The moon was high in the sky when the guards came banging on the door to the prince's office. Jae and Yejin were inside working when the rapping began. Yejin stood from the chair in front of Jae's desk and cautiously approached the door. The only people who dared bang on the prince's door were the alpha and luna.

"Open up!" A gruff voice shouted as Yejin reached the door. The alpha turned the handle and swung the door ajar slowly only for it to be kicked wide open. "We are here on orders from Alpha Fachan," the guard proclaimed as he addressed the prince who had risen to his feet.

"What is this about?" Jae asked of the guard as Yejin came to stand in front of him.

"The alpha has ordered you to be brought before him."

"But I haven't been summoned," Jae responded in slight confusion.

"That is correct. You have been ordered." The last word was spat out as the head guard motioned for his subordinates to apprehend the prince.

"That is fine. I will go. You don't have to grapple with me," Jae said as he lifted his hands in surrender. The guards stopped just inches from the prince and bowed their heads in apology.

"You are not allowed to accompany the prince. Orders of the king," the guard addressed Yejin as the alpha moved to follow his prince.

"What kind of bull-"

"Yej, it'll be okay," Jae interrupted the captain of the guard from cussing at the head of the alpha's personal guards.

Yejin let out a huff as he became silent, but he continued to glare the guard down as he escorted the prince out of the office.

Jae remained calm as he was led through the castle and to the king's hall. The hall was empty except for the alpha and luna; not even Yehwa was present. The prince was brought around the table and in front of the throne where he was forced to his knees.

"You could not disappoint me more than you have today," the king began. "You went behind my back and interrogated the alpha of the delegation team on your own orders. Have you any idea what would have happened should he have died?!!" The king let out in a growl as he glared at the prince. "Not only did you disobey me, but you investigated behind my back! Do you know how much of a fool that makes me?!"

Jae remained silent as the alpha roared at him.

"Who else helped you?" The king demanded when the prince remained silent.

"I-"

"I was alone on this matter," Jae answered quickly, stopping the luna from exposing herself. Don't worry, Mother. I'll be fine.

Jae-

It will be alright. I can take whatever he does. Trust me, please.

The queen pursed her lips as she gazed down at her son, her eyes glistening at the prince's strength.

"And what have you to say for yourself?" The king inquired, unaware of the silent conversation occurring between mother and son.

"I apologize that I went behind your back and disobeyed you; however, I would do it again."

The king's face grew red at the prince's response. "Is that all you have to say?" The king let out a scoff as Jae remained quiet. "Very well, I shall have to teach you how to obey. I cannot have my own son disobeying a direct order. Guards!" The doors swung open on the alpha's command. "Take the prince and flog him at dawn."

"Fachan, stop this!" Armina called out as the guards approached her son. "That is not happening! Jae was doing what was best for the pack!"

"Who are you to go against me?!" The king growled as he let out his dominating voice and forced his mate to submit.

Jae watched with rage in his eyes as he saw his mother forced to her knees. The true unfairness between alpha and luna was clearly portrayed as Armina bowed her head to Fachan. The alpha and luna were supposed to be equal in all measures; however, the alpha would always have an upper hand over the luna as the leader of the pack and was free to abuse it if he wished.

Hands grappled the prince and dragged him out of the hall as the queen was forced to submit.

Yejin paced back and forth outside the king's hall as he waited for the prince to come out only to gasp in shock as the doors were thrown open and Jae was dragged into the corridor. Two guards came to stop Yejin from chasing after the prince as Jae was brought past and disappeared down the corridor. The king must have found out when the five were moved out of the dungeons.

"You are to come with us," a voice sounded from behind the alpha. Yejin turned to see a pair of guards standing behind him. The alpha's eyes trailed down to the guards' hands positioned on the hilts of their swords. He would not be able to refuse.

"Where are you taking me?"Yejin inquired as he was led in the opposite direction as the one down which Jae was taken.

"You will be held separate from the prince until he has received his punishment," one of the guards answered.

Yejin's heart sped at the word 'punishment.' Yejin had hoped he would not have to hear that word as he knew what it meant. "What punishment was the prince given?"

The two guards looked at each other as they contemplated whether that was information Yejin was allowed to know. After determining it would not change anything, the first guard answered the alpha. "He is to be flogged at dawn."

"Flogged?!" Yejin asked in shock.

"Ae. Please don't do anything rash. We would prefer to keep our heads," the second guard pleaded with the alpha. Yejin was known to do anything for the prince.

Yejin shut his mouth when he realized his actions would have heavy consequences. The alpha decided to adhere to the king's orders and obediently followed the two to the room in which he would be held. The alpha smirked as he heard maids and servants already spreading the news of the prince being imprisoned and appointment to be flogged at dawn. Yejin felt hope as he heard the gossipers and prayed they would spread the news quickly. The alpha hoped he would hear it. Only he could help Jae now.

>>>>>>

Jae closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the cool stone of the wall of his cell. He had been brought to the first layer of the dungeons and thrown into a holding cell to wait out the night. Being underground, Jae had no way to tell how much time had passed except for his innate senses. And his senses told him it was soon morning. The true blood slowly opened his eyes when the jingling of keys reached his ears. He was right. Morning was about to break.

The door to the prince's cell was opened, and two guards entered. Jae stood to his feet and followed the guards out of the cell and up the flight of steps. The prince remained silent as he was brought through the palace and to the courtyard in front of the northern gates where he was chained to the tree that grew in the center of the square.

A crowd quickly gathered as the prince's shirt was ripped to reveal his rippled back. The heavy footfalls of the flogger reached Jae's ears as the crowd grew silent. The snapping of the whip cut through the crisp morning air as the flogger prepared to execute the prince's punishment of seventy lashes.

Whispers floated through the courtyard as the spectators wondered why the prince was being publicly flogged. "What did he do?" "I thought he is a good prince." "Poor thing, he doesn't deserve this." "This is too cruel." "How could the alpha do this to his own son?"

Jae closed his eyes as the whip whizzed through the air and made its first laceration on his back. The prince's grasp around the chains connecting him to the tree tightened as he flogger sped his pace and landed slash after slash. Jae let out a grunt as the count hit twenty. Blood began to pool around the true blood as the count reached twenty-five.

"Isn't this too much?" "I can't watch this." "Do you think he will be alright?"

The true blood stifled a grunt as the whip bit at his back over and over again, slowly tearing his flesh from his body. Jae's vision began to blur as the count rose to thirty-five. Half-way there.

"Please don't die." "Hang in there." "How is he still conscious?"

Jae's grasp around the chains loosened as the flogger reached fifty lashes. If he were not a true blood, Jae would have been on the edge of life and death by lash fifty-five. The prince's back stung even when the lash was not actively hitting him when the count reached fifty-eight. The true blood slumped, so he was being supported solely by the tree to which he was chained as lash fifty-nine made its mark.

Soft footsteps sounded as lash sixty had been given. A firm hand grabbed the flogger's wrist as the whip was raised for lash sixty-one.

"Who is he?" Can he stop him?" "Please help the prince." "I can't see who it is."

Jae's breathing was faint from the loss of blood as the man knocked the flogger unconscious with a ruthless blow to the head and took the key from his pant pocket. The prince's lids drooped as the man approached him and unlocked the chains from around Jae's wrists. Jae opened his eyes as the man crouched over him to see royal blue orbs gazing down at him from below a dark hood. The true blood fell unconscious as the hooded man took him out of the courtyard and away from prying eyes.

>>>>>>

Jae was alone when he woke. The prince opened his eyes to find himself lying in the bed in his room. A pained groan left the true blood as he tried to sit up. The opening of the door drew the prince's attention to the room's entrance to see Yejin poke his head into the room.

"You're awake!" The alpha declared as he fully entered the room and shut the door behind him with his foot as he balanced a tray in his hands.

"What happened?" Jae asked the alpha as Yejin reached the bed and set the tray on a cart stationed next to the nightstand.

"You got flogged," Yejin answered matter-of-factly as he helped the true blood fully sit up.

"I know that," Jae retorted. "I remember someone stopping the flogger."

"Ahhhh. That...uh...that was Kace."

Jae's eyes lit up when he heard the masked wolf's name. "Kace is here?" Jae inquired as he looked at the door.

"More like was here," Yejin said as he set the tray on the prince's lap. A bowl of congee, a cup of water, and a spoon were the tray's contents that Yejin had ordered specifically for the prince's recovery. "He left after cleaning and bandaging you."

"Oh..." Jae lowered his head to see the bowl of congee sitting on his lap. "Thank you for the congee," Jae said to Yejin as he picked up the spoon.

"No problem," Yejin responded before going back to the conversation about Kace. "I'm glad he showed up when he did. I heard that you were unconscious by the time he got you out. I can't believe you were supposed to get seventy lashes! That's way too much!"

The true blood smiled slightly at the alpha's declaration. "I appreciate the concern, but I am a true blood. I could have taken it."

"But you would be in an even worse state and guess who would have to take care of you! Me! Would you want to entrust your health to me? I can't even take care of myself properly."

Jae let out a chuckle at the alpha's response. "Alright, I get it. Thank you."

Yejin's expression softened as he heard Jae's reply. "Anytime. Now, eat before it gets cold. Please don't let my hard work go to waste."