The hospital chaos began at 3:47 PM on a Tuesday afternoon.
Yifan had been feeling off all day—fever climbing despite having fully manifested a week ago, skin hypersensitive, a restless energy that made sitting through his video call with his thesis advisor nearly impossible. Mo Ran had taken one look at him that morning and declared he needed medical evaluation, though they both knew a human hospital would have no idea what they were dealing with.
"Your body's still adjusting to full manifestation," Mo Ran had explained during the car ride down the mountain. "Sometimes there are complications. We need to rule out anything serious."
So here Yifan sat in the emergency department of Beijing First Hospital, trying not to draw attention to himself despite his glowing golden eyes and the faint shimmer of heat distortion around his body. The Beta nurse who'd taken his vitals had done a double-take at the thermometer reading—103.8°F—and immediately flagged him as priority.
Now he was in a curtained exam area, waiting for a doctor, trying to keep his Phoenix fire from manifesting involuntarily. The suppressants were long gone from his system, and his powers responded to his emotions with hair-trigger sensitivity. Anxiety made flames flicker on his fingertips. He kept having to shake them out, hoping no one noticed.
The smell of the hospital was overwhelming—antiseptic and illness and fear, all of it hitting his enhanced senses like physical blows. And worse, there were Alphas here. Medical staff, patients, visitors. He could feel their attention shifting toward him, drawn by his scent even though he wasn't anywhere near heat.
Phoenix pheromones, fully manifested, were apparently noticeable even in a mundane setting.
"Mr. Shen?" A doctor pulled back the curtain—an Alpha in his forties, professional demeanor. But Yifan saw the way his nostrils flared, the subtle tension in his shoulders. "I'm Dr. Zhang. Your fever is concerning. We're going to run some tests, but I need to ask—are you on any medications? Any underlying conditions?"
"No medications currently," Yifan said, which was technically true. "No conditions I know of."
The doctor moved closer, ostensibly to examine him, but Yifan could feel the wrongness of it. The Alpha was too close, breathing too deeply, his scent thickening with interest that had nothing to do with medical concern.
"Your scent," Dr. Zhang said, his voice dropping slightly. "It's unusual. Very unusual. Are you—"
He didn't get to finish the question. The curtain ripped open and Mo Ran stood there, her expression thunderous. "Step away from him. Now."
Dr. Zhang blinked, seemingly coming back to himself. "I'm his doctor—"
"And I'm his guardian. You're standing too close. He's uncomfortable. Step. Back."
The Alpha retreated, looking embarrassed. "I apologize. I don't know what came over me."
Yifan knew exactly what had come over him. Phoenix scent affecting an Alpha without Yifan even trying. This was dangerous. If one doctor in a professional setting could lose control that easily, what would happen if Yifan was surrounded by multiple Alphas?
"We're leaving," Mo Ran announced. "This was a mistake."
"He needs medical attention," Dr. Zhang protested. "That fever—"
"Will be handled by specialists who understand his condition." She helped Yifan to his feet. "Send the bill to this address."
They were halfway to the exit when Yifan's fever spiked dramatically. The world tilted, his vision blurring, and suddenly he was stumbling, Mo Ran catching him before he fell.
"Yifan? Yifan, stay with me."
But he couldn't. The heat was overwhelming now, not like heat-heat, but like his powers were burning him from the inside out. Golden light burst from his skin, Phoenix marks blazing bright enough to illuminate the dim corridor. Small fires sparked where his hands touched the walls.
Around them, people were shouting. Smoke alarms blared. And worse—every Alpha in the building was responding to his distress, to the power flooding out of him, to the scent that was now impossible to ignore.
Yifan heard footsteps converging, voices raised in confusion and interest. Through his blurred vision, he saw three Alphas approaching—not medical staff, but visitors or patients who'd caught his scent and were drawn to it like moths to flame.
"Mine," one of them growled, eyes fixed on Yifan with predatory intensity.
"Back off," another snarled at the first. "I scented him first."
They were going to fight over him. Right here, in a hospital corridor, three Alphas were about to battle for the right to claim the Phoenix they could sense but didn't understand.
Mo Ran positioned herself between Yifan and the approaching Alphas, her own power manifesting. She might be Beta, but she was ancient and strong, and the air around her began to crackle with defensive magic.
"Touch him and die," she said simply.
The Alphas hesitated, sensing her power, but the draw of Phoenix scent was strong. One of them took another step forward—
The temperature in the corridor dropped thirty degrees in an instant.
Ice spread across the floor, up the walls, across the ceiling, moving so fast it was like watching time-lapse footage of winter claiming the world. The overhead lights frosted over. People's breath became visible in the suddenly arctic air.
And then he was there.
Long Tianyu appeared in the corridor as if materializing from the cold itself. One moment the space was empty, the next the Dragon King stood between Yifan and the threatening Alphas, ice and winter and ancient fury made manifest.
He was terrifying like this. Not the careful, gentle Alpha who'd helped Yifan through heat, but the Dragon King who'd gone mad with grief and killed hundreds. His eyes blazed pure gold, no longer even pretending to be blue. His long hair whipped around him despite the lack of wind, moved by the power rolling off him in waves. Ice spread from his feet with every breath, and the air itself seemed to freeze.
"Mine," Tianyu said, and the word was barely human—a dragon's growl wrapped in human speech. "You will not touch him. You will not approach him. You will leave, or I will tear you apart and freeze the pieces."
The three Alphas took one look at the Dragon King in his full power and fled. Smart choice, Yifan thought distantly. Even through his fever, he could sense that Tianyu was seconds away from losing control entirely.
"Tianyu," Mo Ran said urgently. "We need to get him out of here before—"
Too late. More people were coming, drawn by the commotion and the impossible cold. Yifan could hear hospital security, could see staff members staring in shock at the ice covering everything, at the impossibly powerful Alpha who'd somehow appeared in their facility.
Tianyu didn't hesitate. He turned to Yifan, gathering him up in arms that felt like winter itself, and said one word: "Hold on."
The world shifted.
One moment they were in the hospital corridor, surrounded by shocked humans and spreading ice. The next, they were somewhere else entirely—standing on a mountain peak, surrounded by clouds, the city of Beijing spread out like a distant carpet of lights below them.
Yifan's mind struggled to process what had just happened. Teleportation. Tianyu had teleported them. He didn't even know that was possible.
"Safe," Tianyu murmured, his voice still rough with dragon's growl. "You're safe now."
But Yifan wasn't safe. His fever was still spiking, his powers still spiraling out of control. Fire burst from him, so hot that even Tianyu's arctic aura couldn't fully contain it. The snow on the mountaintop melted in a ten-foot radius around them, steam rising where fire met ice.
"What's happening to him?" Tianyu demanded of Mo Ran, who'd apparently been transported along with them.
"Power surge. His body's still integrating full manifestation. It's overloading his system." Mo Ran was already pulling out her phone, pulling up readings and notes. "He needs to burn it off, but safely. Somewhere he can't hurt anyone or draw attention."
"My estate," Tianyu said immediately. "It's warded, isolated, designed to handle power surges. I'll take him there."
"Tianyu—" Mo Ran started.
"I know what you're going to say. That I can't be trusted alone with him, that his vulnerability might tempt me to pressure him. I don't care. He needs help now, and I'm the only one strong enough to contain his power if it gets worse." Tianyu's eyes met hers, blazing with determination. "I swore I would protect him. Let me do that."
Mo Ran studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "If you take advantage—"
"Then you have my permission to kill me. But I won't. He's suffering, and that matters more than anything else."
Another shift, and they were somewhere new. Yifan had a vague impression of traditional Chinese architecture, of luxury and ancient beauty, before Tianyu was carrying him inside, through corridors that felt like they'd been carved from winter itself, into a bedroom that managed to be both spare and opulent.
The bed was enormous, covered in silk that looked like frozen water. The walls were decorated with ice patterns that never melted. The windows showed mountain vistas and endless sky.
"My private chambers," Tianyu said, laying Yifan down carefully. "No one enters here without my permission. You're safe."
Yifan tried to speak, to thank him, but another wave of power surged through him. Phoenix fire exploded outward, and this time there was nothing to stop it. Flames engulfed the bed, the walls, the ceiling—everywhere except where Tianyu stood, his own power creating a barrier of ice that protected him from the inferno.
"Let it burn," Tianyu said calmly. "The room is warded. The fire can't escape, can't hurt anyone. Burn it all, Yifan. Burn until the surge passes."
So Yifan burned.
He burned for hours, his power pouring out unchecked, Phoenix fire consuming everything it touched. The silk sheets became ash. The wooden furniture charred and crumbled. Even the stone walls scorched black. But true to Tianyu's word, the fire didn't spread beyond the room, contained by ancient wards that even Phoenix flames couldn't break.
And through it all, Tianyu stayed. Stood in the center of the inferno, ice spreading from him to counterbalance Yifan's fire, his cold presence the only thing keeping Yifan from being completely consumed by his own power.
"I'm here," Tianyu repeated, over and over. "You're not alone. I'm here."
Gradually, painfully, the fire began to subside. The power surge was burning itself out, Yifan's body finally finding equilibrium after the chaos of full manifestation. The flames died to embers, then to nothing, leaving Yifan gasping and exhausted in the ruins of Tianyu's bedroom.
He was lying on what remained of the bed—basically just the metal frame now, everything else reduced to ash. His clothes had burned away entirely, leaving him naked and vulnerable. His skin was covered in Phoenix marks, glowing faintly, slowly fading back to their usual subtle presence.
Tianyu approached carefully, his own clothes somehow still intact despite the fire. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. Empty. Like I've been wrung out completely." Yifan's voice was hoarse. "Your room. I destroyed your room."
"Rooms can be rebuilt. You're alive and safe. That's all that matters." Tianyu was already pulling off his jacket, draping it over Yifan's naked form. The silk was cool against his scorched-feeling skin, soothing. "Let me get you cleaned up and fed. Then you can rest."
He lifted Yifan again—the Alpha seemed to have no problem carrying him—and took him to an adjoining bathroom that had somehow survived the fire. The bathroom was magnificent, all marble and gold fixtures, with a tub large enough to be a small pool.
Tianyu filled it with water that steamed but wasn't uncomfortably hot, adding oils that smelled like winter and pine. Then, with careful efficiency and no hint of impropriety, he helped Yifan into the bath.
The water felt incredible. Yifan sank into it with a groan of relief, feeling his scorched skin soothing, his aching muscles relaxing. He'd been certain he'd burned himself, but looking down, his skin was unmarked. Apparently, Phoenix fire didn't harm its creator.
"I'll leave you to soak," Tianyu said. "Call if you need anything."
"Stay," Yifan said, catching his hand. "Please. I don't want to be alone right now."
Tianyu's expression flickered with something tender. "Of course."
He sat on the edge of the tub, his cold hand still held in Yifan's warmer one, and they stayed like that in comfortable silence. Yifan let his eyes close, let the water work its magic, let himself simply exist without having to be strong or controlled or anything other than exhausted.
"What happened at the hospital," he said eventually. "The Alphas who approached me—"
"Were responding to your scent and your distress. Unmated Alphas have a hard time resisting an Omega in crisis, especially one as powerful as you." Tianyu's voice was carefully neutral. "They couldn't help themselves. It's not an excuse, but it's an explanation."
"And you? How did you know I needed help?"
"The jade pendant." Tianyu touched his own chest, where a matching pendant rested. "It's linked to you now. I felt your distress, your fear, your power surging. I came as fast as I could."
"You teleported. I didn't know that was possible."
"It's not, usually. Teleportation requires immense power and very specific conditions. But when I felt you in danger, when I knew you needed me..." Tianyu's hand tightened on Yifan's. "I found the power. I would tear reality apart if that's what it took to reach you."
The intensity of the declaration should have been frightening. Instead, Yifan found it comforting. Someone cared about him enough to break physical laws to help him. That was... something.
"Thank you," Yifan said. "For coming. For getting me out of there. For not leaving me alone while I burned through your bedroom."
"You don't need to thank me for caring about you." Tianyu's thumb traced circles on the back of Yifan's hand. "That's just what I do. What I'll always do."
After the bath, Tianyu provided clothes—soft pants and a sweater that were clearly his own, too large on Yifan but comfortable. He led Yifan to a different room, this one mercifully unburned, with another large bed made up with fresh linens.
"Sleep here tonight," Tianyu said. "Rest, recover. Tomorrow we'll figure out next steps, but tonight, just sleep."
"Where will you sleep?"
"I have other rooms. The estate is large."
"Stay," Yifan said again, echoing his earlier request. "Not in the bed, if that makes you uncomfortable. But in the room? I don't want to be alone."
Tianyu's expression was soft. "I'll stay. I'll always stay when you ask me to."
He settled in a chair near the window, pulling out what looked like a sketch pad. "I'll be here. Sleep, little phoenix. You're safe."
Yifan meant to stay awake, meant to talk more, to process everything that had happened. But exhaustion pulled him under almost immediately, dragging him into deep, dreamless sleep.
When he woke, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and Tianyu was still there, still in the chair, now actually painting on a small easel he must have retrieved while Yifan slept. The Alpha looked up when he stirred, a smile transforming his usually serious face.
"Good morning. How do you feel?"
Yifan took inventory. His fever was gone. His body felt normal—well, as normal as it got for a supernatural Phoenix. His powers felt settled, no longer threatening to explode out of him uncontrollably. "Better. Much better. The surge is over?"
"Seems to be. Your temperature is normal, your scent is stable, your power isn't leaking." Tianyu set down his brush. "You survived your first major power surge. Most supernatural beings have several during their manifestation period. This probably won't be the last, but now you know what to expect."
Yifan sat up, noticing a tray of food on the bedside table—fresh fruit, rice porridge, tea. "Did you...?"
"My kitchen staff prepared it. I just brought it up." Tianyu's smile turned wry. "I'm a terrible cook. One of the many skills I never bothered to learn."
They ate breakfast together, Tianyu answering Yifan's questions about the estate, about dragon abilities, about how supernatural society actually functioned day-to-day. It was comfortable, domestic, nothing like the intensity of heat or the danger of the hospital.
This was what it would be like, Yifan realized, if he chose Tianyu. Mornings like this, conversations like this, the easy companionship of two people who genuinely liked each other beyond biology and destiny.
"What are you thinking?" Tianyu asked, noticing his expression.
"That I like this. Being here with you, talking, just... existing together without pressure or urgency."
"I like it too." Tianyu's voice was soft. "I could do this every morning for eternity and never grow tired of it."
"That's a long time."
"That's what forever means. And I meant it when I said I want forever with you."
Before Yifan could respond, there was a knock on the door. Tianyu's expression shifted to something more guarded. "Come in."
A woman entered—elegant, ancient, with the same cold power that marked her as dragon. "My lord. Apologies for interrupting, but the Council has sent a formal summons. The Phoenix's presentation has been scheduled for three days from now. They're invoking their right to demand attendance."
Tianyu's jaw tightened. "Three days. They're not wasting time."
"What does that mean?" Yifan asked.
"It means your isolation is over. In three days, you'll be presented to the entire supernatural community. Every major Alpha will attend. The courtship will officially begin, with all the politics and pressure that entails." Tianyu looked at him seriously. "Your life is about to become very complicated, Yifan. Are you ready?"
Yifan thought about the hospital, about the Alphas who'd tried to claim him, about the power surge that had nearly consumed him. He thought about everything that was coming—the politics, the courtship, the choice he'd eventually have to make.
"No," he said honestly. "But I'll face it anyway. With you, if you're willing to help me."
"Always," Tianyu promised. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it. I'm yours."
And looking at the Dragon King who'd torn through reality to save him, who'd stood in an inferno to keep him safe, who offered forever like it was the easiest promise in the world to keep—Yifan thought maybe, just maybe, he was starting to understand what choosing Tianyu would mean.
It wouldn't be easy. The supernatural world would fight them, just like it had a thousand years ago. But this time, they were both stronger, wiser, more prepared.
This time, maybe they could actually have their forever.