Someone like you..

14. Zhuocheng's mate...

The doors closed with a thud and Yibo let out a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and for some reason he felt that the house was too quiet. Zhan had this energy about him that livened up a room and without him, the house felt cold somehow. Going in his bedroom he saw the made bed, the rumpled sheets Zhan slept on were fixed, nothing was out of its place and it bothered him. It bothered him that there was no trace of Xiao Zhan anywhere. Yibo could say the last night was just his imagination and nothing could prove otherwise. If only Xiao Zhan didn't mask his scent, maybe this place would have had his lingering scent. Yibo's eye twitched at the matter, annoying him. His phone rang in his pocket and he answered it, seeing that it was Haoxuan. "This better be important, Xuan." He bit out the words and heard Xuan whistle at the other end. "Seems like someone had a bad night. What? Zhan isn't a good lay or did your Alpha ass get rejected again?", Haoxuan laughed knowing all too well that Yibo would kick his ass but teasing his cousin was too much of a temptation. A few moments passed and all Xuan could hear was deafening silence. The silence got too much for Haoxuan and he gave into his Alpha. "Fine..I have something to tell you", he said and Yibo bit out a single word.  "What?" "You are going to like it. It's about En Jie. I have found a way to help you get what you want." Xuan smiled when he heard Yibo's sharp intake of breath. His cousin was going to love what Xuan had found. "Come to my place. This better be good, Xuan."

"Your next words better be that those fuckers will never walk again", Zhan hissed in displeasure and Zhuocheng gave him a lopsided smile. "They will neither walk nor be able to jerk themselves off ever again,"he said smiling and Zhan gave him a curt nod. Seeing his brother's swollen eye along with the bloody gash on his forehead had Zhan raging. Zhan looked at Zhuocheng's face and the pain in his brother's eyes hurt Xiao Zhan as much as it angered him. Sometimes, Zhan wished everything was different and his brother didn't suffer like he did. Even after the heart ripping agony he felt, Zhuocheng still smiled. And she was the reason for all of it. According to Yubin, the Wens had come out of nowhere and as soon as Cheng's eyes had landed on Zi Yi and Wen He Peng, the air froze in the club. All of this had happened when Zhan had left the club and Zhan felt guilty as fuck. He should have been there to stand beside his brother. Zhuocheng never acted out except for when Wen Zi Yi was concerned. The woman was Zhuocheng's weakness, the only chink in Zhuocheng's armor. At eighteen, Zhuocheng had seen Zi Yi in a cafe and he had found that she was his true mate. He had also fallen in love at first sight. He had never imagined that his mate would be the adopted daughter of Wen Xiu, the Alpha of the Wen pack. The man Zhuocheng had vowed to end by all means possible. The man the Yunmeng Jiang pack had been fighting for the last twenty years. It was a shock when Zhuocheng found that his true mate was the daughter of his enemy but that hadn't been enough to deter him. He had still approached Zi Yi and asked her to look past their differences, to build a life with him. Cheng had only seen her as his mate but Zi Yi hadn't. She had been raised to hate the Yunmeng pack and she had treated Zhuocheng like her enemy. It had been eight years since then but the wound in Zhuocheng's heart was still raw. Not every wolf had the fortune of finding their mate but to be rejected by the one person you were meant to be with, it destroyed you. Zhuocheng had changed a lot after that. He had become reserved and Zhan couldn't help himself but blame Zi Yi for it. He wasn't proud of it but seeing his brother in such pain, Zhan hoped they had never met.

He Peng, the son of Wen Xiu knew that Cheng and Zi Yi were mates and rejoiced in the fact that Zhuocheng would never have her. He left no chance to rub it in Zhuocheng's face and he had done the same last night. Zhuocheng had lost his cool when he saw a man all over Zi Yi and a fight had ensued when Zhuocheng pulled Zi Yi away. She wasn't happy with it and after a long argument and a forced kiss, Zi Yi had slapped Zhuocheng and He Peng and his minions attacked. Yubin and Li Teng were in no better shape having bruised ribs and other superficial wounds but the raw pain in Zhuocheng's eyes was heartbreaking. Zhan cared for his brother a lot and he never wanted him to suffer this way, the least he could do was offer him support.
Yubin and Zhuocheng had questioned Zhan about his whereabouts taking in his oversized shirt and shorts and Zhan had told them about it leaving Yibo out of conversation, saying he had crashed at his friend's place. Only after talking them out of skinning Chuyue alive did Zhan go back to his own house. The three of them had decided to get trashed that night but this time, it was to drink their sorrows away. Zhan didn't really want to leave but he could see that Zhuocheng needed space. The night had been a bit too much and Zhuocheng needed some peace and quiet to get over it. Zhan and Yubin left Zhuocheng with his thoughts. Zhan stared hard at Yubin who refused to meet his eyes and was giving him the silent treatment. He had been quiet this entire time and Zhan couldn't take his silence any longer. "Yubin? Yubin, look at me", he called and the man looked at him with so much helplessness, Zhan couldn't stop himself from hugging the man. "I couldn't stop her, Zhan. I tried. They have poisoned her mind. She is hurting Zhuocheng so much. H-Hurting me.I don't even recognize her anymore." The anguish in his voice was too much and Zhan patted his friend's back. "She just knows what they tell her, Yubin. He Peng knows she is the only one who can hurt Zhuocheng and he is using her to get to him. I know you feel responsible but it's not your fault. Your sister will come around. I promise you that we will get her out of their clutches. All I hope is that she doesn't hurt you and Zhuocheng too much by then."

Days passed after the incident and Zhuocheng came about like he always did. He started joking around and threatening everyone with broken limbs but Zhan knew it was a facade. Zhan had tried to talk to him but the walls around Zhuocheng were sky high and Zi Yi was a topic that was off limits. His brother spent most of his day checking things around their territory, strengthening their defences and at night, the brothers drank together every night while the pack prepared for En Jie's mating party that was due in two weeks. Zhuocheng didn't say it but he was glad that Zhan didn't ask him too many questions, he just sat beside him while they talked about everything and nothing.
Soon, the day of En Jie and Wang Yibo's mating ceremony came and the Yunmeng pack let out a relieved sigh. The alliance between the two packs was going to ensure the peaceful lives of their future generations and they were all eternally indebted. The news had travelled fast and just like that all the packs that were eyeing Yunmeng territory had backed down. The Wang family was as feared as they were respected and to be tied with the Lan pack through Wang Yibo was the best blessing the Luo family could ask for. Luo Jing Tong was over the moon and everyone was told that it was her who had asked her niece to step in as Wang Yibo's Omega. En Jie had become the pack's favorite and Xiao Zhan couldn't help laughing at the bizarre scenario. Everyone from the Yunmeng pack had denied to be mated to Yibo because they said he was a cold, ruthless man with nothing to offer to an Omega. And now? Wang Yibo was the saviour of the weak and the omegas were fawning over how lucky En Jie was to get someone as respected and handsome as Yibo as her mate. They were all teaching her tricks to make the Alpha fall for her and always remain by his side. All the arrangements had been made and everyone was now waiting for the full moon to start the ceremony.

"You don't want En Jie to mate with Yibo." The statement had come out of nowhere and Zhan stared wide-eyed at Yubin. He was so shocked he couldn't deny the claim immediately and unfortunately, Yubin thought his hunch was right. "How long has this been going for?",came the blunt question but Zhan was prepared with a response this time. " Utter bullshit. The exhaustion is getting to you, Yubin. Go get a beer and calm down." Yubin could see Xiao Zhan wasn't being honest with him. He had been around this man for the past twenty years and could read him like a book by now. Zhan didn't realise it but he had been agitated the entire day. His words were clipped when people came to discuss the plans for En Jie's party and the mere mention of Wang Yibo had him stiffening.
"Zhan, is there something going on? Is it Wang Yibo?", he tried again but this time Zhan glared at him. " If you are done with this nonsense, we have work to do, Yubin. I need to go pick some presents for the Wang family. You can join in if you are done asking me these questions. If not, you can stay back." With these words Zhan walked away leaving Yubin behind.