Bamboo Reeds

"NO NEED." Lei Bo spoke, his voice cool and calm before he took his cup and drank. The rest soon followed confused and disappointed by his attitude. Zhan Sheng didn't understand what had just happened, but his father didn't comment on it so he left it alone. Eventually, the banquet ended and Lei Bo stepped outside into the tranquil moonlit courtyard. Unbeknownst to him, Zhan Sheng had followed him secretly, watching him as he walked. In the pale light of the moon, Lei Bo's black fur coat glistened, and the cinnabar near his eyes added a rosy glow to his sharp features.

Zhan Sheng's heart throbbed as he watched him from afar. He was drunk. Way too drunk. And he knew that he shouldn't be doing this, but he'd spent years pinning for Lei Bo.

Lei Bo's beauty was captivating, and Zhan Sheng felt an intense desire for him. He couldn't resist the urge to approach him, even if it were from a distance. He watched Lei Bo, his eyes dark and unreadable, Zhan Sheng's breath caught in his throat. He yearned to be closer to him, to touch him, but he knew it was impossible. Lei Bo's head turned suddenly, peering over his shoulder.

It was just like that ten years ago, and Zhan Sheng felt like he was drowning. Lei Bo's eyes bore into his and they stared at each other for a long time.

"You left." Zhan Sheng blurted the words out, feeling his face grow hot.

"I did," Lei Bo responded, but his voice sounded low. "But now I'm back."

The way he looked at him stirred a passion in him that he had never felt before, and then Lei Bo turned and left. Zhan Sheng continued to watch from afar, longing to be near him but not daring to get any closer. He knew that he had to have him, to possess him, but he also knew that he had to wait for the right moment to make his move. The devil's blood sang in his veins and the alpha within him slammed against the confines of its cage with each passing moment. Zhan Sheng's desire for Lei Bo burned hotter, like a flame that threatened to consume him. He couldn't tear his eyes away from him, and he knew that he would stop at nothing to make Lei Bo his.

●

ZHAN SHENG PLANNED AND PLOTTED, watching Lei Bo with desire blackening his heart. He had to have him. He had to. Lei Bo was the one thing in this world Zhan Sheng couldn't live without, ever since he was nine and found out what it was like to fall in love for the first time.

Lei Bo was still at the Qi Condensation, probably due to his omega disposition but still he cultivated regularly so he should be at least at the Core Condensation stage. It was strange he never seemed to progress, even after all these years, he never managed to surpass that realm. Zhan Sheng didn't understand it, but he knew it had something to do with Lei Bo's past. Zhan Sheng tracked Lei Bo down, his heart pounding, his breath coming in short gasps, as he catches sight of the man he's been longing for. Zhan Sheng was walking through a bamboo forest when he heard the sound of a pipa but couldn't see anyone playing. It was as if the trees themselves were playing the instrument, the sound drifting through the air like the soft rustling of leaves. His eyes stung when he recalled the first time, he heard that song, face down in the snow wishing that death would take him. Lei Bo had been his savior all those years ago and Zhan Sheng didn't want to live without him. The forest was alive with the rustling of leaves and the gentle trickle of a nearby stream, spring was upon them after a harsh winter.

The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the treetops, and he found Lei Bo by the streams, his fur coat swaying in the wind as he played his precious pipa. Lei Bo looks as stoic as ever, his features chiseled and handsome in the fading light. He stopped playing, his head turned over his right shoulder and then he spoke. "What do you want?"

"Just enjoying the scenery…" Zhan Sheng's lips curved into a lazy smile as he leaned against a bamboo tree. "How about you?"

"Stop following me."

"No."

Lei Bo's lip twitched and his hands curled into a fist. "I see, even after ten years you're still a child."

Zhan Sheng laughed bitterly, he stepped towards Lei Bo and towered over the omega. A child? Zhan Sheng scoffed. He knew his appearance was both commanding and seductive. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were perfectly proportioned, like a work of art come to life. His long hair, free of any head crown, flowed behind him like a cape, giving him an almost mythical quality.

A child? Ha! Zhan Sheng could have died of laughter.

Lei Bo stood his ground like a cypress tree, but his lashes fluttered.

The scent of Lei Bo's omega was like a gentle rain shower, light and refreshing with hints of blooming flowers and damp earth. Zhan Sheng's heart beat wildly and he stepped even closer.

"I'm not a child any longer, Lei-ge."

Anger flashed in his eyes. "Don't call me that."

"What should I call you?" Zhan Sheng taunted.

"Nothing. We're strangers now."

The words stabbed at his heart and he hated that Lei Bo was like this. Since the day Lei Bo had rescued him, he was always trying to put distance between them, as if he didn't want to truly get close to Zhan Sheng. But things were different now. Zhan Sheng wouldn't take no for an answer. He wanted Lei Bo. Plain and simple. Zhan Sheng steps closer, his eyes locked on Lei Bo's, and he speaks with a voice thick with desire. "You've been gone for so long, Lei Bo. I've missed you." He takes a step closer, his body language confident and assertive. "You have no idea how much I want you."

Lei Bo's eyes narrow, and Zhan Sheng can see the cinnabar near his eyes quiver, and his cheeks flushed with color. "You're shameless," Lei Bo says, his voice low and rough.

Zhan Sheng chuckled. "Perhaps I am. But you're the only one I want, Lei Bo. I'll do anything to keep you near me." He stepped closer until their bodies are almost touching. "Don't you feel it too, the attraction between us? It's like a force of nature."

Sweat beaded on Lei Bo's forehead and he took a step back, but there was nowhere to go. Zhan Sheng towered over him, his chest heaving. He didn't know what was wrong with him, why he wanted to cage Lei Bo and hold him captive. His thoughts went back to that day he held in his heart like a precious gem. Lei Bo was naked from his bath, his pale thighs like cream, his mount glistening and his tiny cock flushing with heat. Zhan Sheng never allowed himself to think too deeply about it, most male omegas were intersex, but Zhan Sheng had never seen a naked man before, and Lei Bo's body was burned into his thoughts for all eternity. His devil's blood surged like wildfire.

How many times did he fuck into his fist thinking about spearing Lei Bo with his hard cock? How many times did he imagine Lei Bo riding his fat knot? His face screwed in pleasure, his eyes trembling as he was nearly fucked to death.

"You're crazy."

"Am I?" Zhan Sheng scented the air and his smile grew. Lei Bo's scent had begun to spike slightly, signaling his own desire. The omega, although completely stoic had preened. But Zhan Sheng smelled something else, something tantalizing and addictive that made him roil with desire.

Lei Bo was in pre-heat.

Fuck. Zhan Sheng understood now why he kept following the omega, since the day he arrived Lei Bo had rarely left his sight. The alpha in him knew that the omega was going into heat and did everything to keep him close by. Lei Bo's eyes dart to the side as if searching for a way out. Zhan Sheng can see the longing in his eyes, the desire that he's been trying to hide. He reached up to brush a strand of black hair from Lei Bo's face, his fingers trailing down to his cheek. "I want you. Don't deny me."

Lei Bo's eyes widened, and Zhan Sheng took advantage of the moment to press his lips against Lei Bo's. The kiss was like a spark igniting a flame, and Zhan Sheng poured all of his longing and desire into it. Lei Bo's response was hesitant at first, but then he melts into the kiss, his hands coming up to clutch at Zhan Sheng's clothes.

They break apart, panting and desperate, Zhan Sheng can see the look of surrender in Lei Bo's eyes. "Y-you back away—don't come any closer—"

Zhan Sheng grabbed his wrists and Lei Bo's arms turned boneless in his grasp. "I told you, Lei Bo. I'll do anything to keep you near me." And with those words, he pulls Lei Bo into another kiss, sealing their passion and desire in a bond that can never be broken.