The delta groaned as he was set against a tree. Xander hissed as the theta checked the wound. Haikon placed his hand on Xander's face as the delta threatened to fade away.

"I'm not going to make it, Haikon," Xander said between groans.

"Shut up. Don't be such a drama queen. You'll be just fine," Haikon retorted, trying to keep a small smile on his face to cheer the delta.

"Whatever," Xander smirked through the pain.

The delta clutched his side and closed his eyes, his breath slowing as the alpha's wound began taking his life.

"Xander!" Haikon frantically called as he heard the delta's pulse fading. "Aish! You can yell at me later," the theta said before baring his fangs and sinking his teeth into Xander's neck.

The sudden surge of energy and pheromones from the mark brought the delta back from the brink. The delta's eyes flashed blue as he breathed in deeply, holding onto the theta's arms. His pulse sped as his heart began to race. Xander let out a sigh as Haikon gently removed his fangs and began licking the mark, sending tingles down Xander's back. The delta's eyes watered as the theta took care of the mark.

Once the mark was cleaned and set to heal, Haikon brought his head back and lowered it in front of the delta in apology. "I'm sorry. I d-"

Before he could say anymore, Xander reached up and kissed the theta. The kiss was passionate and deep. A tear ran down the delta's cheek as Haikon slowly wrapped his arms around him. "Do you know how much I've longed for your mark?" The delta said after pulling away.

"You-you want my mark?" Haikon asked with hope, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes. But I'm a bit mad you did it without asking me," Xander whined with a pouty lip.

"I didn't want to lose you."

"Oh...well, in that case..." Xander trailed off before kissing the theta a second time.

Haikon cradled Xander's neck and deepened the kiss, earning a moan from the delta. He had waited what felt like a lifetime to kiss Xander and was not going to let a single one go to waste. Xander found himself clinging to Haikon as the theta nudged his mouth open, to which the delta complied, and inserted his tongue. The delta let out a small moan as the theta tasted his mouth and their lips flowed against each other. The theta's hand was still cradling Xander's neck as the two withdrew to catch their breaths.

"Haikon..." Xander said breathily as they parted. "Can I mark you?"

The theta looked down at the delta lovingly as he tenderly wiped away one of Xander's remaining tears. Haikon then nodded and pecked the delta's forehead before tilting his head and exposing his neck. As a theta, baring his neck for a delta was not difficult, but a delta being marked by a theta without marking the theta would be rough on the delta, which was the higher ranking wolf.

Haikon knew Xander needed to mark him to put his wolf at ease, but he also wanted the delta's mark badly. So, the theta was very complacent with baring his neck. Xander's eyes turned blue as he carefully bit into the soft flesh, implanting a shadow of his scent into the theta so their scents mixed together. The delta then licked the mark before being brought back into a kiss by the theta. This kiss was sweet and brimming with emotion and longing. Each man showed their craving for the other through this kiss as their lips danced together.

Haikon brought his other hand up to Xander's waist and pulled the delta into him. Xander responded with a moan, which caused Haikon's wolf to howl in pleasure. He liked hearing his mate. Haikon relished every sound that came from Xander, his mate. Oh, it felt so good to call Xander his mate. Haikon felt as if he was walking on clouds. He had longed for Xander ever since the delta had helped him heal from his past.

The two's pants could be heard through the night as they parted for air.

The theta looked at the panting delta before him and smiled before bringing the delta close. "You're finally mine," Haikon said as he nosed the fresh mark on Xander's neck.

"And you're mine," Xander smiled back as the theta brought him to arm's length. Haikon could get lost in Xander's eyes, but the recollection of the rampant alpha forced the theta to stand to his feet and lead his delta through the trees.

Xander's eyes remained locked on his hand in Haikon's as the two walked through the forest. The delta felt his heart pound as he looked at the man in front of him. Of course, his heart pounding at the sight of Haikon was nothing new. Xander had known he loved Haikon for years, but the fact that Haikon was his mate kept a smile on the delta's face.

While Xander was lost in thought and love, Haikon was inspecting the woods carefully. Even though Haikon was the lower ranking wolf, his instinct as a tracker made him extra cautious since he and his mate were in a vulnerable situation. Haikon would love to get lost in love and Xander, but he had to protect his mate. Plus, something did not feel right.

An hour into the trek, Haikon suddenly crouched and brought Xander to squat behind him. The theta closed his eyes and listened intently to the night. Xander also went into delta mode and inspected their surroundings. Haikon's brows furrowed as he caught three scents. One was the alpha's, another was the scent from the shirt, and the other's was Jae's.

"What's Jae doing here?" Xander whispered as he, too, caught the prince's scent.

"That's not good," Haikon said in a low voice while furrowing his brows.

"What?"

"There's a lot of blood."

"Is it Jae's?" Xander asked with great concern. Haikon shook his head. Xander sighed before inquiring, "Then...is it that poor little omega?"

Haikon nodded his head in confirmation as he silently listened to the forest.

"What are they doing here? I thought the alpha was headed for the castle," Xander pondered.

Haikon opened his lips to respond, but a howl cutting through the night stopped him from uttering a sound. The delta and theta's faces turned white as they recognized the howl. Their prince was crying.

"We need to find Jae," Haikon said as he stood to his feet. Xander nodded in agreement before following the theta through the trees. Haikon followed both the scent of blood and the direction from which the howl came.

The two males remained silent as they made their way towards their prince. The night had grown colder, but neither of the two paid the cold any heed. They were focused on finding their hurting prince. It was not until they were roughly half-way to the true blood that Haikon's ears twitched. Keen to the theta, Xander instantly noticed Haikon's movement. The theta had sensed something.

Without a word, Haikon brought he and his mate to the floor. Xander kept quiet as the theta observed their surroundings. Then, he heard it...the low growl.

Xander's hand instantly went to the knife strapped to his thigh, but Haikon turned to the delta and shook his head slightly. Don't do it. Xander's heart raced at the sound of Haikon's voice in his head through the mate link. It was different from the pack link. Haikon's voice always sounded fuzzy and distant in the pack's link, but it was clear and beautiful through the mate link.

Why? What's wrong? Xander responded through the mate's link.

We can't afford to fight him again. Finding Jae is more important.

Xander sighed before nodding in agreement. The delta removed his hand from the blade's handle and returned to observing their surroundings. Haikon was right. As much as Xander would love to tear that alpha to pieces, he would not be able to defeat him without a hunting party, and Jae was hurting.

The theta and delta held their breaths as the growl neared them. Soon, the padding of paws on soft dirt could be heard as the alpha ran through the trees sporadically. However, when the alpha was passing them, he slowed to a stop and sniffed the air.

Shit. The moon flower is wearing off. Haikon bit his lip as he recalled how long they had been on the hunt. It had been more than a day since the two set out to track the alpha, and the protection of the moon flower hiding their scent was fading away.

The two heard a huff and a sneeze leave the wolf as it smelled its surroundings. The alpha shook his head in annoyance before continuing on his way. The wolf was allergic to moon flower, but he did not know it. The delta and theta released their pent-up breaths as they heard the wolf leave.

"That was close," Xander said under his breath when they were in the clear.

"Yeah," Haikon nodded before continuing to lead the way through the trees.

The two shifted into their wolves and began to run as they neared their prince. Knowing the alpha was heading the opposite direction, the theta and delta had nothing to fear. There were no known dangers left. The only thing they feared now was that the omega was dying. Haikon and Xander turned back into their human forms as they broke into the small clearing.

Jae turned to see the theta and delta approaching him. Xander took the lead in approaching the prince as was custom. The higher ranking wolf would approach the wolf of royalty or dominance to show that there were no hidden strong wolves that would pose a threat and also because the higher ranking wolf would have an easier time resisting the royal or dominant wolf's presence while their guard was up.

"Xander...Haikon...," Jae said as he saw his friends approaching him. His face was stained with tears, and he was holding something to his body closely.

"Jae, what happened?" Xander asked softly. He could tell his prince was in shock and did not want to spook him.

"He-he...he marked him." Tears began running down the true blood's face as Xander slowly knelt in front of Jae. The delta looked at the small male in the prince's arms, and his heart sank. There, on the pink-haired boy's neck, was the most gruesome mark Xander had ever seen. And it did not appear to be healing.

"Haikon," Xander motioned for the theta to join him once Jae had released a scent that signaled he trusted the delta with the small male in his arms. Haikon came to Xander's side and sucked in his breath as he saw the gnarly bite.

"Haikon," Jae said with glistening eyes as he saw this theta friend.

"Hey, Jae," Haikon responded softly as he looked at the true blood. Haikon had never seen the prince like this. Jae must have seen either something terrifying or something terrifying happen to someone he deeply cared about. Haikon assumed it was the latter as the prince had seen some pretty gruesome things in his young life. Haikon then trailed his eyes down to the male in Jae's arms and let out a breath. The boy was so small and looked rather young; Haikon presumed the pink haired to be around six years his junior. "We need to get him to Estan," Haikon said to the true blood.

Jae looked down at the boy in his arms and nodded. The true blood's eyes turned hard as he stood to his feet. Jae rolled the zeta so he was pressed against his chest securely as the three began walking through the clearing. "Did you see what direction he was going?" Jae asked with a firm tone.

"He was heading north," Haikon answered.

"Then we go north," Jae determined. Haikon and Xander smiled to themselves at Jae's response. The prince was back, and a hunt was about to ensue.