Fated To Be His...

37. A-Ying...

"A-Zhan!", came a loud call and Zhan found himself in a bone crushing hug. He would have laughed if he could breathe properly so he just settled on patting Yubin's back. "Why is everyone being so weird?", he asked seeing numerous pairs of eyes drinking him in and Yubin lightly punched his shoulder. "Because you forgot about us!"  Zhan rolled his eyes at the dramatic response and carried his bag back to his room asking Yubin what had happened while he was gone. "Nothing much. Although,this entire week Lei has been on my ass day and night making me run errands all over the place. God, I am so tired. Now that you are back I am not going anywhere." Yubin collapsed on Zhan's bed, his arms and feet flailing about and Zhan chuckled lightly. "So, how was it? Did you and Yibo finally do the dirty?"  Zhan chose to ignore the suggestive wiggle of Yubin's eyebrows but the bunched up pullover in his hand did go flying towards the man's head. "Don't be an ass. Since when are you interested in my sex life?"  "Since always. But before Yibo you had no intention of going down that lane so, I never pried."  "Well, I still haven't gone down that lane so you can go back to being uninterested." Zhan shot his friend a look and saw that Yubin's face was thoughtful. "What?" Zhan's brows furrowed slightly and Yubin sat up slowly. "Have you ever wondered why the mating urge didn't hit you guys?" The question had Zhan stopping what he was doing and Yubin continued speaking. "I mean, true mates recognize each other in most cases and the mating urge soon follows because fate wants the two people to be together. You guys have known each other for so long and if those heated looks you give one another are any sign, you do want each other. So, why do you think mother nature hasn't given you that push? Umm, are you guys sure that you are-"  Yubin left the sentence at that and Zhan saw panic and guilt flash on his friend's face.

"True mates?", he finished, unconsciously letting out a low growl at the question and Yubin winced. "Sorry." Zhan sat down on the bed and was silent for a while trying his best to put his thoughts into words. "I get what you mean. Me and Yibo have been together all our lives but for the mating urge to kick in, we both need to be completely committed to the process. A mating urge comes only when both fated ones are ready to form a bond. Emotionally and physically. For the years that me and Yibo were here, I was younger, not mature enough for a mating bond. On top of that, Yibo wanted to avenge his family. He might have held back from the mating bond because he didn't want to get me involved."  "What about now?", Yibo asked with a frown and Zhan let out a deep sigh. "I didn't want to make you sad. It's just that I know you both madly love each other. I was just curious why you guys aren't mated yet." Zhan knew in his heart that he loved Yibo and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Yibo but they still hadn't felt the mating urge. "The only explanation I can think of right now is that both of us are still holding parts of ourselves back from each other either knowingly or unknowingly", he responded vaguely an image of Yibo's wolf flashing in his head. Yubin nodded his head in understanding and Zhan distracted himself by stuffing his clothes back into his closet when he heard Yubin's voice. "It'll work out, A-Zhan."  Zhan turned at his friend's voice and found an encouraging smile on Yubin's face. "You two are meant for one another. All of us can see that. He is ready to go through anything to keep you safe and sound which is honestly the core foundation of a mating bond. So, don't worry." Zhan smiled in return as the words washed upon him. He didn't need to worry. Everything was going to be fine. A knock came on Zhan's door and Lei walked in, a forced smile on the lion shifter's face. "You're back. Are you free right now? I need a minute with you, Zhan."  Zhan saw the unease in Lei's form and giving Yubin a wave walked out with the elder.

"All good, Lei?", Zhan asked seeing Lei's serious face and when the man nodded stiffly, Zhan grabbed the elder's arm. "Something is wrong. I can see it is, Lei. Is it about Chang Xia? Your brother?"  "It's not about them.  I just have something to tell you", said the elder and Zhan frowned as he was walked inside Lei's office. The familiar scent of pine trees caught Zhan's attention and Zhan found Shen Teng inside. "Uncle Shen?" The man had a similar grim look on his face and Zhan sat down worried because of the two elders. "One of you needs to start talking. What happened?"  An ice cold thought came to Zhan as he burst out, "Is Yibo okay?" 'He was fine when I left him', Zhan thought taking his phone out ready to call the man but was stopped by Shen Teng's voice. "He is fine, A-Zhan. Me and Lei...we just want to talk to you."  Zhan disconnected the call and his own eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what happened? Why do you guys look so pale?"  The two men exchanged a look that Zhan didn't like before the Alpha of the Luo pack began speaking. "Remember the party you attended at our territory, A-Zhan?", Shen Teng reminded the Omega and Zhan nodded his head. "There were a lot of people in that party and after you left that night, an Alpha approached me. He began asking me about you. Your age, your background, about your family and I told him that you were an Omega from one of the shelters." Zhan frowned not understanding where the conversation was going but he stayed patient.