Estan and Syri watched in horror as the door opened and a young female was thrown into the room. The girl let out a short cry as she landed on her hands and knees. Blood and bruises covered her face, arms, and legs. An alpha entered the room and grabbed the girl by her hair and began dragging her to the corner across from Syri. The girl let out a yelp as the man hit her to stop her from struggling against him.

A chain was clasped around the girl's neck and a slice of bread was tossed at her feet. The girl grabbed the bread and began to hungrily eat it as the man scoffed at her.

"Well, well, look who woke up."

A fire raged in the zeta as Syri recognized the voice. The zeta lifted his head to see the alpha from Gern enter the room and look from the gamma to the zeta. A growl resonated from the zeta as he saw Estan instinctively shrink away from the alpha. A few steps were all it took for the alpha to reach Syri. A fearsome strike to the face extracted a welp from the small werewolf. The metallic taste of blood filled the zeta's mouth as the alpha's blow sent him falling onto his side.

The alpha twisted his fingers in Syri's pink hair and lifted the zeta onto his hands and knees. "You're still just as fierce with perliph. Did we not give you enough, Omega?" The alpha said in a low, creepy voice. Chills went down Syri's spine as the alpha placed his nose next to his scent gland and inhaled deeply. "Ahhh. What a beautiful scent," the alpha commented as he sniffed the zeta. However, a few seconds later, the alpha crinkled his nose and tightened his grip around Syri's hair. "Are you mated, Omega?"

Syri's drugged mind began to race as fast as it could. Ahhh. He must have smelled Jisue's scent from the mark. It's not a very pleasant smell, is it? But...wait...no, he wouldn't really smell it unless he sniffed my mark. Jisue didn't mark my scent gland, and he never scented me, so his scent should not be that prominent. Memories from the night after the marking when the prince scented the zeta flashed through Syri's mind. Ah! It's Jae's scent he smells! In that case, isn't it the best scent?

"Answer me," the alpha's demanding voice brought he zeta out of his racing thoughts. Syri wanted to emit another growl, but the alpha had used his alpha's voice, and Syri recalled the warning Estan gave him just moments before. So, Syri decided to play along for the sake of Estan meaning he had to tell the truth. The alpha would be able to sense if he was lying.

"N-no. I am not mated," Syri answered quietly.

"Oh? Then why is another alpha's scent all over you?" The alpha raised a brow as his eyes roamed over the zeta's body. "You better answer truthfully." A small snarl accompanied the alpha's words as a warning.

"I have a friend who scents me since I am not mated. He does it to protect me."

"Sounds like a good friend. But, tell me, little omega. If you are not mated, then why do you have a mark on your shoulder?" The alpha ripped Syri's shirt to reveal the healing mark on the zeta's shoulder. The mark was fading quite quickly, but it was still evident even in the dimly-lit room.

"An unstable alpha found me and forcefully marked me."

"Sounds like you've got quite the story, Omega," the alpha remarked when he decided Syri was not lying. "But that doesn't matter anymore. Because you're mine now." The alpha infused his voice in the last few words as he looked at the zeta possessively. Syri closed his eyes and clenched his fist as he felt the alpha near his neck.

A gasp of disgust left the zeta's mouth as the alpha's tongue licked his scent gland. "S-stop," Syri pleaded. He did not want that man's scent on him. And he certainly did not want Jae's scent to be covered.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Omega," the alpha growled in Syri's ear. The alpha's fingers uncurled from the zeta's hair as the alpha placed his other hand on Syri's waist and felt the zeta's figure. "I've been looking for a suitable mate for a while now. I think you'll do just fine, Beautiful."

Syri's eyes widened as he heard the alpha's words. No, no, no, no! Not again! The zeta shut his eyes, and the alpha's hand on his waist pinned him down, while the other hand traveled to Syri's neck to keep it from moving.

"Oi! Am I too old for you, then?" A voice taunted the alpha as he was about to bare his fangs. Syri's eyes snapped open at Estan's voice. He turned his head to see the gamma's jaw clenched as he stared at the alpha with blazing eyes.

A low growl resonated from the alpha as he stood to his feet and neared Estan.

"Inso." Syri's voice quivered as he called out for the gamma. Estan quickly made eye contact with the zeta and shook his head slightly before flicking his eyes up to the alpha approaching him.

"Too old? No, Gamma, you're rather beautiful yourself," the alpha said as he knelt in front of Estan and placed his thumb under the gamma's chin. "You are clearly mated, so you will do better loaned off to the general clients or sold as a labor worker."

A scoff left the gamma's mouth. "A labor worker? Seriously? Do you think these hands have ever done manual labor? The person who buys me would not get their money's worth as I would die on the first day! Then what would happen? They would come to you and demand a replacement. Then, what would happen? You would have to give them another one to keep your reputation from going down the drain! But that means you had to give up two for the price of one. Not very smart, if you ask me." Estan narrowed his eyes toward the end and donned a smirk at the flustered alpha.

The alpha grabbed Estand by the throat just below the jawline and forced the gamma to look at him. "How dare you-"

"Alpha!" The voice of on of the alpha's underlings cut the man off.

"What?!" The man whipped his head to face the werewolf who had come running into the room.

"He's here."

"Who's here?" The alpha asked, irritation coating his voice.

"The rho."

Estan let out a breath as the alpha stood to his feet and let out a curse. "What's the situation?" The alpha inquired of the werewolf.

"He is at the third door."

"The third door?! Why did you let him get so close? Why haven't you killed him yet?!" The alpha roared at the man standing in the doorway.

The werewolf who came bearing the news immediately bowed when he heard the growl in the man's voice. "Please spare me, Alpha! We are currently trying to stop him from advancing further."

"Stop him from- I don't want you to stop him from advancing. I want you to kill him! I can't believe you fools. Bring me to him!" The alpha commanded before storming out of the room. The two werewolves who had accompanied their leader hurriedly followed him into the hallway and shut the door.

Darkness once again engulfed the room as the werewolves took the torches down the corridor.

"Inso, are you alright?" Syri asked as the footsteps faded.

"Mm. I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay."

"What about you, little girl? Are you okay?" Estan asked into the darkness.

Several seconds pass where there was no response. Estan began to assume the girl had passed out when he heard quiet sobs filtering throughout the room. "I want to go home," the girl cried.

Estan's heart broke at the girl's cry. The gamma began to emit calming pheromones in an attempt to comfort the young female. "What's your name?" Estan inquired. His voice was soft and caring.

A few sniffles floated from the front left corner before a small voice sounded, "Rosie."

"Hi, Rosie. I'm Estan," the gamma responded.

"I'm Syri."

"Hi." Rosie's voice was so soft and quiet that Estan and Syri nearly missed it.

"Where are you from, Rosie?" The gamma inquired.

"Alia."

"Alia? Ohh, that's a pretty town. Syri and I were actually on our way to a cabin just outside Alia," Estan replied.

"Inso," Syri interrupted the conversation.

"What is it?" Estan responded.

"They didn't lock the door."

Estan thought back to the leaving of the alphas and laughed when he realized Syri was right. The alphas did not lock the door when they left! "Syri, you're a genius! Only problem now is the chains around our necks."

"Wait a few minutes."

"Huh?"

"The perliph is wearing off."

"Oh. Think you can unlock them?"

"Mm. It's how I escaped Jisue's house."

Estan fell silent at the zeta's answer. He realized just how hard Syri had worked to get free. It must have taken the zeta hours to learn a skill he did not know if he was even capable of doing. He spent endless hours honing a skill off pure hope. Estan's heart for the zeta swelled as he thought of Syri all alone in the basement working his hardest to get free. And here he was, doing everything he could to save Estan.

Small pants could be heard as the zeta began trying to activate his abilities. "Why won't it work?" Syri mumbled under his breath as he attempted to clear the fog in his mind. He could already think better, but it would take few more minutes until the zeta could activate his abilities.

A tear escaped the side of Estan's eye as he said, "You've done well...Syri."

The small pants from the zeta's struggles paused as Syri heard the gamma's soulful statement. Instead, sniffles filtered throughout the room as Syri's heart swelled. A sad smile came to Estan's lips as he heard the zeta cry. Estan could not believe the lengths Syri went to in order to gain his freedom from his own, fated mate.

The room fell silent, and the quiet sniffles stopped as the zeta concentrated. Soon, the clinking of chains falling to the floor sounded in the darkness. Estan remained still as Syri's eyes turned aqua, and Aska woke up. The zeta stood to his feet and walked over to the gamma. Seeing perfectly in the dark, Aska placed his hand on the chain around Estan's neck and unlocked it.

Estan stood to his feet as Aska approached Rosie and unlocked her chain.

"Aska?" Estan asked of the zeta.

The zeta turned to face Estan and held out his hand. Estan took a step back as a flame erupted in the palm of Aska's hand, illuminating the dark room. "Hello, Estan," Aska greeted.

"Y-you can create fire?" Estan inquired with wide eyes.

"It is one of my abilities, yes."

Estan admired the zeta standing before him. He was in the same body as Syri, but he was incredibly different. Aska's voice was the same as Syri's but exasperated and lower. The zeta's eyes were bright in color, but a sad darkness lay hidden beneath the mesmerizing aqua. Aska certainly did not have the care-free demeanor of his human partner. Once could tell he had been through hell. The way Aska carried himself was a stark contrast to the light-footed Syri. His steps were slower and more cautious. Aska remained this way to keep Syri care-free and light-hearted.

Estan's surprise immediately turned to empathy for the wolf. He could see the struggles and years of torment hiding beneath those aqua eyes. "You've worked hard, Aska."

Aska blinked slowly as he accepted the gamma's heart-felt compliment. "I'll continue to work hard, so continue to care for Syri...please."

"Of course." A small smile came to Estan as he looked at the zeta. "Are you why the mark is fading so fast?"

The zeta nodded. "We want it gone as soon as possible." Once a moment of silence had passed, Aska inquired, "Are you still affected by the perliph? Can you link Yejin?"

Estan closed his eyes and concentrated. After a few seconds, the gamma released his breath and shook his head. "No, I cannot link him just yet."

"Then we'll have to rely on Syri to get us out of here." Aska's voice was growing more and more exhausted.

Estan could tell the zeta's window of consciousness was coming to an end, so he quickly said, "I'll make sure both of you stay safe. Rest well, Aska."

Aska nodded in thanks before closing his eyes. When the zeta opened his eyes again, they were the warm brown of Syri's.

"Did Aska come out?" Syri inquired of the gamma when he saw the chains lying on the floor.

"Yes. He is resting now," Estan informed the zeta.

Syri nodded in response to the gamma's reply. "Woah!" Syri's eyes widened as he saw the flame dancing in the palm of his hand. "We can create fire?!"

Estan smiled at the cute zeta and said, "I bet you can do a whole lot more, too."

Syri looked at the gamma with excitement. "You think so?"

Estan nodded before going to the sleeping form on the ground. The gamma knelt next to Rosie and checked on her condition, giving a breath of relief when he felt a pulse.

"How is she?" Syri inquired on the girl.

"She passed out. Most likely from dehydration, trauma, and exhaustion. She'll be alright once we get her out."

"Then, we better get out of here," Syri said, his voice growing serious.

Estan scooped the girl into his arms and stood to his feet as Syri opened the door. After making sure the corridor was empty, the zeta motioned for the gamma to follow him. Estan followed Syri down the hall, the flame in the zeta's hand being the only source of light. Sounds of fighting filtered into the corridor from the floor above followed by an explosion. The walls and ceiling of the corridor shook with the impact.

Syri looked at the cracks forming in the ceiling and turned to the gamma behind him. "We have to get to the ground floor. The basement level is going to collapse!"