The Rebel's Omega
Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Chapter 87

Sheng Fei nudged the door open with the tip of his boot, arms full of neatly packed bags, his face lit with the softest smile for he was excited to see his mate but he suddenly froze the moment he stepped into the room and found it empty.

The bags slipped from his fingers, thudding softly to the floor and his heart leapt to his throat. The first thought that came to his mind was that Hua Ren had ran away.

Panic coiled like a viper in his chest, squeezing his lungs shut. He knew it. He had moved too fast. Hua Ren must have woken up and found out that he was marked and so, he ran away.

Sheng Fei balled his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He didn’t even know what to think, what to do. He wondered where Hua ren could have gone. Did he find his way back to the capital? Was he going to go back to the Emperor?

He cursed underneath his breath and quickly took his sword which he had kept in the corner of the room, fastening it around his waist. He would die before letting Hua Ren go back to that possessed idiot. Just as he was about to storm out, he caught a whiff of Hua Ren’s scent. The sweet cloying scent of peaches and gradually, his anger simmered down.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the scent, tracing it, just to realise that it came from outside, near the water.

Sheng Fei vanished in a blink. The world blurred past him as he flash-stepped through the trees, barely touching the ground until he reached the edge of the lake.

And there, wrapped in a cocoon of white sheets, stood Hua Ren.

His back was to Sheng Fei, his bare feet silent against the damp grass. The white sheets were wrapped tightly around him from neck to toe, billowing faintly in the breeze like snow-draped silk. His long, wet hair, pale as starlight, fell bone-straight down his back, disappearing into the folds of fabric.

His eyes were closed, lashes pale and trembling slightly as he sensed the arrival behind him. His brows creased, seeming irritated. Why did Sheng Fei have to come now? He wanted a few more moments of peace.

Sheng Fei exhaled, chest loosening. “You scared me, you know,” he said softly as he stepped closer. “I thought you left me.”

Hua Ren didn’t turn. Neither did he speak.

Sheng Fei was no fool. He knew something was terribly wrong and he could tell that it was because of the recent events. Still, he wanted to face whatever it was. He would take full responsibility for his actions. Besides, there was nothing he wanted more than the pale beauty in front of him. Not even his mission to get the ghost King out of his brother.

And so, he stood straight, his hands clasped behind him, ready to take in whatever was going to happen.

Hua Ren didn’t know it but his shoulders were trembling. Not because of the bath he just took but the rage boiling within him. He had gone over his memories so many times, his actions, his words, all of it. He knew what he had done. He knew his part in everything. He was painfully aware of it and that was what angered him the most.

“Why didn’t you stop?” he whispered, voice cracking through the stillness like a snapped thread. The words scraped through clenched teeth, small and bitter, his hands clutching the sheets tighter.

“I couldn’t.” Sheng Fei answered simply. There was nothing more to it. He just really couldn’t.

“What?” Hua Ren asked, finally opening his eyes and turning his head. “You couldn’t?” What sort of excuse was that?

“I really couldn’t stop myself.” Sheng Fei said, stepping forward. Hua Ren shook a shaky step back, as though wary of him so Sheng Fei stopped but his eyes never left Hua Ren’s and it broke him to see the regret and anger in those mesmerising pale orbs. “I know it isn’t much of an excuse but your heat triggered my rut and I couldn’t stop myself from taking you, from...marking you.”

Hua Ren’s breath hitched at the last words. Even his glands heated up and he suddenly felt robbed. Robbed of everything he had ever planned for himself. His body had reacted to Sheng Fei’s presence the second he became aware of it. He knew when Sheng Fei had come home. He knew when he entered the room and found it empty. He knew when he appeared by the lake and his body had never reacted to anyone this way before. Not even the Emperor.

It was like his senses were acutely tuned to Sheng Fei’s every movement and he didn’t like it. He felt like he was robbed of his own free will and just having Sheng Fei stand there, just hearing his voice, made his body thrum with something he couldn’t recognise.

“You couldn’t stop yourself or you wouldn’t?” Hua Ren accused. “You had every chance to back away. I can remember. You could have just-”

“Just what?” Sheng Fei inquired, cutting him off. “Left you alone? In that state? Hua Ren, I also wasn’t in full control of my actions. I am a full blooded Alpha. Your Alpha. How can you expect me to see you like that and just back away?”

“That isn’t an excuse!” Hua Ren snapped. “I trusted you but you broke that trust. You marked me when I wasn’t in my right mind. You made me feel and beg for something I didn’t understand. Why didn’t you just stop me at the beginning? Why did you give in to my requests knowing fully well that you wouldn’t be able to resist? You should have just left me in that water or added more ice. You could have done anything at all.”

Sheng Fei gritted his teeth, knowing it was true. He could have stopped everthing before it happened but how could he? Did Hua Ren even know how irresistible he was?

He took another step forward. “Hua Ren, I-”

“Shup up!” Hua Ren shouted, making Sheng Fei freeze in his tracks once more. His voice cracked at the end, and he bit his lip hard, trying to stop the trembling. He hated how angry he felt but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to be marked. He didn’t want to be bound to anyone.