Syri was the first to wake the next morning. The forgotten, open window let in a soft breeze and illuminated the room in a warm, morning glow. Syri's eyes trailed from the strong arms around him to the sleeping face in front of him. The true blood looked so soft sleeping beside him, different from his usual, hard expression and strong presence.

The zeta cautiously scooted closer and placed his delicate finger on the true blood's jaw, tracing the man's sharp features. Even though his features were sharp, his skin was smooth and warm. Syri heard the man wake as his breathing deepened before becoming shallower and faster in pace. The dark eyes opened as Syri's finger reached the point of the true blood's chin and stared at the beauty in front of them. The zeta's eyes flickered up to meet the dark eyes gazing at him, snatching the prince's breath away. The two gazed at each other in this manner for an appropriate amount of moments. The true blood found himself leaning in towards the zeta who stared at him with big eyes.

Why aren't you moving away? Why are you letting him come this close? Syri thought as he remained still, locking eyes with Jae as the man stopped a hair's breath away from the zeta's face. The true blood's eyes moved down to the zeta's lips, his dark lashes fanning on his cheek as their lips grazed each other.

What are you doing? Why are you going in for a...Jae! Do you not remember what happened the last time you tried to kiss someone?! What if he doesn't want you? He already has a mate!! Fear of rejection coursed through the prince's veins. The sound of approaching footsteps reached the true blood's ears, causing him to pull away as a knock sounded on the door.

Clearing his throat, Jae called, "Come in," as he slid out of the bed. He hoped the zeta could not hear his racing heart as he turned and saw the zeta lying in the bed gazing up at him. "Did you sleep okay?" Such a cliché thing to ask.

Syri nodded before slowly standing to his feet, holding his bandaged side carefully as he walked to the bathroom. Why did he pull away? Does he not want me, either? Syri wondered as he stood in front of the bathroom's mirror. The zeta's eyes widened as he thought of a possibility. But he has a mate. He just hasn't met them yet. Of course he wouldn't want me. My fated doesn't want me, so why would he? Oh, but it felt so nice to be in his arms with his scent covering me. No, Syri. Stop imagining things. It'll never happen. He will find his mate and live happily ever after with them...and...you'll be gone long before then.

The zeta's thoughts stopped abruptly as pain shot through his side. He stifled a groan as he lifted the over-sized shirt lent from the true blood, revealing the oozing wound. Again? Why? Why now? My sixth-to-last day just started. At least let me live my last days in peace! A pool of blood started to form on the ground as the hot liquid began seeping through Syri's fingers. It is bleeding faster than normal. The zeta placed a wet hand on the wall for stability as his vision blurred, leaving a red hand print as he slid to the ground.

Muffled voices could be heard from the bedroom as the prince was deep in conversation with with Yejin.

"The delta and theta have set off. They are following the trail through the town. It's leading them into the forest, as we speak," Yejin informed his prince.

Jae nodded as he absorbed the information.

"When they return, I was thinking we could keep him in one of the cells under the castle. From what Haikon was able to make from the tracks he has found so far, he is strong and moves fast," the alpha proposed.

"Okay, yeah, we could do that-" the prince stopped mid-sentence as he heard the small, desperate sound.

"Jae," Syri whispered through the pain as he clutched his side.

"Syri?" Jae sprinted to the bathroom, the strong scent of blood seeping from beneath the door. "Syri!" The true blood entered the bathroom to see the zeta passed out on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him. "Call Estan!" Jae ordered the alpha as he lifted Syri in his arms.

Yejin wasted no time in notifying his mate of the zeta's situation. Estan dropped the gauze he was storing and rushed out of the infirmary, grabbing his go-bag on the way out. The gamma took a second to catch his breath before entering the room. As soon as Estan walked through the door, the tense and stressed pheromones radiating off the true blood overpowered the dainty gamma. Yejin rushed to his mate's side and steadied him.

"You okay, babe?" The chocolate-haired alpha asked in concern.

"Yeah. Just get Jae to calm down," Estan answered in stutters as he tried to fight the overpowering pheromones.

"I've tried. I've never seen him like this."

Estan turned his gaze from his concerned mate to the pacing true blood. Jae's brows were furrowed as he walked back and forth in front of the zeta on the bed in a protective manner. The gamma heaved a breath before addressing his future alpha, "Jae, I know you're worried about Syri, but I need to be able to concentrate, much less stand, in order to help him. So, it would be best if you leave."

The true blood's eyes flashed golden in response. No one told a true blood when and where they should go, especially not when they were riled up and stressed.

"Geez. It's not like he's your mate," Yejin commented, evoking a growl from the prince's wolf, Hyuk. The alpha raised his arms in surrender, hoping the tense wolf would not rip out his throat for being snarky. He quickly lowered them back down to steady Estan, however, when his mate's knees began to give out.

The gamma rolled his eyes at his mate before turning to the prince. "Jae. Out. Now." He added a, "Please," as the wolf growled. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Syri will bleed out before I am even able to look at him! Get out NOW if you want him to live!" A tinge of annoyance entered the gamma's voice as he bravely 'spelled it out' for his prince, a vein bulging in his forehead as it took all of his might to even speak under the true blood's dominating presence.

Jae's eyes turned back from their golden color before he reluctantly left the room while he still had control over Hyuk, leaving Estan to care for the zeta.

"Sheesh. True bloods and their possessiveness," Estan let out his breath as he was able to stand and think clearly. "I don't even know why he's so protective over this one. It's not like Syri is his mate...right?" Estan looked over at his mate for confirmation, who just shrugged his shoulders.

The gamma's eyes focused as he saw the limp zeta on the bed, a ring of red surrounding him. "Get my bag," Estan told Yejin as he began to look at the re-opened wound.

Jae paced back and forth in front of the door for hours before his nerves calmed down to the level where he could lean on the wall calmly and sophisticatedly like the prince he was. Jae let out a huff as he leaned his head against the wall and wondered at his aching heart. He had felt a pain similar to this when he saw his fated mate with another, but it was different in a way that Jae did not feel dejected. He felt sad and wanted to do something to help, but he did not feel hopeless and in despair.

The turning of the handle sounded, immediately drawing Jae's attention to the door. The true blood looked to see Estan and Yejin exit his room.

"You can go in, now. He's sleeping," Estan said to the true blood guarding the door.

Jae nodded. "Thank you."

"Mm. Don't let him move this time. Not even an inch. His wound became more sensitive. It's getting worse," the doctor warned.

Jae's face hardened at the news. He nodded in acknowledgement before turning the handle and entering the room. The true blood approached the bed slowly, his eyes fixed on the small figure under the blanket. Jae cautiously sat on the bed and placed the back of his hand on Syri's forehead before letting out a small breath. His condition was stable, and his temperature was not dangerously high.

What is it about you? Why did I get so attached? I have never felt this way before. Is this even possible? Am I only feeling this way because my mate rejected me? Jae let out a breath and ran his fingers through his pitch-black hair as a thousand questions filled his thoughts. Is this even allowed? He has a mate.

The prince rubbed the tension from his neck as he looked down at the sleeping zeta. Jae let out a breath and brought his hand down to his side. It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is keeping you safe. The true blood reached down and tenderly moved a loose strand of pink hair out of Syri's face as the sounds of rapid footfalls echoed down the hallway.

Jae quickly retracted his hand and stood from the bed. He could recognize those footsteps anywhere. Only one person had those footfalls: his mother, the Queen. Acting quickly, Jae bunched up the blankets and gently covered the sleeping zeta under the fluffy covers. He had just finished when his mother entered through the door. Standing up, he greeted the queen while releasing more of his strong, musky scent to mask the zeta's sweet scent.

"Mother."

"Jae, we need to talk."