Chapter 79

At least, Hu Yetao hoped so. Not that he or Oscar was about to become complacent when it came to Hu Yetao's safety, especially not Oscar, who was just as overzealous now as he was a month ago. For instance, Hu Yetao had to remain with Xinyao after Care of Magical Creatures until Oscar was able to meet them so that Hu Yetao was never on his own between classes.

Hu Yetao looked up from watching his feet in the snow and blinked when his head spun with the movement. When his head didn't quit spinning, he stumbled to a stop and closed his eyes, swallowing against the sudden onset of nausea in his stomach.

"Hu Yetao?"

He opened his eyes and looked at Xinyao, the other students continuing past them towards the school. "Uh… I don't feel very good… Like I'm going to be sick."

"You didn't eat any of that Caipora fruit, did you?"

"No I didn't eat the fruit," Hu Yetao replied with a roll of his eyes that sent his head spinning once more.

Hu Yetao swallowed and began to feel as though he'd ingested something spicy; his stomach began to burn from the inside and sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Oh fuck…" he breathed, suddenly realizing what was going on. "What's the date today?"

"Does that matter right this second?"

"Because I think-" Hu Yetao bit off as his knees trembled and threatened to give out on him.

Zhang Xinyao dropped his bag to the ground and quickly reached out to support his friend. His brown eyes widened in alarm as he caught a whiff of Hu Yetao's scent.

"Shit, Hu Yetao, are you…?"

Hu Yetao moaned and nodded miserably as another wave of heat washed over him, causing him to slump in Zhang Xinyao's arms.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Zhang Xinyao swore, panicking. "All right, I'll… I'll get you to Madam Chen, the friend. Don't worry."

Hu Yetao barely comprehended what Xinyao was saying as he swayed on the spot, closing his eyes as his heat came on like a freight train.

Zhang Xinyao half-carried, half-dragged, Hu Yetao towards the castle, cursing under his breath the entire way.

"I thought you were supposed to have all these bloody signs before you went into heat," he accused, as though this was all Hu Yetao's fault.

Hu Yetao just groaned and tried to move his feet forwards to aid his friend. He didn't want any of the students to know what was going on, especially any interested Alphas, who might get out of control and become too much for either Zhang Xinyao or himself to deal with before they made it to the hospital wing.

The thought of going through what had happened between him and Professor Chao again was terrifying.

Zhang Xinyao hauled him up the front entrance steps as quickly as he could and strode forward into the castle. They'd been let off of class a little early so thankfully not many students were in the corridors yet.

Hu Yetao tried to control his breathing as the familiar ache and the burning and the overwhelming need increased in pitch to a level of torment that he'd forgotten about - until now.

He kept his eyes closed and hoped he was doing a good job of preventing himself from moaning out loud, but he wasn't positive; everything began to feel a little like he was hallucinating. His body was taking over his rational thought, his pants quickly growing damp as his body pumped out its natural lubricant in preparation for his mate.

Hu Yetao bit off a moan at the thought of his mate, the sudden desire for his Alpha pushing everything else into the background.

"What has happened Mr. Zhang?"

Hu Yetao groaned under his breath as Zhang Xinyao stopped suddenly and began to speak with someone who his muddled brain couldn't quite identify in his current state.

"Erm, Hu Yetao's in heat," Zhang Xinyao answered in a whisper.

The reply was swift and efficient. "Take him to his room, he has a chamber in there set up for his heats and will be safe."

Hu Yetao blearily placed the voice as Madam Chen's, the conversation washing over him but not quite sinking in; just insignificant words floating around his head.

Hu Yetao frowned as Xinyao began to drag him forward again, Madam Chen on his other side, assisting. Something she'd said was bothering him - but he couldn't figure out why.

"Should I tell Oscar?" Zhang Xinyao asked as they slowly climbed staircase after staircase to the third floor.

Hu Yetao, unable to help himself, moaned at just the sound of his mate's name.

Madam Chen was puffing with exertion as she replied. "He will probably scent his mate's heat before you can reach him, but just in case, try to locate Mr. Wang and let him know where Hu Yetao is. We will need to lock Hu Yetao in from the outside this time, as he is not in his right mind to do it himself. How on earth did his heat surprise him again?" she asked in exasperation as they entered the third-floor corridor. "The female Omegas in this school seem to be able to keep track of their cycles just fine."

"I dunno, I think he was waiting to be tired again and it didn't happen."

Hu Yetao bit his lip as they stopped outside the door to his room, wanting nothing more than to tear his clothes off and submerge himself in a cold pool of water.

Madam Chen raised Hu Yetao's hand and touched it on the door and it immediately swung open. They took him through into the main room and across the flagstones towards the side door that led to the antechamber.

Hu Yetao frowned and felt as though he was about to lose consciousness. He opened his eyes and his vision grew black around the edges, tiny pin-pricks of light dancing before his eyes.

He closed them again and seemed to lose track of time and of what was happening to him, as the next time he opened his eyes again, he was alone, laid out on a bed.

He moaned and reached down to palm his throbbing erection through his trousers. He was still wearing his uniform, as well as his winter cloak, and he was sweltering.

Hu Yetao pushed himself into a sitting position and clumsily reached for the clasp on his cloak - and froze.

His mind suddenly seemed to catch up with his surroundings and his stomach clenched in a way that was unrelated to his heat. They'd put him in the tiny room attached to his bedroom, the room he swore he would never stay in because it was so utterly small and dark and panic-inducing…

Hu Yetao's throat instantly tightened and his eyes widened in alarm.

He blindly stumbled to his feet and staggered to the door. He latched both hands around the handle and pulled, needing out of there as quickly as possible, damn the consequences of trying to get to the hospital wing in his current condition.

The door wouldn't budge.

He choked and continued to wrench at the solid door before his arms finally gave out and he lurched backward, falling to the floor.

They'd fucking locked him in! He was trapped.

Hu Yetao tried to fight the haze of panic that filled him, but his claustrophobia was not mixing well with his heat-addled brain, and he could feel himself becoming slightly unhinged.

He crawled forward and banged on the door with both fists. Maybe they'd only just left him; maybe they were still close by.

He wanted to scream and yell, but he was having trouble breathing.

He felt the hot prick of tears as his banging seemed to go unheeded. He stopped and pressed his sweaty forehead against the door and squeezed his eyes shut, one tear slipping out and trailing down his heated cheek as he whimpered. His cock was still insistently hard between his legs even as his heart raced with uncontrollable fear.

It was too much; it was all too much…

"Hu Yetao?"

Hu Yetao's head came up with a gasp as he heard his mate's voice call out from the other side of the door.

He let out a sob of desperate relief as he knelt up and placed both palms against the door. "Oscar!" he called out frantically, hoping Oscar could hear him even though his shout came out thin and dry. "In here! Let me out, let me out, let me out…"

He couldn't seem to stop saying it over and over; stuck in a panicked loop.

He heard an uttered incantation and then the door unbolted with a 'clunk.'

The door swung outwards and Hu Yetao fairly threw himself into his Alpha's arms as soon as he saw him. He didn't care how pathetic he came off; he needed out of that room, and every cell and instinct in his body told him that he desperately needed his mate.