Chapter 105

Oscar stopped shaking him and placed both front paws on the man's chest, curled claws piercing the skin to hold Wangji's body in place.

Hu Yetao was barely aware of Xiaocheng standing over the other man, Yuan, and enacting his revenge. There wasn't a sound coming from the other pair and somewhere in the back of his mind, Hu Yetao suspected that Yuan was already dead.

There was so much blood: all over the prisoner, wetting Oscar's fur, pooling on the light marble flooring beneath them…

Wangji's breathing was a wet-sounding gurgle in the quiet of the room and Hu Yetao's breath hitched with dread as he continued to watch. He just wanted it to be over with already.

Oscar growled low in his throat and then lunged forward. He sank his teeth into Wangji's mangled throat as the man lay limp beneath him and then wrenched his head back, tearing half the man's throat away with the ghastly sound of ripping flesh.

Hu Yetao stared in shock, knowing his expression was utterly horrified but he couldn't help it.

The sharp coppery scent of blood reached his nose and suddenly the sight and smell were too much for him.

Hu Yetao clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from being sick all over the floor. He swiftly turned and strode from the room, ignoring Professor Mika as he called after him with concern.

He tried to walk and not run, but as soon as he cleared the doorway he broke into a sprint, hand still clamped over his mouth, and ducked into the nearest guest room.

He darted into the ensuite and threw the toilet seat up before spewing the contents of his breakfast into the bowl with a sickening splash.

Thankfully it didn't last long; being away from the overpowering smell of blood, as well as the sight of Wangji's mauled and contorted body, was already helping to lessen his nausea. He cast a quick wandless charm to cleanse his mouth of the foul taste of sick and then sat on the cold tiled floor, bending his head forward to rest on bent-up knees.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep steadying breaths, trying - and failing - to wipe the grisly images from his mind.

He began to feel a bit detached; as though the macabre horrors he'd just witnessed hadn't happened, as they'd just been part of some gory film he'd watched and hadn't been real life.

Because how could he have simply stood there and watched that?

He continued to sit in silence for a while, taking measured breaths as his stomach slowly settled, before eventually pushing to his feet and slowly walking back out into the guest room.

He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling cold and shivery, trying to get his whirling thoughts under control.

A light knock at the door startled him out of his scattered ruminations and he looked up.

Oscar was standing in the open doorway, evidently fresh from the shower; hair wet and the warm smell of lavender soap wafting around him.

The cautious and fearful expression on his mate's face instantly drove every other thought from Hu Yetao's head.

Hu Yetao stood and silently opened his arms.

With a choked sound of relief, Oscar rushed into his mate's embrace and held on tight.

Hu Yetao wrapped his arms around Oscar's waist and buried his face into his firm chest as the world righted itself once more. He closed his eyes as the warmth from Oscar's body seeped into his chilled skin, thawing the numb detachment that had taken residence there.

"You don't hate me?"

Hu Yetao's arms tightened around his mate. "No."

"But I disgust you…"

Hu Yetao pulled back and forced his Alpha to meet his steady gaze. Hu Yetao's confidence was immediately restored; his mate was in distress and he needed to fix that as quickly as possible.

"I won't lie and say that it wasn't a shock to see that kind of violence from you, but those men knew that what they were planning to do to me was wrong and they did it anyway. They were fully aware of the consequences."

Oscar's eyes tightened with anguish. "But you were so repulsed that you were physically sick," he said, gaze flicking towards the ensuite where he scented what Hu Yetao had been doing in there earlier.

"I think that was more to do with smelling blood while pregnant than the fact that I couldn't stomach what was happening," Hu Yetao replied slowly.

He didn't know whether that was true or not, but he didn't want to upset Oscar any more than he already had. He knew his Alpha wasn't proud of what his instincts had compelled him to do, so there was no point in discussing it any longer and furthering Oscar's guilt.

Hopefully, they would never have to go through something like this again.

Oscar sighed, the tension in his body releasing just a little. He dropped his head and nuzzled into the side of Hu Yetao's neck, lips searching out the Claim Mark and softly pressing kisses to the smooth, scarred skin.

Hu Yetao tilted his head away with a tiny shudder of pleasure, his body also leaking tension the longer he stood in his Alpha's embrace.

"Let's go back to my room before my parents come looking for us," Oscar murmured against his skin.

Hu Yetao nodded in agreement and Oscar instantly Disapparated them to his bedroom and sealed the door so that no one could disturb them.

Hu Yetao suddenly needed skin-on-skin contact with his mate and it seemed Oscar felt the same way, as, without discussing it, they both removed all of their clothing and then climbed under the bedclothes.

They moved to the center of the bed and faced each other, legs entwined and arms loosely wrapped around waists.

"Are you all right?" Hu Yetao asked, realizing he hadn't asked how Oscar was feeling after the execution.

A flash of what almost looked like shame passed over his mate's face.

"What is it?" Hu Yetao pressed with a frown when Oscar didn't reply.

Oscar's gaze dropped to the Claim Mark on Hu Yetao's neck and held there as he answered. "I… I feel fantastic," he admitted so quietly that Hu Yetao almost missed it. Oscar took a breath and tried to explain when Hu Yetao didn't know what to say to that admission. "The stress and anxiety that I've been living with since the first attack are finally gone; I won't have to take Dreamless Sleep every night, that determination and rage and desire to end those men's lives have just… vanished. I just feel so… so…"

"Good?"

Oscar nodded, gaze returning to Harry's face. "Yes, like I can finally be happy again."

Hu Yetao felt as though his heart was breaking at his mate's words. Oscar's sentiments demonstrated just how much they'd been through in their relatively short relationship.

"I'm sorry I'm such a troublesome Omega," Hu Yetao mumbled apologetically.

A trace of Oscar's familiar smirk flickered around his mouth. "Just as you knew what you were getting into when you chose a Nundu mate, I knew what I was getting into when I chose the Boy-Who-Lived."

Hu Yetao's answering smile faded as his memory was suddenly triggered. "Speaking of which," he broached hesitantly, not wanting to burst Oscar's happy bubble so soon. "Do you think it's true that other Clans are talking about me?"

Oscar sighed and his arm around Hu Yetao's waist tightened a little. "I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything, and neither has anyone in our Clan because they would have notified my family straight away."

Hu Yetao nodded. "So maybe he was just bluffing?"

"Perhaps." Oscar's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I will have them look into it though. Silong will no doubt be making inquiries to ensure that there are no new threats on the horizon." Oscar's gaze dropped to Hu Yetao's softly rounded belly. "Now that they know you're pregnant, they will become that much more invested in protecting us."

"You told them I was pregnant?" Hu Yetao replied in surprise.

Oscar smirked. "Hu Yetao, for the entire meeting you were resting one hand on your stomach, which was sticking out further than usual under that thin jumper. It was quite obvious. Su Miake's already passed on her congratulations. Don't worry, they will keep it a secret for as long as you like."

Hu Yetao breathed out in relief. "I guess it doesn't need to be kept secret any longer…"

"But?"

Hu Yetao smiled and snuggled down into the warm bed. "But I like the whole world not knowing about our little plonker yet."

Oscar chuckled and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Then let's wait until after New Year's."