"Really?!" Ibbi's clear voice rang throughout the stables as the omega jumped for joy. "Wyx is the best!!"

"What's going on?" Bevy inquired as she came to stand beside the four males with her hands on her hips. A rag was draped over the alpha's shoulder, and strands of dark purple, wavy hair hung in front of her orange eyes. She had come from shining the saddles to see what the ruckus was about.

Kip turned to face the alpha with a smirk on his face. "Wyx is going to cover my night shift." With that one sentence, Bevy's eyes widened, and a woop escaped the alpha's lips. "That means partayyy! Where is that man? He needs a kiss!" The alpha exclaimed as she punched one fist in the air.

"I'll tell Lili we're going out tonight," Ibbi happily informed the team.

Syri looked back and forth from the sly beta to the excited alpha as he continued to attempt to decipher their interaction. Calix, being the quiet, steady beta he was, noticed the confusion covering the zeta's face and came to stand beside the pink-haired before explaining, "Wyx is covering Kip's night shift, so we can grab some drinks. Think of it like a welcome party for you that Kip will use as an excuse to get black-out drunk and embarrass us all."

"Ahh," Syri sounded in return through a nod as he tried to restrain his laughter.

"So, that means the faster we work, the more time we will have to party!" Kip exclaimed as he urged the group to get back to work.

"Ae, ae!" Bevy replied as she returned to shining the saddles. A huge smile covered Ibbi's face as he rushed off to complete his duties for the evening. Calix calmly left the main hall of the stables and went to tend to Tran as Syri followed Kip to Ajax's stall.

"Are you excited for tonight, Syri?" Kip inquired of the zeta as the two began to brush the vorst.

"Ae," Syri replied as he brought his brush over Ajax's black fur.

"Even though what Calix told you is true, it is your welcome party, so enjoy yourself tonight as much as you like," Kip told the zeta kindly.

"Thank you," Syri returned with a small smile. Syri could not deny the excitement he felt when he heard the party was to welcome him. It would be the first party held just for him. The smile stayed on the zeta's face as he and Kip continued to tend to the vorst.

The beta and zeta had finished pampering Ajax and returned to the main hall to grab a bucket of water for the vorst when a garden worker came rushing into the stables. "Have y'all heard?" The man inquired as he caught his breath. Kip and Syri stopped in their tracks and turned to face the man. "The prince's mate is dead!" The man exclaimed between heaves.

Syri dropped the empty bucket from his hands as he heard the man's words, his lips parting in shock. Prince... Syri's heart ached as he became worried for the true blood. Losing a mate, rejected or not, was no small thing.

"I thought the prince had been rejected," Bevy interjected as she came to stand in the main hall. The gardener turned to the alpha and nodded as he said, "He was rejected, but she was his fated mate, nonetheless."

"How did you come to know this?" Kip inquired of the gardener through furrowed brows.

"It's going around the entire palace. The maids in the castle heard the prince cry out in pain, and the sigma said his mate had died," the man explained.

Syri's eyes filled with tears at the news; however, the slightest trace of the true blood's scent reached the zeta's nose at that moment. Syri's head snapped up as he sensed the prince and immediately began rushing down the main hall. "Sorry, Kip. I have to find Calix. I'll be back!" The zeta told the beta hurriedly as he disappeared down the corridor where Calix was tending Tran.

Kip watched the zeta leave with a quizzical expression but shrugged the boy's actions off as he watched the gardener scurry away quickly. What's got him so rattled? Kip wondered as he saw the gardener escape from the stables after sharing his piece of gossip. The beta got his answer as he saw the crown prince approaching the stables.

Kip hurried out to greet the prince and bowed as the true blood neared him. "Saddle my steed," the prince commanded as he entered the stables.

"Ae," Kip responded respectfully as he rushed inside and began saddling Ajax. "Aw, this would have been the perfect opportunity to teach Syri how to saddle Ajax," Kip mumbled beneath his breath as he slipped the bridle over the vorst's nuzzle. "I need to teach him how to saddle Ajax tomorrow."

After mentally noting the need of instructing the zeta the next day, Kip returned to focusing on saddling the vorst as quickly as he could. The prince was clearly agitated and sad and needed to get away from the castle. Kip could not blame the prince for his curtness in that moment; he would want to get away as well.

Jae furrowed his brows as he caught the scent of vanilla and roses. The true blood unfolded his arms and looked around the main hall of the stables in search of the source of the sweet scent as he waited for his steed. Syri? The prince left his post at the entrance to the stables and advanced down the hall as he followed the alluring trail.

The true blood turned down a corridor to the right of the hall only to be meet by a beta with dark green eyes and brown hair that was pulled back half-way. The scent was strongest down that corridor, but the zeta was nowhere to be found. The beta bowed to the prince before continuing into the main hall. The prince started down the corridor to investigate further but stopped when he heard his steed's hooves on the soft ground.

Jae turned to see the grey-eyed beta leading Ajax to him by the bridle. "Thank you," Jae said to the beta as he accepted the reins from the worker. The beta bowed as Jae mounted Ajax and watched as the prince took one more long look down Tran's corridor before tapping his heels into the vorst's side gently and riding out of the stables.

Kip cocked his head to the side at the prince's behavior but brushed it off before returning to Ajax's stall to clean and prep it for the prince's return.

Syri released his breath as he heard the prince ride past. That was close. The zeta relaxed and leaned against the stall, closing his eyes as he allowed his breath to return to its normal pace.

"You can come out, now." Calix's deep voice startled the zeta. Syri looked up at the beta with wide eyes. Calix was standing at the entrance to Tran's stall with his arms folded across his chest. "I don't know why you're hiding from the prince, but you should be careful. He'll probably be coming to the stables more often," Calix warned the zeta before entering the stall and picking up a brush.

Syri swallowed before saying, "Thank you," and exiting the stall. The zeta was quiet as he made his way to Ajax's stall and joined Kip in raking out the hay. The grey-eyed beta looked at the zeta's solemn expression and knew something had affected the zeta. Kip did not press Syri for any details and let the zeta be as the two prepped the stall.

The zeta was still somber when the team completed its duties and set out for the dorms to prepare for the night of fun. Lili was standing at the exit and entryway to the workers' wing when the first four exited the building. The team had changed out of their work uniform and were dressed in casual wear.

Lili's eyes brightened when she saw the grey-eyed beta. Kip smiled at the epsilon as he went to stand next to the apprentice. Syri was the last to exit the building; the five others turned to greet the zeta and noticed he was dressed in the same shirt he had worn during the day and had exchanged his overalls for a pair of light brown pants. The change of clothes Syri was wearing was the only pair the zeta owned as the rest of his belongings burned with the cabin in Alia. The other shirt Syri possessed had been supplied to him from the manager of the workers with his uniform.

Kip noticed the zeta was still solemn and decided to try his best to lighten the zeta's mood. So, he slung his arm around Syri's shoulder much to the zeta's surprise. Syri looked up to see Kip wearing a smile as the two walked in between the members of the team.

"Tonight's a fine night," Kip said with a sigh and turned his face to the night sky as the party set off for the palace gate. "What pub would you like to go to? I'll let you choose since this is your welcome party," Kip told the zeta as they walked beneath the gate and followed the path to the town that was just to the east of the palace.

"I-I don't know," Syri answered truthfully. He had never been to Wendham much less a pub.

"You've never been drinking?" Bevy inquired with raised brows as if the concept of a werewolf who had not experienced a night of drinking was unfathomable.

"Ae," Syri replied with a slight nod.

"Okay, then I'll choose one," Kip said. The beta closed his eyes as he thought of the best pub for introducing the zeta to the world of alcohol and nights filled with fun memories one may or may not remember. "How about the Dizzied Delta?"

"Ooh, that's a good one!" Bevy exclaimed in approvement.

"Okay then, let's go!!" Ibbi called into the night as the team continued down the road to Wendham. A small smile came to the zeta's lips as the six made their way into the large town. Even though it was nighttime, the streets were bustling. Chatter and laughter filtered into the streets from numerous pubs and shops. Lamps lined the streets, lighting the heart of the town and providing a warm glow for the residents and visitors milling about.

Syri realized the others' efforts to make this night fun for him and decided to thank them by lightening his mood for the time being. The death of the prince's mate had affected the zeta more than he knew, but Syri had determined to be happy for the night to repay his friends' kindness. So, the zeta put on a smile and loosened his expression. Kip's heart lightened as he noticed the change in Syri's demeanor and continued to hold the zeta's shoulders as the six made their way down the main street of Wendham in search of some fun.