The theta tightened his grip on the arm slung over his shoulder as he and the delta limped their way through the forest. Xander clutched his side, blood oozing from between his fingers as he fought to stay conscious. Haikon laid the delta against a tree to rest as he checked Xander's wound.

Xander laid his head against the tree and let out a gasp as he felt the alpha's wound taking his life. The alpha's stability had fallen into the negatives by double digits by the time he had charged Xander and Haikon a second time. The delta and theta were forced to shift into their wolf forms and let Jyn and Kiro completely take over in order to survive a confrontation with the alpha. By the time Xander and Haikon came back to their senses, the delta had sustained a deep slash from the alpha. Haikon was bleeding from a wound in his head, and his mind was foggy, but he managed to link Yejin for a few seconds. The link was weak as the theta's mind swooned, but he was able to relay that the alpha was on his way to the palace. Although...he was not sure if Yejin was able to hear the part about the wolf being unstable...

After linking Yejin, Haikon had fallen back unconscious. His wolf, Kiro, worked overtime on repairing his wound as they both knew that Xander and Jyn would die if they remained incapacitated and could not help them. Haikon woke in a frenzy as Kiro passed out once the wound was no longer life-threatening. The theta immediately rushed over to the delta and brought Xander's head into his lap. Haikon pressed his fingers against the delta's neck to check his pulse. The theta let out a sigh when he felt a weak pulse.

"...Haikon..." Xander moaned when he felt the theta's touch. Haikon looked at the delta as Xander opened his eyes slowly. Jyn had done his best and was incapacitated, but Xander was able to regain consciousness.

"Xander! Hang in there! I am going to get you out of here," Haikon said as he stood to his feet and supported the delta. Xander's head hung on his chest as the theta begun bringing them through the forest. However, along the way, Xander began coughing up mouthfuls of blood, forcing Haikon to stop and rest the delta against a tree.

"Xander! Xander!! Hold on!" Haikon begged the fading man in his arms. "Why did you have to do that?" The theta cried, tears dripping onto the delta's blood-covered face. He was referring to the delta leaping in front of him when the alpha was racing towards him. The two's wolves had given them a summary of how Xander became wounded before becoming out of commission.

"I couldn't lose you, too," Xander responded weakly, however, a small smile formed on his lips. He had saved Haikon.

"Stop saying nonsense," Haikon reprimanded the delta.

"We need- we need to tell them. They- they need to know," Xander choked before spitting out a clot of blood.

"I've tried. I was able to connect Yejin for a few seconds, but I don't know how much he got."

"They need to know. He got the shirt. He's going for his mate. He'll find him. You have- you have to-" the delta shut his eyes tightly and let out a pained moan as he clutched his side.

"Xander! Xander! Stay with me," Haikon pleaded as he took off his shirt to repress the bleeding. "No no no no. Don't leave me. I'm getting you out of here," the theta determined as he picked up the delta and began carrying him through the dense trees.

The prince stood outside the palace, his warriors ready on either side of him. The true blood peered into the forest surrounding the palace, ready to confront the approaching alpha.

"Anything from the theta?" Jae asked the alpha standing next to him.

"Nothing yet. I haven't been able to link him. They may be too deep in the forest," Yejin answered.

"Mmm. Let me know if you hear anything," the prince said before turning his attention back to the forest.

According to the location where the theta was when he linked Yejin, the prince's position was the most direct path to the palace. If the alpha was in a rush, which he most likely was, he would appear right through those trees.

The prince began to grow anxious as the time passed, but no wolf emerged from the woods. It was not until after another twenty minutes that Jae could sense an approaching alpha. His eyes turned golden, and his jaw clenched. The wolf was still too far away for the true blood to use his alpha voice. Jae cocked his head in slight confusion as he sensed the alpha stop and change course. His movements were sporadic.

"Something's not right," the true blood voiced lowly as he felt the wolf withdraw and slink away to his right.

"What is it?" Yejin walked up to the true blood's side.

"He's going off course. He is heading towards the right wing-" Jae's eyes widened when he realized what, or who, was in the right wing of the palace. "Syri!" The true blood transformed into his wolf and dashed into the palace with the chocolate alpha at his heels.

Hyuk barged through the door to the prince's bedroom and let out a howl when he saw the empty bed. The true blood shifted back to his human form, his eyes still golden meaning he and his wolf were acting as one. Jae rushed over to the broken window; a trail of blood led from the soaked sheets out into the wild. A growl resonated through the palace as the prince confirmed the blood to be Syri's.

In one fluid motion, the true blood shifted into his black wolf and leaped out the window. The chocolate wolf tried to catch up, but the true blood was focused on one thing: finding the zeta, therefore leaving the alpha in the dust.

Syri cried out in pain as the alpha dragged him through the forest. Jisue had forced him to submit before throwing the zeta on his back and taking him into the wild. The alpha forced Syri to place his arm into his mouth as a means to keep a hold on the zeta should Syri attempt to escape.

"What do you want?" Syri asked when the alpha threw him to the ground in a small grove between the thick trees. The zeta clutched his bitten arm as he watched as the wolf shift to his human form.

"To get what's mine," Jisue growled as he knelt in front of the exhausted zeta. "Tsk tsk tsk. I would have healed you if you hadn't run away." Jisue lifted Syri's shirt and looked at the bleeding wound. By this time, blood was already streaming down Syri's lips and chin. He did not have long to live.

"Just let me die in peace."

"Mmm. No can do, 'cause, you see, I learned something about your kind. Evidently, zetas can make their mates really powerful."

A scoff left the zeta's bloody mouth as Syri glared at his mate with disdain. "That'll never happen."

"I know, I know. You think I'd never mark and mate you." Syri's face turned white when he heard Jisue say, "Well, I am willing to do those things if it means I can be the most powerful alpha. It's not like it hurts me."

"Please, no," Syri began backing away from the greedy alpha.

"Don't worry. I won't mark you on your scent gland. That would make you feel good, and I would hate giving a mutt like you any pleasure." An evil, crazed glint was ever-present in the alpha's eyes as he hungrily looked over the zeta's body.

"No," Syri shook his head as his body was shaking with fear.

"Come here," Jisue growled as he pulled Syri back to him and picked the zeta up. The alpha held the struggling zeta tightly as his eyes turned red and he bared his teeth. A low growl resonated from the alpha as the zeta was forced to submit, exposing his neck to the lustful wolf. Tears swelled in the zeta's eyes. This was the last thing he wanted. To be marked and mated by Jisue.

The sound of running made Syri look the edge of the grove. Tears began streaming down the zeta's face as he felt the alpha near his neck. He could feel Jisue's fangs graze over his skin as the alpha chose the spot where he would sink his fangs into the zeta's neck. Golden eyes appeared in between the trees as Syri saw a black wolf shift into its human form.

Jae ran into the grove to see a bleeding Syri in the clutches of his fated mate. Syri looked at the true blood with wet, brown eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. Time seemed to slow as Jae rushed toward the zeta. The prince watched as Syri's eyes turned aqua just before the alpha sunk his teeth into the zeta's neck. Aska had taken control to keep Syri from feeling the pain of an unwanted mark. Even though Syri and Jisue were mates, an unwanted mark was unbearable for any wolf.

Aska cried out as the alpha dug his fangs in deeper, greedy to make a deep, lasting mark. Hyuk took over Jae's human form when he saw Aska in pain. The alpha retracted his teeth from the rough, gruesome mark when he heard the roar from the true blood charging for him. The alpha immediately threw the zeta toward the true blood and sprinted into the forest, satisfied that he had marked the zeta. If only I could have mated him, too! The alpha could not care less about his mate. He was just giddy he escaped a true blood.

Hyuk caught Aska as he fell, leaving the alpha to turn tail and run. He would love to tear the wolf into smithereens, but Aska was more important. A tear escaped Aska's eye when he saw Hyuk gazing down at him. Blood dripped onto the ground from the fresh mark as its maker did not lick the mark to set and heal it.

"Is it gone?" Aska asked the true blood weakly. "The wound on my side. Is it healed?"

Hyuk looked at the wound on the zeta to see it closing up. "It is healing."

"Good," Aska sighed. The one blessing that came from the mark was the natural surge of energy. The wound could be healed with the energy since it came from the mate's mark. The zeta closed his eyes as Aska went back to sleep to recover. As long as the wound was healing, Syri could live.

Hyuk also gave control to Jae when he saw Syri's wolf withdraw. Syri opened his eyes to Jae's dark orbs looking down at him.

"Jae," the zeta voiced weakly.

"Hey," the true blood soothed as he pulled down Syri's shirt once he saw the wound vanish.

"Did-did he mark me?" Tears swelled in the zeta's eyes when he felt the hot pain throbbing in his neck.

A slight nod and a tear from Jae broke Syri's spirit. He had been marked by the one he hated most. The zeta felt his heart sink, and his vision blurred.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you," Jae apologized as he held the zeta.

Syri looked at the crying prince and reached up to wipe a tear from the true blood's face. "You stopped him, though. He didn't get to mate me or take me away...I'm still here...with you..." The zeta's words grew quieter and more strained until his head rolled back and everything faded to black as Syri's exhausted and traumatized mind fell unconscious in the safety of the true blood's arms.