10. En Jie??

                                    

                                          
Zhan was late. Horribly late. He could almost hear Aunt Luo's sarcastic voice telling him to not bother to come to the breakfast if he was that busy. He couldn't believe he was late for her birthday. He hadn't rested well the last few days and it was finally catching up to him. He had been bone tired last night and slept longer than he should have. Usually, Zhan was more than careful about things related to Madam Luo. He thought of himself as someone who paid attention to the finest of the details and this blunder was going to bite him in the ass. He hastily put on the first shirt he saw and didn't care how much of a mess his hair was. He was running around his room cursing himself to the moon and back and was wishing he still had some luck left from the few good deeds he did. He really needed a miracle to save him this time. He unlocked his phone and saw the missed calls and messages that his uncle and Zhuocheng had left him. Yubin had also left him a message reminding him of his Aunt's birthday. Damn! He should have asked Yubin to stay back. Every two weeks he let Yubin have two days to himself and Zhan didn't step out of his house during these days. It wasn't ideal but it worked. It gave Yubin time to take care of his things and they didn't just pop up later at a wrong time. He had tried to tell Yubin to date as well and find someone but the elder had thrown him a ugly look telling Zhan to mind his own business. Yeah. Yubin did get annoyed at him sometimes. Especially when Zhan mentioned anything regarding his love life. The week had started with his face off with Yibo and it appears it was going to end with one with his Aunt. He left his house and all but flew to his Uncle's house. The number of cars lined up in the driveway were mocking him and he almost left thinking it was best to just fake death at this point. Too bad a few omegas saw him and waved their hands giggling.  Zhan was out of luck it seemed. He got out of his car and tried to tame his hair, running his fingers through the dark locks with one hand , the gift he had bought for his Aunt in the other. His uncle's protector gave him a look of disbelief and Zhan folded his hands, looking miserable. He was led into the house and it seemed that the entire pack had come to send wishes to their Alpha female.

 Everyone was out in the backyard, drinks and food were making him salivate and Zhan snuck a sandwich before the showdown began. Who knew if he would have an appetite after his Aunt was done with him? Saying his hellos and how are yous, he finally found his Uncle and Aunt standing near the pool but he stumbled when he saw whom they were talking to. "Wang Yibo", he murmured softly and as if the man heard him, he turned around, his eyes landing right on Xiao Zhan. A shiver ran through his body under that dark gaze but he snapped out of it when he felt an arm around his shoulders.  "Please tell me you didn't forget about today and have a good reason for this late entry."   Zhuocheng was smiling at him and Zhan turned sideways to glare at his brother. "I overslept", he pouted at the end and Zhuocheng gave him a look of pity. "After she kills you, I promise I will bury you under that Greeting Pine tree near your house."  The bastard snickered at the end and Zhan elbowed him in the ribs making Zhuocheng yelp. He gestured at the Alpha standing out from the crowd with his looks and domineering aura.
"What is he doing here?", he questioned perturbed knowing something big had happened overnight.  "Mom invited him." Zhan raised his brows at Zhuocheng's answer. "You guys found an Omega for him", he said softly. At Zhuocheng's nod, Zhan fired his questions one after the other whispering harshly. "Who is it?..How did you convince her?"...." Did you tell that person about Wang Yibo's conditions?"  Zhan was hyperventilating at this point and Zhuocheng dragged him away in a corner before he attracted more attention.
"Calm down!" Zhuocheng smiled when a few heads turned their way at his loud voice and Zhan followed his brother acting as if they were talking about something exciting.  "It's En Jie." Nothing in that moment could have shocked Zhan more than Zhuocheng's words. Lu En Jie? Why her out of everyone? Couldn't they find someone else? Why was she willing to do this?
Lu En Jie was the daughter of Aunt Luo's sister making her Zhuocheng's cousin but Zhan knew something was off about that girl. She was a beautiful woman but it was the look in her eyes that rubbed Zhan the wrong way. Zhuocheng, Xuan Lu and En Jie had been together ever since birth. They were very close and Zhan had heard stories about how naughty that trio had been. As soon as Zhan had come into the picture, the attention had shifted to him and En Jie didn't like that. According to her, Zhan had come between the three of them. Zhan had tried to be friends with her but the girl had called him an orphan and a killer to his face. It was no secret that only he had survived the attack but the girl had gone out of her way to tell everyone that Zhan was the one who killed his parents. Zhan remembered being called a murderer to his face by many of his little friends. He had been so upset he had left the pack house and his uncle had found him late that night crying, shivering and alone in the dark woods. Apparently, that had been the last straw for Zhuocheng and Xuan Lu as well. They had come to his defense instantly. En Jie had screamed and cursed at Zhan all day but his cousins had put a stop to it. His cousins were more protective than ever and Zhan had let the matter go over the years. He had grown up and Lu-Jie had been civil but Zhan had no doubt she still didn't like him. So, it was a shock that she had stepped up to save the pack. The deed didn't match the image Zhan had of her and Zhan was a little wary.
They heard his uncle call for them and Zhuocheng pulled Zhan along where the Alpha pair and Wang Yibo were seated. Only on close inspection did Zhan find out that En Jie was sitting beside Yibo and from the looks of it, completely taken by him. Zhan greeted his uncle and Yibo and then with a smile wished his aunt. "Happy birthday, Aunty." He handed the gift bag to her and didn't take offense when the woman put it away without a glance. "Finally, you are here. I had told Jian Min that you were busy and had more important things to do but he insisted on inviting you." The obvious taunt was laced with humour but no one on the table missed it. "Nothing could be more important than this day", Zhan spoke sincerely but his words were waved off.  "Anyway, you should know. Today we are going to announce that Yibo and En Jie are getting engaged. The mating ceremony can happen later on when they are both more familiar with each other but we have decided on an engagement party to let everyone know." Zhuocheng nodded his agreement at his mother's words and Zhan looked over to Wang Yibo who was smiling at En Jie. The heavy weight on his heart was strange but Zhan gave a small smile to make sure no one guessed what was going through his head. Zhan knew he was attracted to Yibo but he hadn't expected that the talks of  Yibo and En Jie's engagement and mating would hurt him like this. He was definitely fucked. He congratulated Yibo and En Jie maintaining a smile on his face and tried not to squirm under Wang Yibo's gaze. His uncle asked him to accompany him to the office and for a moment Zhan's heart stopped. Did his uncle see through him? Zhan knew his uncle's eyes saw more than others but Zhan didn't think he actually figured how Zhan was feeling. They went to his uncle's study and Zhan schooled his features. His uncle turned to him and with a sigh began,"I should have known. I had no idea Zhan."Zhan tried his best to hide his nerves furrowing his eyebrows instead. "I know En Jie isn't the right choice. I wanted to say no but time was running out. I should have known Jing Tong will ask En Jie." The words made Zhan relax a bit and he voiced what he hadn't discussed with Zhuocheng. "Why did she agree to help? She has held it against you forever that you took my side all those years ago." His uncle just stared at him for a while before answering and Zhan realised that his uncle wasn't in the favor of this situation either. "Jing Tong discussed the matter with her sister and En Jie was present there. She convinced your aunt that she wants to make amends with our family."
"You shouldn't believe her", Zhan stated curtly and his uncle nodded. "I don't. I know her. I spoke to En Jie at length about this and she told me what this was all about." "What is it?," Zhan asked curious about En Jie's decision.
"Her mate rejected her two months ago. She is bitter over it. She said this arrangement could work for her because she doesn't want any emotional attachments and she can finally get rid of us if she mates with Yibo." Zhan knew the woman held some grudge against them and on surface this did sound right but Zhan still pressed, "I still don't believe her, uncle."  "I know she is distrustful and I won't say anything because that is how you feel. It's just that Yibo has agreed to the arrangement. He doesn't know the real reasons and doesn't care about them either. Let's just go with the flow."  Zhan left his uncle's study, the conversation they just had still on his mind. Wang Yibo and En Jie had agreed to this. This was a good thing. His pack would now get the alliance and Lu Jie would go to Lan territory. Zhan would no longer have to deal with her and Wang Yibo. So,why did he feel annoyed for some reason? Shaking his head, Zhan put a stop to his weird thoughts and took a deep breath. The issue was solved. He could now go back to his life and forget about Wang Yibo altogether. He smiled brightly for the first time in days but that smile slipped off when he saw Wang Yibo standing at the end of the corridor with a dark look on his face.