Special Situations

"No...no...no...please..." Whimpers filled the night as Estan tossed and turned in his bed. Sweat coated the gamma's neck and chest as he moaned from the terror in his mind.

'Babe...Babe...Wake up. Babe, wake up.' Yejin's deep voice sounded in Estan's head softy as he coaxed his mate out of the nightmare. 'It's okay, Love. You're alright. You're safe.'

"No! Don't touch him! Leave him alone. No!!"

'Estan!' Yejin's voice became desperate as he tried to wake his mate.

"Yejin?" Estan called out as his eyes snapped open. The gamma's chest heaved as he sat up in the bed.

"Inso?" Syri's soft voice sounded in the darkness as the zeta came to check on the gamma. "Inso, are you alright?" Syri asked as he poked his head into the gamma's room.

Estan let out a breath as he heard Syri's soft voice. "I'm alright, Syri. You can go back to sleep," the gamma told the zeta who had stepped into the room.

A moment of silence passed until Syri answered, "I haven't been able to fall asleep."

Estan's heart broke as he heard the zeta's words. "Come here," the gamma held his arms out as he motioned for the zeta to enter. Syri walked toward the gamma and climbed into the soft bed where Estan brought the smaller male into his arms. "Did you have a nightmare, too?" Estan inquired softly as he held the zeta in his arms.

Syri nodded in response. "I heard you calling out and came to wake you, but you were already awake," Syri explained his appearance.

"Ah. My mate woke me," Estan said in reply.

Syri's eyes widened as he fretted. "Did I interrupt you and Yejin?"

"No, no, not at all. Yejin is probably already back asleep," Estan assured the zeta kindly.

"Oh, okay. In that case, I don't feel too bad."

"You shouldn't feel bad at all. Thank you for coming to check on me," Estan smiled down at the male in his arms affectionately as the two settled down and tried to fall back asleep.

<<<<<>>>>>

"Is he better?" Jae inquired of the alpha who was sitting next to him.

"Mm," Jae voiced in response. "Syri came to him. They're sleeping now."

"That's good," Jae said as he released a sigh. "Was it about whatever he doesn't want to tell you?"

"Ae...it was." Yejin lowered his head and focused his gaze on his outstretched legs as he pondered whether to tell Jae about what Estan voiced during the nightmare. Deciding against it to keep the prince from worrying about Syri as well as the safety of the pack, Yejin kept his mouth shut as he and the prince continued to sit on the roof of the castle and wind down after a long day.

Jae let out a small breath as he repositioned himself from leaning on his elbows to lying flat on his back. The true blood folded his arms behind his head as he stared up at the stars dotting the dark sky. Yejin remained on his elbows as he silently worried for his mate who was so far from him at the moment. The alpha longed to hold Estan in his arms and tell him everything would be alright. Yejin's heart broke every night when he heard Estan crying out from the terror engulfing his sleeping mind.

The prince and captain of the guard remained on the roof in silence for the next ten minutes before Yejin inquired, "What's the plan for tomorrow?" of his prince.

Jae opened his dark eyes before answering, "That depends on Black Moon's response, or if they have one."

Yejin fell silent at the prince's response. The course of their day tomorrow hinged on the actions of Black Moon. The alpha looked down at the true blood relaxing beside him and noticed a look in Jae's eye that had become quite common with the prince. Yejin first observed that certain look when he saw Jae gaze at the zeta. "You miss him, don't you?" Yejin asked after a moment.

"Hm?" Jae sounded as he raised a brow and turned his face to look at the alpha. "Miss who?"

"Syri."

Jae's brows relaxed when he heard the zeta's name. "It's weird, isn't it?" The prince asked with slight awkwardness as he turned his face back to the sky. "I barely even know him, but...I just can't seem to get him out of my thoughts."

"You know him more than most, though, from what I've gathered. It didn't seem like anyone was truly close to Syri until he met you," Yejin told the prince as he, too, turned to gaze at the stars.

"I just...whenever I look at him, I can't help from wanting to make him happy and keep him safe. And I don't know why. I've never felt this way for anyone."

"That's only natural."

Jae's brows knit at the alpha's comment. "What do you mean?"

Yejin let out a small breath before answering with, "That's how I feel with Estan."

"But you two are mates. Syri and I...are not mates."

"You don't have to be mates to care for someone. Take Haikon and Xander for example. They were not fated, and look where they are: mates."

"Yeah, but their situation is special. You know their pasts."

Yejin rocked his head from side to side slowly before nodding in agreement. "That is true, but you and Syri are special, too." The alpha released a sigh as the true blood remained silent. "What I am trying to say, Jae, is don't fight it. Not all mates in the world were fated. It may be looked down upon and considered wrong, but who is to say it's not real? You know what you feel. And if you think it is real and is something you are willing to fight for, I say go for it. Don't let even the world stop you."

The true blood let the alpha's words sink in for a few moments as he mulled over his feelings for the zeta. After coming to a conclusion about his feelings for the zeta, the prince opened his lips to reply to Yejin's words, however, the king's voice in his mind stopped him. 'Come to the hall. Black Moon has given their response.'