Chapter Text
“I…can explain…”
In such a small enclosure, the air was already compacted and thin, but with the increasing release of pheromones, it felt as if it could crush Zhou Zishu’s chest from within. He couldn’t breathe through the directed fury, and he couldn’t move despite how unease trickled through him.
Wen Kexing was mad, and understandably so, but after all the events that had transpired up until this moment, and all their previous interactions, he had held some hope that it would’ve been taken differently.
“Lao Wen–”
Wen Kexing’s nostrils flared, and when he spoke, it held a coldness that chilled Zhou Zishu more than any tundra. “Don’t you say that name. Don’t you dare say that name.” With each word spoken, the pressure upon the wound increased until the omega’s vision swam.
Perhaps this was his untimely fate. To win the battle and save the country, only to die a slow death of grief and agony. But it was then that lips lowered against his flesh, and slowly drew out the poison until the blood ran clean and only had to be slowed with a firm pressure.
“You’re an omega.” Wen Kexing spat, his lips curled in a sneer. He spoke with a cruelty that made Zhou Zishu question if his voice would even be heard if he spoke, but he would still try to defend his case, for he held no regrets about any of his decisions. If it meant Qin Jiuxiao’s safety, he would do it all again in a heartbeat.
“Yes…” Zhou Zishu whispered, earning a scoff from the alpha. A scoff that soon became a laugh that was devoid of any amusement.
“The law strictly forbids omegas from joining the military, and the punishment is horrid enough that even a grown alpha would hesitate. Why would you, a mere pampered omega, risk everything just to fight in a war?”
“I had to. It was either me or–”
“Or what?” Wen Kexing spat, silencing whatever it was that Zhou Zishu had been about to say. The condescension of it all had the omega curling his hand in a fist, yet he bit his tongue long enough to listen to the rant. “Enlighten me, Zhou Xu. To bring upon such a dishonor to your family name, your father must be stirring in his grave.”
Due to the blood loss and domineering pheromones, it was a difficulty to simply sit upright, but when such disrespect was placed upon both he and his family, Zhou Zishu could hardly keep himself silent. Straightening his spine, he curled his lip in a sneer, refusing to be intimidated into submission.
“I did it to save my brother,” He hissed, fury blazing to life in the eyes which met Wen Kexing’s. “And I would do it again without a moment’s hesitation.” His rising anger caused his scent to spike, something in which Wen Kexing caught with a sharp inhale.
“This scent…” Wen Kexing’s nostrils flared, deeply breathing in Zhou Zishu’s pheromones. “You played the part of a beta to sneak into my camp…but even betas have some pheromones, faint as they are, and no one could smell yours aside from me.”
It was quite apparent from the alpha’s words that he hadn’t listened to a word Zhou Zishu had spoken, and as his eyes grew crazed, the omega knew that he wouldn’t even if he continued to defend his case.
“The Scorpions are masters of poisons and tonics…they’re bound to have something that would tamper with the noticeability and scent of pheromones,” Wen Kexing’s irrational anger was rising, and as was the effect of his pheromones on Zhou Zishu. “You’re the traitor. You were the one to reveal our plans and locations to the Scorpions. You were the one behind A-Xiang’s slaughter.”
“What…?” Zhou Zishu’s look had turned incredulous while his nails dug into the flesh of his palms. The blistering pain there was the only thing keeping his mind from succumbing. “Do you hear how insane you sound? If you would just listen to m–”
In a span of a single second, Wen Kexing had slammed Zhou Zishu against the wall, his hand encircling the omega’s neck in a bruising grip. With how heavily he was breathing, each one blew across Zhou Zishu’s face like a lethal caress.
“You were sent here to seduce me with your scent…to lower my guard so you could find information. Everything…everything you’ve done and said has been a ploy.”
It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, yet Wen Kexing showed no inclination of relenting, even when Zhou Zishu tried to pry his fingers from his neck with a gasped plea.
“Lao..L-Lao…W–”
“Found them! They’re in here!”
The voice was but a faint echo with the roaring of the mountains, but it was like it was a splash of cold water upon Wen Kexing’s face, as his hand loosened, and he stepped away as if burned. Zhou Zishu fell to his knees coughing, clutching where there was without doubt, a forming bruise against his check. But for some or another, the bruise or the former lack of oxygen wasn’t what hurt the most.
Wen Kexing held an obvious tremble as he lifted his hands with wide eyes, be it from the chill, his fury, or something else entirely. But regardless, he still had a look of a man crazed and not in his right mindset, further shown in the sour shift in his pheromones. He made a move towards Zhou Zishu, but it was then that the entrance of the cave darkened with the bodies of the soldiers.
“Let’s hear it for Zhou Xu! The bravest of us all!”
“The hero of all the lands!”
“You’re king of the mountains!”
There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation as Cao Weining rushed inside for what could only be assumed was a hug, but when he caught sight of the condition Zhou Zishu was in, the hug turned into a worried checkup. However, as the evident scent of a distressed omega reached the senses of the others, Zhou Zishu attempted to brush the beta to the side, but Cao Weining held firm.
“T-Those bruises… Do they hurt? How did that even happen?” It was then that he noticed the old blood around Zhou Zishu’s midsection, and his eyes took on an almost comical roundness. “You’re hurt! Let me s–”
“Get away from him.”
The cold edge in Wen Kexing’s voice was enough to interrupt whatever the troops were discussing, bringing with a hesitation that prevented them from moving any further inside.
“Wen gon–” Cao Weining cleared his throat, quick to correct himself. “General, he’s injured. We must tend to them before they worsen. Especially with this weather. If he’s exposed, it would only weaken him fur–”
“Traitorous omega scum don’t deserve such pleasantries,” Wen Kexing spat, causing gasps and gossiping murmurs to echo amongst the soldiers. “Tell us, Zhou Xu. What else have you lied about? Don’t leave us in the dark now.”
Something cold brushed against Zhou Zishu’s back, a soft caress until it found its way up his sleeve and into his chest pocket. Zhou Zishu didn’t need to look to know that Ye Baiyi had found them again, and given the situation, he was fearful for Zhou Zishu’s wellbeing.
“My name…is Zhou Zishu. I did this to save my brother,” Zhou Zishu’s mind was still holding that fuzzy heaviness brought upon by the strong pheromones, so it was difficult to speak. “Nothing else has been a lie…”
“So it’s true!” Zhao Jing pushed his way through the crowd, smoothing down his wild, snow glazed hair as he did so. “I knew there was something wrong with you. Treacherous snake.”
“It was the only way…” Zhou Zishu winced as he straightened his posture, no longer remaining in a crumpled heap upon the ground. “His skill is worse than an infant…if he went to war…he would die before he met his first battle. I couldn’t let him do that…I had to protect him.”
Wen Kexing’s eyes flickered towards him, and in the depths, a fraction of the fury had replaced itself with something Zhou Zishu couldn’t quite determine, but he wasn’t given the opportunity to dwindle on it as his arm was seized roughly.
“High treason! Ultimate dishonor!” Zhao Jing forcibly ripped Zhou Zishu from Cao Weining’s side, and all but threw him before Wen Kexing’s feet. “General. You know what to do.”
“He’s wounded! Why would you do that?”
To lose one’s scent glands was a punishment worse than death, and to bring that upon a family was even worse. But yet, Zhou Zishu didn’t fear the pain that would befall upon him or the humiliation he would face back in his village, he only regretted what he was bringing to his family name, and hoped that he would be forgiven in time.
So as Baiyi was taken from his side, he pushed against the pheromones that tried to force him into submission, and straightened his spine to look Wen Kexing directly in the eyes. This would be painful, this would be dragged out due to his anger, but he wouldn’t look away, not once. Not even after the bloody deed was done.
“Run!” Ye Baiyi whispered in his ear, but Zhou Zishu didn’t move. Not even when the pain that was spreading through his body wanted to make him crumble.
“Stop!” Just as Wen Kexing began to level the blade to where his mark lay against Zhou Zishu’s neck, Cao Weining pushed between them, his eyes blown wide. “You can’t do this! He saved us, he saved our country. What does it matter if he’s an omega? That doesn’t change his character and everything he’s done.”
“Step aside, Weining.” Wen Kexing hissed, but the beta didn’t move. Rather, he was joined by Jing Beiyuan and Wu Xi, neither of whom seemed surprised at this revelation, making Zhou Zishu question whether or not they had known all along.
“The law was orchestrated due to a belief that omegas were weaker than the other genders,” Wu Xi stated, his eyes locking upon Wen Kexing’s as well. “Yet Xu-zhuangzhu has proven that belief false, as he has shown signs of being more worthy than most of the alphas here.”
“I have a high suspicion that this is not what you want, general.” Jing Beiyuan’s eyes were keen, speaking more than what he had said.
Wen Kexing’s lips curled upwards in a sneer, and for a moment it seemed as if he would cut them down to reach Zhou Zishu. But just as the metal reflected in the high sun, it clattered against the stone with a loud, echoing clang.
“Move out.”
“B-But you can’t just–” Zhao Jing tried to protest, but Wen Kexing caught him by the front of his robes, and drew him closer until they were but a breath apart.
“I said…move out.”
“General! We…We can’t just leave him here. With his current condition and environment, he’ll die!”
There was a moment of hesitation just before Wen Kexing stepped outside in the cold, but it wasn’t enough to sway him on his path as he mounted his horse without so much as a backwards glance. Some of the soldiers joined him out in the cold, shivering as they hugged their arms, but there were a fraction who remained by Zhou Zishu’s side.
“Anyone who remains upon this mountain will be deemed traitors alongside the omega.”
Given his current behavior, and the manner in which he had portrayed himself during training, this was not some silly threat, and many knew that he would follow through with it. So they joined the others, although they held their head and shoulders in a way that expressed their guilt.
“Xu-er,” Jing Beiyuan spoke kindly, placing his hand upon Zhou Zishu’s shoulder. “This mountain is not far from the imperial city. If you wait until we’re gone, you can follow our footsteps down the western path and find shelter and aid from the people. He cannot with good conscience take your horse, so it will aid you.”
There was the sound of fabrics rustling behind Zhou Zishu, just before his body was engulfed in a warm fabric that held the unmistakable scent of Wu Xi. While it was meant to be comforting, the pheromones caused his stomach to roll as his body sought to reject another upon him, but he tried to ignore it as he allowed the warmth to seep into his chilled bones.
“Eat these first, regain your strength before your journey.” Jing Beiyuan slipped a small folded bundle of food into Zhou Zishu’s palm, while Cao Weining offered a flask that held traces of water inside. It was not much, but it was the effort that mattered.
Only after their forms disappeared alongside the rest of the army did Ye Baiyi emerge from the front of Zhou Zishu’s robes.
“Well kid, you knew this was bound to happen. Something like this couldn’t remain a secret forever, so count yourself lucky that you weren’t punished for it,” Ye Baiyi jumped onto the ground to sniff around the bundle, only to perk up when he realized the contents. “Well, punished more at least. Could be worse.”
He held no shame as he began to eat the food offered for Zhou Zishu, even going as far as to hum in satisfaction with each bite swallowed. “Maybe watch what you’re doing next time as well. You dropped me during the avalanche, and now I’m freezing.”
Zhou Zishu remained silent, only lifting his hand enough to cover his aching mark.
“How did this happen in the first place? Did your scent blocker stop working?” Ye Baiyi trailed off, his tail lightly hitting the ground. “Unless it was that damn mark you earned.”
“The poison likely contradicted the ingredients in the tonic…”
“You were poisoned? How come I didn’t know about this? Oh right…because you ditched me in the snow.”
He understood the directed anger Wen Kexing harbored towards him, dishonesty was not something to take lightly, and he also understood the reason he had jumped to conclusions. After all, he thought his soldiers could be trusted, but instead they fed information that led to the death of someone important to him. But he did hold hope that he would at least be listened to…to be given the chance to properly explain.
Sensing now that Zhou Zishu was distressed, Ye Baiyi slowly lowered the food and crawled forward until he was perched upon the omega’s knee.
“If you keep furrowing your brows like that, you’re going to get a permanent wrinkle,” When Zhou Zishu remained silent, the dragon sighed. “Hey, you know…you saved the country while doing something you’re passionate about. That is something to be proud of, and to hell with some alpha who can barely tell left from right. You made your mark, kid, give yourself a pat on the back.”
That was true…but why did everything still hurt? Why was he unable to join in on that monumental joy?
Zhou Zishu spared a glance outside, finding nothing but a sea of white that went on for as far as the eye could see. He couldn’t stay here forever if he valued his life, and there should be a good amount of distance between him and the others. But no sooner had he stepped outside to beckon his horse did he catch what looked like movement beneath the snow.
It was almost unnoticeable at first, something that could easily be mistaken as a breeze stirring snow, but it was then that a single hand shot out of the depths. Then another…and another…and another…and another…
“Oh this is bad. This is bad, bad.”
“We need to warn them,” Zhou Zishu swung his leg over his horse, fighting against the burst of pain the simple gesture brought. “The country is in danger. The Scorpions are still alive.”