The night sky began to slowly give way to the morning sun creeping onto the horizon as a cart was stealthily pulled against a side entrance to the palace where a cloaked figure stood waiting. Upon the arrival of the cart, four men carrying two stretchers emerged from the side door to the castle. Two males lay unconscious on the stretchers as they were brought to the cart.

"Careful," the cloaked figure ordered the four men as the two unconscious males were placed on the rough wood of the horse-drawn cart. The four men bowed their heads before gently setting the stretchers down and retreating to stand behind the cloaked figure. "Make sure they arrive safely," the figure told the driver while handing him a purse filled with silver lorne coins along with a folded note. "See to it the rho receives this." The driver bowed his head before accepting the note and coin pouch.

The cloaked werewolf walked to the side of the cart while the driver took his position on the bench behind the horse and pulled the blankets up to cover the faces of the two males. Once the figure had made certain the identities of the two were hidden, Yehwa took a step back from the cart and gave the driver the signal to depart. The beta released a silent breath as she watched the cart pull away and wheel down the narrow path toward the woods. "Goodbye, Haikon...Xander...may you fare well."

Once the cart had disappeared down the road, the beta turned on her heel and entered the palace. After making a quick stop by her chambers to return the cloak, Yehwa made her way to the largest courtyard located at the center of the palace where a small crowd was gathered. The beta ignored those gathered as she went to stand by her Luna's side before turning her gaze to the bloodied figure chained in the center of the courtyard. Yehwa pursed her lips and lowered her head when she saw the pool of blood surrounding the prince of Crimson Night.

The Luna remained silent as she gazed at her son with tear-filled eyes. Knowing the queen was giving her all to not break into tears, Yehwa carefully set her hand on her Luna's shoulder as an affectionate display of support. Upon the slight pressure of Yehwa's hand, Armina turned to the beta and smiled at her right hand softly before nodding her head in thanks.

Grunts filtered from Jae's bloodied lips as he continued to receive the punishment of loving a non-fated wolf in place of Haikon and Xander. Yejin kept his eyes on the ground as his prince was ruthlessly beaten until a signal from Fachan momentarily halted the assault. The blue-eyed alpha gave his attention to his king as the Alpha approached the prince and prepared to deliver the final portion of the punishment. Considering the punishment bestowed upon the prince of Crimson Night was two-fold, Jae was prepared to receive two slashes from the Alpha.

"I don't know if you were being brave and loyal for taking the theta and delta's punishment upon yourself or a fool," Fachan told his son as he came to stand in front of the prince. "But it won't matter either way if you don't survive this," the Alpha added in a low voice as he bared his claws. Jae lifted his head and glared his father in the eye as Fachan raised his hand.

"So, prove yourself and live, Jae." The Alpha's words were barely a whisper as he slashed his clawed hand through his son's flesh. The force from the Alpha's hand caused Jae to fall on his back as hot blood splattered on Fachan's face, neck, and chest. The Alpha brought his blood-covered hand back down to his side and took one more glance at his unconscious son before turning and walking away from the prince and out of the courtyard. Whispers began to float through the small crowd at the Alpha's exit as the spectators wondered whether the prince would make it through the day. To complete the punishment, the prince would be refused any aid for the following twenty-four hours.

Yehwa looked to see Armina's eyes closed—she could not bring herself to watch her son be slashed by her mate—before turning to see her brother racing to the unconscious prince. Jae had undergone a night of brutal beating to save the theta and delta from what most certainly would have caused death. And he had no regrets; Jae knew he would have a higher chance of survival, so he was more than willing to take it all than allow Haikon and Xander to lose their lives to love.

"Jae, Jae!" Yejin called his prince's name as he held the true blood's head and checked Jae's pulse. "Oi, Jae-" Realizing the prince was out cold, Yejin carefully placed the true blood's head in his lap and made sure Jae's pulse was steady as three guards approached them.

"Excuse us, Captain," the leading guard bowed to his commanding officer. "We would appreciate your cooperation."

Yejin hung his head and released a breath as he looked at the unconscious man in his lap. He did not want to leave the prince to be handled roughly by rookie guards, so Yejin said, "Help me get the prince on my back. I'll carry him for you." The young guards were quick to aid their captain in situating the prince to be on the alpha's back before leading the way to the dungeons where Jae would be watched for the next day.

Once the guards and Yejin had exited the courtyard and entered the palace, Armina released a shaky breath and turned to the beta standing just behind her. "I shall take some time, Yehwa. Rest today, dear."

"Ae, Luna," Yehwa answered with a bow.

"Please keep me informed on the prince's health," Armina said to the beta before turning and walking out of the courtyard. Once Yehwa made certain the Luna had safely exited the courtyard, the female beta started for the stables while the crowd dispersed and the news of the prince's punishment began to spread.

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The sun was high in the sky, and Syri's nerves were just as high-strung. The zeta let out a breath and rolled onto his side to face the opened window that was allowing the warm sun to seep into the prince's bedroom. The moment Jae and Yejin left the infirmary, Estan had shuffled Syri to Jae's room and instructed the zeta to spend the upcoming day in the prince's chamber much to Syri's dismay. Syri understood Estan's concern, but the zeta was not fond of being stuck in one place alone. So, before anyone was the wiser, Syri found himself opening the door to Jae's room and sneaking down the hallway in search of an exit or entry point to the grounds of the palace.

Several sets of maids and servants passed the zeta, but the arrival of the visiting packs caused the zeta to blend in with the many guests milling about the palace. So, the zeta remained unnoticed as he roamed about in hunt of a way out. After several minutes of finding and losing his way, Syri came upon an open-air walkway that brought him into the sun. Hopping over the low railing, the zeta's feet landed on the soft ground, and Syri took the opportunity to begin roaming about the flower-covered ground.

The days were steadily growing cooler, so it was no surprise that a cool breeze made the zeta shiver slightly and brought a light layer of goosebumps to his arms. The leaves were nearing their peak in vibrancy as they turned their respective colors and filled the gardens of the palace with a beautiful array of warm yellows, golds, and reds. A smile came to the zeta's lips as he gazed at the entrancing sight before him. White flowers blanketed the ground while red leaves fell through the air and golden rays of sun pierced through the trees that blew through the wind providing warmth on the cool day.

Syri lifted his face to the sky and soaked in the sun's warmth as he slowly made his way down the well-kept paths through the entrancing garden of elegant trees and endless flowers. The zeta walked for several minutes enjoying the serenity surrounding him before coming upon a bench stationed to the left of the path underneath an arbor decorated by a climbing vine with pale blue flowers. Letting out a small breath, the zeta sat on the bench and relaxed amid the beautiful nature surrounding him.

Before long, Syri's eyes had drooped closed, and the zeta had turned his pale face to the sky to let himself be warmed by the sun while he silently worried for the prince and wondered what Jae was doing at that moment. The zeta was so immersed in his thoughts of the prince that he did not detect the footsteps that approached him from the left.

"Mind if I join you?" A feminine voice sounded, causing Syri's eyes to snap open. The zeta's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in surprise when he turned to see the Luna standing before him.