CHAPTER 6 - ALPHA EGO

When the apartment door opened, the alpha entered with visible reluctance, something that puzzled Shen. But, of course, he didn’t ask the reason why. From inside the apartment, Qiang looked at him from the corner of his eye, waiting for Huang Shen to enter and, when he did, he closed the door behind him.

“Woah!”

Upon seeing the place in which the alpha lived, the omega could not help but express his surprise, for he had never seen an apartment as spacious as that one. He couldn't say exactly how huge it was, but it could easily be 20 times his own. It was spacious, and that spaciousness was underscored by the sparse décor, as there were only a couple of non-essential pieces of furniture adorning the place, including a huge television and a small table to hold it. But of all the things, what caught his attention the most were the huge windows that covered what must have been the entire wall, showing a beautiful view of the city plunged in the darkness of the night, illuminated by the lights of hundreds of buildings. Amazed, he walked up to the glass, feeling a small knot in his stomach as he realized how high up they were.

The alpha gave no importance to the redhead's astonishment; after all, he wasn't the first to marvel at the sight of his apartment, nor would he be the last. While Huang Shen kept busy, fascinated by the views offered to him, Qiang took a few moments to stop and observe him, taking advantage of his distraction to skirt that silhouette at will, the contour of his back, his hips, his legs... the boy looked good, perhaps he was not the prototypical perfect omega, just as he was not perfect in personality either, but in Xiè Qiang's opinion he had a good body, one that he definitely would not mind trying, but that he did not trust to do so that night.

Still without saying anything, the alpha took out a cigarette and a lighter from the inside pocket of his jacket. He lit it, and the clicking sound caught the attention of the redhead again, who turned to him with a grimace of distaste on his face, leaving behind any trace of awe or fascination there might have been. Qiang paid him no mind and took the first puff, sighing in satisfaction as he felt the smoke seep into his lungs; one of the few pleasures life gave him, even if it really was a shitty one. Slowly, he approached the redhead, who backed up a few steps, gaining more distance between them.

“What's your name?” he commented nonchalantly as he leaned against one of the windows, putting the cigarette back in his mouth.

Huang Shen looked at him suspiciously.

“What's it to you?”

Qiang held his gaze with the same indifference as smoke drifted from his lips.

“Mere formality, that's what people usually do when they meet.”

The comment was ironic and that annoyed the omega, who gnashed his teeth in contempt at the calmness the brunet was giving off.

“You can shove that formality up your ass” he spat acidly while making a foul gesture with his middle finger.

The alpha watched him still impassively, pretending to ignore such a comment. Slowly, he advanced a few steps towards the redhead and with his free hand, he grabbed the other's wrist with a firm tug. Shen was startled at first, feeling his body shudder in a shiver of terror that he could not control, although far from cowering, he narrowed his eyes trying to look as threatening as possible. The alpha laughed with a hint of acid amusement at the pathetic attempt to intimidate him, but made no clarification on the matter.

“Don't be so insolent, I just asked you your f*cking name.”

He received no answer, not beyond the slight tremor from his pent-up rage, so he finally let go of the omega's wrist, who quickly pulled the hand away to take it with his own in a gesture of total rejection. The alpha laughed softly again, his vocal cords vibrating with slight disdain. The last time an omega had set foot in his house had been three nights ago, and yet at that time he had had no problem having sex with him, indeed, it had been quite easy, and although the orgasm had seemed rather poor, at least he had managed to ease his sorrows, if only for a few hours. That night he had entered that seedy club in search of the same, assuming that all the omegas in that place would open their legs at the sight of a handful of bills and an attractive face, and perhaps it would be so for the rest, but fate had decided to take him down very different and even somewhat annoying paths.

“Well, redhead” if this one didn't want to tell him the name, Qiang assumed he would have to call him by his hair color “so you're a virgin?” he suddenly blurted out in a neutral tone as if his words had no negative connotation, looking for some kind of reaction rather than just knowing the answer.

He felt his face burn with rage at the question. Who did this asshole think he was? He could not believe what he had just heard.

“WHAT THE F*CK?! WHAT KIND OF F*CKING QUESTION IS THAT?! IT'S NONE OF YOUR F*CKING BUSINESS, DAMMIT!”

Qiang laughed again, this time a little amused by the omega's explosive reaction, but when he didn't get a clear answer, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, if the answer was yes, that was the reason why he was so reluctant to approach him. Calmly, the alpha finished his cigarette and extinguished it against the ashtray he had lying on the floor, close to where they both were. He didn't pay any attention to the redhead's shouts despite how furious he seemed, he just ignored him and insisted on getting his answer.

“As a matter of fact, they are. Answer the question.”

The omega clenched his jaw in anger. That son of a bitch thought he had the right to demand anything from him because of his condition, like all of his disgusting kind, but oh no, he wasn't planning on giving him that pleasure.

“MY ASS, F*CK YOU!”

Huang Shen gave him a loo full of the purest hatred he could muster. He tried to look intimidating, but as expected, he didn't get the result he was hoping for and Qiang grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer to him with a simple tug. The omega let out a gasp in surprise, a cry from which he quickly pulled himself together to hold the alpha's gaze, that gray-eyed stare so cold and sharp he could almost feel it cutting into his skin. It was menacing, and as bad as it felt to admit it, it scared him. Unable to help himself, he began to tremble slightly, feeling awfully humiliated. F*ck, why the f*ck hell was he shaking? He'd faced dozens of his kind, but that one had something that made his hair stand on end and he didn't know exactly what it was. He'd love to resist, but the fear of making him angry again and getting hit like before overcame him; the strength of an angry alpha could even mean death and right now the redhead was playing at a disadvantage.

The mob boss noticed the redhead's slight tremble and sketched a little smile that was far from warm and gentle. He had no intention of hitting him again, he just wanted to intimidate him a little more with the excuse of getting him to answer his damned question, the answer to which he didn't really care no matter how much his animal instincts dictated otherwise. Nevertheless, he let out a sadistic as well as bitter chuckle as he saw the fear reflected in those dark, passion-filled eyes; despite his constant uprisings, the redhead now looked like a scared little wild animal and somehow it was amusing to see him like that, although deep down he could understand how uncomfortable it must be to have a stranger "subtly" trying to sleep with you.

“Calm down, I'm not going to do anything to you.”

No. I really didn't plan to do anything to him. He didn't want to beat him, and having sex with him didn't seem to be part of his plans either, he had never raped anyone and he wasn't about to start now. Is it true that being destined, their instincts urged them to reproduce in the act, have children, share life forever and such, but neither of them wanted that; the redhead just wanted to leave and he himself already had someone occupying his unrequited heart.

So... why were they still there? just to get him to answer the stupid question? Yes, but there was more, it was a matter of pride, the implicit desire to be obeyed and maybe also a bit of curiosity towards that rebellious and annoying redhead.

“L-let go of me” he tried to sound firm, but stammered unintentionally, bringing the alpha out of his thoughts.

Huang Shen was anxious to get the hell out of there and wouldn't hesitate to run as soon as he saw a clear path, he didn't give a sh*t anymore about not knowing what part of the city he was in, he’ll manage.

Surprised, Qiang raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected the omega to stutter and knowing how much of a disturbance it caused him amused him once again, so he tightened his grip even more.

“What if I don't?”

The tone of voice used by the alpha was much more serious, a mix between mischievous and threatening. Shen froze for a few seconds, but soon reacted and grabbed the hand that still gripped his shirt in an attempt to release it. Xiè Qiang smiled slyly and made a small feint to approach him, he didn't want to do anything beyond annoying him, as he was discovering how much fun it could be to make him angry.

“AAAAAAAH SH*T! YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO ME!”

The brunet snorted through his nose in a sort of almost genuine laugh and let go of the other's shirt. At that moment, Huang Shen took the opportunity to turn around and get out of there, but the alpha was neither dumb nor slow of reflex, so, in less than two seconds, he drew the dancer back to him, putting his arm around his shoulders and grabbing his neck delicately with his hand. Xiè Qiang was surprised, the omega's skin was very soft to the touch of his fingers. Touching it was so pleasurable, to the point that an enormous need to caress it overcame him, and without any modesty, he closed his fingers a little more on the redhead's throat, just enough to grab it without seeming too aggressive. However, this new fascination did not detract from his strength to warn him for his attempted escape.

“You'd better be still. Don't make me come looking for you because you won't like it.” he told him in a domineering and somewhat sadistic tone, the same one he constantly used in his f*cking performance as second leader of such an important clan as the Xiè.

Much to his chagrin, Huang Shen stood still. That warning made his hair stand on end.

“Good boy...” he commented now in a more humorous tone and thus alleviating his previous threat, since he did not like having to use old business habits when he was out of such matters.

The omega was consumed with rage at being treated like a dog, but reluctantly restrained himself, allowing himself only to squint his eyes and grit his teeth in pure hatred. On his mind, he kept repeating the word "f*ck you" over and over again.

“Listen to me, I don't care if you don't want to tell me your name, or if you're a virgin...” anyway, he was confident he could guess it at any other time “but you'd better not f*ck other alphas from now on... nor betas” he paused before finishing and Shen knew that last one was meant for Wang, his boss.

The redhead frowned in annoyance as rage consumed him once again. If that bastard was expecting a submissive response from him, he could sit tight and wait.

“Bullshit!” With a jerk he managed to break free from the opposite grip to came face to face with him “You're crazy if you think I'm going to obey you just because you and your f*cking alpha ego want me to!” he said really furious, although deep down he was planning to fulfil his request with no fail, not because he had told him to, but because he had no intention of getting together with anyone, much less if he was of the same kind as that son of a bitch.

Qiang watched him unperturbed before opening his mouth.

“Tell me you're not going to have sex with anyone from now on.”

Suddenly, Huang Shen felt the air leave his lungs. He gasped. His vision blurred slightly and his knees began to shake violently. It could not be, the alpha had used his commanding voice, and it seeped from every pore, striking him from within and forcing him to bend his will, making him to feel the need to respond. He couldn't resist, he tried, but every inch of his body ached.

“I-I won't have it... I never h-had it...”

Xiè Qiang smiled in satisfaction at the answer, more so when he hadn't expected that last confession. So the lewdly moving stripper was indeed a virgin, that satisfied his kinky side too much. Not that he had any fetish for chaste omegas, but he couldn't deny that to his more animalistic, instinctive and even selfish side he was writhing with pleasure at the thought of the possibility of being the first. F*ck, he had forced him to utter those words just for his desire to mortify him and for the intrinsic pleasure of knowing he was being obeyed, but now he really wanted him to fulfill his forced promise.

The redhead gasped ecstatically as he caught his breath and regained control of his decisions. As he did so, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. It wasn't the first time someone had used the command voice on him, in fact, as forbidden as it was in the club, it had been used so many times, both inside him and out, that he had almost become immune to it, or so he thought, because the intensity with which this one had knocked him out, he had never felt it before.

God, all the alphas were the same, everyone in the club demanded the same from him. He hated them all; them, the ease with which they could get whatever they wanted and their f*cking superiority complex. It really disgusted him.

“You're a f*cking creep, don't ever use that trick on me again.”

The brunet gave him a nasty sideways grin and Shen clenched his fists in fury at the guy's constant taunting. He wanted to punch him and wipe that stupid grimace off, but he didn't, not when he had before him the chance to run away. Slowly he walked a couple of steps backwards, alert to any move the other might make, but seeing that this time he didn't seem to have any intention of stopping his escape, he turned and ran towards the exit until he crossed the threshold as fast as he could, leaving the door open behind him and rushing down the stairs.

Qiang watched him disappear and sighed in resignation. It was no longer worth keeping him there. Maybe that night he hadn't gotten what he'd intended, but at least he knew where that impulsive redhead worked and things weren't going to stay that way, not when the boy had managed to catch even the slightest bit of his attention.

Just seconds later, a cry of pain echoed down the stairs.

“Hey, watch where you're going!”

The brunet frowned at the recognition of that voice and his racing heart gave a little flutter, beginning to pound a little harder. Calmly he approached the door and as he peeked out, he found Yang Zi, the bearer of that voice and his stupid friend, the blond-haired, brown-eyed loud omega who had obsessed him so much in his more hormonal years, and who still held part of his heart today. A couple of stairs further back was Zhen Shi, his very inseparable destined one, a brown-haired, blue-eyed alpha with whom Yang had been in love since he was five years old, and the same alpha who had stolen the only love interest he'd ever had in his entire life.

“Yang Zi? How the f*ck did you get in?”

The blond was walking upstairs touching his right arm, apparently the redhead had hit him as he was speeding downstairs.

“The door was open” he commented as he finished coming up, feeling short of breath “f*ck, my lungs are going to pop out... you're a f*cking rich kid, why the f*ck do you have to have a keyed elevator?”

Qiang rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

“So use the intercom, you dimwit.”

- I did, but you didn't pick up!

The alpha arched his eyebrows in surprise, when had that ever happened? Boy, had he been preoccupied with the redhead that he hadn't even heard the ringing, and had the redhead been preoccupied with him not to notice it either.

“Well, don't blame me if you're out of shape, didn't you say you wanted to work out?” he countered as he closed the door behind them.

Yang Zi wrinkled his face into a grimace that denoted annoyance, but which the brunet had always find a bit stupid.

“Hey, Qiang” Zhen Shi interrupted their quarrel with his usual unalterable tone, so typical of his calm and serene personality “who was that idiot running down the stairs?”

The alpha laughed softly, a somewhat forced laugh.

“You said it yourself, an idiot.”

Zhen nodded with no intention of asking for more information, but Yang Zi wasn't satisfied and wanted pay back for earlier.

“Are you so bad in bed that he ran away?” he said clearly in a mocking manner, not only his voice evidenced it, also the proud grimace that was drawn on his face as he thought he had triumphed, but Xiè did not plan to let him win in that tug-of-war.

“How cruel... I don't recall any displeasure in your moans the other night.”

Yang Zi stammered a reply that never came out, as he didn't know what to say to refute the brunet's comment, luckily, it was the other alpha who suddenly intervened, tightening his partner's waist in a somewhat possessive way and thus finally nipping the stupid game in the bud.

“Shishi...”

Yang Zi murmured in surprise, and that was because Zhen Shi had never considered himself dominant, not at least not until he accepted the blond as his partner, and, even then, it wasn't really like him either. However, despite being Qiang's friend since he was a teenager, he couldn't help but act like one from time to time, for he was aware of his past and the little obsession he had with Yang Zi; he could see it when they were barely 15 and the blond was still his childhood best friend, and he could feel it now in the way the alpha looked at him from time to time, as if he longed to have him, or perhaps as if he longed to have what they both possessed, feelings that Qiang never got to experience or share with anyone. Whatever it was, he always tried not to make too much of it, after all, the three of them were friends, and ever since he started formally dating Yang Zi, the other alpha gave up any slightest trace of hope he might have had and distanced himself enough to transform his constant flirtations and attempts at courtship into just a good, solid friendship.

Zhen Shi knew that if they treated each other like this it was because of the trust the years had bestowed them, although that didn't stop his jealousy from coming to the fore sometimes; after all, it was part of his possessive nature no matter how much he detested it, despite everything, sometimes he couldn't help but see Xiè as a rival, even if he was one without a chance.

For a few seconds the atmosphere became heavy and Qiang met Zhen Shi's visibly annoyed blue eyes: apparently the joke had not gone unnoticed this time. Xiè laughed bitterly to himself, it wasn't common to see the other alpha like this, he usually kept away from his little taunts, such a quiet guy with a stoic attitude that it was impossible to know what could be going through his mind, although Yang always assured that it wasn't that complicated to decipher it. He didn't know what he could be thinking right now to act like that, but whatever it was had affected him, and he didn't feel like making him angry over such stupidity.

“Hey, don't look at me like that, it's all yours” he joked while he raised his arms in a peace sign in order to calm his friend's spirits, and as he hoped, it worked.

The brown-haired man looked away and his features immediately relaxed. He didn't say anything, nor did he need to, they both knew that he had calmed down, and he had never really had an overly aggressive and insufferable character like others of his kind, so his possessive strokes were easily controllable.

“Well, guys...” once the atmosphere had calmed down, the brunet dared to say what had been going around in his head since he had seen them arrive “did you come just for a visit or do you have something important to tell me?”

Given the rush to come to see him, Xiè Qiang was more inclined to the latter option.