The true blood, alpha, and theta stood silently as the king gave the two delegation teams their orders.

"Do not return until you have had an audience with the pack's alpha and obtained a response in consideration of the situation with the wolves from Black Moon. Understood?" the king commanded to each of the teams.

"Ae!" The leaders of the two teams responded respectfully as they bowed their heads in acceptance of the command.

"Good," the king stated before turning and exiting the hall.

Jae took a few steps forward to stand in front of the two delegation teams as the alpha left the King's Hall. The prince then turned to address the leader of the team whose destination was White Fang. "Estimated time to reach White Fang: nine days. Total distance traveled to destination: 615 miles north. You will cross over Eternal Dawn which spreads 415 miles. Acquire permission to cross Eternal Dawn's territory before proceeding. It will take you an estimate of two days to acquire permission; this has been factored into the travel time. Distance to White Fang's capitol from White Fang's border: 110 miles. Obtain permission before entering White Fang; this will take approximately two days. Estimated delegation time with White Fang: four days. Accounting return travel, total estimated mission time: 22 days." Jae paused when he had completed the mission's brief. "Any questions?" The true blood inquired as his eyes trailed over the team's members. When a few moments of silence passed, the prince continued, "Total mission time is liable for change as negotiations may take longer or may be faster than estimated."

"Understood," the leader of the team responded to the prince's information.

The prince nodded at the leader before turning to the team whose destination was Black Moon. "Estimated time to reach Black Moon: six days. Total distance traveled to destination: 315 miles east. It is 195 miles to Black Moon's capitol from the border. Estimated time to acquire permission: two days; this has been factored into the travel time. Estimated delegation time with Black Moon: four days. Accounting return travel, total estimated mission time: 14 days. You will depart for Black Moon in three days to arrive when Team 1 reaches White Fang. Any questions?" Again, the true blood paused to give members time to inquire about the details of their mission. When no questions came, Jae continued, "Total mission time is liable for change as negotiations may take longer or may be faster than estimated."

The prince then turned back to Team 1 and addressed them, "Be ready for departure in four hours. You leave at sunset."

"Ae!" The members sounded in unison as they bowed their heads.

"I will see you at the northern gate at 20:00," the prince stated before turning and walking toward the hall's exit. Yejin and Haikon nodded to the team's leaders before following the prince out of the hall. The three remained quiet as they made their way to Jae's office.

"That was a nice brief," Yejin complimented the true blood as Haikon closed the door to the office, sealing the three friends away from the rest of the castle.

"Was it?" Jae returned as he sank into the chair behind his desk.

"Sounded quite professional," Haikon commented as he and Yejin sat in the two chairs stationed in front of the wooden desk.

The true blood let out a huff as his eyes trailed over the stacks of paperwork filling his workspace. "Will there ever be a day when I don't have to do paperwork?" The prince exclaimed with an exhausted sigh.

"When you get mated," Yejin teased his prince. "Whaaat?" The alpha asked defensively with a bit of attitude when Jae gave him a side glare. "We're given a couple of days to acclimate to newly-wed life. I thought you knew that," Yejin added with a pouty face and slow blinks at the true blood.

"You know, for an alpha, you are awfully dull," Haikon said as he shook his head at the blue-eyed man sitting next to him.

"What?" Yejin mouthed at the theta as Jae began sifting through the endless papers piled on his workspace.

"Read the room, Yej," Haikon stated quietly as he patted the alpha on the back.

Yejin turned from the theta to look at the man sitting in front of him, his heart falling when he saw the sad look in Jae's eyes. The alpha pursed his lips as the theta stood to his feet, a small smile painting his pale face.

"Xander is whining for apples with peanut butter," Haikon told his friends as he walked to the back of the chair. "I am off to tend to my mate. Link me if you need anything," the theta said as he walked to the door.

"Tell Xander 'hi' for me," Jae responded as the theta reached the office's exit.

"Will do. Bye," Haikon bid as he walked through the door, shutting it on his way out.

Yejin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as the prince continued to sort through papers. The two remained in silence for a few minutes before the alpha's head snapped up. "*Inna is calling me," Yejin stated as he sat up straight.

"Better hurry. Inna's going to kill you if you're late," Jae warned with a smirk.

Yejin hurriedly nodded in agreement as he stood to his feet and scrambled to the door. "I'll see you at the gate!" The alpha called in farewell before rushing out of the office.

Jae let out a breath as he set down the stack of papers he had been going through and rested his elbows on the desk. The true blood ran his fingers through his midnight hair before continuing his work.

While the prince was working diligently in his office, the blue-eyed alpha was hurriedly making his way to the training yard just outside the castle. The alpha let out a short pant as he jogged onto the yard to see the luna's right hand standing near the entrance with her sword strapped to her hip.

"You're late," Yehwa stated as she heard her brother approach her.

"You literally called for me five minutes ago, Inna," Yejin responded as he caught his breath. "What do you want?" The alpha inquired of the beta.

"Where's Estan?" The beta inquired of her younger brother.

"He's in Alia. Why?"

The beta furrowed her brows as she turned to face her brother fully. "Why is your mate in Alia?" Yehwa's tone was scrutinizing as she studied the alpha.

"He, uh, left when I was on the hunt for the unstable wolf and decided to stay for a bit to unwind and take a break." Yejin maintained a straight face as he lied to his sister. He could not afford for Yehwa to find out about Syri. Not yet, at least. Yejin knew that Jae wanted to keep Syri a secret from the royals for as long as was possible, and that included Yehwa since she was the luna's right hand.

The beta looked at her brother intensely for a few more moments before saying, "Let me know when he is back. I have something to discuss with him," before turning and exiting the yard. Several of the soldiers who were out practicing stopped what they were doing and promptly bowed to the beta as she walked passed. Yehwa was a renowned warrior and was respected by everyone, except the haughty king, for her impeccable combat skills and intelligence.

Yejin felt chills cover his body as he watched his sister walk away. Even after twenty-two years, the alpha remained in awe of his older sister. "I need to warn Jae. Inna is becoming suspicious," Yejin voiced to himself as he, too, exited the yard and made his way back to the prince's office.

Inna - term for older sister/female figure

>>>>>>

The theta smiled softly as his mate happily devoured the peanut butter-dipped apples. "How do you feel?" Haikon asked as he sat next to Xander on the bed in their room in the castle. Xander had been released from the clinic earlier that day and had been okayed by Estelle to complete his recovery in his and Haikon's room in the castle as long as he had daily check-ups with the gamma.

"Like I want to escape the castle," Xander replied with a sigh as he looked around the room. The delta and theta's room was by no means stuffy or suffocating, but the delta wanted to run free and move about as he pleased.

A soft chuckle escaped the theta as he gazed down at his mate. "I'm sure you will be running around in no time," Haikon told the delta before planting a sweet kiss on the top of Xander's head.

Xander released an exasperated breath while nodding his head. "Thank you for the apples," the delta said after a moment as he smiled up at the theta.

"Is there anything else you would like?" Haikon inquired as he sat behind the delta and wrapped his arms around Xander's waist.

"Mmmm," the delta sounded as the two began to slowly rock from side to side. "Jerky?" The delta's voice raised in pitch toward the end as he stated his craving.

"Sounds delicious," Haikon agreed as he rested his chin on Xander's shoulder before planting a kiss on the mark on the delta's neck.

Tingles ran down Xander's spine as Haikon's lips grazed past his ear. "On second thought, jerky can wait," the delta's voice was low as he turned around in the theta's arms and straddled Haikon's lap.

"You sure about this?" Haikon asked as the delta draped his arms around the theta's neck. "How's your side?"

"I'm fine, babe. I could be running around right now if it weren't for Estelle's orders," Xander assured his mate as his eyes trailed down to the theta's parted lips. "We don't have to go all the way."

"Trust me, we can't go all way just yet. But..." Xander let out a small gasp as Haikon carefully flipped the delta to lie on his back. The delta's eyes became hooded as his mate hovered over him. "I can still make you feel good," Haikon voiced lowly as his eyes flitted to Xander's plump lips.

Xander placed his hand on Haikon's rippled chest and slid his fingers beneath the theta's shirt, running his hand up to Haikon's shoulder. The theta complied with the delta's request and removed his shirt, revealing his elegant muscles and silky skin. A moan escaped Xander as Haikon pressed his lips to the base of the delta's neck. Xander's eyes closed as he craned his neck into the bed and cradled Haikon's head.

"Tell me if it's too much," Haikon said with a low voice as he nipped at his mate's ear.

"It's never too much," Xander returned between breaths, extracting a smirk from the theta. Before long, Haikon had removed Xander's shirt, leaving the delta exposed from the waist up. The two mates' moans and breaths filled the room as they continued to love each other gently.

>>>>>>

The sun hung just above the edge of the horizon as the true blood walked up to the northern gate. Team 1 had already gathered and bowed to the prince as he came to a stop ten feet before them. Jae nodded to the team's leader in greeting as he sensed Yejin approaching him. The prince turned to face the alpha as Yejin reached him.

Now that everyone had arrived, the prince addressed Team 1. "Boost link when you have reached the borders of White Fang. Be swift and alert at all times. This mission is crucial to Crimson Night's relations with both White Fang and Black Moon. I trust you know the weight of the orders given to you. I wish you safe travels. You may now depart. May the moon goddess be with you."

"Ae!" The five members called out as they bowed to their prince in reply. Jae and Yejin stood still as they watched the five shift into their wolf forms. Once the gate was fully opened, the five wolves set out on their delegation mission to White Fang, leaving Jae and Yejin alone in the northern courtyard.

"Is anyone in the yard?" Jae inquired of the captain of the guard as he watched the gate close.

The alpha remained silent for a moment as he quickly linked his soldiers and told them to clear the yard. After making sure the soldiers that had stayed late to train had left the yard, Yejin answered, "It's empty."

"Up for a round or two?" Jae inquired of his friend.

Yejin nodded as he said, "I'm down." It had been a while since the true blood and alpha had sparred each other, so Yejin was ready to help his friend blow off some steam.

Upon hearing Yejin's response, Jae set off for the yard. The two remained quiet as they crossed the several courtyards that separated them from the training yard. The sun had set by the time the alpha and true blood reached the southern side of the palace, the yard being lit by moonlight and fire-filled barrels that lined the perimeter. The two men removed their shirts as they entered the training grounds, their rippled chests being beautifully defined by the cool moonlight and sharp shadows.

The two each grabbed a roll of cloth from the supply bins situated near the entrance and wrapped their fists and wrists before walking to the section of earth designated for sparring. The true blood rolled his head from side to side to stretch his neck while the alpha rolled his shoulders to loosen his body. Yejin released a small breath as he readied his fists and entered a starting position. The true blood's raven hair hung in his face as he prepared to start.

Three. Jae began through their link.

Two. Yejin responded.

One.