The morning sun filtered through the heavy silk curtains, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the quiet air of the imperial bedchamber.
Xiaochuan stirred, his body feeling heavy and strangely warm. As he drifted slowly into consciousness, he expected the familiar chill of his mother's cottage or the stiff ache of sleeping on a straw mat. Instead, he felt the friction of soft silk against his skin and a weight draped over his waist.
His heart skipped a beat as he turned his head.
He wasn't alone.
Emperor Xiao Chengyuan lay beside him, his face softened by sleep. Without the sharp, predatory intensity in his eyes, he looked younger. His dark lashes casting long shadows over his high cheekbones. One of his
Large, thick arms was thrown over Xiaochuan's midsection, pinning him to the mattress.
Xiaochuan lay still for a long moment, his breath hitching. He didn't remember the Emperor coming back to bed, he only remembered the aftermath of the overwhelming heat of the night, after that, the Alpha was summoned and he left shortly after. He'd laid back in bed and the Alpha's scent lingering on the sheets had drugged his senses until his mind had simply drifted into a deep sleep.
Despite the bitter resentment that usually fueled him, Xiaochuan found himself mesmerized as he traced the line of the Emperor's jaw with his eyes, noting the slight messiness of the Alpha's dark hair against the white pillows.
Dangerous. He thought.
He is a beautiful, dangerous trap.
Moving with the stealth of a cat, Xiaochuan carefully lifted the Emperor's arm. He held his breath until the Alpha let out a low, steady sigh but didn't show any sign of waking. Slipping out of the bed, Xiaochuan's feet hit the cold jade floor, and he slowly got up to his feet. The moment his feet touched the floor, he felt the soreness shoot up his limbs, a lingering reminder of the night's passion, and his face flushed a deep crimson.
He moved toward the stool where his clothes had been neatly folded, probably by a silent servant sometime during the night, Xiaochuan assumed. He dressed hurriedly, his fingers fumbling with the ties. He needed to leave, he needed to find Feiying, get his payment, and get back to the forest before his mother goes crazy looking for him.
He was almost done, adjusting the collar of his robe, when a low, deep, grounding voice resonated through the silence of the room.
"Where are you going, little moon?"
Xiaochuan froze, he turned slowly to see the Emperor slightly sat up in bed. Chengyuan's hair was a dark curtain over his brow, and his eyes, though heavy with sleep, were fixed on Xiaochuan with a possessive gaze that made the omega's knees feel weak.
The term of endearment little moon sent a confusing jolt of warmth through Xiaochuan's chest, one he tried desperately to suppress with a blank face.
"Home." Xiaochuan managed to say, his voice sounding thinner than he wanted it to.
Chengyuan's gaze darkened, his lips curling into a small, enigmatic smile.
"And where is your home." He asked with that deep, grounding voice of his.
"Somewhere in the forest." He said hurriedly and didn't even bother to look at the Emperor's expression. Yes, he lived in the forest, there was no point lying about it.
The silence in the grand chamber was thin and brittle, broken only by the soft rustle of Xiaochuan's clothes as he finished securing his belt. His fingers were still trembling when he finally gathered the courage to face the Emperor.
"The payment," Xiaochuan said, his voice cracking slightly before he steadied it. He cleared his throat and kept his eyes trained on his feet. "You promised the Azure Moon dance group First place. And you promised me…..compensation. I assumed I could receive it before I departed this morning."
Chengyuan didn't look offended, Instead, he watched Xiaochuan with a fascinated intensity. He sat up fully and the silk sheets pooled at his waist, his broad chest bare and glowing in the reflection of sunrise. He looked devastatingly unbothered, his dark hair falling over his eyes in a way that made Xiaochuan's heart do a traitorous somersault.
"Your gold is already being prepared," Chengyuan said, his voice dropping into a low, resonant hum. "And the judges have already been informed of my preference. The Azure Moon will come in first position."
Xiaochuan felt a surge of relief, thinking of his mother's face when he brought home the coins. He gave a deep, formal bow, the kind of bow a servant gives a master.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
He straightened back up and turned to leave, his hand was already reaching for the door handle when the Emperor's voice dropped like a weight, pinning him to the spot.
"Would you like to come back to the capital with me, Xiaochuan?"
The question hit him like a physical blow. Xiaochuan's hand froze on the wood, he didn't breathe, he didn't move, he couldn't even moved if he tried. He thought of the unfavourable situation he was in, with his mother.
The Emperor was literally giving him an offer to leave the dirt, the forest, and the hunger behind forever. It was an offer to trade his freedom, he knew he wouldn't be free once he agreed to belong to this man.
But at least he wouldn't be hungry, he wouldn't be constantly looked down upon.
Xiaochuan turned his head just enough to look at Chengyuan over his shoulder. The Alpha obsidian eyes were searching Xiaochuan's face with a raw, predatory glint that was far more terrifying than his earlier arrogance.
Xiaochuan had planned for this. He'd manifested it with all he had. And now that it was right in front of him, he didn't know what to decide.
Xiaochuan's heart beated rapidly as he continued to think about the decision to make.
The question felt like a trap and a lifeline all at once. Xiaochuan's mind raced, he thought of the damp walls of his mother's cottage, the smell of wood smoke and poverty, and the way he had spent his life trying to be invisible. Now, the most powerful Alpha in the empire was asking him to step into the light of a palace.
Before he could find his voice, he heard the rustle of silk sheets and the heavy, thud of feet hitting the floor.
Xiaochuan's breath hitched, and his spine straightened when he realized what was happening. He didn't dare turn around, but he could feel the sudden shift in the air as the Emperor's heat drew closer. The scent of sandalwood and rain intensified, wrapping around him like a vice.
Chengyuan stood in his naked glory, his movements confident and unashamed, he stepped toward the small, trembling figure at the door.
Xiaochuan made a big mistake turning his, because the moment he dis, his eyes were met with the naked torso of the Emperor, his eyes widened and his head snapped down instantly. His cheeks flushed a deep, burning crimson that spread all the way to the tips of his ears. He could see the Emperor's bare feet stop just inches from his own, and the Alpha's presence looming over him.
"Look at me, Xiaochuan," Chengyuan commanded. The way he said it made the omega's knees feel like water.
"I….I cannot," Xiaochuan whispered to the floor, his voice trembling. "Your Majesty, you are…. you are not dressed. It is not proper."
A low, deep chuckle rumbled in the Emperor's chest, a sound of genuine amusement. "Proper? After what we shared beneath the covers all night, you worry about propriety?"
Chengyuan reached out, his large, warm hand cupping Xiaochuan's chin, tilting his head up to meet his gaze, Xiaochuan felt as though he were staring into an abyss. The Emperor's eyes were dark with a possessive hunger, yet there was a glimmer of something else he couldn't decipher.
"I hope you understand, little moon, that I am offering you the chance to never again have to struggle for a piece of silver. Come with me to the Capital. I promise you'll be taken care of."
"And my mother?" Xiaochuan asked, unsure, but he had to try anyways, because there was no way he was leaving his mother behind in the trenches to go and live a luxury life.
Chengyuan's smile widened, sharp and almost devilish, it was a smile of a man who knew he was about to get what he wanted. "She shall have the finest manor beside the palace gardens, servants at her disposal. Do you think I would claim the flower and leave its roots to rot?"
Xiaochuan knew the Emperor had him there, cause what else would be his reason to refuse now?
"If I go," Xiaochuan whispered, his gaze flickering down to the Emperor's collarbone before snapping back to his eyes before his eyes could go down further. "Will I be able to come back and visit? You're not going to keep me trapped like a bird in a cage are you?" He asked.
"You can come back and visit anytime you want." The Emperor answered and leaned in, his nose brushing against the vibrant pink of Xiaochuan's hair, taking in that intoxicating plum scent one more time.
"Believe whatever lies you must, little moon." The Emperor murmured against his skin. "As long as you are up and ready to leave with me when I call for you."
And that was how Xiaochuan made the choice that would change his life forever.