defend Gusu, I would defend you, and no one else needed to know. That was all."
"That was all? You're really lucky that your brother loves you," Wei Ying huffed.
"Mn. I am lucky."
They returned to a short silence as Wei Ying stroked the hand around his waist, and every once in a while, pulled Lan Zhan's hand from his hair so that he could kiss each finger.
"You deserve only the best, Wei Ying. I thought that it would be better for you to be with a trained Alpha who could protect you. But, now I realize that nobody will protect you better than me. Not Huaisang. Not Wanyin. Not even Xichen can give you everything you need. I think you're actually happiest when you're with me."
Wei Ying hummed softly. "Bèndàn! I could have told you that on the first day we met, and every time I saw you afterwards. You make me feel safe."
"Good," Lan Zhan said, as he gently continued to stroke his fingers through Wei Ying's hair.
After a few minutes of the two of them just lying there together, Lan Zhan leaned into Wei Ying again to kiss the back of his neck.
One kiss became two and then blossomed into many more. Each kiss was just a little bit longer than the last. Until it wasn't just kisses anymore. Lan Zhan's lips closed around the base of Wei Ying's neck and he gently sucked and licked at the sensitive spot.
Wei Ying moaned into the sensation as his body immediately began to react to the feeling of having Lan Zhan's mouth there. His groin tightened with pleasure, pulse quickening, his breaths left his throat in deep aching gasps, and his fingers clutched at Lan Zhan's hand around his waist.
When he felt Lan Zhan's fangs elongate to scratch at his skin, Wei Ying squirmed and writhed involuntarily as sparks of pleasure skidded up and down his spine. It felt good, as good as it always felt, and maybe even better. Lying in the open under the light of the moon, grass beneath their bodies, and the aroma of sex and their mingled scents permeating the air.
Lan Zhan moved the hand from Wei Ying's hair to wrap around his chest and tightened the arm around Wei Ying's waist to hold him firmly against his body.
He leaned into Wei Ying, keeping him captive as his teeth snagged on skin with each pass. Even as Wei Ying fought to turn around, Lan Zhan wouldn't let him. He pinned him to his body with easy strength and dominance while Wei Ying struggled and tried to escape his hold. Instead of releasing him, he lapped his tongue relentlessly back and forth across the spot and sucked and kissed.
Only when Wei Ying was curled almost completely into himself panting hard, his body easily submitting to the scent of the Alpha that surrounded him, did Lan Zhan finally move his mouth away to speak.
"I'm sorry," he said, softly. "I'm sorry that I couldn't just want you without wanting this more. No matter how hard I've tried, Wei Ying, no matter how I deny it, everything inside me leads me here."
Wei Ying swallowed roughly at the words. He squeezed his eyes shut and had to force his body to stop shaking from his sudden rise in adrenaline.
"Please…" Lan Zhan begged in a low, husky voice that was filled with pure need. "Please, Sena. Please… Let me."
He was so sexy. So fucking beautiful. The best person that Wei Ying had ever met in his life. Yet, even after all the impossible things that he could do around the Sena, he was still asking like he didn't think he had a right to. Like he thought that he would offend with his words. But he was asking. Like it was all he wanted. Like it was the only thing he knew to do at that moment.
That was all that Wei Ying had been waiting to hear.
"Yes," Wei Ying said in a hoarse voice. "Lan Zhan. Wangji. Yes, Alpha. Mark me. "
Lan Zhan inhaled like he couldn't believe that he had heard correctly. But the Sena bent his head and closed his eyes and waited with tensed muscles.
Lan Zhan's mouth opened wide against Wei Ying's neck and Wei Ying felt the points of each sharp fang as they lined his neck. Hot breath caressed the spot and rapidly cooled against the saliva that Lan Zhan had bathed the area with.
And then Lan Zhan's jaw closed against Wei Ying's neck in a bite that was so deep that his upper and lower fangs met in the middle.
When Ruohan had bitten Wei Ying in Nightless City, he thought that was the most painful bite he would ever endure. That bite had felt like a slow poison, running through his blood stream and contaminating his dantians.
This was much worse.
Pain lanced through Wei Ying's skull all the way down to the tips of his fingers and toes. He screamed in unrestrained agony as his body spasmed from the shock of it, but even then the pain endured. And escalated. It was like his muscles and bones were being carved with a dull knife while he was being shot repeatedly in his head. Blood streamed like a river down his back and soaked into his clothes and into the grass, and all over Lan Zhan's arms and shirt.
The physical pain wasn't even the worst of it though. He was an asena. He could only have a soulbond with his mate. An unbreakable bond. This bond had hooks that sunk past flesh and muscles and bones. It threaded through his golden core like a harpoon and sunk deep into the recesses of his two forms, binding itself to his soul like a brand searing into vulnerable flesh.
It was beyond any imaginable pain that Wei Ying had even been prepared to endure.
When darkness rose up to meet him, Wei Ying gave himself over to unconsciousness with an almost manic relief. He slumped over in Lan Zhan's arms and closed his eyes to the darkness.