Yifan woke to his second morning at Mo Ran's sanctuary with a low-grade fever that wouldn't break. The thermometer read 99.8°F—not dangerous yet, but climbing steadily from yesterday's 99°F. His skin felt hypersensitive, the soft cotton sheets almost abrasive against it. When he showered, even the water felt too intense, each droplet a distinct sensation that made him gasp.
"Progressing normally," Mo Ran said over breakfast, examining him with clinical detachment. "Temperature will continue rising gradually. Probably another twenty-four to thirty-six hours before full heat hits."
Yifan pushed his congee around the bowl, appetite gone. "What will it feel like?"
"Intense. Your first heat is always the strongest because your body's never experienced it before. You'll feel feverish, desperate, like you're burning from the inside. Your rational mind will take a backseat to instinct. You'll need..." she paused delicately, "relief. Repeatedly. For about seven days."
"Seven days?" Yifan's voice cracked.
"Phoenix heats last longer than normal Omega heats. It's one of the reasons you're so coveted—the bond formed during a Phoenix heat is incredibly strong. More time for the biological and mystical connections to establish." Mo Ran's expression softened slightly. "I won't lie to you. It will be difficult. But you'll survive it, and afterward, your powers will be significantly stronger."
"And I need to decide today. Who I want... helping me through it."
"Yes. Once heat fully hits, you won't be capable of clear decision-making. The choice must be made now, while you can still think rationally."
Tianyu. Every cell in his body whispered the Dragon King's name. But was that Yifan choosing, or the Phoenix responding to a bond from another life? How could he separate the two?
"Can I go outside?" he asked instead of answering. "Walk around? I feel restless."
"Stay within the wards. Don't go beyond the sanctuary boundaries. And Yifan?" Mo Ran's voice turned serious. "You're being watched. You need to know that."
"By who?"
"By everyone who matters. Tianyu obviously, but also other major Alphas. The supernatural world can sense a Phoenix awakening, even from a distance. Right now, you're like a beacon starting to flare. The closer you get to heat, the brighter that beacon becomes. Every Alpha of significant power within a hundred miles knows you're here."
The thought should have terrified him. Instead, Yifan felt oddly fatalistic about it. His grandmother had hidden him for twenty-two years, but that time was over. The Phoenix was waking, and apparently, that meant becoming the center of attention whether he wanted it or not.
He spent the morning walking the mountain paths within Mo Ran's wards, trying to clear his head. The sanctuary was beautiful—traditional buildings nestled among autumn trees, a small meditation garden with a koi pond, training yards where Mo Ran apparently practiced combat forms. Everything radiated peace and safety.
But Yifan couldn't shake the awareness of being observed. Not just watched, but studied. Evaluated. Desired. His Phoenix instincts, newly awakened, picked up on attention the way a bird senses a predator's gaze. Someone was out there, beyond the wards, focused intensely on him.
Multiple someones, actually.
He could almost distinguish between them. One presence felt cold and patient, glacial in its intensity—that had to be Tianyu. Another felt wild and aggressive, barely contained—possibly another Alpha, though Yifan didn't know who. And a third felt calculating, intellectual, observing from a distance with strategic interest.
How many Alphas were watching him right now?
The question made his skin prickle with a mixture of fear and something else. Something his rational mind didn't want to examine too closely, because it felt disturbingly like excitement. The Phoenix apparently enjoyed being desired, being pursued, being the center of such intense focus.
"Stop that," Yifan muttered to himself. "You're a person, not a prize."
But he was also the Phoenix, and the Phoenix had its own drives, its own desires that didn't always align with Shen Yifan's modern sensibilities.
He was standing by the koi pond, watching the fish circle lazily, when he felt the presence sharpen. Someone was getting closer to the wards. Not breaching them—that would be an act of war against Mo Ran's neutrality—but pressing close enough that Yifan could sense them more clearly.
Cold. Patient. Achingly familiar.
Tianyu.
Without conscious decision, Yifan found himself walking toward the edge of the ward line. Through the trees, he could see a figure standing just outside the shimmering barrier. The Dragon King, dressed simply today in dark pants and a gray sweater, looking almost human except for those ice-blue eyes that glowed with supernatural light.
They stood perhaps twenty feet apart, separated by the ward barrier and everything it represented—safety, neutrality, choice.
"You're running a fever," Tianyu said, his voice carrying easily across the distance. Even from here, Yifan could see the tension in his shoulders, the careful control in every line of his body. "I can feel it through our connection."
"We don't have a connection," Yifan said, though even as he spoke, he felt the lie of it. The jade pendant around his neck was warm, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Something did connect them, even if he didn't fully understand what.
"We have a bond that transcends death and time. That's not nothing." Tianyu took a careful step closer to the wards, hands visible, posture non-threatening. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Should I be?"
"No. I would never harm you. I've waited a thousand years to protect you properly this time. But I understand if you're wary. You don't remember everything yet. To you, I'm a stranger claiming ownership based on a life you haven't fully recalled."
"I remember some things," Yifan admitted. "Dreams, mostly. Or memories. I can't tell the difference anymore."
"Tell me. Please. I've had only my own memories for so long. I want to know what you remember."
Yifan hesitated, then decided honesty couldn't hurt. "A garden. Moonlight. You giving me a jade pendant and asking me to bond you. Me saying yes—not because of destiny, but because you saw me. Really saw me as a person, not just as the Phoenix."
Something raw and vulnerable flashed across Tianyu's face. "That was the night I knew I loved you. Not the Phoenix, not the power, not the political advantage. You. The person who laughed at my terrible poetry and challenged my assumptions and made eternity seem like it might not be long enough."
"What happened to us?" Yifan asked, even though he knew. The dreams had shown him, but he wanted to hear it from Tianyu.
"Politics. The Council decided our bond threatened the balance of power. Dragon bonded to Phoenix meant the East became too strong. They demanded you bond the Tiger instead—Bai Yuchen's predecessor, an Alpha you'd never met and didn't choose." Tianyu's hands clenched. "They had ways to break bonds. Cruel, painful, magical ways. You would have survived it, but our connection would have been severed, and you'd have been bound to another against your will."
"So I chose death instead."
"You chose freedom. You walked into purifying fire rather than let them make a mockery of your choice, of your agency, of what we were together." His voice roughened. "You looked at me before the flames took you and said, 'I love you too much to let them destroy what we chose.' And then you were gone."
Yifan felt tears prick his eyes. The memory was there, blurry but present—the heat of flames that didn't hurt, the certainty of his choice, Tianyu's face twisted in anguish as he watched. "What did you do after?"
"I went mad." Tianyu said it simply, without emotion, which somehow made it worse. "I killed everyone responsible. The Council members who ordered it, the mages who would have performed the bond breaking, the guards who tried to stop me from reaching you. I burned the Council chambers to the ground with ice so cold it shattered stone. I waged war on three clans simultaneously and won. And then, when there was no one left to kill, I withdrew from the world and waited for you to return."
"A thousand years of waiting."
"A thousand years of knowing you'd keep your promise. That you'd come back to me, and next time, I'd be strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough to protect your choice." Those ice-blue eyes burned into him. "I've spent a millennium preparing to be worthy of you choosing me again."
The intensity was overwhelming. Yifan took a step back, needing distance from the weight of Tianyu's devotion. "What if I don't choose you this time? What if I'm different now, different enough that I make a different choice?"
"Then I'll accept it." Tianyu's voice was steady, but Yifan could see the lie in the rigid set of his shoulders, the ice forming on the ground at his feet. "I won't force you. I won't manipulate you. I won't do anything that compromises your free choice. But I will court you. I will prove that I deserve to be chosen. And I will hope—desperately, eternally—that you'll see what we could be together."
"Court me." Yifan tested the old-fashioned word. "While I'm going into heat. While my body's demanding biological relief. While I'm not capable of rational decision-making. That doesn't seem fair."
"Which is why I'm here now, while you can still think clearly." Tianyu held his gaze. "Let me help you through your heat. Let me prove I can provide what you need without demanding your bond in return. Seven days of showing you how thoroughly I can care for you, protect you, worship you—without any expectations of permanence."
"And afterward?"
"Afterward, you decide. With a clear head, full knowledge of what being with me would mean, and complete freedom to choose otherwise if that's what you want." He paused. "I'm not the only one who'll court you. The Council will demand it. Other Alphas will claim the right to present themselves. But let me be first. Let me show you what I am before they complicate everything with politics."
It was tempting. So tempting. Especially with his fever rising, his instincts crying out for the cold comfort of Tianyu's presence, his body already anticipating the relief an Alpha could provide.
"I need to think," Yifan said.
"You have until your heat begins. After that, you'll need help whether you've decided or not." Tianyu's expression softened slightly. "I've made arrangements. If you choose me, crush the pendant. If you choose another, or no one, Mo Ran has my contact information. But Yifan—little phoenix—please don't try to endure heat alone. Pride isn't worth your health or safety."
"Will you stop watching me if I ask?"
"No." At least he was honest. "I can't. Every instinct I have demands I stay close, stay ready, stay aware of your condition. But I'll maintain distance. I won't breach Mo Ran's wards. I won't interfere unless you call for me."
After Tianyu left—melting back into the forest with supernatural grace—Yifan returned to the main house, his mind churning. Mo Ran took one look at his face and poured him tea without comment.
"He wants to help me through heat," Yifan said.
"Of course he does. He's been waiting a millennium for this chance."
"Is that a good reason to say yes?"
"That depends. Do you want him there because of who he was, or because of who he is?" Mo Ran sipped her own tea. "Past life bonds are powerful, but they're not destiny. You're allowed to want different things this time around."
"How do I know what I want when my body's already decided for me?"
"Your body wants an Alpha. Any strong Alpha could provide basic heat relief. But your heart, your mind, your soul—those are what determine if someone deserves access to you during vulnerability. Heat is intimate, Yifan. Whoever helps you through it will see you at your most desperate, most needy, most unguarded. Make sure it's someone you trust with that."
Do I trust Tianyu? Yifan asked himself. He'd known the Dragon King for approximately one conversation and a handful of dreams. By any rational measure, that wasn't enough foundation for trust.
But the Phoenix remembered him. Remembered his gentleness despite his power, his patience despite his intensity, his willingness to wait literally forever for Yifan to choose freely. That had to count for something.
The rest of the day passed in a fever haze. Yifan's temperature climbed to 100.4°F by evening. His skin felt like it was buzzing, hypersensitive to every sensation. He found himself pacing restlessly, unable to settle, his body preparing for something his mind still shied away from fully accepting.
That night, he barely slept. When he did doze, the dreams were vivid and overwhelming:
Tianyu in dragon form, massive and magnificent, scales glittering like sapphires in sunlight. Flying beside him—no, flying with him, their movements synchronized as if they'd done this dance a thousand times. The joy of it, the freedom, the rightness of moving through the sky together.
Tianyu in human form, young and beautiful in ancient robes, laughing at something Yifan's past self had said. The sound of his laughter like ice bells, rare and precious because he didn't laugh often. The Phoenix capturing that laugh like capturing moonlight, treasuring it.
Tianyu in bed, bodies intertwined, whispering promises in a language Yifan didn't consciously know but understood in his bones. "Forever," Tianyu had murmured. "Choose me forever, and I'll spend eternity earning that choice." And the Phoenix responding, "You already have. Every moment with you proves I chose right."
Tianyu screaming, ice and lightning exploding from him in waves of destructive grief, as he watched flames consume his bonded mate. "Come back," he'd roared at the sky. "Come back to me. I'll wait. I'll wait forever. Just come back."
Yifan woke crying, clutching the jade pendant so hard the carved edges bit into his palm. His fever had spiked to 101°F. Pre-heat was advancing faster now, his body racing toward the inevitable.
He had maybe twelve hours left to decide.
Morning brought a visitor—not at the wards, but at Mo Ran's front gate, requesting formal audience. A different Alpha, one Yifan hadn't met yet. Through the window, he could see a striking figure: platinum hair, silver eyes, muscular build, and a wild energy that seemed barely contained even standing still.
"Bai Yuchen," Mo Ran identified, her tone neutral. "White Tiger Alpha. Current lord of the Western territories."
"Should I see him?" Yifan asked.
"That's your choice. But be aware—if you meet with him, others will request the same courtesy. Word travels fast in our world. The Phoenix accepting audiences during pre-heat is politically significant."
Yifan thought of Tianyu standing outside the wards, carefully not requesting entry, respecting Mo Ran's sanctuary even though he clearly wanted to be closer. Whatever else Tianyu was, he understood boundaries. Would this Tiger Alpha show the same restraint?
"Five minutes," Yifan decided. "And you stay with me."
Mo Ran nodded approvingly and went to let him in.
Bai Yuchen was devastating up close. Where Tianyu was cold elegance, Yuchen was warm charisma. He strode into Mo Ran's sitting room like he owned it, silver eyes immediately fixing on Yifan with predatory interest. His scent hit next—sandalwood and lightning, wild places and barely leashed power.
"Phoenix," he said, and his voice was rich, warm, compelling. "You're even more beautiful than the legends promised."
"I have a name," Yifan said, fighting the urge to respond to the Alpha pheromones flooding the room. "It's Shen Yifan."
"Shen Yifan." Yuchen tested it, smiling. "Pretty name for a pretty Omega. I'm Bai Yuchen, and I'm here to present myself as a candidate for your consideration."
"I'm not shopping for a mate."
"No? Then what are you doing, running a fever at a neutral sanctuary while every Alpha in China can sense you approaching heat?" Yuchen's smile widened. "You're choosing. Maybe not consciously, but your Phoenix instincts are evaluating options. I'm simply making sure I'm one of them."
Mo Ran's presence was the only thing keeping Yifan grounded as Yuchen's charisma pressed against his heat-addled senses. The Alpha was deliberately using his presence, his scent, his voice to affect Yifan's response. It was manipulative, and yet part of Yifan responded despite recognizing the tactic.
"Dragon's already been here, hasn't he?" Yuchen said, noting something in Yifan's expression. "Of course he has. Tianyu's been waiting a thousand years like a pathetic romantic, convinced you'll choose him again just because you did once before." He leaned forward. "But here's what he won't tell you: you don't owe him anything. That was a different life, a different you. This time, you could choose differently. Choose the Alpha who offers passion instead of cold possession. Choose the Tiger who'll let you be free instead of keeping you locked in a mountain fortress."
"Is that what you're offering? Freedom?"
"I'm offering you the world. Adventure, excitement, a mate who matches your fire instead of trying to contain it." Yuchen's eyes gleamed. "Bond me, and you'll never be bored, never be stifled, never be treated like a delicate treasure that needs protecting. I'll treat you like the powerful being you are."
It was a compelling pitch, Yifan had to admit. And so different from Tianyu's approach. Where Tianyu offered devotion and protection, Yuchen offered partnership and freedom.
But there was something calculated about it, something that felt more like a sales presentation than genuine connection.
"Thank you for your interest," Yifan said formally. "I'll consider all my options before deciding."
"That's all I ask." Yuchen stood, somehow making even that simple movement look graceful and powerful. "But decide soon, little Phoenix. Heat is coming, and you'll need someone. Better it be an Alpha who wants you to burn bright than one who'll smother you with ice."
After he left, Yifan slumped in his chair, exhausted by the intensity of the interaction.
"Well?" Mo Ran asked. "Thoughts?"
"He's attractive. Charismatic. Offers things Tianyu doesn't."
"But?"
"But it felt like performance. Like he was auditioning for a role rather than actually seeing me." Yifan touched the jade pendant under his shirt. "Tianyu looks at me like I'm everything. Yuchen looks at me like I'm a prize worth winning. There's a difference."
"Yes," Mo Ran agreed. "And you're wise enough to see it, even through pre-heat. That's good."
Two more Alphas requested audiences that afternoon—Ji Haoyu, a Qilin Alpha with gentle eyes and scholarly bearing, and a representative from the Council itself. Yifan refused them all. He was done being evaluated, presented to, courted like a commodity.
He knew what he wanted.
That evening, as the sun set and his fever climbed to 102°F, Yifan made his decision.
He pulled out his phone and texted Mo Ran, who was in the kitchen: "I choose Tianyu. For heat. Just heat. No promises beyond that."
Her response came immediately: "Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll contact him. He'll be here within the hour. Prepare yourself."
Yifan's hands shook as he showered and changed into comfortable clothes—soft pants and a loose shirt. His body was already responding to the decision, fever spiking higher, skin flushing, the first hints of slick beginning between his thighs.
Heat was coming. And the Dragon King was coming with it.
Through the window, Yifan could see the sun disappearing behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of fire. Somewhere in the forest, Tianyu would be receiving Mo Ran's message. Soon, he would be here.
The Phoenix stirred inside Yifan, recognizing its mate approaching, eager and ready.
And for the first time since this all began, Yifan felt certain. Whatever happened in the next seven days, whatever they were or weren't to each other afterward, this choice felt right.
He was choosing Tianyu not because destiny demanded it, but because something in him—past life memory or present instinct or simple want—knew this was where he needed to be.
The jade pendant pulsed warm against his heart, and in the distance, Yifan could have sworn he heard the roar of a dragon claiming what was his.