The zeta was forced to realize the massive size of the palace when he found himself in the armory. Multiple werewolves from the warrior class turned in confusion when they felt the presence of a small werewolf staring up at them in endless perplexity.

"Are you lost, Omega?" An alpha with dark, wavy hair inquired politely as he slowly approached the pink-haired.

"Uhh..." Syri sounded timidly as his wide eyes flitted to the many, strong men and women. The zeta gulped as his gaze finally landed on the alpha standing before him. The man was tall with a wide build, strong arms, light brown eyes, and tanned skin. "C-Could you tell me where I can find the sigma?" The zeta concluded his request with a low bow.

"Oh dear," the alpha sounded when he realized the predicament the little 'omega' was in. "I'm afraid the sigma's council room is on the opposite end of the palace."

Syri's heart dropped at the alpha's words. He would have to make his way across the entire palace without getting lost, and, with how he had been doing up to that point, it would be a near impossible feat. The zeta rubbed his thumbs together and bit the inside of his lower lip as he realized he would have to make a daring request to the warrior. "Alpha sir, I would like to find the sigma as quickly as I can as my friend is in pain, and I need to make sure he is alright. If it is not too much, would you be willing to guide me through the palace to the sigma's council room?" Syri repeated his low bow at the end of his inquiry. He remained in the folded position as the alpha mulled over the request.

The alpha was silent for a moment as he pondered his answer until he asked, "What is your name, Omega?"

"Syri, sir," the zeta responded as he remained in the bow.

"Stand up, Syri." The alpha's command was gentle as he unfolded his arms that had been crossed over his chest. Syri obediently raised his body to an up-right stance, but kept his gaze to the floor. "How urgent is it that you find the sigma?" The man inquired after he studied the silent zeta.

"Very, sir. My friend is in a lot of pain," the zeta's answer was sincere, and Syri prayed it would reach the alpha.

"Then there is nothing I can do except help you find him," the alpha responded, much to the zeta's great relief. Syri immediately bowed to the alpha in deep gratitude. "Thank you so much, sir!" The alpha gave a nod in response to the zeta's passionate thanks. The man's eyes narrowed as he saw the healing slashes that covered the smaller male's face, shoulder, and arms.

"Max, are you sure you don't want one of us to guide the omega?" A second alpha spoke up as Max stepped forward to help the zeta. "You have duties."

"Ae," Max responded as he stopped and turned toward his subordinate. "I'll be back shortly. I'll report to the captain once I return."

"Very well," the second alpha replied when he realized Max was set on aiding the lost male. "I'll keep the captain entertained until you return."

"Thank you, Kent," Max responded as he turned back toward the zeta. "Shall we?" The alpha asked as he gestured toward the entryway of the armory.

Syri bowed his head slightly as he replied, "Ae," and followed the alpha back into the corridor. The alpha and zeta were silent as Max brought Syri across the palace. Every now and then, Max would turn his head to check on the silent zeta only to find Syri still trailing behind him with worried eyes.

"So...uh, how badly is your friend hurt?" Max inquired as the two rounded a corner, breaking the silence. The alpha was curious what the stable boy had been through for him to be whipped and his friend sent to the sigma.

"I-I am not certain about the extent of his pain," Syri answered quietly as he continued to follow the alpha. "His is probably worse than mine." The zeta's voice trailed of toward the end of his sentence, so Max was barely able to make out his words.

The alpha was curious about how the smaller male had come to be whipped so ruthlessly, but he held his tongue as it was most likely a sensitive topic for the 'omega.' Observing how the wounds were centered around the male's arms and not his back, Max was able to determine they were defensive wounds and were not from an official punishment.

Max held back his many questions: he did not wish to bombarde the small werewolf, who had clearly been through something traumatizing, only to fulfill his curiosity. The alpha and zeta returned to their shared silence as Max led Syri into the wing of the palace that housed the sigma's hall.

"The sigma can be found through those doors," Max informed the zeta as the two stood before a set of oaken doors with intricate designs detailing a scene in a forest with a young steer standing beneath the trees with blooming flowers covering the ground as a ray of sun pierced through the canopy.

Syri bowed to the alpha as he thanked him for his help. "Please return safely," Syri bid as he resumed his up-right stance.

"Thank you, Syri," Max replied kindly before adding, "I hope you find your friend to be well."

"Thank you," Syri returned before inquiring, "How can I repay you?"

"No need," Max answered with a shake of his head. "It was the least I could do. Do not worry about it."

"Thank you, kind sir." Syri bowed once again to the man as Max turned to go tend to his duties. The alpha gave Syri a small wave of his hand as he left the zeta in front of the sigma's doors and began making his way back to the armory.

Syri watched the alpha leave before turning to the intricate oak doors and releasing a small breath. The zeta lifted his balled hand and carefully knocked on the heavy doors. The knock resounded through the hall, but it was answered by silence. There were no footsteps approaching the door to open it; there was no shout to enter; there was nothing except the stillness that had engulfed the entire corridor until Max and Syri's arrival.

The zeta waited a moment more before carefully knocking once again. Syri's second knock also remained unanswered much to the zeta's dismay. Is Calix not in there? Is this even the sigma's door? Did the alpha lead me to the wrong place? Surely not. He seemed like a trustworthy fellow. The zeta's mind ran rampant until he decided to try his luck and reached for the door.

There was no handle or nob, so the zeta pressed his fingertips against the smooth wood and gently pushed. Syri let out a small gasp as the door opened smoothly and silently. It was unlocked! The zeta swallowed dryly as he pressed his hand further and opened the right door wide enough for him to poke his head inside. Syri's eyes widened at the sight before him.

Cool daylight filled the hall through tall windows that lined one side of the hall while flowers of various colors and types decorated the sides and end of the hall where a chair was stationed with an altar-like structure positioned just behind it. The flowers covered the sides of the altar and crept into the chair to make it seem as if the hall had been abandoned.

Syri turned his gaze to the ground to see a man lying on a spread of pillows just before the flower-covered chair. A large ring of flowers surrounded the bed of pillows as well as several glass vases that contained incense sticks. The sweet, spicy scent filled Syri's senses as he quietly entered the hall and closed the door behind him. A small cough came from the zeta as the incense covered the small male's body and masked his scent. It was so strong that he could not pick up the scent from the man lying in front of the chair.

The zeta approached the man asleep on the pillows as he scanned the entirety of the hall to find no one else present. It was only him and the man. Syri let out a breath of relief when he recognized the man to be Calix. The beta's hair had been taken out of its half-up half-down hairdo and fanned on the man's neck beautifully.

Syri came to sit in front of the sleeping beta and let out a small sigh as he saw the man's resting face. The zeta did not disturb the beta and instead closed his eyes and began to meditate. The atmosphere of the hall was tranquil, and Syri used that to his advantage to get some peace and quiet. Quite frankly, the zeta could use some peace and quiet in his life. Syri had been going non-stop the past week and was running low on energy. So, he came to value the tranquility in the sigma's hall and allowed himself to relax and unwind.

The peace and silence from the hall began to lull the zeta into a deep sleep, but a word from Calix brought Syri back to the land of the living. The zeta would have allowed himself to be pulled into the alluring stillness, but his friend had awoken. Syri rejected the silent stillness, and opened his eyes to see Calix's green orbs gazing at him in slight confusion.

"Where are we, Syri?" Calix inquired as he sat up and looked around at the flower-infested hall.

"We're in the sigma's hall," Syri answered as he reached his hand up and checked the beta's forehead for any signs of a pain-induced fever.

"What-what happened?" Calix's brows scrunched together as he continued, "I remember Kip was bringing the horse out, and then I just felt this...this overwhelming pain and the urge to cry. It felt as if my heart was shattering into a thousand pieces, but I didn't know why. I just knew that I had lost something precious." Tears formed in the beta's eyes as he recalled the painful memories. "And then Kip and Bevy were helping me get to the physician, but then Kip was running to help...you..." The beta's sentence trailed off as he saw the slashes on the zeta's face and arms. "Syri...what happened?"

Syri pursed his lips as he began, "Calix, you were just in a lot of pain, and you experienced something traumatic. I don't think-"

"Don't tell me that I can't know right now," the beta interjected. His voice was firm as he addressed the zeta. "Tell me what happened."

Syri released a breath as he pondered whether or not he should tell the beta the one he loved was currently unconscious in the physician's room just after his fated one had died. Deciding that whether or not he would tell Calix depended on the beta's answer to his question, Syri asked, "Did the sigma tell you why you were in so much pain?" If the sigma did tell him, Syri would not tell him about Kip since it would be too much. However, if the sigma did not tell Calix the source of his pain, Syri would tell him about Kip, so Calix would not have nearly lost the man he loved just after losing his fated one.

"It doesn't matter what she told me. What matters is what happened." Fresh tears formed in the beta's eyes as he pleaded with the zeta. "Please, Syri, tell me what happened. Where is Kip? Is he alright?"

Syri's eyes glistened as he heard the beta's plea. Calix did not care whether he had just lost his mate or not. He only wanted to know if Kip was okay. "Kip Inso saved me from being whipped by the noblewoman. He took most of her rage." The zeta took a pause to control the tears that threatened to come pouring out of his eyes before continuing, "He is unconscious in the physician's clinic."

A gasp left the beta as Calix immediately scrambled to his feet and rushed to the oaken doors. Syri was about to run after the beta when he caught a whiff of a man with a musky scent approaching the door. Syri's eyes widened as the doors to the sigma's hall opened just as Calix reached them.