It was not only late in the evening but also a bit windy. Nie Mingjue was in his own room and sleeping soundly.
But Song Lan was still awake. He went to the kitchen when he saw movement outside through the window. He went closer to the window and took a closer look at what he had noticed. Despite the slight fog, Song Lan quickly recognized that in the distance, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying were approaching the terrace part of the house. Song Lan went out, stopped on the terrace steps, and waited for the two wanderers to arrive. It was only when Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were close enough to the beta, Song Lan saw that they were both tired. Not only did the slowing of their steps reveal this, but their faces too. Yet, Song Lan felt that the omega was more broken than the alpha.
"I'm not even going to ask why you're awake. You're going to be a night owl again, right?" asked Lan Zhan as they reached the stairs.
"Mn. I'm glad to see you too, Lan Zhan, .. and even more so that you returned unharmed. ... But the fact that it's so soon. ..." said Song Lan.
Wei Ying and Lan Zhan looked at each other for a moment. Song Lan immediately sensed that something bad had happened to them along the way. But before he could speak, Wei Ying stepped in front of him. That's when Song Lan saw that the omega's eyes were still slightly red from crying. In Wei Ying's eyes, Song Lan saw only deep pain and grief.
"Is everything all right with Mingjue?" the omega inquired.
"Yes, he's fine, don't worry. He's sleeping right now. While you were away, nothing bad happened." replied Song Lan with a reassuring little smile.
"But what about you, Wei Ying? Are you okay?" the beta asked worriedly. As soon as he asked the question, Wei Ying immediately spoke up but did not answer the beta's question.
"If you don't mind, I'll check on him anyway." said Wei Ying in a tired voice. He wanted to make sure that Mingjue was okay, and after that, even for a few minutes, he could be alone.
"Okay. ..." said Song Lan, then slowly raised his eyes to the alpha.
Lan Zhan stared sadly at the walking omega. After Wei Ying went into the house, Song Lan stepped next to Lan Zhan.
"Bad news or very bad news?" asked Song Lan, this time from Lan Zhan.
"The worst..." - the alpha responded to the beta, after a pause. -"It turned out to be what I feared, .. and what I wanted to protect him from, but in the end, I couldn't." - the alpha took a sad breath. - "What the old man told us was true after all."
"Oh, .. my god." - the beta said softly. - "... Then, that means -" Song Lan was horrified, but the alpha continued.
"Unfortunately, it's true. ... Wei Ying's parents were indeed kidnapped by the Wen pack. Wen Xu took them to his territory and killed them."
"Have you told him that since then?"
"No. .. Not since. I couldn't do that."
"I know this is terrible news, but don't you think he deserves to know the truth? I also know that you just want to protect him, .. but still, it's about his parents, Lan Zhan."
"Yeah, I know that too."
"But then why didn't you tell him?" Song Lan continued to question the alpha.
"Because I hoped until the end that everything I had heard was not true." - Lan Zhan confessed. - "But, after we were in that house, it all disappeared. ... After only a few minutes, he could take no more and he collapsed right there. There he realized he had also lost his parents for good. ... All along the way, he was inconsolable. He didn't speak, until now."
After that, they were silent for a long time.
"I feel sorry for him. He is so kind-hearted, ... and yet Fate is so cruel to him. ...It's terrible."
"I think Fate is cruel to him because of his brother's actions. .. Honestly, I'm starting to get more and more suspicious of his brother's mysterious disappearance."
"Me too. He hasn't appeared since. Maybe he doesn't care about what happened to his parents or his brother? ... Or maybe it's that there's no news about him just because he's no longer alive?" the beta wondered aloud. But as soon as he noticed Lan Zhan's irritated gaze, he immediately thought of the bad.
"What are you thinking, Lan Zhan?" inquired Song Lan.
"I think that Wei Ying's brother is to blame for all this happening. What if Wei Ying is being punished and persecuted now because of what his brothers did?"
"I doubt he would have done anything to offend Wei Ying. After all, we're talking about Wei Ying's brother. He just can't have a monster like Wen Xu or Chao as his brother. I don't believe that."
"Well, .. we'll find out which of us will be right." said Lan Zhan.
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After Wei Ying finished in the bathroom, he fell almost weakened into the embrace of the soft pillow and blanket. The long journey had weakened him physically, while the events had weakened him spiritually. Wei Ying was sitting in his bed, covered by a blanket. He looked sadly at the family photo he had brought with him. After he placed the picture on the small cabinet next to the bed, he heard a small knock. The door opened and Lan Zhan entered, holding a glass of steaming chamomile tea.
"Hi. ... I just wanted to know how you were feeling, ... and I thought I'd make you some tea as well. I hope this will help ease the pain a little." said Lan Zhan modestly.
"That's very kind of you, Lan Zhan." said Wei Ying.
Lan Zhan sat down on the edge of the bed and handed Wei Ying the glass. The omega took the glass and drank a few sips of the tea.
"Thank you for the tea. It was delicious." Wei Ying said with a faint smile. He put the glass down next to the photograph and then quieted down again, looking sadly toward the window.
"If you are tired, you can rest. I'm not leaving unless you want me to." said Lan Zhan after a short silence.
"I don't want you to go. ..." said Wei Ying, looking at the alpha with tired eyes.
"Would you sit next to me, please?" asked the omega.
"Of course." replied Lan Zhan, and walked over to the other side of the bed.
Lan Zhan sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard, letting the omega snuggle against his chest. After Wei Ying had settled comfortably, Lan Zhan pulled him into his embrace. After a while, he noticed that Wei Ying had shed a tear, but Wei Ying quickly wiped it off his face.
"I know this is hard, .. but try to get some sleep. It will help you." suggested Lan Zhan.
Wei Ying just settled into his arms again, then took a sorrowful deep breath before he closed his eyes. After a few minutes, Lan Zhan not only tried to help the omega fall asleep with his pheromones, but he also did something that the alphas relatively rarely do. But in order to soothe the omega's aching heart, he did; the alpha started purring. Lan Zhan kept doing this until he felt that Wei Ying needed it.
While the omega slept soundly and peacefully, the alpha was deep in his own thoughts.
"We are close, yet so far away. ... This journey brought you closer to me, ...but now, you are not well again. Just as when we first met. You're so vulnerable now, .. so fragile." -thought the alpha to himself.
Lan Zhan gently stroked the omega's cheek. For a moment, the omega whimpered softly and sorrowfully in his sleep. The tiny voice he made sounded similar to what the alpha had heard that night when Lan Zhan found him.
"You need protection now, ... and not what Fate has in store for me this time, because I've gone down a dark path again. But whatever happens to me, I'll take care of you."
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The next day passed quietly at first.
In the morning, Lan Zhan and Song Lan informed Mingjue of what they had learned over the past few days. Meanwhile, Wei Ying stayed in the room. Wei Ying exceptionally wanted some privacy and he did not open the door when Lan Zhan knocked on the door. The omega just asked the alpha to give him some time alone. The alpha protested at first because he was very worried about Wei Ying. But in the end, after a long and unsuccessful persuasion, he had to give up. He knew that if he didn't respect his request, he would just push Wei Ying away.
While the omega was alone and nesting in his room, Lan Zhan spent most of his time in the living room with Song Lan and Mingjue, and he just waited patiently for the omega. Wei Ying spent the morning in the room. He tried to sleep a little, but a nightmare would not allow him to do so. What Wei Ying saw in his nightmare only led him down a wrong path and towards an even worse decision after he woke up.
Soon, in the early afternoon, the door to his room opened.
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Lan Zhan was watching the remote forest through the window, which the fog still kept hidden. He was alone in the living room when he heard the sound of slightly quick footsteps coming from the stairs. He stepped away from the window and started towards the stairs. But as soon as he reached the entrance to the room, the omega walked down the hallway just in front of him.
"Wei Ying? ..." - called Lan Zhan to the omega. But Wei Ying ignored him. - "Wei Ying, wait! Wei Ying!!"
Lan Zhan caught up with him at the last moment, just when Wei Ying was already at the front door. The omega had already opened the front door and was about to step out when the alpha caught his arm. Lan Zhan pulled him back and then slammed the front door shut. The alpha nervously turned the omega to face him. But Wei Ying avoided his stern gaze.
"Why didn't you stop when I called you? And why did you want to go out, alone?"
But the omega did not answer him at first.
"Wei Ying, .. tell me, what's wrong?" - asked Lan Zhan anxiously. He saw that the omega was disturbed by something. - "Wei Ying, ... speak!"
"I .. can't stay here any longer. ...I got a bad feeling, and... forget it. Now, I'm the only one who has to go to town." - Wei Ying reached for the doorknob again, but the alpha caught his wrist and stopped him. - "Please let go of the ..-"
"Enough of that, Wei Ying!" - said Lan Zhan nervously to the omega, and he pulled the omega into the living room. - "I won't let you go, especially not now, not alone, .. and not in this state!"
Lan Zhan sat him down on the couch, but Wei Ying continued to look down in mild horror. The alpha could smell the omega's fear, slightly the bitter orange scent.
"I'm sorry. ... I didn't mean to be rude, but, all that stuff you just said, you actually scared me a lot too." said Lan Zhan.
Lan Zhan took a deep breath to calm down a bit, then sat down next to him. He took both Wei Ying's hands in his.
Lan Zhan was a little relieved that the omega had not moved away from him.
"Listen, I know how you feel right now. I know that feeling. ... I know you're desperate and scared, ... but now you don't think clearly." said Lan Zhan.
"No, .. you can't understand that." - said Wei Ying softly, then looked up at Lan Zhan. - "I want to find my brother before the Wen pack kills him too, like they did my parents. Apart from him, I have no one left in my family. He's out there somewhere, and he might be looking for me."
It was only then that the alpha realized that the omega was not worried about the loss of his parents, but this time about the loss of his missing brother.
"But in the meantime, you forget that the Wen pack is also still looking for you, Wei Ying. When we headed to your home, we were already risking a lot. And though we were lucky then, and did not meet the pack, .. but maybe if we go to the forest again, this time, they will find you." said Lan Zhan.
"Then we'll be more careful, ... or it'll just be me because I'm going alone. .. I still want to try to find him. I want to go." said Wei Ying, sticking to his plan.
"Wei Ying.." said the alpha, but the omega quickly interrupted him.
"Why don't you understand this, Lan Zhan? I have to go and find my brother."
"No, you don't have to go to." - said Song Lan unexpectedly. - "I'll go, instead of you. I see how important this is to you, and I'm willing to help you with this."
"But ... Song Lan, you ..." Wei Ying was barely able to speak at first, so he was so surprised by the words of the beta.
"This way you will still be safe, and even Lan Zhan can stay here with you." Song Lan got to the point.
"But how do you want to find him if you don't even know what his brother looks like? If you haven't even seen him once, how will you recognize him?" asked Lan Zhan doubtfully.
Meanwhile, Wei Ying thought for a short while, then he stood up and walked over to Song Lan. Wei Ying took out a folded family photo from his pocket and handed it to Song Lan.
"That's what my brother looks like. This picture is only a few years old, ... but I hope he hasn't changed too much since then." said Wei Ying with a slightly sad smile while Song Lan looked at the picture.
"Thank goodness Song Lan came at the right time. ... At least he managed to get Wei Ying to change his mind and not make a mistake." thought Lan Zhan as he watched them.
"If he has changed or not, it must be admitted that his gaze can be both interesting and somewhat terrifying .. like that of a real alpha." Song Lan remarked, and Lan Zhan cleared his throat as a warning.
Song Lan raised his head at the voice, but his gaze was still directed at Wei Ying's sad face.
"I mean, it's good to know who I have to look for." - Song Lan added, and then he handed the picture back to the omega. - "Don't worry. As soon as I manage to find him, I will lead him here without the Wen pack knowing about it."
"Thank you for helping me, Song Lan." said Wei Ying, then hugged the beta.
"Today, Wei Ying ignored me and he didn't want to listen to me either. But Song Lan enters the room, and says a few words, and Wei Ying not only takes his advice but even hugs him? ... It's unbelievable, .. and unfair." - thought the jealous alpha to himself.
"Take great care of yourself on the journey." - said Wei Ying warningly after he broke the embrace, then continued a little reluctantly. - "And when you find my brother, please be careful what you say in front of him."
Song Lan looked at him a little stunned.
"How exactly did you mean that? .. What do I have to watch out for when I talk to him?" asked Song Lan curiously.
"I say that because, in the past, my brother could often be a very protective but also impulsive alpha when it came to me. .. He didn't really hurt anyone, but despite that, almost everyone was afraid of him." said Wei Ying.
"Oh. .... It's good to know that he's great, but a scary and dangerous alpha big brother." noted Song Lan.
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In a smaller, less frequented part of the small town, where there were more trees and bushes. ...
Wen Xu walked nervously in front of the remaining members of his pack, who were barely more than 10 alphas and one or two wounded betas. After the bad news, Wen Xu was forced to accept one of Jiang Cheng's old requests, which now led him there.
"I'm getting tired of being the only one losing since I lost my father. First, the omega escapes, .. then a dark alpha slaughtered my entire pack .. in one f*ck*ng night! ... And even that stray Xue Yang hasn't shown up since." growled Wen Xu.
Jiang Cheng sat on the wooden bench with a calm face and just listened to the irritated alpha. His calmness was starting to annoy Wen Xu, but he tried to hide it at first.
"If you had accepted my offer sooner, you might not be where you are now, don't you think? ... And, you would be nothing but a weakened and fallen alpha."
Hearing this, Wen Xu's eyes darkened. He lost his temper and took out his gun. Ignoring the other alpha's guards, who also took out their weapons, Wen Xu aimed straight at Jiang Cheng's forehead.
"Be careful what you say about me." - said Wen Xu with a cool look. - "I may have lost a lot, but not my strength. Remember that I am stronger than you will ever be, even without my pack!"
"Oh. Do you really think so?" asked Jiang Cheng with a serious face, then slowly stood up from the bench. - "If you consider yourself so strong, then why are you here now?"
The tense moment between the two was interrupted by the unexpected appearance of a beta.
Jin Guangyao, wounded and covered with cuts, walked towards them. But just a few steps away from the pack, he fell to his knees, weakened. Both alpha leaders walked up to him curiously. Jin Guangyao didn't move.
"Who are you? ... What do you want here?" asked Wen Xu.
Jin Guangyao looked up at the two alphas in front of him with red and tired eyes.
"My name doesn't matter. No one will remember an insignificant beta like me after I deliver the message I came here for anyway." replied the beta sadly.
"We'll see about that. Now tell me what kind of message this is." said Jiang Cheng.
"This message is for Wen Xu, who Lan Zhan has entrusted me to deliver it." said Jin Guangyao.
"Really? Lan Zhan? ...Then let me hear it." said Wen Xu.
Jin Guangyao took a break, then began to repeat Lan Zhan's words.
"I caught the little rats that you sent to the omega. They have already got their punishment. .. But now, you prepare for the worst. It's time for you to fail too."
After Jin Guangyao finished his sentence, he slowly stood up.
"Hm. Thank you for coming all the way here, even wounded like this, and delivering the message." - said Wen Xu, and patted the beta's shoulder. Then he continued. - "By the way, you were right, little beta. ..."
Wen Xu suddenly fell silent. The next moment, he simply broke the beta's neck. Jin Guangyao fell back to the ground, dead.
"No one will remember a dead beta. ... just like Lan Zhan will become a thing of the past after I get him." added Wen Xu.
"So, you're not just hunting for one omega anymore, but now even two alphas, huh?" asked Jiang Cheng.
"Oh, it's not a hunt anymore, .. it's a fight. But this time, even if I'm going to lose again, I'm still going to take the omega with me. Because if he can't be mine, he won't be anyone else's." said Wen Xu darkly.
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Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it! 💛✨