Always you...

29. Join us...

"Alpha?", called Haoxuan and judging from the look on the Head Enforcer's face, Yibo guessed something was up. "What is it?" "Someone from Xie Chong's pack is here, Alpha. She has demanded a meeting with you alone." "Alone?", Zhan repeated and Xuan winced at the venom Zhan's single word held. "Yeah. It's Xie Yili, Xie Chong's daughter." Yibo stood up from his seat and eyed Zhan who sat straighter on the couch. "Bring her in. You, Rong and Guo Cheng guard the office door. Tell the rest to surround the packhouse and the perimeter. Her arrival could be a distraction. Be prepared." "Your next words better not be 'Go to the room' or you will limp for the rest of your life, Wang Yibo." If the situation wasn't urgent, Yibo would have ravished his firecracker on his office desk until that sexy scowl was gone from Zhan's face. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that right now. "My next words were going to be 'Stay here with me'. I don't want to let you out of my sight when an enemy is on my door."  "What do you think she wants?", Zhan asked and Xuan spoke when  Yibo remained quiet. "It could be because of what we did."  Zhan nodded in agreement and sat with his feet curled under him while Yibo covered his mate's feet with a blanket kissing the top of his head. "Let me know if her presence annoys you. I will throw her out." A smirk came onto those beautiful lips and Yibo pressed a chaste kiss on them telling Xuan to bring the girl in. Yibo settled on his chair and moments later a dark haired-girl walked in her, head held high. The woman was dressed in designer clothes, her gait slow and sure. She had an air of superiority around her and her eyes trained on Yibo as soon as she stepped into the room,the interest in them clear. Her high heeled boots clicked against the floor as she walked in, her mouth pulled up at the corners in a smug smile. "Finally. Mr. Wang in the flesh. I do have to say the rumours don't do you justice. You definitely are more handsome in person."  Ignoring the words, Yibo gestured her to take a seat and he caught the slight curl of her lips at the sight of his firecracker sitting in the corner, reading a book. "I did tell your Head Enforcer I wanted to speak with you alone", she spoke with an arched brow and Yibo shrugged. "He did tell me about your request. I just don't care. Now, you want to tell me why the hell you are ruining my Monday morning?"

Weirdly, the woman's eyes lit up with amusement at the response and she leaned towards the table pinning her gaze into Yibo. "I am here to give you a friendly advice and I am here with an offer for you."  For a moment, Yibo stared at the woman with a blank face and the woman moved to elaborate. "Your message or perhaps I should say warning was received by my pack three days ago. It was extremely ballsy of you to fuck up five of our shifters and dump them right in front of my bar. I was impressed."  Yibo continued to stare at the girl and his impassive face made Xie Yili smile. "The only male with his tongue still attached to his mouth told us that you have advised my father to not mess with you or there will be dire consequences. My father wasn't happy."  Yibo's lips curled up into a smirk and Xie Yili continued to talk. "Well, our feud isn't with you, Wang Yibo. It's with the half-Omega you call your mate. So I don't see why your pack has to suffer because of him. Join us."  Her mocking tone was accompanied by a flirtatious bat of her eyelids and Yibo resisted the urge to bite her head off.  "A threat on my mate is a threat to me. Which means your feud is with me."  "But, from what I heard Xiao Zhan isn't your true mate. Which means-"  "The last person who said these words had his spine ripped out while he was alive. You must have heard what happened to him. If not, I am sure you will find the remains of his body at the edge of my territory. I advise you choose your words carefully now, cougar."  It could have been the glacial tone or the pure malevolent glint in Yibo's eyes that had the woman's features hardening.  "Our packs don't have to fight, Wang Yibo. We have never harmed any of your wolves because it's Xiao Zhan my father wants. We will forget that you attacked five of our pack's members.  Hand over the Omega to my father and no one from the Lan pack will be touched. Like I said, our feud is with him. Just him. We don't have to bring out packs into it."  Yibo sat silent while his blood boiled with rage at the woman's words. His wolf growled within him, egging Yibo to hurt the person who had threatened his mate but before Yibo could act, Zhan's voice filled the room.  "What else are you offering?", came Zhan's voice and Yibo's eyes narrowed at the man's words. Zhan smiled as he made a show of cracking his knuckles and adjusting into a better position facing the cougar. "You can't just offer him this. There has to be more. More benefits for the Lan pack if you want Yibo to even consider joining you. So, what else are you offering?"  Zhan's tone was entirely relaxed, without a trace of worry and Yibo could go as far as to say there was pure curiosity in Zhan's eyes. No anger, no worries, just plain curiosity.  "An alliance with us", Xie Yili spoke with a jut of her chin and Zhan raised a brow. "Oh! Really? And I am thinking this alliance will be through a mating since without me by his side Yibo will be unmated. Correct?"  "Yes. We are proposing an alliance in return. We don't want the Lans to be our enemies and the Lan pack doesn't have to lose alliances with their decision. If he lets you go he will gain more by our assistance."  "And you are the one your pack has selected as Yibo's potential mate", Zhan finished, his eyes filled with amusement.  The half-Omega made a show of taking in every inch of Xie Yili and then he turned to Yibo with a sour look on his face. "Nah, Yibo. Not this one. Are there other women in your pack?"  The words were a clear insult and the cougar fisted her hands, glaring at Zhan. "Hey! This isn't personal. Don't get so wound up. It's just that if my Yibo will give me up, I need to make sure he gets someone better in return. Otherwise, the deal won't benefit him at all." The cougar's nostrils flared at the words and the sight lit up Zhan's eyes even more. "Come on, Yili. Take a look at the Lan Alpha before you. He is the most successful Alpha at his age, has the most beautiful wolf ever, he looks like he has been carved out of fine jade and don't even get me started on his mean glares. They are hot! Can you blame me for wanting an otherworldly beauty for him? Can you?"  "You think this is a fucking joke, Omega?", she hissed and Zhan let out a sigh turning to Yibo. "She has a mean temper as well. Nope, Yibo. Not going to happen." 

The cougar let out a deep growl and several things happened at once. The door was slammed open, the Lan wolves coming in to shield Zhan, Yibo had jumped over his desk to reach his mate and Zhan had caught the woman's throat in his hands. A smirk was on Zhan's lips as the cougar struggled in his firm grip, her claws trying to break the skin on his wrists. "You come to my pack making demands as if you own the place, ask my own mate to forsake me and dare to growl in front of me? You seriously don't have any sense of self-preservation, do you, cougar?" The woman's claws dug into Zhan's skin drawing blood and Yibo released a snarl of his own at sight of the blood that beaded on Zhan's hand. The cougars that came to escort Yili must have heard the commotion because they were also standing in front of the office with the Lan wolves blocking their path. Zhan merely smiled at the struggling woman and the smile held so much venom, Yili's eyes widened a fraction with trepidation. "I am pregnant and I am feeling quite generous which is why I will let this stupid occurrence aside. Go back and the next time you come to negotiate, make sure that you have something substantial to offer. We are busy plotting your father's demise,Yili. Don't waste our time with your foolish behavior. Now be a good girl and rein your claws back in or I will snap this pretty little neck. Others might judge me for hurting a woman but seriously, I won't care."  A few heartbeats later, the claws were removed and Zhan gave the girl a bright smile letting go of her. The woman gasped in a corner and the Lan wolves stood guarding their Alpha pair daring her to make a move. "You have made a mistake today, Wang Yibo. I came here hoping you would see sense and do what is right for your pack. Too bad you will learn your lesson the hard way. Remember, Wang Yibo. When cougars decide to fight, they don't even leave a fucking dog behind. Your entire pack will be wiped off this planet and you will have your mouthy little Omega to thank." A few chuckles escaped the Lan wolves at her declaration and Yibo stepped forth his gaze golden and perilous.  "And you remember that when a pack of wolves is out to protect what's theirs, they don't care who is standing against them. We destroy and we are unapologetic about it.  Your father has a lots of scores to settle, Xie Yili. Tell him to gather his strength and start counting his days. The day your father brings a fight to Wang Yibo's doorstep, he won't leave this place alive. Consider that a fucking promise." The woman was led out of the room and Zhan wiped the blood off his hands hissing. "What a nut", he grumbled and when his eyes met Yibo's he knew he was in for a punishment. His Alpha didn't take it well when he put himself in danger like that. Guess there would be a lot more sleepless nights in Zhan's near future. His back was going to break for sure this time!