Chapter Text
Mo Ran laid down next to Chu Wanning, hand resting possessively over the small swell of his lower belly. The elder had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, allowing Mo Ran to bask in this comfortable silence and to take in what had happened in the last hours.
Taxian Jun had been prepared to kill his cousin for even daring to try to assassinate him, wasn't he kind enough to not have killed him when it had all started, when he had killed his uncle and aunt and still spared their only son? That he had allowed Chu Wanning to convince him not to kill Xue Meng when he surrendered himself to him.
But no, his ungrateful younger cousin had dared to try to kill him. And the worst thing was that he almost succeeded causing Mo Ran to be bedridden for an entire month, festering in his anger and contempt ( refusing to acknowledge the tiny voice in the back of his mind that mourned the fact that Xue Meng missed by such a small distance) .
But Mo Ran had recovered and was ready to finally kill one of the last strings that still reminded him of days before everything had gone wrong. However he'd been intercepted by his Shizun, Chu Wanning, this heartless mate of his who hadn't asked over Mo Ran's condition. Who had only stayed away in his Pavilion as Mo Ran recovered, never passing by to even look at him nor ask about his condition. As though Mo Ran wasn't his mate, the only mate the older would ever have if Mo Ran had his way, the father to all of their late children.
He yelled and raged at this person who still believed himself to be ethereal, better than the rest of the humans who lived on this Earth as though Mo Ran hadn't dragged him by the ankles sullying this immortal with depravity and sin. Chu Wanning took all his rage and threats, all his poison head on, not flinching at all.
Once Mo Ran had finished with his tirade and turned away from Chu Wanning stating his final threats to what would happen to his cousin, did the older man finally speak.
"Mo Ran, if you attack Taxue Palace and hurt Xue Meng….. I don't think I'll be able to keep this baby." Mo Ran stopped in his tracks, heart suddenly beating faster in his chest as he registered the meaning of Chu Wanning's words.
Baby?....... But Wanning hasn’t had a heat in months. Is he lying?
“I’m not lying.” Chu Wanning muttered peeved, revealing that Mo Ran had muttered his thoughts out loud like the stupid dog he was. “Physician Zhou confirmed it, you can ask her. I came to tell you the good news before she did, but you were going to go….”
He couldn’t even say that Mo Ran was going to kill his cousin.
Mo Ran smelled the air, the soft haitang scent of Chu Wanning that had been polluted by the scents of sadness and mourning had started regaining the vibrancy it once possessed. The scent of fertility and joy returning to this mournful mate of his.
It scared and delighted Mo Ran who immediately turned around to grab at Chu Wanning and smother his face in the older man's neck, close to the mating bond that he had left there so long ago. His hands were roaming all over Chu Wanning's body before one stayed at the small of his back and the other had placed itself on Chu Wanning's lower abdomen where he knew that this pup was growing. Chu Wanning's hand came up, Mo Ran tensed fearing that Chu Wanning would push him away from here but instead the older man's hand came to rest on Mo Ran's neck, soothing at the back of his neck where a mating bond should be but Chu Wanning had never bitten him back despite that on their wedding night, Mo Ran had bitten his neck so savagely that it didn't even seem as though it was a mating bond but that a wolf had almost devoured this former immortal, not even when he had been in the deepest throes of his heat had he marked him back.
At the beginning. Mo Ran didn't mind. Besides why would he want the person he hated the most in the world to mark him? But as the years passed and with every pup Chu Wanning gave him, he hated being the unmarked one. Had been one of the main reasons why he always drugged Chu Wanning, to see if the elder's iron-clad restraint would crumble and make him complete their mating bond. Yet, it never came.
"Chu-fei shall have to stay in permanent seclusion in his residence until the birth." Mo Ran crooned, lips moving on top of the mark, tremors accompanied his voice. "This Venerable One shall even set his plans aside and stay by Wanning's side, to make sure that everything goes well. I'll make all your meals, this pup will be a large one."
"This Venerable One shall be the bigger man and shall not take petty revenge on his cousin." Mo Ran huffed, arm tightening around Chu Wanning. "Although he should get stabbed in the exact same place as I did just for equal retribution. But I won't enforce such a thing out of consideration for my Wanning and our pup."
"Mmhm." Chu Wanning agreed, nails slightly scratching at the back of Mo Ran's neck. Mo Ran briefly remembered his mother doing such an action whenever she wanted to comfort him or make him go to sleep earlier.
He missed such a comfort.
"Your Majesty, This Lowly One begs forgiveness for interrupting you but your war council has begun." Mo Ran heard Liu-gong speak respectfully from where he stood.
"Oh yeah that….. Tell them that it's cancelled, that This Venerable One had a change of heart." Mo Ran lifted his head from the crook of Chu Wanning's neck to answer before he smothered himself once more.
"As His Majesty wishes." Liu-gong bowed deeply and then retreated to inform of Taxian Jun's decision.
They stood there in each other's arms, silently. Chu Wanning often lightly scratched his nails on Mo Ran's nape while Mo Ran heavily breathed in Chu Wanning's scent.
"Wanning, I promise you that nothing will ever happen to this pup. I'll kill anyone who even dares to try anything." Mo Ran muttered with rage dripping off his voice. Chu Wanning simply stood there, not agreeing but not rejecting Mo Ran either.
Which led to where he was now, lying together with Chu Wanning in the elder's bed as he slept while Mo Ran stayed awake simply thinking of the pup, having been confirmed by the Imperial Physician that Chu Wanning was with child. ( “It’s quite a rare phenomenon, Your Majesty, for an omega to be pregnant without a need for it to happen during a heat. This is the second time I attend something like this so I shall use all my knowledge to aid in this.” Physician Zhou spoke up gently, she gave Chu Wanning a remedy to help with the sickness. “I’m glad that Chu zongshi came to me over the symptoms that he was having. This way we can make sure that the little pup grows up well.” )
He vaguely remembered what that old bat Minister Jin had screamed as he bled out to death. That it had been Song Qiutong's idea and that she had allowed him to carry out the crime of killing Taxian Jun's children.
Maybe I should dispose of the Empress before anything wrong happens? Or at least force her into seclusion, but that would show everyone that she is completely out of my favor and they'll be clamoring for the person who had mothered Taxian Jun's heirs to take her place as Empress. The idea of seeing Chu Wanning in the same finery that Song Qiutong wore in excess was arousing to Mo Ran. But that would mean that everyone would see him, Wanning wouldn't be for my eyes only anymore. Everyone else would have their unworthy eyes setting upon my Wanning, it’s already bad enough that they got to lay their unworthy eyes on my pups.
He huffed at the thought of letting Song Qiutong walk around unpunished only for the sake of keeping appearances. Maybe I’ll simply keep more chess pieces around her, they’ll report everything to me now.
“Don’t worry Wanning, I’ll keep both of you safe.”