Chapter Text
It's not very often that an omega is born to the royal family, and many prefer it that way. Any time a child is raised in the palace, the entire kingdom of Xian Le prays that it will one day present as a strong alpha, more than capable to rule them all.
The day that the Crown Prince, Xie Lian presented as an omega, everyone was at a loss. History told them that they should shun him, choose another to receive the crown after the King. But that was all set in place well before Xie Lian had even been born.
Things were different.
The prince was held in such high esteem already. He was loved dearly by his people. Not only was he kind and gracious, but he possessed swordsmanship skills that were unparalleled by anyone in the kingdom. (Or beyond, for that matter!)
Xie Lian himself had even come forward after his presentation, at only thirteen, and announced that he would banish himself from the kingdom if the people saw it fit. The King and Queen hastily refused his offer, as did the rest of his people. As much as they loved tradition, no one was quite willing to let go of their beloved Crown Prince.
And so it was decided, after much deliberation from the royal court, that when Xie Lian was old enough, a grandiose ceremony would be held to select an alpha mate for him. Someone who would ensure that their prince would give birth to an alpha worthy of ruling over Xian Le one day.
—
“Unacceptable!”
Xie Lian flinches as one of his attendants pulls at the hem of his robes and curses.
“Mu Qing? What's wrong?” he questions, complying as the beta urges him to remove the ornate outer robe he'd only just put on.
“The stitching on the hem is already loose. As much as your parents graciously paid to commission this thing, it's bordering on blatant disrespect to have even—”
“Mu Qing, please,” Xie Lian says in a bored tone, holding up one hand to stop his ranting. “It's just a thread. No one will notice.”
“But—”
“But nothing. There is nothing to worry about! You are too nervous about the ceremony when you shouldn't be.” The prince diagnoses Mu Qing’s problem with casual confidence, unfazed by the way he sputters in response.
“Nervous?! What would I be nervous for?” he protests.
“Perhaps you're worried that my new mate will dismiss you from heat duty.” He's only teasing, finding it funny when Mu Qing's face grows bright red. As an omega, going into heat meant he needed someone trustworthy to guard his chambers at all times. And who better than Mu Qing?
“That's not—” he starts to yell, then grits his teeth when he notices that Xie Lian is poorly suppressing a giggle. “Don't joke like that, Your Highness! This is a serious matter. Whoever you take as a mate will also shape the future of Xian Le. Not to mention the whole ordeal is—”
“Unprecedented! I know.” Xie Lian lets out an exasperated sigh as he drops down onto the chair by his dressing table, and Mu Qing hurriedly follows behind him to assure that he doesn't wrinkle his gown.
“I know Your Highness is tired of hearing that, but this is a serious ordeal. The King and Queen are putting a lot of faith into you and your future mate.”
Xie Lian knows. He's only had the entire fate of his kingdom resting on his shoulders from the day he first presented. No, technically before that, but the pressure definitely got worse after that.
He's always felt a little guilty about it, as if there was something he could have done to prevent it. Maybe his cultivation had led him in the wrong direction or something.
Sometimes he thinks it would have been easier for the kingdom to simply banish him. That way, his parents wouldn't have been burdened with the chore of assuring his path to the throne. They could proceed and choose another successor, one who would definitely be an alpha.
Then again, maybe this is just one of the many trials placed before him, something to overcome. Presenting as an omega didn't change his precision with a blade, nor did it change his studies. If they weren't going to banish him, then he certainly owed it to the people of Xian Le to hold his head high and promise them an alpha heir.
“I'm well aware,” Xie Lian finally says. “I'm confident that everything will go smoothly. According to my mother, there have been hundreds of potential mates willing to step up.”
“Well, who wouldn't want the opportunity to mate with the Prince of Xian Le?”
“Oh, you flatter me!”
“Not what I—Ugh, you know what I mean. Anyone with half a brain would be readying themselves to marry royalty. You never know who might sign up for something lIke that! I'm sure there are lots of shady characters among the candidates!”
“Mhmm, which is why the King and Queen have interviewed them all. Anyone compatible will be someone they approve of,” he shrugs. Though as soon as the words leave his lips, he starts to feel a little uneasy.
He's not quite sure what a compatibility test will entail, as everyone has been vague when it comes to explaining it to him. According to the murmurings he’s heard, a compatible alpha mate will make his heats a little more bearable. And heats are….
Ahh!
Heats are embarrassing.
Mu Qing doesn’t guard his chambers for security alone. No, the main reason he’s there every time is because Xie Lian has begged him to be. He’s the only person he can safely say he trusts to never speak of the sounds he may or may not hear. If anything, the safety measures are in place to protect Xie Lian’s dignity.
So, no, he can’t imagine another person being able to ease that feral state he enters—The clawing at the sheets, the endless flow of slick. Heck, he can’t even imagine another person simply hearing his moans. Besides, the only way he currently gets any sort of relief is through pleasuring himself, so that would have to mean only one thing.
Ah, well he has to produce an heir somehow, right? Hah.
He knows that. He really does.
He just kind of wishes he could know if it’s gonna happen today.
“And you don’t have to choose anyone if none of them suit your tastes,” Mu Qing reminds him. Xie Lian grimaces, hoping that his attendant can’t read his thoughts.
They both look up as someone knocks at the door, but Mu Qing is the one who crosses the room to see who it is. Xie Lian straightens himself up, doing his best to make sure he still appears composed.
And then he relaxes again when he hears a familiar voice.
“Let me in, dammit!” Feng Xin shouts, barreling his way past Mu Qing so that he can slam the door shut behind him.
“What the hell are you doing barging in here like this?!” Mu Qing scolds.
“Guys, keep it down, someone might get worried,” Xie Lian laughs, earning mildly annoyed looks from both betas. Quickly, Feng Xin straightens up and clears his throat, as if suddenly remembering that he did have a purpose for rushing in so dramatically.
“Remember the matchmaker that the Queen promised you?” Feng Xin asks. Xie Lian can’t help but roll his eyes.
“Yeah.”
Actually, they’d gone through seven different matchmakers, all of them utterly clueless about what an omega of Xie Lian’s status actually needed. Most of them were used to omegas who were being sold off as mates to wealthy alphas who wanted nothing more than a trophy to breed. The way his parents decided to do things was backwards in their minds, and Xie Lian was some frail thing trying to marry rich. Frankly, none of the alphas they could connect with were anywhere near worthy of taking the prince’s hand.
“Well she found another, and she’s here.”
“So what’s wrong with her? Why’re you running up here all out of breath?” Mu Qing scoffs. “Besides, isn’t it a little late for that? The King and Queen have already done their vetting.”
“No, no, no! This is the omega from outside the kingdom that we’ve heard rumors about and she’s here. Didn’t send any sort of announcement, just showed up at the palace gates just ten minutes ago!” He sounds a bit exasperated, and Xie Lian can only assume that this omega must be a gorgeous woman who got just a little too close.
“What a nice surprise?”
“Your Highness, she wants to meet with you in the courtyard,” Feng Xin finally says.
“Now?”
“When else?” Mu Qing sighs, draping the embroidered outer robe over his arm. “You go with Feng Xin, and I’ll take this to be mended.”
“It’s fine,” Xie Lian huffs, all but snatching the robe back so that he can pull it on himself. Mu Qing mutters something under his breath but leans in to help him with the belt, clearly disapproving of the way Xie Lian is dressing himself on his own. “I really don’t think anyone will notice…Besides, you’ve already made that poor seamstress cry once today, you should give her a break.”
He really was just teasing him earlier; there’s no way he’d agree to mate anyone who wanted to get rid of Mu Qing or Feng Xin. He’d probably have to walk around in a burlap sack the rest of his life.
“Thanks. Why don’t you come with us, then?” Xie Lian asks him, flashing a bright smile. He’s still scowling, but agrees after checking to make sure he was still put together.
This, of course, isn’t the end of his adornment. Once he gets closer to the ceremony, he’ll don his jewelry and headpiece—Honestly some of the most elegant accessories he’s ever laid eyes on!
His two friends follow him on either side as they make their way away from Xie Lian’s chambers and out to the courtyard. Outside, they find his parents talking to a woman he’s never seen before, wearing beautiful white robes. She’s much younger looking than any matchmaker he’s had to fire in the past, and it makes him wonder how she came to be an expert.
“Oh, there he is!” his mother exclaims once he’s in earshot, she excitedly draws him over, squeezing his arm as she introduces him. “Xie Lian, this is Shi Qingxuan, she’s an omega who is an expert in all things mating.”
“Hi, so nice to meet you!” she gushes enthusiastically. She takes Xie Lian’s hands and squeezes them with a surprising amount of strength. “I’ve been told that I’m too late to help you with interviews, but I can fill you in on everything you need to know about compatibility.”
Xie Lian’s eyes go wide. Compatibility? Now?
“Xian Le is home to very few omegas, unfortunately, which means that Xie Lian’s education in what it means to be an omega has been sub-par,” his father supplies.
Xie Lian wilts internally, a little embarrassed to be put on the spot in such a way. (And about such an awkward topic, too!)
“Your Highness! We just remembered that we have to go and do that thing we promised you earlier!” Feng Xin shouts, bowing in unison with Mu Qing. Both men are equally red in the face.
“Of course, go on,” Xie Lian swallows, politely dismissing them. It isn’t a conversation he’d necessarily want them to hear, anyway.
“We will be on our way as well,” his mother says. They head out, but not before his mother explains all over again what this matchmaker intends to talk to him about.
Before he’s ready, the courtyard is cleared of everyone except for Xie Lian and this stranger.
“So, Xie Lian, huh? I love these robes, you are certainly dressed for the day. Very pretty,” Shi Qingxuan says, tapping a paper fan against her chin as she circles him, carefully inspecting the rest of his outfit.
“Um, I’m sorry to waste your time, but I don’t need advice on how to present myself. I already do that just fine. I have a plethora of alphas at my fingertips, all I need to know is how to find one that’s compatible with me.”
“My, you are as feisty as they say.”
Xie Lian frowns. Who is they?!
“So your parents have picked out a line of alphas that meet your standards for excellency. After the ceremony today, you will be meeting with each one individually in order to test for compatibility.”
“Y-yes, and I’d like to know about that. No one has been able to tell me what this test entails.” Xie Lian says his words firmly, not willing to let this other omega sway his opinion in any way. “I trust that you will be honest with me and not spare any details.”
“Oh, of course,” Shi Qingxuan smirks. She beckons for Xie Lian to sit next to her on a bench, which he politely declines. He’s far too jittery to sit, but uses the excuse that he doesn’t want to wrinkle his new gown.
“Just tell me, and I’ll need to be on my way so I can finish dressing.”
“Well, fine then, we’ll do it your way. So when you’re alone with an alpha, you’ll first test for scent compatibility—”
“Mother’s already sent me silk scarves scented by each candidate—”
“Which doesn’t necessarily mean a thing. Just means you can tolerate these scents,” Shi Qingxuan interrupts him right back, catching Xie Lian off guard for a minute. “This is real scenting. Pressing your neck against an alpha’s wrist, checking to see if it has any effect on you whatsoever.”
Xie Lian inhales sharply, his hands flying to his neck protectively. That’s such a private place, isn’t it? His parents are just going to let someone—No, no, this is what he has to do. He must! If he is to find the perfect mate, it’ll all fall into place. He’ll have to consummate his mating at some point anyway, right?
“What kind of effect?” Xie Lian asks, though he’s a little afraid of the answer.
“Well, a true match will send you into heat immediately.”
Xie Lian lets out a horrified gasp as he clutches his own neck even tighter. Heat? He’s not due for another month! How could someone just—Tonight?!
“And if that happens, I can just send for Mu Qing, and my parents will know that’s the one!” he lets out a forced, nervous laugh because part of him already knows that it’s probably not what the matchmaker is about to tell him.
“No need,” Shi Qingxuan says. “You’ll be too preoccupied having sex with him to send for anyone.”
“No! No, no, I’ve never had sex,” he says, panicked, barely able to even say the word out loud. His face burns hotter than it ever has before, horrified by the fact that he’s being made to talk about that with a total stranger.
“Oh, relax, it’s normal. As an omega, you’re built for sex. Heats make it easier for you to get pregnant.” She says it all way too casually for Xie Lian’s liking.
“No one said I had to get pregnant now,” he chokes.
“Sweetie, what did you think would happen? That you’d get married and then go off to sleep in separate rooms. This is a great thing, isn’t it?” Shi Qingxuan asks the question like she genuinely believes the answer is yes.
And before today, Xie Lian would have agreed!
He’s really not sure what it is—maybe it’s the fact that another omega is telling him so, or maybe it’s because he’s nearing the point of no return….But now he’s scared. Nothing ever really scares him, either! It’s his duty as a noble omega to produce an heir and he’s always known what that meant for him…but for some reason he just can’t stomach it all of a sudden.
It’s too much.
Too soon!
“I need some air,” Xie Lian rasps, turning away from the matchmaker.
“We’re already outside, silly. Listen, don’t think of me as a matchmaker. Think of me as…your best friend! Yes, you can think of me as a best friend. I’m telling you like it is so that there’s nothing left to the imagination. Sex is great, and you’re going to love it.”
“Stop talking!” Xie Lian cries, clapping his hands over his ears like a child.
“And don’t be scared of the knot, that’s what all the slick is for!”
Xie Lian screams.
He can’t take another second of Shi Qingxuan’s nonsense!
So he runs. He runs as far away as he can from the strange woman, careful to take as many back passageways as he can so that he can remain unseen. To be honest, there’s no destination in his mind, the only thing he can tell himself to do is to run.
Thankfully, he knows the streets of Xian Le like the back of his hand. He’s always been fascinated by the lives of the common people, eager to learn their ways of living so that he can remain humble even from the comfort of luxury. It’s probably why he’s so well-liked, he thinks.
Once he’s run far enough that his legs start to shake, he slows himself so that he can begin to take in his surroundings. Somehow, in his fit, he’s made it all the way to the outskirts of the kingdom, to a quiet place along the trees that seems to be emptier. See? He has good instincts, clearly skilled enough to take himself where he needs to go even when his mind is racing.
And although he’s not entirely sure where he’s headed, he knows that he needs to be away from the palace for a little while. It’s not the first time he’s run off like this, so he finds solace in the fact that his parents will understand and give him time to come around—just like he always does.
Xie Lian closes his eyes and takes in a breath to center himself before he continues on. The path that winds through the thickening trees is both worn down and overgrown, like maybe it saw heavy foot traffic in the past. Careful, he picks up the hem of his robes and follows the faint pathway. Nature is inherently calming, so he makes it a point to observe what’s around him—leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, a bird fluttering by.
At least an hour passes before he stops again. It’s only then that he realizes he’s in a bit of a predicament—the path is no longer clear! At some point, he’d stopped meandering along a path and left it behind altogether. His chest tightens for a moment as he looks around, only to tighten more when he realizes it’s still nowhere to be seen!
“Oh no,” he whispers to himself.
He was too rash wasn’t he? He shouldn’t have even left! Now there’s no way he’s going to make it back to the palace in time if he can’t even get his bearings.
“Stay calm, there’s a way back, I just have to walk back in the same direction,” he whispers these words of encouragement to himself. He once spent an entire month in solitude for his cultivation and was able to find his way back to the palace on his own without even a scratch to show for it. There’s no way that a simple stroll in the woods is enough to best him.
And yet, it does.
He walks for another hour, still unable to locate the path he’d entered on. It's fine, he'll surely find a way out. These woods are practically part of his own home; how could he possibly get lost?
A faint rustling in the distance catches his attention. The noise startles him at first, but then he quickly recognizes the sound of hooves against the forest floor. With a hopeful gasp, he hurries in the direction of the sound and winds up on a dirt path that's quite different from the one he'd originally been walking on.
“Strange…” he mumbles to himself, looking around at his feet before turning his attention back to the hoof beats.
And thankfully those beats do, in fact, belong to a horse. A horse with a rider.
“Hey! Excuse me!” Xie Lian calls out, gathering his robes again and hurrying towards the figure that had already been approaching. They're close to Xian Le, so there is no reason for him to assume that this stranger is anyone other than one of his own constituents.
The horse slows to a stop just in time.
“Oh thank you! I'm so sorry to inconvenience you at a time like this, but I seem to have lost…lost my…” he trails off, his thoughts meandering far away from what he'd intended to ask when he finally gets a good look at the man on the horse. A tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in a beautifully red ensemble. His dark hair cascades effortlessly down his back, and his face is like stone, only partially concealed by an eyepatch.
“Your Highness seems to be lost,” the man says after giving him a moment to process. It doesn't help much, though, because his voice somehow rattles Xie Lian even more.
He's not quite sure what he's feeling; it's not something he's ever experienced just from simply addressing another person. Or actually at all.
“Erm, I…” he stammers again, shaking his head. This is so embarrassing! What's wrong with him?!
“Your Highness?” the man questions again, a bit of confusion lacing his tone. Xie Lian holds his head in his hands as he tries to get his wits back, but everything seems to be slipping away from him. What the hell is happening? It's like a cloud has settled over his head, making it impossible to tell one thought from another.
He was only walking in the woods, it's not like he's taken anything weird or has gone delirious from dehydration. Yet here he is, coming unraveled in an instant just from laying eyes on a handsome stranger. Oh man, he's gone crazy! No alpha's gonna want a crazy omega even if he is the crown prince of Xian Le! This is bad.
“Xie Lian.”
He gasps when the man says his name, and he looks up at him with wide eyes, surprised to find that the man has dismounted and is crouching down right in front of him. (When did Xie Lian get down here on the ground, anyway?)
“Y-you know my name?” At least a few words are able to escape, but it's astonishing how difficult it is to produce anything intelligible.
“The Crown Prince of Xian Le, how could I not?” he replies, his smile coy yet gentle. “Please let me help you.”
“Y-yes, I just need to get…I need to get back to the palace for…” his mind wanders off again as the man leans closer into his space. A wave of scent rolls in like a rainstorm, further clouding Xie Lian's senses in an instant. It's the kind of scent that brings an instant calm, something that would make for the perfect atmosphere to curl up in a nest and take a nap to.
Safe.
“Your Highness…” the man's voice changes slightly, as if he may be noticing a change in himself as well, but Xie Lian barely notices. “I should leave. I can find someone to help you, I'll send them back this way, I—”
“No!” Xie Lian cries, embarrassingly loud as he claws at the man's wrists. He doesn't even know the man's name, but for some reason the idea of him leaving is absolutely out of the question! “I need you to take me back to the palace. Please don't leave me.”
He looks up at the man with pleading eyes. Begging like this is unbecoming of a prince like himself, but he can't help it in the presence of someone like this…
An alpha.
It takes far too long for that associate to click in his head, but when it does, his eyes widen in surprise. “Alpha…”
“Yes…And clearly an omega such as yourself shouldn't be out here alone…” The man's voice is even lower than it was before, closer now to a growl. A very sultry growl.
Another breath in, and Xie Lian can feel the warmth that starts to radiate from his own skin, right before he notices the wetness further below. Oh.
Oh, he's in heat.
Under normal circumstances, Xie Lian would shriek and run away, crying for Mu Qing to cover for him so he can hide away in his room for days on end.
But this situation is anything but normal.
His body is heating up, way outside his normal cycle, while his head swims with the calming pheromones that the alpha gives off. Every fiber of his being is screaming, his instincts telling him that this is the alpha he needs. This is his alpha, it has to be.
“I need you,” Xie Lian whispers, whimpering softly as the alpha presses the back of his hand against Xie Lian's forehead.
“You're burning up,” the alpha says. Xie Lian leans into his touch shamelessly, until he's got his face buried into the chest of a total stranger.
“You smell so nice. Won't you help me?” Xie Lian sighs. Shameless, shameless, shameless! His parents would be horrified. Clear-headed Xie Lian would also be horrified.
The man inhales sharply, seeming to struggle with restraint almost as much as Xie Lian does. “Your Highness…We need to get out of here.”
He wholeheartedly agrees with the man, and is not only compliant, but eager to mount the horse along with him. Seated right behind him, he's able to wrap his arms around his waist, to press his face against his back and breathe in his delectable scent.
Oh, Xie Lian has never smelt anything like it! The smell is heady and strong, thick enough to make it seem like he's drinking it in. If he could find a way, he'd concentrate this scent into incense and make enough to last him a lifetime.
Head still spinning, Xie Lian barely registers the way the horse moves through the woods, racing through like he's on an important mission. It doesn't seem like the man is taking him back to the palace, but Xie Lian doesn't really care. All that matters is that he can go wherever this alpha is going.
When the horse finally stops, the man pulls Xie Lian into his arms, carrying him bridal style into what looks like an abandoned shrine. Small, unassuming.
“Is this your home?” Xie Lian asks languidly, without enough energy to really show his disdain for the small abode. That doesn't matter! The alpha will come to live in your palace anyway!
Xie Lian giggles to himself.
“What's so funny?” the man asks once they're both inside. He sets Xie Lian down on a straw mat, raising an eyebrow at his delirium. “And no, not my home. Just a safe place for you to rest. I really should get going—”
“No!” Xie Lian shouts, standing up and stomping his foot against the ground. “I order you to stay with me!”
Oh, he's gone fully insane, now, hasn't he?
“You order me?”
“Yes! I am the prince, and you must listen to me,” Xie Lian says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“But Your Highness…I'm a stranger, aren't I?” he asks, his voice darkening as he steps into Xie Lian's space. The crown prince freezes as the alpha lightly toys at a strand of his hair, his lips curling into a cool grin. “What if I were to take advantage of your current state?”
Xie Lian trembles slightly, the man's voice sending shivers down his spine. The man is so handsome, so intoxicating…and in a fleeting moment of reason, he remembers that if someone brings him back to the palace, he might end up in a similar situation anyway.
Most likely not with an alpha of this caliber, though. Not with anyone who smells half as nice.
“What if I… What if I order you to take advantage of me?” his voice shakes as he talks, but he's convinced he's making the right choice. And if he isn't…well, heat incoming or not, he's still highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
Shi Qingxuan did say that he'd know if someone was a compatible mate. And, well, if this isn't compatible, he's not sure he knows the meaning of the word.
“Then, I suppose I'd have no choice but to comply…” his voice trails off, dark and foreboding and exciting. Xie Lian's heart hammers in his chest as the alpha draws even closer, until their foreheads are touching.
“Tell me your name at least?” Xie Lian whispers, shuddering with anticipation as the alpha's hands lightly trail along his waist. Heat consumes him faster and faster, and he knows it's only a matter of time before he's in need of something more.
The man pauses for a moment, then gently says, “San Lang.”
“San Lang,” Xie Lian repeats, trying it out on his lips as hands find his hips. Their grip is gentle and cautious at first, then grows increasingly tighter when Xie Lian doesn't protest.
Instincts are odd.
For years, Xie Lian has cultivated and studied and knows how to control himself. But when it comes to the little voice in his head nagging at him to give into instincts during heat…well, he's never been able to win an argument against it.
He can feel something warm and firm pressing against his thigh, reducing him to a pile of goo. San Lang leans in, his nose pressing against the scent gland on his neck, seemingly drawn to it. Does Xie Lian smell just as good to him? Hopefully.
Something wet drags along the sensitive skin there and Xie Lian hisses in response. Instincts kick in, and he throws his arms around San Lang's shoulders, eager to keep him where he is. His scent gland is such an intimate spot, a place that no one else has so much as touched, and yet this alpha is lapping at it like it's his last meal.
“S-San Lang,” he gasps, clinging tighter as he pulls back.
“I'm sorry, Your Highness,” San Lang pants, resting their foreheads together once more. He pauses, but only to roll his hips into Xie Lian and bring his attention back to that hot, hard thing hiding beneath his robes. “I don't think I can hold myself back any longer.”
Xie Lian's knees shake, but he nods anyway. “Then don't.”
“Is that an order?” San Lang smirks. That jerk is teasing him at a time like this?!
“Yes!” He hisses in frustration, knitting his eyebrows together.
“In that case,” He grins, not bothering to finish his sentence. He scoops Xie Lian's legs out from under him and lays him back down against the straw mat. The so-called bedding is hard and uncomfortable, but thankfully Xie Lian is too preoccupied to care.
He stares, chest heaving, as San Lang unties his outer robes before quickly moving to undo the inner ones as well. Xie Lian doesn't have time to feel any sort of shame, either, because he's hot and the idea of getting these stupid robes off as soon as possible is extremely appealing!
“Xie Lian,” San Lang breathes, pausing to take in his naked figure. His eye is heavily lidded, clearly clouded with lust and desire.
Pressure builds within his groin, his sex hot and wet and frustrated. He's empty, he's on fire, he needs something more—
“San Lang, alpha, please,” Xie Lian cries out, unable to take it anymore. It's painful at this point, and he's not sure it's ever been quite this bad before. “Please, please, please. Help me. Please help. Oh!”
He throws his head back against the straw, hands flying to his own privates, plunging his fingers shamelessly between his folds. Friction is better, but it's not enough. San Lang stays silent, and Xie Lian wants to burst into tears, wondering why the alpha isn't touching him, isn't making it better…He's supposed to make it better, dammit!
Just when he's about to scream, a strong hand bats his fingers away and he recoils quickly. He doesn't even have his head off the ground before he feels something warm and thick and foreign prodding at his entrance. He opens his eyes wide, getting a good look at the massive length teasing his folds.
“Oh my god,” he moans, thighs quivering as the alpha drives his hips forward. He's never seen a cock quite like it. Maybe in passing in the baths, but nothing nearly as impressive or tantalizing.
Xie Lian has to hold his breath as San Lang pushes into him, his length spreading him wide from the inside out as it fills him up.
“How does it feel?” San Lang growls, his voice wavering next to Xie Lian's ear as soon as he's all the way inside.
“Good,” is all he can manage, unable to accurately describe what he's experiencing. He's more full than he's ever been, and it eases the ache between his thighs in a way that he's never been able to manage on his own.
The alpha grunts in response, taking that as his approval to continue on. Xie Lian clings to him for dear life as he starts to move his hips, thrusting his cock in and out enough to create a friction good enough to make his toes curl, never fully pulling out.
The rest is a bit of a blur.
Both of them quickly lose the ability to produce any coherent thoughts, and the tiny cottage fills with sounds far too obscene for anyone else to hear. Their scents intermingle, creating a haze in the air that sets Xie Lian's mind on one thing and one thing only:
Being bred by his alpha.
—-
Xie Lian isn't sure how much time has passed when he finally wakes with a clear head. It seems to be morning, and the air seems to be cleared of pheromones.
It's almost as if he's waking up from an incredibly realistic dream. Almost. If it weren't for the evidence that it all really happened, anyway.
His thighs are littered in bruises and his arms and legs feel like lead, exhausted from all of the fornication—He shudders as the thought crosses his mind.
He didn't think it was possible to relinquish his virginity so easily, and yet he did. To a stranger, no less!
“San Lang?” he calls to the empty shrine. No one responds, but he does notice his robes neatly folded on the forgotten altar. Despite the irony of his situation, he stands and covers himself with his hands as he walks over to retrieve his robes. He dresses quickly before venturing outside.
The bright sun catches him by surprise, momentarily blinding him as he has to squint to adjust. He holds his arm up to cover his brow and shade his eyes as he looks out among the trees.
San Lang is nowhere to be seen, yet the horse that had brought them to the shrine still stands obediently outside, as if waiting for something or someone. Xie Lian lets out a disappointed sigh and approaches the horse, patting its face gently.
“Was this all some game?” Xie Lian mutters to the horse. It doesn't respond, obviously, but Xie Lian does notice a tiny scroll tucked beneath its bridle.
Furrowing his brow, he takes the tiny paper and unrolls it to find words that look like they've been etched into it rather than scribed.
Xie Lian, an emergency came up and I had to leave suddenly. Please know that it was not my plan to leave you like this.
The horse is yours to keep. It will take you back to your palace and ensure your safe arrival.
Xie Lian stares at the message, then looks back up at the horse. San Lang is quite a suspicious character, he thinks. Yet he's kind and gentle and courteous and … well endowed.
Erm.
Anyway, he's a suspicious character who very easily could have maimed Xie Lian or stolen his robes, or kidnapped him…And yet here he is, on his own two feet and (mostly) unharmed at the end of his heat.
He's not entirely sure what this means for the mating ceremony, but he also doesn't particularly care. It doesn't matter what anyone else has to say about his choices, because his instincts are all telling him that he's doing what he needs to. All he wants is to get back to his home, and wait for his mysterious alpha's return.