The place Yuan led Xiao Feng to was quiet, tucked away behind the structures of the packhouse where the noise of the gala could no longer reach them.
Though they were still outside, the space felt enclosed.
Yuan took a seat on a nearby stone bench
Xiao Feng moved toward him instinctively, about to sit too, but Yuan stopped him mid-step and began giving instructions.
Without arguing or questioning, Xiao Feng followed every word exactly as told. He focused, tried to steady his breathing, tried to feel for something inside himself that everyone else seemed to summon so easily.
Again and again, he tried.
And again and again, nothing answered.
No matter how closely he followed the instructions, no matter how carefully he mirrored what Yuan demonstrated, his wolf felt impossibly distant.
It was as though it existed somewhere beyond his reach, unresponsive and unreachable.
The longer nothing answered him, the harder it became to stay there. His breath slipped out unevenly, his shoulders tensing as though he were bracing for something that never came.
After a while, he stopped trying, not because he chose to, but because the effort itself felt useless.
Standing there, exposed and empty, he couldn't shake the sense that this failure had stripped hope from him,.. something he hadn't realized he was still holding onto.
He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he was an omega and not an alpha.
"There's no need to feel bad about yourself just because of that, many people don't usual manage doing it the first time they try." Yuan said, moving from where he had been sitting.
The words caught Xiao Feng completely off guard.
They were rare. Almost unbelievable coming from Yuan. Throughout the months he had been training him, not once had Yuan softened like that.
Not once had he offered reassurance or encouragement. And yet here it was, spoken plainly, without mockery or distance.
That small change did something dangerous to Xiao Feng.
The fact that Yuan was being unusually kind that night stirred something inside him that went beyond relief or gratitude.
It made him crave more than just words. A touch. A simple gesture. Something small, like a hand resting briefly on his shoulder.
The thought alone sent an unfamiliar warmth through him, sudden and unsettling.
He shook his head sharply, trying to chase the thought away before it could take root.
They tried again.
And again.
Failure followed each attempt, but the distance between them closed without either of them noticing.
Their movements brought them closer. A brush of an arm slowed them both. Fingers grazed fabric. Shoulders bumped lightly, and instead of pulling away, they lingered just a fraction longer than necessary.
What began as accident brushes became intention even though they treated it as accidental, the touches become addictive. Heat rushed through their skin with every brief contact, leaving behind a restless awareness that made it hard to focus.
And yet, they continued pretending they didn't notice any of it even as they found themselves seeking those small brushes desperately.
At last, even with only half his concentration holding steady, Xiao Feng managed to transform with Yuan's insistent guidance.
The moment it began, control slipped from him completely. His bones shifted violently beneath his skin, reforming with sharp, grinding force.
Fabric tore apart as his body restructured, pain ripped through him fast enough to make him groan.
He wanted it to stop. The instinct to resist rose sharply, but it was already too late. Whatever had been awakened no longer listened to his fear or hesitation, and the transformation carried on without mercy.
When it finally ended, he stood on all fours, the world suddenly altered around him. His body felt lighter in a way he had never known.
White fur covered him, clean and bright like fresh snow. He was beautiful in a way that felt unreal, breathtaking in every way possible, his form softer, younger-looking than his human body had ever been.
Yuan stood still, watching.
There was something in his gaze that did not waver, something focused and intent. He looked as though he could not get enough of the sight before him, as though he were memorizing every detail.
His hands twitched slightly at his sides, fingers curling as if resisting the urge to reach out, to touch, but he did not move closer. He held himself back with visible effort.
After a moment, Yuan transformed as well. His own wolf emerged larger, gray-furred and powerful, his presence commanding without being aggressive.
He circled slowly, then began to move, urging Xiao Feng's wolf to follow. Xiao Feng hesitated only a second before he finally moved after him, uncertain at first, then faster, more confident with each step.
Yuan ran, and Xiao Feng ran too, following his lead, learning through movement rather than instruction.
It felt less like training and more like something natural unfolding on its own.
Time slipped away unnoticed. The sky began to lighten before either of them realized it, darkness thinning as dawn crept in.
Transforming back into human form was easier as Yuan had promised. They stood once more as they had been before, covering themselves with what remained of their torn robes.
They made their way to Yuan's room while the packhouse slept. The compound was silent, save for the distant movements of maids already awake and beginning their work.
Stepping into Yuan's room felt strangely significant to Xiao Feng. It was clean, orderly, every item in its place, nothing like his own space, which was always cluttered and chaotic.
Yuan offered him a robe. As they dressed, neither of them looked at the other. They stood facing opposite directions.
Wearing Yuan's robe felt like Yuan himself was wrapping himself around him.
The fabric carried Yuan's scent, subtle but it seemed to sink straight into his lungs, into his skin, warming him from the inside out.
_
From that day on, Yuan never distanced himself the way he used to. He allowed Xiao Feng close. They went places together, spent time side by side, and Yuan insisted, day after day, that Xiao Feng transform into his wolf.
He said it was for practice, but Xiao Feng knew better. Months had passed, and the transformation had become effortless, as natural as breathing.
There was no longer any need for practice, but Yuan insisted that it was for practice... But the truth was that.. he simply loved seeing him that way even if he never said it aloud.
_
During those months, Xiao Feng's father never stopped pushing him to go forward with the plan they had, but whenever he had the chance to follow it, he didn't.
Yuan had become the most important person in his life.
None of his family mattered to him the way Yuan did, and he had already decided that even if his father killed him for it, he would not do what he was being ordered to do.
And beyond Yuan, the entire BlueMoon packhouse had become his favorite place. Everyone there seemed to like him, to welcome him, to treat him as though he mattered.
Whenever he was there, he felt valued in a way he never had before. He could not betray those people. He could not take their lives the way his father wanted him to.
For that reason, he avoided home when he could, sometimes staying with Yuan, other times wandering without direction.
Each day, Xiao Feng and Yuan met. Not a single one passed without them meeting.
And as the days stacked into weeks, then months, the pull between them deepened.
Being close was no longer enough. They wanted more, felt it in their bodies, they wanted to be closer than that.
It was undeniable that they wanted each other in the way a man was supposed to want a woman. And yet they never spoke of it, never acted on it.
Because it made no sense.
Because such a thing had never been heard of.
Because in their world, a man wanting another man was not something that existed at all.
They didn't know why it was happening with them.