The lost maze

Once the breakfast was over, Noah went back to return the dishes to the kitchen. Kaito wanted to stop the other from performing such mundane work when there were others who could do so but before he could, the other was already out of the door.

Now he was left alone in the room to once again gather his thoughts but he really did not want to be alone with his wolf. They had not been on great terms before his death and it was only after Jess had announced herself as pregnant had the wolf decided to talk to him.

And then he died and was reborn.

He wanted to ask his wolf a lot of things but he had no idea where to even start. The wolf for its part had already started to ignore him, its attention posted toward the door Noah had left from.

'Omega is older than us now and taller too,' his wolf finally broke down and let out in an almost wounded voice.

'He died and reincarnated into a baby while he had been alive all this time but he's not ageing. We'll grow taller than him soon' Kaito consoled his wolf who did not seem to be consoled at all. In fact, he sounded even more wounded if possible.

'B-But it'll take time. We can't mount him on his next heat' the wolf let out those words and Kaito almost spat out at those words. His mind flashed to bring forth an image inside his mind of Noah in heat, white cheeks flushed with colour and hair all over the place.

He quickly shut off the very thought from his wolf before his body could react but it was too late to do so. His body was already reacting to the image inside his head and he could not stop it.

It took him some time with cold water to solve the problem but once he did, he realised that he had forgotten something crucial - Noah was still not back and it was a worrying thought to have.

'Omega did not return. Find him?' his wolf suggested and Noah was in complete agreement - they did need to find Noah and fast.

He exited his room and realised the biggest problem they were going to face - they had no idea where to go. Normally Kaito would rely on his sense of smell to guide him. But that proved that he could smell nothing but the familiar scent of the past, so he could not rely on it.

"Have to do this the old fashioned way then" Kaito muttered before he chose a random direction and started walking. The place was huge from inside, the corridors almost forming a maze and most likely interconnected.

He was sure he had passed the same intersection a few times while trying to find the way out but even after changing the turns he took, he could not find an end to the corridor. It was like an ever ending maze he once had constructed inside his own castle, its magic leading people astray.

To get out, one had to have inside help or find a servant with whatever luck they had. There was no other way to get out and for a second Kaito wondered if this was the very same maze from before.

But then he felt the magic in the air which was completely different from his own maze and he knew that this was not a past relic that had survived. His beloved maze must have been torn down when the castle fell and he mourned the loss.

But the walking around was not doing him any wonders and the more he walked the more lost he felt. He saw the same starting corridor from the start and knew that he was near his room again but rather than going past it, he decided that it was better to wait inside.

That way at least Noah could find him easily once he returned back to his room.

As soon as he was near the door his body froze. He could smell the distress clinging to a very familiar scent that was flowing from inside his room and he realised that he did not like the mixture at all.

'Mate is upset' the wolf seems even more upset, their link coursing the feelings through the bond and directly into his mind. Kaito could not stop his thoughts from mixing up inside his brain, the smell making his feelings all complicated.

And then the door opened, his eyes taking in the wide blue eyes, almost panicky and he realised that it was perhaps the first time he saw any real expression on the face of the other and it had been distressful of all things.

"Kaito?" The small voice called out hesitantly and the wolf inside him almost jumped at joy with the realisation that the omega had said his name without any prefix at all.

'Mate cares. Eh still cares' the wolf was almost as excited as a puppy which Kaito ignored. He chose to focus on the fox instead who looked to be even more panicky to his lack of response.

"Ah, sorry. I tried to find you but got lost in the corridors and somehow ended back here" his words seemed to calm the other down a little, a thoughtful frown on his face even more prominent.

"Is the array still there? I thought they removed it a few years back" the older one seemed to be muttering to himself and Kaito found it endearing. It had been so long since he had seen the other seem anything but calm and collective.

It was almost refreshing and he realised that he somehow wanted to see even more of that expression.

'Kaito is interested,' his wolf teased, his tone completely different from what Kaito chose to believe it to be. Yes, he was interested but in a completely friendly way and it was going to remain so.

It was only because he had a duty to others that made him consider such options for now and he was sure it would remain so in the future too.

"By the way, what took you so long?" Kaito questioned the other as he entered the room. The fox made his way behind him and closed the door behind himself, his body just a little bit tensed at the question.

"Your grandfather made a call to ask about the progress. The report took some time to convey. I'm sorry I was a little late, young master" the fox had gathered himself back and donned his submissive attitude.

Kaito thought of correcting the other but then decided to let it go. The progress was slow but clearly there and that was enough for now. He would not force the other for now and let it progress naturally.

But the thought of the fox talking to his grandfather did not sit well with him at all.

'Don't like that guy, a threat. Must get rid of' his wolf was letting him know the feelings he had about the topic and Kaito wanted to tell him that he was being a little harsh about everything.

Despite whatever that happened, the other was family this time around and treated him nicely enough.

'Danger to mate. Must get rid' his wolf was adamant on it and from experience, Kaito knew that he would not back down on this topic at all.

"Forget about it for now. Tell me what's next on the agenda? I assume we will need to travel more?" Kaito asked to divert the attention. He did not know if he was trying to distract his wolf from its murderous thoughts or Noah from his obviously lost expression but it seemed to work for both of them.

"We'll need to travel by foot here. Generally, the crack for the rift valley appears in the general vicinity of the back mountain but we can't predict where it will exactly land. The week of its emergence starts tomorrow, so we need to be extra careful on the mountains" so he had a day to find out more information.

He could work with that.

"Is there a library here? Also, I need you to tell me everything about Rift valley that you know of" Kaito's voice was extra serious, his expression wide and questioning which made it impossible for others to look away.

And so Noah began his tale to make other preparations for one of the hardest trials he was about to face in life.