"May the moon goddess be with you," Jae said to Team 2 who was standing before the eastern gate. It had been three days since the departure of Team 1; it was now time for Team 2 to depart for Black Moon. The five delegates bowed to their prince before shifting into their wolf forms. Jae and Yejin stood silently as they watched the team exit through the gate. Once the five had traveled a small distance, the gates were shut, and Jae and Yejin were yet again left alone in the courtyard.
"Any word from Estan?" Jae inquired of the alpha.
Yejin nodded as he replied, "We talk each morning and night. Everything seems to be calm and safe." The prince remained silent when the alpha finished. Yejin let out a small breath as he looked at his friend, who was clearly waiting for something more, before adding, "Syri made a friend and is taking riding lessons."
The prince's heart skipped as he heard the zeta's name. "I'm glad he is doing well," the true blood stated as he started toward one of the entrances to the castle, however, Yejin's call stopped him.
"Jae," the alpha began. His voice was solemn and grave.
The prince turned in his tracks and faced his friend, knitting his brows as he waited for the alpha to continue.
"There is something that Estan won't tell me. Something happened when they had set out for Alia, but he refuses to tell me what it was." Yejin's eyes were filled with worry as he revealed the information to the prince. "Estan wakes up from nightmares nearly every night. I know he and Syri need to stay at the cabin until everything has been sorted out, but..." the alpha released a pent-up breath before continuing, "I'm afraid something bad happened to them." Jae remained silent as he processed the information. "I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry." Yejin let his gaze fall to the ground as he apologized to his prince.
"How bad?" Jae inquired after a moment. "How bad do you think it is?"
The alpha swallowed before answering, "Bad. Estan has never had this many nightmares back-to-back before."
The prince nodded his head as he accepted the alpha's response. Jae looked to the ground as his eyes grew hard. 'How dare someone touch a hair on his head!' The prince's expression was grave as he spoke, "I am giving Alia a visit the moment the matter with the delegation team is settled." A growl accompanied the prince's decision as he sauntered back into the castle.
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"No! Get off! Don't touch me!" Syri's brows furrowed in fear as he cried in his sleep. The zeta's face and neck were coated with sweat, and his head turned from side to side as he clutched the blanket beneath him. "No!!" The zeta's eyes snapped open as he wrenched himself from the nightmare. Syri's chest rose and fell with pants as he caught his breath.
The zeta wiped his forehead as he swung his legs off the bed. It was not long until Syri was walking over the bridge and entered the cluster of trees leading to the rolling hills and valley below. The zeta released a long breath as he broke out of the trees and walked on the soft grass. Syri lifted his head to the sky as he reached the peak of the hill and closed his eyes. A soft night breeze ruffled the zeta's sweat-soaked hair and cooled the beads that coated the male's neck.
Syri lowered himself to sit on the soft ground after standing for a few moments. The zeta kept his eyes closed as he leaned back and lied on the grass, stretching his legs out before him. Whenever Syri would have a nightmare and could not sleep, he would go to the hill and lie beneath the stars and let the night lull him to sleep. The nightmares had become more frequent as the zeta had gone through another incident that could be thrown in the pile of terrifying memories from which the horrifying dreams could choose.
The zeta released a breath as his body relaxed. He suddenly missed the musky scent that used to engulf his senses. The prince's scent from the scenting was still lightly coated on the zeta, but it would be hard to distinguish unless one was right next to the zeta as it was wearing off. It had nearly been a month since the prince had scented the zeta.
Syri continued to lie on the hill until the first morning rays began to peak from below the horizon. The zeta turned his head to peer at the rising sun, a small smile coming onto his lips. It was time to ride!