Jae was up before dawn, dressed, and ready when Yejin came knocking on his door. The alpha poked his head into the bedroom and looked around to see the prince walking toward him. "Didn't get much sleep?" Yejin assumed as the prince stepped out into the dim corridor.

"Mm," Jae sounded in reply as Yejin shut the door to the prince's personal chambers. The prince's face was hard as he and the captain of the guard started down the corridor. The scurrying of maids and servants sounded throughout the castle as last-minute preparations were being quickly thrown together. The true blood and alpha stopped just before the door to the north entrance where Haikon joined them. The alpha and theta nodded to each other in greeting as Haikon came to a stop behind the prince's left. The present members did not mention the missing blue-eyed man as three of the five gathered.

"How's Xander?" Yejin inquired of the theta.

"He is better. He can stay awake for a good amount of time now," the theta answered.

The clacking of boots paused the boys' conversation as the queen arrived at the northern entrance. The alpha and theta politely bowed to the luna as she walked passed to stand in front of the door. The luna's expression matched that of her son's as she prepared to greet the alpha of Crimson Night. The entryway just behind the door quickly filled as servants and maids completed their tasks and lined up in two lines to form a procession. The call from a single trumpet sounded outside the gate, and the luna motioned for the doors to be opened.

The procession began trickling out of the castle once the heavy, wooden doors were opened and lined the road which served as the main entryway. Jae came to stand beside his mother with Yejin and Haikon just behind him. The luna's right hand stood to the queen's left, her hand resting on the sword sheathed against her hip. The workers of the castle continued ahead of the dignified werewolves, who had come to a stop just before the opened doors, and formed a procession of greeting.

Beasts similar to Ajax could be seen trotting down the road as the sun began to rise. Jae turned to look at the golden rays reaching into the morning sky and thought of the zeta. The true blood's heart fluttered as he recalled Syri's smile beneath the morning sun. Jae's thoughts had been constantly consumed by Syri ever since he had finished the hunt; this served as the reasoning behind the young werewolf burying himself in his princely duties in an attempt to escape that entrancing smile.

A nudge from Yejin brought the prince back to his senses just before his father passed. The luna kept her head held high and her gaze straight as the alpha rode by. Jae, being the son, was compelled to bow his head in respect along with the others lining the road. Only the luna had the power and status to not fully submit to the alpha. Luna Armina was Alpha Fachan's equal, and she promised herself four years ago that she would never submit fully to her mate ever again.

The king's eyes did not leave their straight-forward position as the alpha passed his family. The queen's expression remained unchanged as she turned and entered through the gate to the castle where the king had just dismounted. Jae followed his mother into the courtyard beyond the gate; Yejin and Haikon trailed behind. Yejin's blue eyes gawked at the queen's right-hand lady's strict posture and hand on her sword as he followed the prince through the gate. The female warrior had guts to openly have her hand on her sword in front of the king. But then again, she was in charge of protecting the luna, not the alpha.

The queen and her son's party halted when the alpha called out his mate's name. "Armina," the alpha voiced with a strict tone. The luna turned to face her mate and waited for the man to continue, her expression distant. The alpha handed the reins of his beast to the squire and approached the luna. "Meet me in my office. I have something to discuss with you."

The luna did not skip a beat in replying, "I have duties to tend to. I will meet with you once I am finished." With that, the luna turned on her heel and walked away, not giving her mate time to protest.

Jae inclined his head respectfully as he began to follow his mother, but the alpha's voice stopped him. "Jae, we need to talk." Even though Jae was a true blood and his father was an alpha, he was still his father's son and the son of Crimson Night's alpha and leader. Unlike the queen, the prince could not refuse the king. Jae bowed his head before turning slightly to face the two standing behind him. "You may leave. I will meet with you once I am done."

Both Yejin and Haikon bowed their heads before leaving their prince's side and entering the castle. Jae lifted his head and stood up straight as his father walked to him. By this time, nearly all of the workers had re-entered the courtyard and castle and were resuming their duties, so the king and prince were definitely not alone. Numerous pairs of ears were curious as to what the alpha would say to his son.

"I heard your mate rejected you."

A pain struck Jae's heart as he heard his father's cold words. The scurrying sounds from the workers nearly came to a stop as the king did not even try to soften his voice.

"Why did she reject you?" The alpha inquired about the incident of the rejection.

A lump formed in the true blood's throat as he swallowed dryly. "She already had a mate."

"Bullshit. You were her mate, and you let her reject you. I had no idea my son was so weak! Now I must live with the shame of my son, the prince, being rejected as soon as he met his mate!"

"I could not force her to love me," Jae responded as he looked his father in the eyes.

"Yes, you could, and you should have! By any means necessary! Look at you! Not only are you mateless, but you are rejected. Who would want a rejected prince?"

The alpha's words struck deep, and Jae sucked in his breath to stop the tears forming in his eyes. He could not cry right now, not in front of the alpha. He could not show his weakness. Out of all the hurtful words his father had told him, these hurt the worst as his heart was still healing. The rejection had happened only a half month ago, and the wounds of rejection were still fresh.

The king let out a huff as he looked at his son who had dropped his gaze to the ground. "I will begin searching for a compatible mate, though I doubt anyone would want you," the alpha informed his son. "Get out of my sight," a growl left the king as he whirled around and stormed away.

Jae took a deep breath as he lifted his head. The workers immediately resumed their tasks as the king entered the castle. The true blood took one more breath before entering the castle and making his way to his office. Whispers floated around Jae as he made his way down the numerous corridors. Word of the alpha's lecture had spread quickly. The prince let out a small, dry chuckle as he shut the door to his office when he saw Yejin sitting in front of his desk with four pints of beer.

"I don't know what happened, but by the look on your face, it wasn't pretty," Yejin said before gesturing to the empty chair beside him with a tilt of his head.

"My father is searching for a mate for me," Jae began as he walked over to the chair and sat down. The prince picked up one of the full pints before continuing, "Though he doubts anyone would want a rejected prince." As soon as the last word left his mouth, Jae placed his lips on the rim of the cup and took a drink of the refreshing alcohol.

"Well, disregard what the alpha said because I know plenty of people who want you," Yejin said in assurance of the dejected prince. "Jeez," the light-blue-eyed alpha sounded through his teeth. "Those words could get my head cut off," Yejin stated with a chuckle.

"I appreciate your daring words," Jae responded with a slight snicker.

Yejin lifted his cup with a smirk in reply. Jae lifted his as well, and the clank of a cheers could be heard as the two lifted their cups to their mouths and began to drink their sorrows away.

>>>>>>

Syri sat on the hill and observed the rising sun as he mulled over the words Estan had told him the night before. Jae had some important matters to tend to and thought it would be best to have Syri stay with Estan at the cabin since the king had returned. The zeta furrowed his brows as he wondered why Jae did not want him to return to the castle. Is it because I am no more than a servant?

The zeta's insecurities began to envelop him until Aska's voice sounded in his head. Syri, you know Jae would never see you as a lowly servant.

That is true, but it does not hide the fact that I am going to clean the castle when I get back. Syri responded to his wolf.

But that is different. You would be cleaning the castle because you want to return a favor.

That is also true. But I wonder why we can't go back just yet. Syri tucked his knees against his chest as he wondered what Jae was going through. The zeta gave up on his fretting when he concluded that Jae had a good reason for delaying his and Estan's return. I hope everything is okay, Jae. Please stay safe, Prince.

The zeta continued to sit on the hill and watch the sun rise in the sky until it was midday. Syri's eyes began to droop as he pondered whether he should take a short nap on the hill or return to the cabin and make himself a cup of tea. His thoughts were interrupted when a neigh sounded in the wind. The zeta's eyes snapped open to see two majestic horses trotting to him. The pink-haired stood to his feet as the horses slowed to a stop as they reached him.

Syri stood in awe of the two horses. They were of a different kind than Ajax and seemed to be of the line of wild mustangs. They did not have the wolf-like features as Ajax did and appeared to be pure mustangs. The horse closest to Syri was a radiant white with dark blue eyes while the second was copper brown with golden eyes.

The zeta was mesmerized as the white horse came to stand just a few feet in front of him. Syri slowly reached out his hand and placed it on the lower tip of the horse's nuzzle. A small bray left the white beast as the werewolf began to pet it.

"Where did you come from?" Syri wondered under his breath as he realized the two had practically appeared out of thin air. The pink-haired swiveled his head around to find the origin of the two beasts. A distant neigh brought the boy's attention to the foot of the hill just before him that led into the valley to see a team of horses milling about. A gasp left the zeta as he observed the beautiful beasts. The horses were of various colors, ranging from red, white, black, golden, spotted, grey, and brown and ranged in size, indicating there were several family units within the team.

Syri turned back to look at the white creature standing in front of him and let his hand roam to the side of the beast's face and down to his neck. "I wonder what your name is," the zeta pondered aloud as he stroked his hand down the horse's neck.

Dyren. The zeta's brows furrowed as a foreign voice sounded in his head. Syri's eyes widened as he looked at the horse in shock before pointing to himself. "Did you just talk to me?" The zeta inquired in awe.

The horse remained still as he gazed at the small werewolf. Is that so strange, Zeta?

A stunned breath left Syri as he heard the beast's answer. Curiosity filled the pink-haired as he recovered from the shock of the talking beast. "How did you know I am a zeta?"

Zetas are the only werewolves who can talk to us.

Syri looked at the horse with excitement. "Then you know other zetas?"

I used to long ago. You are the only zeta I know currently.

"Oh, I see," Syri lowered his head as the single thread of hope of meeting another zeta was cut.

There used to be more of your kind. Why are there so few of you now? Dyren inquired in the zeta's mind.

"Zetas are considered mutts and are often either killed or abused for power. We are nearly extinct."

Then how are you alive?

"I hide as an omega," Syri answered. "And I have someone who takes care of me and protects me. That's why I am here. He is making sure it is safe for me to go back."

He seems like a good man. Dyren commented on the zeta's savior and protector.

"He is," Syri replied with a smile. A moment passed as the zeta took in a breath and looked around at the beautiful scenery before inquiring, "Do you live around here? Or are you passing by?"

We are a migratory team. We will remain here for a month before continuing on our route.

"Then may I come visit you while you are here?" The zeta asked politely but not without excitement. He was intrigued by the talking beasts and hoped to learn more about his kind as Dyren clearly had a past with zetas.

Of course. Call my name, and I will come.

A smile covered Syri's face as he bowed in thanks. "Oh?" A small sound left the zeta's mouth as he stood straight and his gaze focused on the copper horse standing just behind Dyren. "Hello," Syri gave a small bow in greeting to the copper horse.

Hello, Zeta. The copper horse's voice was not as deep as Dyren's, and its quality was on the line of female and male. Syri could not quite tell whether the creature was female or male solely from the voice.

"May I know your name?" Syri inquired cautiously. He could tell the golden-eyed horse was more reserved than Dyren and did not want to spook it with too many invasive questions.

I am Geneth. The creature's voice was soft as it responded. May I inquire about your name?

Syri smiled at the horse's inquiry on his name and happily answered. "I am Syri. It is nice to meet you, Geneth."

The zeta was too intrigued about the two creatures to let their first conversation end with greetings, so the zeta and his new friends conversed until the sun was on its route to set.