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Meng Yao had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t make his mother’s mistake. The moment he had realized that he was an omega, he was determined that he would never be swayed by an alpha nobleman, never allow himself to be fooled by false promises, only to end up alone and disgraced.
He had kept that promise to himself during his time at the brothel, during his wanderings after his father’s rejection, during his time in the Nie Sect. His determination had only strengthened with each lecherous patron at the brothel, with the contempt on his alpha father’s face as he looked down the stairs at his bastard omega son, with every snide comment from the Nie general who let loose his prejudice against omegas on Meng Yao despite not daring to do so within earshot of Nie Mingjue and the omega Nie Huaisang.
Then he found a man in white, bruised and bloody where he lay hidden in a cluster of bushes. The man - the alpha, Meng Yao realized upon getting close enough to catch the man’s scent - was tall, long limbs sprawled. One hand gripped an ornate sword. Between that and the obvious quality of his robes, it was clear that the alpha was of high social standing.
When Meng Yao noticed the headband decorated with delicate clouds, he realized who the man must be. He had heard that the Lan Sect had been attacked, that the secluded sect leader was dead, the heir missing, and the spare taken by the Wen Sect.
The man was none other than Lan Xichen, the next leader of the Lan Sect.
Meng Yao hesitated for a moment, debating his options. He didn’t generally trust alphas well enough to be alone with one. But the members of the Lan Sect were known for their restraint and Lan Xichen was injured besides, so he was unlikely to be a danger.
Decision made, Meng Yao hauled Lan Xichen onto his horse and brought them to safety.
{***}
Upon Meng Yao's examination, it was immediately clear that Lan Xichen was badly injured. He had burns along his arms, arrow wounds in his shoulder and sides, and a shallow sword wound in his arm, along with several other minor injuries.
Even with his prestigious level of cultivation, he would need weeks to heal. It took him nearly two days to even wake. During that time, Meng Yao tended to his wounds and kept a close watch for any sign of Wen soldiers in the area. He also found the qiankun pouches that Lan Xichen had hidden in his sleeve and couldn’t help his curiosity at what Lan Xichen could have been protecting so fiercely.
He found within them piles of scrolls and immediately understood. The Lan Sect prided itself on the knowledge it harbored. As much as the sect’s heir needed to survive, so too did the sect’s knowledge.
Even faced with death, Lan Xichen had protected his sect’s legacy.
That was the first time Meng Yao felt his heart soften.
When Lan Xichen woke, the first questions he asked were about his brother, his uncle, his father. He asked with pleading eyes that flooded with worry when Meng Yao told him what he knew.
Meng Yao looked into the alpha’s eyes that conveyed more concern for his family than his own well-being and, once again, felt his heart soften.
He felt it again when Lan Xichen insisted on helping Meng Yao with chores, despite his injuries and his high status. When he spoke with admiration of Meng Yao’s intelligence as they discussed plans of war. When he so easily left behind the trappings of high status to better blend in and showed humility in his interactions with villagers.
He felt his heart give way completely when Lan Xichen admitted that he knew who Meng Yao was, had heard the rumors of what happened when Meng Yao, in all his naivety, had traveled to Koi Tower, and Meng Yao realized that Lan Xichen had known about his parentage and still treated him with unfailing respect.
Yet, Lan Xichen’s wounds were healing quickly and soon he would be at the front lines of a war, while Meng Yao went into the viper’s nest to serve his role in the shadows.
Meng Yao couldn’t stand the thought of parting with the one he had so foolishly come to love, couldn’t bear the thought that they might never meet again if either of them became casualties in the brewing war.
So, on their last night together, Meng Yao gave himself to his beloved. Lan Xichen treated him with such gentleness, such reverence, so unlike how Meng Yao had imagined an alpha would take him, and Meng Yao nearly wept. He clung to his beloved, breathed in his scent, and dreaded the moment he would have to let him go.
The following morning, they parted. Meng Yao stopped by an apothecary for a tea to ensure there were no consequences to his weakness. He hadn’t been in heat, so it was unlikely in the first place, but he wanted to be sure.
Then, he went to the Nightless City.
{***}
The seat of the Wen Sect was a nightmare. For the first several weeks, Meng Yao committed atrocities to claw his way closer to Wen Ruohan and, once there, committed even worse ones to preserve his place. The sins he committed had turned his stomach until he had hardened himself against them nearly three months in.
Every moment, he was calculating his act, listening in to any idle conversations to parse out any valuable information, waiting for the right moment to sneak away to send his letters, and always, always looking over his shoulder.
There were no allies in a court full of backstabbing, both figurative and literal. Except perhaps the alpha doctor and her beta younger brother, who never participated in the fray, though he didn’t dare approach them and risk the possibility that they were loyal to Wen Ruohan.
He didn’t realize it until he had been in Nightless City for over six months.
He was due for his heat and he was waiting for the first symptoms of his pre-heat so that he could immediately take herbs to suppress it. Yet, the days went on and there were no signs. He initially thought it might be due to the stress of his situation. It wasn’t unheard of for omega’s heat to be delayed or even not come at all if the omega was in a state of prolonged stress.
He didn’t want to take the chance of his heat sneaking up on him later, though, so he gritted his teeth and went to the only person who might be of help within Nightless City.
Wen Qing inhaled sharply just a few moments into her examination. She went to the door, looked up and down the hall, then closed it, turning to Meng Yao with serious eyes.
Meng Yao tensed, both because of her grim expression and because he generally wasn’t comfortable being alone with an alpha.
But, Wen Qing only came closer and asked in a low voice “has anyone done anything to you since you arrived?”
Meng Yao frowned, confused at first. Then he realized what she meant and he jerked back with an emphatic “no!”
The frown on Wen Qing’s face didn’t ease. “Then, before you came? Is that why you left the Nie Sect?”
“No! Why are you…?” A coldness crept down Meng Yao’s spine with the sudden understanding. From between numb lips, he whispered his realization. “I’m pregnant.”
Wen Qing nodded.
A quiet panic welled up in Meng Yao’s stomach (his stomach , where a child had been growing for months). “But how? I wasn’t in heat, I took herbs after to be sure…”
“Was your partner an alpha?”
Meng Yao nodded.
“It’s possible to conceive even outside of a heat, especially with a particularly compatible alpha. Some consider it a sign of fated mates, though I don’t personally believe that. It’s more likely that it was just simple chance.”
Meng Yao’s mind raced as he realized all of the symptoms he had written off. The dizzy spells, the aversion to certain foods, the morning sickness . But…
“I haven’t been showing.”
Wen Qing reached out towards Meng Yao’s stomach. “May I?”
Meng Yao nodded and Wen Qing felt at his stomach. He belatedly realized that his stomach had become firm and cursed himself for his own lack of observation.
“He’s definitely there.”
Meng Yao felt weak. “He?”
“He,” Wen Qing confirmed. “It’s likely a combination of malnutrition while you’ve been here and your…um…stature that you haven’t shown much yet. You’ll likely start to show significantly more within the next few weeks.”
“I can’t…I can’t have a child, not now, not here! Can’t you-“
Wen Qing was shaking her head before he even finished his question. “If it was earlier, certainly. But, an herbal concoction would cause fatal bleeding at this stage and a surgical solution would be just as dangerous.”
Damn it! Why? Why had he been so foolish? He had thought he could get away with giving in just once - once - and yet...
I’m just like my mother , Meng Yao realized. Even if I make it out of here, I’ve disgraced myself. After all, it wasn’t like alpha noblemen made a habit of marrying omegas they impregnated.
He had done exactly what he had promised himself he never would.
I’m sorry, Mother . All she had wanted for him was a life of dignity as the son of a sect leader, yet he had destroyed any chance of that happening. It was unlikely enough that Jin Guangshan would ever accept a bastard omega son, let alone a bastard omega son with his own bastard child.
Wen Qing’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “I can help you get out of here so you can get back to your partner.”
“No,” Meng Yao said firmly, shoving away his dwellings of his failure. He couldn’t focus on them now. He couldn’t have his child in his current position, but leaving it would take away the biggest advantage they had against Wen Ruohan.
So, Wen Ruohan would have to fall before his child was born.
“Wen Qing, what would you do if I said I could promise you your family’s safety.”
{***}
Wen Qing was a force to be reckoned with, Meng Yao quickly realized.
After he had convinced Lan Xichen to offer protection to any Wens that deserted, Wen Qing got her family out of Nightless City. As soon as their safety was secured, she worked with Meng Yao with a single-minded efficiency.
Together, they found those who dissented, who didn’t want to be part of Wen Ruohan’s plans but feared for their lives. They gathered an internal force that swore their loyalty to Wen Qing.
Meng Yao sent out a message to Lan Xichen to have the forces at the gates of Nightless City in one month’s time.
And, that day, Nightless City was besieged from without and within.
Meng Yao watched as Wen Ruohan raged and grabbed his sword to enter the fray. He followed behind, watched as Wen Ruohan attacked the man who controlled the corpses - Wei Wuxian, Meng Yao realized based on Lan Xichen’s description. While Wen Ruohan was distracted, Meng Yao crept behind him and thrust his sword into his heart.
The once-sect leader of the Wen Sect dropped in front of him.
Meng Yao fell to his knees, a surge of emotion weakening his legs. He took a shuddering breath, ignoring the cacophony around him.
Then he heard a voice call his name. His head jerked up, his instincts surging at the sound of
his
the alpha.
Lan Xichen rushed up the stairs to him. Meng Yao stood on shaky legs to go to him, to his alpha and then he was swept into Lan Xichen’s arms.
He breathed in Lan Xichen’s scent and, for the first time in over seven months, the tension eased from his shoulders. His instincts relaxed at finally, finally feeling safe . His eyes stung but he stubbornly refused to allow any tears to fall.
“A-Yao,” Lan Xichen whispered fervently, arms tightening around him. Then, he suddenly tensed, inhaling sharply. Meng Yao froze as he realized what Lan Xichen had felt.
He panicked when Lan Xichen pulled back. “Zewu-Jun, I-“
Meng Yao stopped when he saw Lan Xichen’s expression. It was one of disbelieving wonder, of a dawning joy. Worry crept into his expression and he leaned back further to examine Meng Yao. “A-Yao, are you well? Do you need anything? I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
Shock stole Meng Yao’s words for a moment. Lan Xichen wasn't angry? Wasn't going to rail at him to get rid of the child and never tell anyone of its existence? “It’s…fine," he eventually stuttered out. "I’m fine, please don’t worry.”
“And the child?”
Meng Yao nearly wept at the tenderness in Lan Xichen’s voice. “He’s well.”
“He…” Lan Xichen’s eyes shone. He cupped Meng Yao’s face, thumbs stroking his cheeks, and leaned their foreheads together. “My A-Yao, my beloved,” he whispered reverently. “I’ll make arrangements as soon as possible. It will be a small affair but we can have a larger celebration after our son is born. We can mate beforehand- Ah, unless you prefer to wait until after we are married.”
“Married?”
“Of course, I had planned to ask for your hand after the war. It’s a bit sooner than I had intended, the Cloud Recesses hasn’t been rebuilt, but I’ll ensure that our quarters are livable…” Lan Xichen paused as he seemed to register Meng Yao’s dumbstruck expression. His excitement faded, uncertainty leaking into his expression. “Unless you don’t want to.”
“I do! Of course, I do! But, I thought…you know my status. How can a sect leader marry an unrecognized bastard?”
Lan Xichen frowned. “How can I not marry the one I love, the mother of my child?”
Meng Yao could only stare in disbelief. “You…want to marry…me?”
“More than anything.”
Tears welled in Meng Yao’s eyes and, this time, he was powerless to stop them.
“Okay,” he whispered.
{***}
The cultivation world was abuzz at the news that Zewu-Jun had suddenly gotten married, just two weeks after the war had ended. Not only that, but his first child had been born less than a month later.
Not so righteous after all , some whispered, though they didn’t dare say so in public.
Most shocking of all, however, was who he married.
To think that the morally upstanding Lan Sect would have a sect leader marry the bastard omega son of Jin Guangshan and a prostitute!
On the day of the public celebration, held six months after the war, the cultivation world at large clamored to see the spectacle.
Only to be met with a doting alpha and demure omega who appeared the very picture of a noble mated pair. The image was made complete when their child was brought to them, fussing from being apart from his parents. The new Madame Lan cradled the baby, rocking him gently while Zewu-Jun stroked the child’s rounded cheek.
The entire cultivation world was so enamored with the young couple in love that it barely registered when Hanguang-Jun suddenly married the omega head disciple of the Jiang Sect barely a year after Zewu-Jun's wedding.
The Lan Sect had two heirs just a few months later.