"Jae!" Yejin called to his prince as he opened the door to the true blood's office.
Jae let out a small chuckle and shook his head at the alpha's habit to enter without knocking before nodding to Yejin to continue. "What is it?" The prince inquired as he proceeded to go through the piles of documents mounding his desk.
"Your father is returning."
The true blood's head immediately snapped up at the news. "When is he arriving?" Jae inquired as he set the document aside.
"Tomorrow."
Jae nodded his head as he processed Yejin's response. "Okay, for now, tell Estan and Syri to stay at the cabin for a little while longer. I need to get the situation with the Black Moon wolves resolved before making sure the castle is safe."
"Yes, Prince." Yejin inclined his head.
"How is Xander?" Jae inquired about the delta after a small pause.
"He is awake. Haikon is with him."
"That's good." The true blood's eyes trailed over the piles of documents and files, and the prince decided he needed a break. "Shall we check in on them?" Jae said as he stood to his feet.
"After you," Yejin gestured to the door as the prince walked passed.
The true blood and alpha exited the prince's office and made their way to the infirmary. Jae stretched his arms and shoulders as the two came upon the clinic; he had been stuck in his office for the better part of the evening. Estelle exited the clinic just as the two males came upon it. The gamma bowed to the prince before stopping to inform the two about Xander's condition.
"He remains stable, and the wound is healing nicely. He should be back on his feet by the end of the week," the physician said.
"Thank you," Yejin inclined his head in thanks. Estelle returned the gesture before continuing on her way, her hands in the pockets of her lab coat.
Haikon looked up from his mate to see Jae and Yejin enter the infirmary. The theta stood to his feet and bowed his head shortly in greeting to his prince. Xander opened his eyes when he sensed Jae and Yejin approaching.
"Hey, Xander," Jae greeted the delta as he came to stand beside the bed.
"Jae," the delta responded. Xander's eyes were droopy as the delta fought to stay awake. Xander was giving most of his energy to his wolf who was clearly working overtime to heal the delta's wounds. "How's Syri?" Xander asked slowly as he inquired about the surviving mate.
"Syri's okay," Jae responded softly. "He is with Estan."
Xander closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly before breathing, "That's good." The delta then opened his eyes and looked from the true blood to the alpha before landing his gaze on the opened door. "Where's Kace?" Xander looked back to the prince as he inquired about the missing man.
Jae closed his eyes as he realized he had not seen Kace since they had left Haikon to be with Xander earlier that day. He had gotten caught up in his duties and distracted by the return of the king, so he did not realize that Kace had disappeared yet again. "I'm sure he is roaming around somewhere," Jae kept his answer optimistic as he did not want to worry the recovering delta.
"Mm," Xander sounded in reply. "I wanted to thank him for getting that bastard." The delta's words were slow as his exhaustion was catching up to him.
"You can thank him when you're back on your feet," Yejin said to the delta whose eyes were nearly closed.
"We will leave you to rest," Jae put his hand on Haikon's shoulder as he and Yejin prepared to leave.
Haikon nodded in response. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course. Keep us updated," Jae said as he and the alpha turned toward the door.
Xander was fast asleep by the time the true blood and alpha exited the clinic. The sun had set, and night had fallen when the alpha and true blood split ways in the corridor. Yejin proceeded down the corridor and through the castle before he found himself in the training yard. It was empty except for a pair of guards who were practicing in the far right corner. The two guards halted their sparring when the saw their captain enter the field and bowed in greeting. Yejin waved his hand, letting the guards resume their practice, before walking to the center of the training field and sitting on the soft ground.
The alpha took a deep breath before linking his mate.
'Yejin?' Estan replied as he felt the link open up.
'Hey, Love. How are you?' The alpha's voice was soft as he inquired about his mate.
'I'm okay. How are you?' Estan responded.
'I'm good.' Yejin paused for a moment before continuing. 'Xander woke up. It wasn't for long, but he is doing better.'
'Oh! That is good! Syri is doing well, too. He seems to be moving on quite quickly.'
'That's good to hear.'
A moment passed before Estan inquired about the real reason Yejin had linked him. 'So what's the verdict? Can we come home?'
'The king is returning in the morning.'
'Oh...shit. I better stock up on more food, then.'
'Yeah. I'm sorry, babe.'
'It's alright. It's not like you can stop the alpha from coming back to his own pack.'
'Mm. I wish you could come home. I miss you.'
'I miss you, too, Jin-ah. Let me know how things go with the alpha's return.'
'I will. Love you, Estan.'
'Love you, Jin-ah.'
Yejin let out a breath as he lied down on his back and placed his hands behind his head. The alpha looked up at the stars, a small smile coming to his face as the two mates continued their conversation late into the night.
The stars were out when Jae returned to his office. The pale moonlight washed the room in a blue glow as the prince sat in front of his file-filled desk. Jae leaned back in his chair and tilted his head back so it rested on the rim of the chair and let out a breath. A longing filled the prince, and longing that began deep down and made its way up into Jae's thoughts. Jae longed for the scent of vanilla and roses. He longed to hold the zeta in his arms and relax in Syri's heaven. This was the first time Jae had been able to slow down and rest ever since he embarked on the hunt, and his first thought was of Syri.