Chapter Text
Scrambling to his feet, Lan Xichen almost doubled in pain. Forcing himself up, he urged himself to run. He needed to get to water to hide his scent, and the horse had taken off.
Mind racing to think of what happened or how it could have he heard horses nearing. Hiding behind a tree, he saw some smaller Sect Heirs racing down.
Heart nearly stopping, he let out a breath when they didn’t seem to notice him or pick up his scent. He wasn’t sure how bad it was or how far it spread, just that he couldn’t pull it in.
Water.
Looking around, he tried to think of where the river was. Struggling, he headed towards where he recalled it being, even if it wasn’t a straight path; if he kept going, he’d find it soon.
The coils tightened painfully.
He never had this before.
The first time falling into a sexual heat didn’t hurt this badly. The ones he spent with A-Yao were wonderful, with no pain or violent bursts. Covering his nose when he picked up an Alpha’s scent, his body screamed for the Alpha.
Slamming like lightning, he realized why he was in so much pain. His body didn’t have his Omega with him, so it was searching for someone, and the only ones nearby were Alphas and Betas.
Meaning his body had chosen to seek out an Alpha, so one of them must have been nearing a rut. Hissing, he refused to be with anyone but his Omega.
Forcing himself to stumble along, tripping over bushes and roots, he cursed that his mind was so muddled that he couldn’t pay attention to the things in front of him.
A growl was heard.
Bile nearly jumped into his throat as his knees wobbled. Looking back, he saw an Alpha there. Nose stinging, he realized this one was in a rut. He must have been triggering his own biology, but he couldn’t understand why his body was reacting so quickly.
Moving back, he hissed darkly at him.
A warning to stay away.
The Alpha saw the threat as it was. Growling darker, he took a step closer, and Lan Xichen drew his sword. He was not going to go down without a fight. And he was still the First Jade of Lan.
The Alpha lunged at him.
Hissing, Lan Xichen blocked him. The pain in his abdomen burned, his body was trying to adjust to the Alpha, and to his horror, while he tried to fight off the Alpha, his body was betraying him, with slower movements, his knees shaking with the need to bow down.
His sword was knocked out of his hands, which hadn’t happened since he trained with his Shushu when he was little. Landing on his back, he pushed himself up to try to run when he was knocked back down.
Pulling his hand back, he hit the Alpha in the face, while struggling to get his foot up, kicking at his chest. Rolling over, he tried to run when a hand gripped the back of his robes.
Spinning to kick him, he cursed how slowly his body was moving because the Alpha caught his Ankle, yanked him forward. Stumbling, he hit his back on the ground.
“No!” He yelled, dragged forward, pushing at the Alpha, while panicking as his body wasn’t putting up much of a fight. He couldn’t get his strength into his limbs because he knew he could fight him off otherwise. “Let me go!”
Hissing Lan Xichen scratched at the Alpha’s face, who growled in rage, scent flaring. The wave hit him hard. Horrified as he went limp, he tried to fight it off, his heart racing, and he thought it was going to explode in fear as hands started to run over him.
“Stop!” Lan Xichen hissed, heart beating too hard; it hurt. He screamed when his legs were pinned by the Alpha. Clawing at him, the Alpha snarled, gripping his wrists, pinning them above his head, hot breath on his neck, breathing in deeply. “Stop it!”
A hand pulled at his robes, loosening the top while Lan Xichen continued to struggle as he screamed. Fingers felt along his collar. Trashing Lan Xichen knew that if the man was trying to get it off.
His neck remained unclaimed. Omegas didn’t mark their mates; they couldn’t even if A-Yao had tried to bite him. Only an Alpha could leave a claiming bite; those took years to fade, and Betas could only leave bonding marks that lasted less than a year.
The Alpha struggled to get it off, shifted to do so, moving to try to get it off, unpinning his legs. Lan Xichen tried to use his heels to get himself off to no avail. His body is betraying him to the point of weakness.
Weak.
Screeching when the collar was removed, tears falling, Lan Xichen almost vomited the Alpha rutting against him, disgustingly feeling him hard while his body started to get wet against his will. The Beta in him wanted an Alpha, while the other part screamed at him that he had an Omega.
His robes were pulled at. Lan Xichen was a virgin in his regard. Had he been married to an Alpha, he wondered for a moment if this would have been better because he had never been penetrated before, but he didn’t want this!
No.
No…
No…!
“No, don’t…! Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it!” Lan Xichen was shrieking at the top of his lungs, hoping this Alpha would just leave. “Baba! A-Die!”
A dark growl sounded before the Alpha was knocked off Lan Xichen so hard he swore he heard bones crackling. Gasping for air that was clear of the Alpha's pheromones, he rolled onto his stomach, vision blurring.
He needed to get somewhere safe. Stumbling with his robes loose and falling, he managed to get up slowly, running to where he had originally wanted to go, while a violent fight was heard behind him.
A root caught his foot, causing him to go rolling down the small, steep hill, rolling in dirt and sticks, until he came to a stop. Sitting up he shook his head, wildly looking around. The echoes of the fight are still heard.
Suddenly, hands grabbed him around the waist.
“No!” He screamed, swiping at the person. “No, please let me go!”
“A-Huan, it’s me!”
Gasping, chest still feeling like it was going to explode from fear, adrenaline, and the disgusting desire to obey, he looked up as a face full of worry came into view.
“Xu-ge…?” Eyes full of hot tears, he threw his arms around him shaking, uncontrollable sobs. “Xu-ge…!”
“I got you,” Wen Xu scooped him up. “I got you, A-Huan, I got you…We need to get you somewhere safe.”
Wrapping his arms around his brother-figure, Lan Xichen looked over the Alpha’s shoulder, and he saw Nie Mingjue bring down his fist on the Alpha that attacked him.
--
The red flares that went up were sent from the Wen Clan.
Lan Qiren was walking around trying to get the baby to stop kicking when he saw it. Frowning, he saw it was Wen Xu’s, but it wasn’t for a completed task; no, they were to return with their flags, not send up a flare, and it was all red.
Wen Ruohan frowned, seeing the flare. His sons had a mission to do, so why was that flare going up? With his arm around his Omega, he took a second to think about what to do when another flare went up seconds later, with the Lan Clan all in red.
“Something's happened,” Lan Qiren frowned. “I need to go check on my nephews!”
“Absolutely not,” Wen Ruohan stopped him, stepping in front of his Omega. “I will check on them.”
“But…” Lan Qiren frowned. He put his hands on his belly, looking worried. “Please hurry back,”
“I shall.” Kissing Lan Qiren, he glanced at Wen Zhuliu, who moved quickly to help his Omega back to their table. “Keep well.”
On the other hand, Qingheng-Jun was already heading into the forest.
There was a long wait while Lan Qiren waited. He was nervous because he wasn’t sure what could have happened for the two flares to go up. Wen Clan’s was first, but the second right after meant that one of the Lan Heirs was in trouble.
Anxiousness filled his body while he waited. A few minutes into waiting, Wei Wuxian came rushing over. Maybe it was the baby, or maybe he had grown fond of the younger Omega, because he pulled him close, the two of them holding onto each other while they waited side by side.
Lan Wangji came riding out first, looking perfectly fine aside from the frown on his face. He dismounted his horse, rushing over to them, asking where his brother was.
That meant Lan Xichen was hurt.
But how?
Lan Qiren had no choice but to stare at the entrance where they had stared. Where were they? What happened? Was A-Huan alright? Was there a beast stronger than expected? Even if so with all those powerful heirs, it seemed unlikely.
Finally, he saw Qingheng-Jun emerge on his sword; his outer robe was wrapped around Lan Xichen, as he flew past him in a rush. Lan Wangji looked at his Uncle, who nodded, and the couple raced after them.
Wen Ruohan and Wen Xu were second, landing near them. Lan Qiren saw the ragful look on the younger Wen’s face, he was growling, teeth gritting, his scent was screaming.
Just as Lan Qiren was going to ask what happened, there was a commotion. Turning, he saw a bloody and beaten Alpha on the ground, Nie Mingjue, with blood on his fists.
“Sect Leader Chen!” He growled. “I demand you come here before I mount this bastard’s head on a spike!”
An uproar while the remaining heirs returned due to the flares, confused about what had happened. Through shouts of anger and confusion, Lan Qiren heard them mention that the bloody Alpha had pinned his nephew, who was in heat.
Gasping, Lan Qiren began running to reach his nephew. He only made it a few feet when his Alpha scooped him up, taking him away to see him.
--
Lan Xichen was shaking.
He wasn’t sure if he was shaking from what happened, what almost happened, or that his Father was carrying him. Being held close by his Father wasn’t comforting. Sadly, it was adding to the fear that still gripped him.
He had never felt so helpless before. Unable to fight off the Alpha. One he knew he could be if he hadn’t been thrown into heat. Every part of him was trembling, and he was unsure if it would ever stop.
Whimpering and whining in distress, unable to stop, he was scared his Father was going to throw him, beat him while he was like this. His hands curled up tightly against his chest, eyes wide, hot tears still falling, while the scene replayed in his mind.
Stomach twisting.
He was sick from what almost happened.
Words rose and gagged in his throat, unable to voice anything. What should he say? What could he say?! He dared not look at his Father; the Beta felt like he was going to pass out.
“Get a healer!” Qingheng-Jun growled at a servant as he got to the healer's Quarters. He set his son on the table used for Exams not too gently, looking at him with an unreadable expression. “Did he penetrate you?”
Looking at his father through blurred watery vision, shaking, he managed to shake his head no. He needed to stop. He needed to stop; his Father was going to be so angry he was acting like this!
The door opened with Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian running in shortly followed by Lan Qiren being carried by Wen Ruohan. Qingheng-Jun moved back, turning on his heel.
“I need to deal with the Chen Clan!” He growled. “Take care of my son, Didi!”
He left in the storm, but Lan Qiren didn’t care. He was running towards his baby, who was dirty, covered in dirt, with tussled hair, a stained face, and his collar was missing.
Pulling a shaking Lan Xichen into his arms, he made noises that sounded like trapped, crying screams, until finally Lan Xichen cried loudly, his scent filled with shock, confusion, and fear.
“I’m here, A-huan, I’m here!” Lan Qiren held him tightly, his own eyes stinging with the urge to shed tears for his baby. “We’re here, you’re safe now,”
Lan Wangji stood there, he shook as well, out of anger, eyes wide, unable to move for a long moment until he rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his sobbing brother, Wei Wuxian only a second behind.
Wen Ruohan stood there looking over the Beta. He had bruising on his wrists, no mark on his neck, thank the gods, but he was in shock that still had the underlying heat.
Turning, he left to retrieve his niece while he silently seethed. When he returned with her, the female Alpha got to work. She started to ask what happened, with the family filling in what they knew, the information Wen Xu had passed along to his Father.
An unexpected heat, an Alpha triggered into a rut and came upon Lan Xichen. His son said he was racing with Sect Leader Nie when they heard the Beta’s screams.
Walking up to Lan Qiren, he put a hand on the small of his Omega’s back, as his mate held Lan Xichen’s hand while Wen Qing checked him over for major injuries. His beloved looked at him.
Lan Qiren's eyes were wet, his scent in pain, the sadness wobbling frown he had ever seen on his mate. Lan Qiren looked away, then back, and Wen Ruohan turned to leave.
--
Meng Yao was asleep.
The second he had entered his brother’s room, he only made it to the nest on the floor by the fire before passing out. The way he fell asleep, he should have been uncomfortable.
Obviously, because he had crawled in, grabbed some pillows, stuffing them around him until he was just too worn to do much more. His head hit the pillow, and he was out like a light.
At some point, they started to be lulled into a sense of being half asleep, half awake. He was saw, comfortable, a pillow was tucked between his knees so they weren’t hurting.
He knew he was adjusted because he was lying sideways at an angle. It was comfortable. He could breathe easily like this. His left arm, which he struggled to find a place for when he lay, was in a little pocket for pillows arranged so he could have room for it to be un-squeezed.
Warm, thick blankets surrounded him. Purring, he relaxed peacefully into the soft silk. His other arm was over the other person’s side, his mate, he thought, his hand curling to hold onto the Beta’s shirt.
He was being scented.
A lot.
Meng Yao whined, being slowly pulled from his peaceful sleep, feeling a cheek rubbing against his, then moving to his head, temple, and forehead to forehead.
Curling closer to escape being nuzzled so much, he felt himself being tucked in closer before the scenting started again. Repeatedly, to the point he was making a face.
He wanted to sleep.
Ducking his head to escape, he tried hiding in the Beta’s neck. Only to be pulled back after a beat, and the scenting started again. Slowly being forced awake, even though he just wanted to sleep, Meng Yao was going to tell his A-Huan to stop.
When he realized that it wasn’t his mate.
Blinking, he stiffened, realizing that that was not his mate. He was unable to think about what and how his Father had gotten there or into the nest he was used to, but there he was.
He was tucked close. He had to close one eye, the one closest to where he was being scented. What?! What was happening?! It was then that he realized the nest was scented with the Beta’s scent.
Unsure of why, he just went still until he slowly relaxed. It was odd. He had been scented like this, different from his mate and new family. It reminded him of when his Mother used to scent him.
Eyes dropping, he purred as he chose to enjoy this, leaning into the scenting.
Jin Guangshan had passed out due to a medicine that the Doctor had given him. When he woke up, his hands nearly healed, he wondered what hell awaited him once he returned to his room.
He was told that his son had taken over for the day, so he lay back down in his son’s bed, falling back asleep thanks to how strong it was. When he woke up, it was because he had sworn he caught a whiff of his baby’s scent.
Sitting up, he sat there moving because his mind reminded him that his Alpha had thrown the baby, the pillow, and the blanket into the fire. The fight with his mind on it, telling him the baby was real at the time, then a pillow later, it was like it was ripping his brain again.
Nose twitching, he lifted it, taking in sniffs of the air until he caught the scent. Turning around on the bed, he stared at the nest near the fireplace, seeing some of the top of the chestnut-haired.
He pushed off the bed, rushing over, circling the nest, trying to make sure this was real. Whether the baby was in the nest or if his mind was tricking him. After several minutes circling the nest, watching the Omega sleep he climbed in.
Someone tried speaking to him, but he ignored the doctor and her brother as he climbed into the nest. He sat onhis legs, his eyes fixed on the baby.
It couldn’t be comfortable lying in that position. Not when pregnant. When he was carrying Jin Zixuan, he carried him with great care. Grabbing the items around, he started to make the baby as comfortable as possible, tucking a pillow between his knees, which helped his joints, making a little tunnel for his arm for lying on his side, along with tucking a pillow behind his back to help with the strain.
A warm, thick blanket was next; he pulled it around them, shifting, tugging the Omega against him while taking in the scent. Alive. Alive, he was alive!
Sniffling, he wiped the tears away before starting to scent him. Over and over again, rubbing his cheek, chin, and forehead against him. Unsure of how long he had been doing this until the baby moved to hide.
No, he wanted to scent him more!
Once he pulled him back, he continued to scent the baby. When the Omega woke up. Slowly, little hands clutched at his clothes. Alive. He was alive. He tried to soothe the baby, hearing whimpering.
Panicking, Jin Guangshan wasn’t sure what caused this, so he tried to soothe him. running his hands through his hair like he had to his first child, but the whimpering got worse.
“It’ okay,” Meng Yao’s voice spoke, soft, almost a whisper. “It’s okay…”
Was that… whimpering coming from him?!
Jin Guangshan should be horrified that he was whimpering like an idiot. Normally, he’d leave or run away, but he couldn’t. he no longer had the blanket that kept him anchored.
Little hands touched his face, so small, it must have been because of those months of his Alpha keeping him confined to the room and tormenting him for letting Meng Shi bite him.
Curling up as much as possible, he held his son close.
Meng Shi had picked a good name.
He had picked a horrible one.
Perhaps later, when he spoke to his oldest son first, Jin Guangyao wouldn’t be too upset if he was offered to be renamed Jin Ziyao.
--
The arguing was going on loudly. The yelling of the clan about what occurred in the Race was all over the place. Wen Xu was watching as they shouted demands on what happened and if what they thought happened was the Lan Beta marked.
Wen Xu had been subtly disposing of the body of a servant who had been taken from the Jin Sect when he had picked up on his mate’s scent. He had to scramble to get rid of it because his Alpha had those Righteous things going on, to which he was glad to knock him down.
As much as he loved Nie Mingjue, his lover could be a hypocrite at times. Leaning against a tree, he had called to him while the man raced on the horse.
In a split second, the Nie Sect Leader pulled his horse to a stop, inquiring why he wasn’t racing. Wen Xu waved him off, saying it was too easy to win, while also implying he’d easily beat him in such a race.
They ended up having one of their bickering moments, which was supposed to be fun teasing, when they heard a scream. His ears picked up because he swore that was one of his little brothers.
A second later, screaming had them bolting in the direction of the scream for help. Wen Xu was shocked that Nie Mingjue was gaining speed, his eyes almost red with rage. When they broke into a clearing, they saw an Alpha on his little brother, ripping at his clothes.
Nie Mingjue didn’t slow down, slamming into the Alpha with a roaring rage. Wen Xu rushed after Lan Xichen, who had fallen while trying to get away. Pissed wasn’t a word that could describe.
Sending up flares because this was no longer a race in good faith, he was shocked when that bastard Qingheng-Jun appeared, took his brother from his arms.
He wanted to attack him, but couldn’t. He hated having to let Lan Xichen go with him. When they got back, Nie Mingjue had dragged the Alpha from the Chen clan for all to see, demanding that the Chen Sect Leader come forward.
Arms crossed, Wen Xu watched as voices overlapped one another. Even his own lover was having issues with demanding what should be done for the act against Lan Xichen.
“This has to be a misunderstanding, surely we can speak of them,” Sect Leader Chen spoke. Then saw who was approaching him. “Sect Leader Lan, it seems there was a dilemma.”
“This is your son?” He asked, pointing to another Alpha who stood off to the side. “And what is this one who attacked my son?”
“Um, yes, my third son.” He pointed and then waved at the son who was on the ground, hanging in shame. “My secondborn, why-”
Qingheng-Jun unsheathed his sword and, in an instant, plunged it into the chest of the second-born Chen’s son. The crows fell silent, and the Lan Alpha pulled the sword free as the body fell to the ground with a thud.
Swinging the sword to rid it of blood, he sheathed it. “It’s a good thing you had an extra spare.”
Wen Xu watched with a surprised raised eyebrow. Sensing something close by, he looked back to see his Father there. He had an unreadable look on his face.
Whatever he was thinking, Wen Xu knew he was going to be a part of it. No one seemed to want to react to the death. After all, that was a lower Sect lucky enough to be a part of this conference.
The death of someone who tried to attack a high-ranking member of the Lan Clan. As he walked away, Jin Zixuan called for a break to commence and said that things would resume the next day.
Huh, good on the Future Sect Leader, he supposed.
Qingheng-Jun walked passed him, giving him a glare before heading off to play the role of a concerned Father.
Which he wasn’t.
It seemed that damn tea was sent to the wrong Alpha, failing to throw a scandal of his son being marked by Wen Xu. Instead, a random lower-ranking Alpha had overpowered his useless Beta of a son.
Damn weak Beta.
At least this was enough to divert the attention away from him for a while. He’d play the part of a Father concerned, he killed the Alpha who tried to violate his son, to the eyes of everyone, he took swift revenge on behalf of his son.
If anything, he could use this to his advantage somehow.
He expresses his gratitude to the Wen Clan, offering something from the Lan Clan treasury, which held Ancient Books, scrolls, items, etc. But first, he needed to seek out the fool who served the wrong tea to the wrong Alpha.
He was headed to see one of the Lan Elders; if that fool didn’t die in his sleep, he was sure to regret it.
As he left, he didn’t notice a little paper man latching onto his robe.