'It's about time.' Jae linked the alpha approaching through the trees.
'My apologies, Prince.' Tharn responded as the rest of his party appeared. 'Are these the ones?' The alpha inquired as he observed the five werewolves kneeling on the ground.
'Yes. Take them to the castle and keep them there until I get back. Do not harm them; they gave their word that they would comply.'
'Yes, my prince.'
'I'll be back in a few days if all goes well. Thank you for your efforts. Do not lose them. They have broken every custom regarding crossing another pack's territory.' A growl rippled from the true blood as he emphasized the five intruder's wrongdoings.
The alpha bowed his head before commanding his men to surround the five werewolves on the ground. Yejin, Haikon, Xander, and Kace gave their positions to Tharn's wolves and joined Jae in watching the intruders get rounded up. 'Let's go.' Jae commanded his party as Tharn began to lead the intruders toward the castle.
The alpha, delta, theta, and masked wolf promptly fell in line behind their prince, and the hunt resumed.
<<<<<<>>>>>>
A hand on Syri's shoulder startled the zeta. Syri turned around to see a masked man standing before him. "Who-who are you?" Syri asked as his heart jumped from the startle.
"I need you to come with me," the man said. His voice was low and unassertive, almost pleading. However, there was a desperation hidden beneath the unassertive tone. Syri narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man. He was of average height and lean, but his body was well-built, his shoulders framing his body beneath the leather get-up. Knives and daggers were strapped to his thighs and belt, and the leather on the soles of his boots was worn.
"Why?" Syri inquired slowly.
"They've already got your friend."
Syri's eyes widened at the stranger's response. The zeta whipped around to find the space in front of him vacant. "Estan?" Syri asked to the empty space. The zeta turned his head in every direction in search of the gamma.
"We don't have much time. They're coming for you, too." Before the zeta could say anything, the man grabbed Syri's wrist and began leading him through the crowd.
"Let go of me. I have to find my friend!" Syri called out to the man, who ignored his plea and continued taking him down the street. "I said unhand me!" Syri said desperately as he jerked his hand up. The man let go in reaction to Syri's movement as to not hurt the zeta and turned to see the pink-haired boy running back toward the square.
"No, wait!" The man called after the zeta before running after him. The small, pink-haired werewolf disappeared into the crowd causing the man to curse under his breath. "If I knew you were going to be this stubborn, I wouldn't have tried to save you. Ahhh, what did I get myself into?" The man mumbled to himself before diving back into the crowd.
"Estan!" Syri called out as he ran through the crowd in the square. The zeta's breathing became rapid as he frantically searched for the gamma. "Estan?!" Syri searched the entire square to come up empty. "Aish," the zeta ran his fingers through his hair as he made one more rotation in the square before running down one of the main streets leading deeper into the town.
The zeta sniffed the air in hopes of finding the gamma's scent trail. Being a zeta, Syri's senses were not as keen as higher-ranking wolves, so he was not able to pick up anything regarding the gamma.
"Where are you, Estan?" Syri mumbled as he stopped to catch his breath. 'At least I got rid of the weird guy. But I lost Estan...' Syri's heart pounded with worry as he looked around. 'Anyways, what was he talking about? Who is after me? They took Estan, but who are 'they'?'
Groups of footsteps approaching pulled the zeta from his thoughts. Syri turned to see five alphas stalking up to him. "There you are, little omega. Took a while to find you, but it seems our efforts were not in vain," the alpha in the front sneered as Syri looked up at him with terror in his brown eyes.
Without wasting a second, Syri turned on his heel and began sprinting away from the five males.
"Shit, he's fast. Get him," the lead alpha snarled and set his men loose.
'Run, run, run, run!' Syri could hear the alphas pursuing him, and all he could think was 'RUN!' The zeta's heart pounded in his chest as he ran as fast as he could. Fear radiated from the zeta as he ran back toward the square. Syri could hear the happy chatter from those attending the festival, and his heart skipped with hope. 'If I can make it back to the square, I will be safe.' Syri's panting grew rapid as he set his eyes on the square in front of him.
The zeta's hopes were crushed as a hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him backward. Syri looked at the opening leading to the square as a hand twisted itself in his hair and jerked his head back. 'I was so close...'
A hand immediately covered the zeta's mouth and stopped him from crying out for help. A cloth replaced the hand over Syri's mouth and was forced into the zeta's mouth before being tied behind Syri's head tightly. Syri stared down the alpha sauntering over to him and began to growl. The zeta's hands were bound behind his back, and the lead alpha watched with amusement as the smaller werewolf fought to break free from the alpha holding him.
"We've got ourselves a fighter," the alpha sneered before nearing the zeta. "And a pretty one at that." Syri jerked his head away from the alpha as the werewolf reached up to touch his face. "Tsk tsk. You'll have to behave better if you don't want to get hurt."
Syri released a growl at the alpha's comment earning him a strike to the cheek.
"If you won't be a good boy and act nicely, I'll just have to make you submit." The alpha's eyes turned red as he released his voice. A growl resonated from the small zeta as he continued to stare down the alpha standing before him. The alpha's brow raised in confusion. "Why aren't you submitting?" The alpha studied the zeta before continuing, "You're a curious one, aren't you? I bet we'll have lots of fun together." Syri snarled at the man as he addressed the werewolf holding the zeta, "Knock him out. We'll figure out what he is later."
The zeta's heart pounded in fear as he heard the drawing of a dagger, but he would not let it show. Syri was done with being weak. He was tired of being forced to submit and quiver in front of high-ranking werewolves. Never again! He would remain strong and figure out how to find Estan and escape. A quick blow to the head from the butt of a dagger rendered the zeta unconscious and allowed the band of alphas to haul him off to their base.