Chapter 47

"Hey, Yetao."

Hu Yetao looked up to see Zhou Keyu ascending the wide stone steps, obviously heading back into the school for Ancient Runes. "Oh… hi," he replied, growing a little weary of deflecting the Alpha's advances.

Zhou Keyu grinned and hugged his textbook to his chest as he stopped in front of him. "I'm looking forward to the party tomorrow night."

Hu Yetao stared. "You're invited?" he responded in surprise.

"Old friend of the family," Zhou Keyu said with a shrug, eyes gleaming cheerfully. "You'll have to save me a dance Hu Yetao."

Hu Yetao sighed and shifted his weight. "I don't think that's a good idea Keyu," he said with a touch of irritation. "And pushing me to change my mind is not going to suddenly endear you to me. I'd rather you didn't come to the party at all."

Zhou Keyu's confident smile didn't waver. "But if I don't show up then I won't be able to inform the Wangs of my intentions towards you. It's just good manners to at least give them some warning."

"What?" Hu Yetao frowned, feeling his irritation swell into anger. "Why would you do that? There's no point, I've already told you - multiple times - that I don't want another Alpha."

Zhou Keyu shrugged, undeterred, the motion only adding to Hu Yetao's annoyance. "Oscar might step down if I formally challenge him. Plus," he added with a playful smirk, "I want to see you all dressed up."

Hu Yetao pressed his lips together into a hard line, starting to think that Zhou Keyu would never be discouraged. "Why are you being so stubborn about this?" he demanded, his low tone full of warning.

Keyu's expression turned solemn for the first time, the playful sparkle in his eyes dimming. "Because I'm gay and attracted to you, and you're a male Omega, the only known male Omega in existence. Not to be too dramatic, but… you're my only hope for genuine happiness."

All of Hu Yetao's anger and irritation left his body with a sudden swoop of understanding. He didn't know what to say. He knew he wasn't going to change his mind, but could he get angry with the man for chasing a chance at happiness that he would not otherwise attain if forced to bond with a female Omega?

Zhou Keyu smiled a little, expression clearing and a trace of his earlier bravado returning. "See you tomorrow," he said simply, an edge of determination in his tone, then walked past him and into the castle.

Hu Yetao stared after him a moment, lost in thought, then suddenly remembered where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. He turned and carefully jogged down the icy steps then sprinted across the frozen grounds to get to class on time, his bag banging uncomfortably against his hip as he reached down to steady it with one hand. The cold air burned in his lungs and stung his eyes as he ran, but it felt good; a distraction.

He ran and ran until he could no longer think about how unfair life was; about family tradition and Purebloods and carrying on the bloodline regardless of personal desires and wants and needs. How parents can disregard a child's happiness for their ridiculous agenda. He supposed Oscar was in the same position; deep down his parents were just as callous and relentless about tradition and bloodlines, only Oscar was lucky enough to have been spared all that because of Hu Yetao.

"Glad to see you could join us Hu Yetao," Zhidao called out as he arrived, out of breath, joining the others at the paddock fence and dumping his bag to the ground.

Hu Yetao smiled in apology and purposefully stood next to Zhang Xinyao as Zhidao returned to the lesson, unbothered.

"Hey."

Hu Yetao turned to Zhang Xinyao at the quiet, unsure greeting and smiled a little. "Hey."

"You… you all right?" Zhang Xinyao asked, brow crinkling a little with worry, the expression warming Hu Yetao's heart and easing his anxiety over whether he was going to lose his best friend over Jing Long's actions.

Hu Yetao smiled and nodded. "Yeah, just late. Zhou Keyu is a very persistent Alpha," he found himself disclosing.

Zhang Xinyao's eyes widened fractionally. "Did he touch you?"

"No, he didn't. He's just… verbally

persistent. I feel bad for him really," he added quietly, glancing at Zhidao to ensure that he was still engrossed in his lecture before turning back to Zhang Xinyao. "I'm his only hope for not having to bond with a female."

Zhang Xinyao frowned disapprovingly. "Yeah but you already told him no, so he should just back off."

"What if you only had one chance to be with a female? Imagine being forced to have sex with a male when it's not what you want?"

Comprehension dawned on Zhang Xinyao's face, his mouth making an 'oh' of understanding. "I guess I didn't think of it that way…"

"Yeah." Hu Yetao turned back to Zhidao. "So… how's Jing-Long?" he asked, a touch coolly.

Zhang Xinyao shifted, folding his arms on top of the wooden fence and leaning against it. "He's… embarrassed mostly, but also worried. Zhou Keyu was the one who told him that he was suspicious of Oscar, which only made him even more anxious when he started acting stressed out and distant. He loves you like a brother Hu Yetao and he can't help but be suspicious because of some of the things Oscar has done in the past, not to mention his family's history with You-Know-Who."

Hu Yetao turned to him with a sigh. "I know he's worried but he can't… he can't interfere in my life like that. I don't need him to. I have Oscar and despite what he or anyone else may think, he treats me well. I'm happy with him and I couldn't ask for anything more from my mate. I love him," he said simply.

Zhang Xinyao nodded, taking it in stride, as though he'd already known. "I'll talk to him."

"The war is over," Hu Yetao added into the silence that followed, staring across the snow-covered paddock without really seeing it, thinking of all that had changed since the demise of Chong Li. "It's time we stop being mistrustful of people because of the past and move on. That was the point of it all, wasn't it?"