1 Hurt Wolf, Lost Wolf

The cool wind felt refreshing on the wolf's fur as the beast dashed wildly between the thick trees. He had never gone this deep into the forest, but this run was unplanned and dangerous. The young wolf did not know what else to do. He could only run. His freshly wounded heart pounded in his chest as he ran to lessen the pain. The pain of his mate rejecting him.

He had waited twenty years and was overjoyed when he finally found his fated mate only to discover she was already marked and mated to another. Being a true blood, the young wolf could have easily challenged his mate's alpha, but instead, the brave wolf took all the pain of the rejection and let her be with her alpha.

The poor wolf was rejected in front of hundreds of wolves as he stumbled upon his fated mate in the center of the city. The wolf did not care about the humiliation, however. He could not care less. He just needed to get away from everything and everyone and dashed into the closest grove of trees which led him into the heart of the dark forest.

The full moon struggled to shine through the dense trees, barely illuminating the forest floor. A pained howl rippled through the forest, stopping the true blood in his tracks. Leaves and dirt went flying as the giant beast came to a halting stop. The black wolf sniffed the air and detected a thin thread of a scent filled with stress and fear. Not wasting a second, the wolf sprinted towards the vulnerable scent.

Skidding to a halt, the wolf perked its ears, listening for any sound from the host of the stressed scent. Quiet whimpers touched his sensitive ears, allowing the wolf to zero in on the host's location. A low growl escaped the wolf as the beast lunged through the air to land in the path of the host.

Within seconds, a pink-haired male came running into view. The true blood's eyes narrowed as he smelled blood on the small male. The pink-haired stumbled and scraped his knees, but did not stop to check his wounds before getting back up and continuing to run.

The true blood shifted back into his human form as the smaller male reached him. Opening his arms, the true blood caught the distressed boy in his arms before he fell again. The small male tensed at the sudden, strong arms around him, but relaxed when the smell was not that of the wolf pursuing him.

Weak and exhausted from the extensive abuse and sudden escape, the male fainted in the true blood's arms. Feeling the boy go limp, the true blood was quick to pick him up in his arms. The small male's head rolled back, revealing a beautiful, pale face with plump, pink lips and long lashes.

A low, irritated growl spread through the trees as the pursuer lost the trail of the male's scent. Holding the boy closely, the true blood turned around and began sprinting back to the palace.

By now, the news of his rejection would have spread to the palace, but the true blood did not mind facing the pitiful looks and whispers. All he wanted in that moment was to save the limp male in his arms.

The prince of the Crimson Night pack quietly snuck into the palace and made his way to the infirmary, careful to not grab anyone's attention.

"Estan!" The true blood whispered as he knocked on the door to the infirmary.

"Who is it? And at this hour? What do you want?" The true blood heard the doctor mumble as he made his way to the door. The pack doctor's eyes widened at the sight of his prince standing in front of him holding an unconscious boy.

"Jae?! What happened?! Come in," Estan ushered the prince inside.

"I found him in the forest. He was running from someone," the true blood explained to the doctor.

"Poor thing. He's so small," the gamma commented as the true blood laid the unconscious male on the examination table. The gamma's eyes moistened as he turned on the light and saw the blood staining the boy's body. "Omega?" The doctor inquired on the male's rank.

"Mm. Smells like it...but then again...he smells slightly different than an omega," the true blood responded.

"How so?"

"He smells sweeter."

"Sweeter than an omega? Is that even possible?"

The true blood let out a low growl toward the gamma questioning him.

"It very well could be," the gamma smiled weakly.

"Sorry," the true blood relaxed. "Hyuk has been...pent-up recently." Jae felt his wolf whine in sorrow as he recalled the event that happened just hours before.

"Ah. Okay. Well, why don't you get some rest? You look exhausted."

The true blood shook his head. "No. I'll wait for him."

"Right. Well, you should at least wait in another room. I'll have to undress him, and he looks like an unmarked omega or whatever. It's probably best if you are not around a compromised, unmated wolf, especially since you haven't found your mate yet," Estan suggested cautiously.

Jae's heart pinged with pain at the mention of his mate. He swallowed harshly before nodding. "You're right. I'll wait outside." The true blood shook his head as he exited the infirmary, the sweet scent of vanilla and roses already intoxicating him.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

The sun had begun to rise when Estan poked his head out from behind the door. Jae stood straight from leaning on the wall and approached the gamma.

"How is he?" The true blood inquired.

"He's sleeping. I've washed him and put him in a bed in the back room," the gamma answered in a whisper.

"Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded his head and led the true blood to the back of the infirmary. The small figure of the boy wrapped in a blanket lying in the bed evoked an emotion Jae had never felt before: the longing to protect. Of course, the prince had always wanted to protect his friends and pack, but this feeling was different. He wanted to take the boy in his arms and hide him from everyone and everything.

"Is there a safe place where he can stay?" The true blood wondered as he looked at the small male.

"I would say here, but we're getting a new shipment of supplies, so there will be people coming in and out all day," Estan replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know who was chasing him. It could be someone from the palace or city. I just want to keep him safe. I'll talk to my father when he returns from his trip."

"Hmmm. Then..." the gamma thought carefully before continuing with great caution, "Your room would be the safest. No one goes in there except you and Yejin."

"Mmm. Okay. I'll bring him to my room once he's been stable for a few hours. I'll fill in Yejin in the meantime. Take care of him while I'm gone. Don't let anyone see him." The true blood's voice deepened towards the end, emphasizing his command.

The gamma tilted his head in submission as the prince exited the infirmary in search of his best friend. It was not long before the prince found the alpha training new guards in the field just outside the palace beneath the rising sun.

"Yejin!" The true blood called.

The alpha was quick to hear his prince's voice. "Yes, my Prince," the alpha bowed his head as he reached the true blood.

"There will be a guest in my room who needs to be kept safe. Only you, Estan, and I know of him, and it is to remain that way until I find whoever was chasing him," the prince told the alpha as the man lifted his head.

Yejin nodded in agreement. "Of course."

Jae's eyes widened as he observed the trail of supplies being brought through a side gate. "Are those new supplies for the infirmary?"

"I believe so, yes. They're quite early," Yejin responded as he turned to observe the trail of supplies.

Without a word, Jae turned on his heel and hurried back into the palace, leaving a confused Yejin in the training field. The true blood dashed past the suppliers and rushed to the infirmary. Estan stood in surprise as the door was flung open and the prince rushed in.

"The supplies are early," the prince explained shortly as he made his way to the back after grabbing the male's torn shirt from the examination table, removing any evidence of the boy.

The gamma followed his prince to the room with the sleeping male. The true blood stooped down and carefully scooped the small male into his arms. "I am taking him to my chambers," Jae said as he exited the infirmary. The gamma let out a sigh of relief as he watched the prince round the corner just as the supplies arrived.

Jae shut the door to his room with a kick of his leg before walking over to his king-sized bed. The true blood gently set the small male on the side of the bed farthest from the door. He found himself hovering over the sleeping boy, unable to pull away. The sweet scent of vanilla and roses engulfed the strong true blood and overtook his senses. But, oddly, the constant ache that had been in his heart since the rejection disappeared as he stared at the soft face. The true blood let his eyes fall from the boy's long lashes to his pointed nose and down to his pink lips.

Jae's eyes flitted back up when he saw the lips stir and slightly part. Soft, brown eyes met his gaze, and the true blood felt his heart come back to life.