A pained howl rippled through the clear night as the true blood raced through the dark trees. The prince had left his vorst by the road and dashed into the woods after shifting into his wolf. The black beast released another heart-spiking howl as he sprinted toward his destination.

Why does it hurt so fucking much? She rejected me! Jae released a cry as his heart was fraught with pain that he did not understand. Why did his fated one's death affect him so much when she had chosen another?

The true blood shifted back to his human form as he broke through the trees and neared the shore of a lake hidden in the forest. Jae kept his racing pace as he pulled his shirt over his head and removed his clothes. The prince kept this place as his hidden heaven and went there whenever he was in pain or needed to breathe. This haven was Jae's destination when he found Syri bloodied and running through the woods.

Ahh, Syri. The zeta entered the true blood's thoughts as he immersed himself in the chilled water of the deep lake. Jae closed his eyes as he sank beneath the dark waters and let the cold seep into his bones. The prince felt his heart beat against his chest as he allowed his mind to be consumed by the zeta. The true blood broke the surface of the lake and breathed in deeply as he recalled Syri's warm eyes and bright smile. The prince kicked off from the bottom of the lake and came to float on his back as he pictured the zeta's beautiful face smiling up at him.

Jae gazed up at the star-filled sky as he continued to float in the lake and let his chest rise and fall in steady breaths. He was finally at peace.

Tiny beads of water clung to the true blood's dark lashes as he closed his eyes and relaxed his body before letting himself sink beneath the surface of the lake once more. Deafening silence filled Jae's senses as he sank deeper and deeper into the heavy body of water. The prince's eyes remained closed as he slowly let out his breath in small bubbles that floated to the dark surface. Jae allowed himself to near the floor of the lake before curling his legs and kicking off the moss-covered bottom. It was only a few seconds before the true blood broke the surface and inhaled the night air deeply.

Jae craned his neck as he breathed in the warm night air. The pale moonlight crested the lake in shining silver and shone on the prince as he caught his breath, illuminating the beads of water that clung to his face and neck.

Jae stayed in the water and gazed up at the stars for a while as he cleared his mind of the pain of losing his fated one yet again. Once his heart rate was calm, Jae swam back to the shore and lied down on the soft grass surrounding the lake. The prince did not mind his nakedness as he was the only being for miles. Jae let out a long breath as he folded his arms behind his head and turned his gaze to the sky.

Exhaustion eventually caught up to the true blood, and Jae's eyes fell closed as he entered a deep sleep. The prince's dreams were filled with the laugh and smile of the zeta, allowing Jae to get a peaceful rest. The moon was still high in the sky when the prince woke, indicating he had not slept for long. Jae exhaled through his nose slowly before sitting up and rising to his feet. After snatching his clothes that were scattered in a trail leading to the shore, the prince dressed and entered the dense woods.

Jae's dark hair hung in his eyes as he casually made his way through the forest. His heart was at peace except for the constant longing that had lodged itself in the back of the true blood's consciousness and served as a constant reminder that a certain someone was no longer by his side. The pain of his fated mate's death had subsided, but the ghost of the zeta remained.

Ajax was still where Jae had left him when the true blood returned to his steed. The vorst was patient as the prince mounted him and steered him back toward the castle. The clapping of Ajax's hooves on the ground at the pace of a trot accompanied the sound of the trees swaying in the wind as the prince made his way down the dark road.

Jae estimated his arrival at the castle to fall somewhere near dawn, so he was not rushed to quicken his pace. Instead, he enjoyed the silence the night offered and soaked in the moonlight seeping through the trees.

While the true blood made his way through the dark woods, the zeta was red-faced from the mug of beer he was currently enjoying.

"No, you're lying!!" Bevy declared with exaggeration as she discovered that was the first alcoholic beverage the zeta had experienced. "Nawww," the alpha sounded in disbelief when the zeta shook his head.

"It's hilarious how that is so unfathomable to you," Kip chuckled and shook his head slightly as he brought his mug to the tip of his lips.

"Whaaaat? I was very familiar with beer by the time I was sixteen!" Bevy pronounced in defense of her habit to favor alcohol. A round of light-hearted scoffs and snickers rippled through the group at the alpha's response to the beta. A moment of happy silence passed until Lili spoke up and inquired of the zeta, "So, are you new around here, Syri?"

The zeta turned his warm eyes to the epsilon before nodding his head. "Ae, I was brought straight to the castle upon leaving my hometown."

"Eh? So, you've never been here before? Not even Wendham?" The alpha inquired as she looked at the zeta with wide eyes. Her face was flushed with spirits, but she was still rather lucid. "Oh..." Bevy sounded as Syri shook his head.

"I haven't been out much since I came to the palace," Syri explained shyly, his grip around the slender mug in his hands tightening as he felt everyone's gaze turn to him.

"So, where are you from?" Lili inquired sweetly, breaking the awkward silence. The two betas did not know how to respond to the zeta who appeared to be so soft and small at that moment as he hung his head and let his gaze fall to the floor.

"Herth. It's not far from here." Syri did not lift his gaze as he responded.

"Ahh, I've heard of it," Lili responded with a slight nod of her head. "Do you miss your family?" The epsilon inquired as she attempted to break the ice that had recently formed.

Syri shook his head as he answered, "I ran away." The space surrounding the six suddenly grew silent as the five heard the zeta's words. It was as if they were the only ones in the tavern, and Syri was the only thing they could hear and see. Kip and Calix turned their eyes to the floor as they heard Syri add, "They don't know I am here."

"Oh." Lili's response was hushed as she did not know what to say. Ibbi was silent as he looked at the wolf who had barely reached adulthood but had already been through so much. Kip also grew solemn as he realized the zeta's struggles and took a drink from his mug as Calix's gaze remained turned to the ground.

"Well, then there's only one thing we can do about that." Everyone turned to look at Bevy as the alpha spoke up. "We take you shopping, Pinkie. You have officially been inducted into the team, which means you are part of us now, and I will not have my teammate rotating through just two shirts, not on my watch." A smile covered the alpha's face as she lifted her cup and declared, "To Syri, the newest member of the squad!"

"Ae!" Sounded unanimously from the other four as they raised their glasses and made a toast to the newest member. Syri's eyes glistened as he saw the five raise their glasses and gesture to him before taking a generous swig. Warmth replaced the cold awkwardness as the six downed the remainder of their drinks before Syri was dragged out of the tavern by Bevy and Lili.

"Oh boy, the girls have been activated," Kip commented with a light laugh as he and Calix followed the happy group of Bevy, Lili, and Ibbi as they led the zeta down the main street. A small smile came to Calix's lips as he watched the zeta be dragged down the road by the two females. The green-eyed let his gaze trail over to Kip who was unconsciously smiling at the lilac-haired epsilon with hearts for eyes.

Calix felt his heart ache as he watched the grey-eyed beta gaze at the epsilon lovingly. Calix, however, sucked in his emotions and pushed them deep into his soul as he continued to follow the giggling squad down the lane. The beta put on a smile as the zeta turned and smiled at him. Syri was not aware of the effect his smile had on the beta who had given him a small smile in return; it sent warmth into Calix's calm soul and eased the ache in his quiet heart.

Kip and Calix obediently followed the happy group into a boutique that happened to still be open only to immediately hunt for a seat on which they could rest while the three shopped for the zeta. Syri silently smiled to himself as he saw the shelves and counters stacked with clothes and recalled his first shopping spree with Estan in Alia. Familiar with shopping, the zeta contently followed the alpha, epsilon, and omega through the small store as they picked out various sets of clothes.

Within ten minutes, a mountain of shirts, blouses, and pants was presented before the zeta. Bevy, Lili, and Ibbi stood patiently as Syri blinked his wide eyes at the sea of clothes. "Ermm..." Syri sounded as he began sorting through the pieces. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't have much lorne at the moment." It was true. Estan had snuck a small coin purse onto the zeta when Syri had set off to obtain a job as a worker in the palace, but other than that, Syri had nothing. He had yet to receive his first payment.

"Oh, don't worry, this is a gift from me to you as the newest member!" Lili proclaimed as she saw the expression on the zeta's down-turned face. Syri immediately began waving his hands in front of his chest as he quickly responded, "Oh, I couldn't. You worked hard for your lorne."

Lili smiled at the zeta softly before saying, "Please, dear, it's not like my father is lacking in lorne. Lord knows he probably has too much of it!" The epsilon's voice was kind as she added, "So, don't you worry about a thing."

Syri let out a small breath as he looked from the epsilon to the clothes before looking back to the beautiful female. "If you insist-"

"I do!" Lili was quick to intervene. "And that settles it! Let's get you all set up, shall we?" The apprentice said as she brought out her coin purse and helped the zeta gather the clothes.

Before he knew it, Syri was walking down the street with several bags of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. Bevy had insisted on gifting the zeta with some shoes as the zeta had been wearing his work boots. Syri was still in shock from the sudden gifts and frantically pondered on how to repay his friends' kindness.

The faces of the six were bright as they walked down the bustling street and headed back toward the palace. Syri let himself fall behind the other five as an ache entered his heart. The ache had been present throughout the night of fun, but Syri finally let it show as the group approached the fields separating the palace from the town. It was an ache that had captured the zeta's heart when he heard the news of the death of the prince's mate.

Syri could not stop his thoughts from trailing back to the prince as he walked down the dark path. Where are you, Prince? Are you alright? I am sorry I can not be there for you. Please be safe in this night of pain.