Jeonmyeon was a fighter. Her mate was a thinker. She found that the two of them mimicked the MAGNUS couple in those shades. She was proud of that–they were good shifters and wonderful leaders. She figured the only difference between them and Jinki and Minho was that while the Magnus couple chose to handle things diplomatically, she and her mate would rather rip the throat out of an enemy than talk with them.

You bring hostility and chaos and that’s what you would get back tenfold in Morocco Song. Nichkhun often told her to, as he put it, ‘Relax, you lunatic! You can’t kill everyone.”

No. Just our enemies.

Nichkhun’s Morocco Song was a peaceful one. Weaponry and blacksmithing was a way of life. No trouble had come to them after the war so Nichkhun’s suggestions that she not create a blood path as a solution to her problems were non-applicable. She’d known, the moment the Blood Moon prophecy was revealed that it was her sort of leadership that Morocco Song would need.

“Princess Jeongmyeong, please!”

Wrong answer. She released the ankle she was holding, watching as the body fell into the whirlpool sandpits Morroco Song was known for. Dissenters of how she and Joo-Won ruled had started calling her “Blood Princess Jeongmyeong.” Although she wasn’t particularly against the name, they used it in mocking tones and that pissed her off. As his body disappeared beneath the sand, she smiled. Can’t give me nicknames when you can’t breathe.

Sighing, she turned to the rest of the ones in the cage behind her. A lot were Moroccan Song villagers but a few were faces she didn’t recognize. They wore black headbands with a shiny blue crescent at the middle. She hoped they weren’t trying to blend in. Maroon and orange were the colors of Morocco Song. The black stood out like…well…black.

“Dear,” Joo-Won said as he leaned on the cage. “You’ll be more successful with interrogation if you give them a chance to answer.“

“That seems reasonable.” She turned back towards the cage. She made of show of looking around the cage before she reached in and grabbed a woman by the collar of her shirt. Another blue headband’er idiot. She yanked her from the cage, and hung her over the same quicksand whirlpool the other gentlemen had been fed too.

“My mate said I should be more patient. My mate is smart so I will yield to him.” She paused and held up her other hand. “Lesson number 1. Communication and compromise make a union work,” she said, nodding. “Communication is to get your demands…or rather, desires across while compromise is the bridge that allows you to meet each other half way. So, in that spirit, we’ll start this off simply, okay, darling?” She turned to her captive. “What’s your name?” she asked sweetly.

The woman was quiet, so Jeongmyeong shook her like an insolent puppy. “Answer, precious. The questions only get harder from here. If you’re going to die to keep a secret, don’t let it be something as ineffectual as your name.”

The woman’s jaw clenched. “Sulli.”

Jeongmyeong turned to the ones still caged. “See how easy and rewarding participation can be? Unlike our dear poor Inhong, who couldn’t even get my name right! ” Joo-Won laughed and shook his head at her.

“Now,” she said to Sulli. “I’m an intelligent woman, so I’m going to surmise the blue crescent on your headband means you’re a member of the Blue Crescents?”

“You’ve heard of us?”

Jeongmyeong shook her head. “No. Easy guess but thank you for letting me know I was correct. Next question.” She turned to her mate. “Love, the poster, please.”

Joo-Won pulled a folded piece of parchment that was tucked into the band of his pants out. He walked it over to her, leisurely, as if his mate didn’t have a woman hovering over a quicksand whirlpool that would gobble her up before she could even inhale her next breath.

Slowly, he unrolled it and cleared his throat.

To the citizens of Prae,

Beware those who lead you! The Blood Moon prophecy has been bastardized! Only one true Alpha stands in front of you!

Hear this proclamation!

The Alpha Beta’s status is that of an Omega.

The Alpha Beta is pregnant.

This has been verified by Elder of Delphi and his subordinates, the very ones who allowed such corruption onto us!

If you want a cause for this war, look not to the East, to Old Se’hai and the Woods of Wheph, but to your own leaders for it is their lies that have brought this calamity down upon you!”

“Unsigned,” Joo-Won murmured. “How brave and succinct. Tell me, how far has this spread?”

The woman, Sulli, grinned devilishly. “It should reach ever corner of Prae by sun fall four days from now.”

.

 The AlphaBeta’s status was not a secret to her and her mate. Alphas that were chosen or nominated by their previous Alpha were brought into confidence officially, under the pain of death, unofficially, under the highest level of trust.

Jeongmyeong respected the Magnus couple greatly. Their efforts to unite Prae even tighter than previously was valiant, and their campaign to enlarge Prae’s territory was ambitious and brilliant. She didn’t care about Minho’s true status. She admired him. She also had no plans to ruin it for Prae, so she had no motivation to betray their trust. She thought as long as those in confidence kept that confidence that maybe the Magnus couple could rule without scandal.

She was wrong.

“Thank you for your answers. Lesson number two, everyone, and pay attention. Sometimes participation cannot save you from your crimes.” She made to let go of Sulli’s collar, but someone from the cage cried out her name.

Jeongmyeong turned her head to look at them, the look of expectancy livid on her face. The person screaming was a younger child, in all black, void of the headband Sulli wore. “Don’t kill her, please.”

“And why not? If she doesn’t care about the life of others, why should I care about hers?”

“Because!” the young girl cried. “She is to be mated to the leader of the Blue Crescents. Her life is more valuable to you alive. Please, just don’t! Kill me instead!”

“Seungwan!” Sulli gasped.

Jeongmyeong rolled her eyes and tossed Sulli back towards the cage. “You’re important, huh? I don’t have the time to make a martyr out of you. You’re worth more in ransom. ” She jerked her thumb towards the cage. “Take her and the girl to Inwoo’s quarters and locker them up. She’s a slippery one, so as many guards as you can fit? The rest of them–hoist them up. A rain is due soon, that should be enough water, hm?”

Jeongmyeong began the march across the suspension bridge. The whirlpools were very effective thing to be plagued with. Hidden, unmarked, through the forest, it kept most from rushing in foolishly to attack them. Because of the makeup of Morocco Song, the people there had become superb hunters–it had become a necessity rather than a skill. They needed it to be able to smell the difference between regular dirt and a hidden whirlpool. And since most of their houses were tree houses, far up from the dangerous body eating ground, it took a lot to bring Morocco Song to its knees.

The walk from the detainment grounds to Jeongmyeong and Joo-Won’s massive tree complex wasn’t long. She liked the fact that she slept so close to the prisoners. She wanted them to know that she had no problem waking out of her sleep and killing them.

She marched straight to the Leaves by Leaves room, a deliberation room surrounded on three sides by tall, clear windows that looked out over Morocco Song. Her mate took a seat next to her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

“What do you think?” she asked him in low tones.

“Well, since we didn’t allow anyone but the two of us to deal with that, the secret is still in… confidence. However…” Joo-Won paused and looked down at her. “There isn’t a way for us to stop this, love. If that woman’s words were true, Prae is going to wake up to the news in a few days. Only thing we can do is warn them. If we send a rider now, they’ll be there just as the gossip begins to spread, maybe before.”

“Bloody hell,” she cursed. “I wish I could snatch up every poster and every person who dared to display it and toss them into the sun.”

“I know, love. This is a terrible thing to have to deal with in the middle of a war.” He sighed. “And someone is going to have to rescue the Oracles. Only a statement from them is going to calm down the tide after the storm rushes towards land. If they’ve lied up until this point, I don’t see them growing suddenly noble and telling Prae the truth.”

“I’ll send the scouts immediately. They’ll have to travel through Durkhai. Word has it, it’s the only eastern city, save the settlements that hasn’t been taken by the enemy.”

“That is the most that we can do until Inwoo comes back.”

Jeongmyeong turned in her chair and looked out of the windows. “I hope the news he comes back with is good news.”

Minho panted harshly. “I–I can’t.” Minho dropped into the seat next to Jinki’s bed, his brow wet with sweat. The crash course he was receiving in magery was horrible, and he was tired.

“I know it’s hard,” Iseul pleaded. “This is so much harder than anything but we have to try again.”

Minho inhaled a deep breath and let his head drop back against the wall. He wanted to scream. Yes, it was harder. The last time either Danye or Iseul had performed it, they weren’t pregnant and the person they were bounded to wasn’t unconscious.

“Maybe we should rest for the night?” his mother suggested, looking over at her son. “Pregnancy is draining as it is. Maybe we should give Jinki another day to respond to the Vampyre venom elixir?”

“It’s been four days. He’s not responding! He’s not responding to anything!” Iseul whispered furiously. “I just had a daughter in a ing coma and now this!“

Minho shook his head and stood. “I can do this. I just…” He felt a little faint and sat back down.

“Minho don’t get back up,” Taeyeon said. “You’re gonna make yourself sick.”

“No–I just need–“

You’re almost there, pup.

Minho frowned. That wasn’t Caleo’s voice. Onew?

There was a wolfish chuckled in his head. See you still have a damn brain.

Minho’s smile took over his whole face. Did it work? 

No. Not yet. Just our consciousness. But you’re close. I need you to understand something. There is a reason why you can’t feel Jinki’s heart. He’s imprinted himself on his children. They are using the majority of your life energy, and are greedily, may I add, eating up Jinki’s attention. But…they are keeping him alive right now. It will return to you when they feel the threat is over.

Okay, that kind of makes–wait. You didn’t say child.

Onew scoffed. Either remember your lessons on Omega Magi or ask your mother. If you do this correctly, Caleo will finish the job. Clear the room out. Don’t let a soul in. Shun the light. Reestablish the connection. Then we will appear.

Minho stood. “Everyone out.”

Iseul, who must have been ranting while he was speaking with his mate’s wolf, paused, a look of bewilderment on her face. “You want us to do what?” she cried, incredulous.

“Out! Everyone out! Hurry!” He began ushering everyone towards the door, his energy renewed in wake of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

“But Minho! Wait!” Danye said as Minho tried to close the door on her.

“Out! Out! I’ll explain later. Do not try to enter this room unless the world is about to end.” He didn’t give her a moment to answer before closing the door in her face. He locked both locks on the door, then took an unused chair from the corner and stuffed it under the knob.

Don’t let a soul in.

Minho knew what to do.

“I know that’s my son in law and I know I’m supposed to understand him, know that he has Jinki’s best interest at heart, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing!”  

“He’s a spiritualist mage, mother, he technically doesn’t have to know. He’ll feel it,” Taemin said as they waited patiently in the hall outside of Jinki’s healing room. Well, he was waiting patiently. His mother was losing her .

“We’re talking Apparition Magikus! Something can go wrong!”

“Everything is going wrong already, Iseul. We have to be patient and trust him. He knows Jinki. He understands him and their connection, we do not. It’s going to work out.”

Taemin looked at Danye and nodded. She was right and he hoped her cool demeanor would be enough to calm his mother down.

It didn’t. She continued to pace in front of the door like she was seconds from tearing it off the hinges. Taemin sighed. He silently had to remember that the women in their family were very…passionate.

He was about to stand, grab his mother by the hand and lead her to a seat, maybe lead her to some rationality when the doors that led into Jinki’s wing of the Healer’s Alcove burst open.

“Jonghyun? Yifan? Nichkhun?” The three members of Jinki and Minho’s Bone Pack paced down the hall as if on a mission. Behind them was a man as tall as Nichkhun that Taemin had never seen before. He did recognize the colors of Morocco Song.

“Where’s Minho?” Yifan asked as he approached them.

Taemin looked at the door to Jinki’s room and hesitated. “He’s uh…working. He’s barricaded himself in the room it seems like.”

Jonghyun looked at Yifan and Nichkhun who looked back at him. Taemin noticed the looks on their faces. He’d spent so much time with them in the last few months that he was able to pick up subtle things that they as leaders tried to hide. They couldn’t hide the anxiety reflecting in their eyes.

He stood. “What’s wrong?”

Jonghyun appeared to think for a long moment before he reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded sheet of parchment. He walked to Taemin and pressed it into his hands.

“What’s this?”

“Just…just read it.”

Taemin unfolded it. He read the lines over and over again, his forehead furrowing as he did. The shock came first, then the anger. “What in the is this?”

The man took a step forward. “It’s a poster being distributed all over Prae as we speak.”

“Who are you?” Danye asked.

“Oh, my apologies. I am Kang Inwoo, the High Ambassador sent by the Alpha of Morocco Song, Jeongmyeong. A scout delivered that to me and it was marked as urgent. As ambassador I thought it was my duty to deliver it personally to the former Alpha of my village. He in turn brought us here.”

“What is it?” Iseul said, her theatrics paused.

“A propaganda poster distributed by the Blue Crescents,” Inwoo answered.

Taemin balled the poster up in his hand. “They’ve just notified every major clan and settlement about Minho’s true status and his pregnancy.”

Danye gasped and Iseul collapsed against the wall, a hand over .

“I knew they knew but…” Taeyeon murmured, her face washed in fear. “How much time do we have?”

“Minutes at the most,” Nichkhun guessed. “The news I’m sure has already hit Elder Changmin’s desk.”

“Elder Changmin is the only person who can charge a ranking Alpha of Prae with treason,” Yifan informed.

“T–treason?” Danye choked out.

“High treason,” Jonghyun said, his voice low and deadly.  “We have to get him out of here. Immediately.”

Minho heard the banging on the door but he ignored it, drowned it out. He stood in front of the bed, silently looking down at his lover, still amazed at the happiness he found with this man.

He was going to save him.

Slowly, he crawled into Jinki’s bed, careful not to reinjure his wound. Minho laid the crystal, stained with their blood, between them, on top of thick covers keeping Jinki’s body heat regulated. During his previous attempts, there was a lot of pomp and circumstance. Hold the crystal this way, speak your incantation that way, stand towards the west, hold your head towards the–

No.

Minho wasn’t the mage they thought he was and Jinki was just as clueless as he was about magic. At the heart of this, this was simply a connection between two people who loved each other, between two wolves who would do anything to protect the other. That’s all he needed.

A connection.

The shouting outside of the room escalated, crescendo into a frenzy but Minho tuned it out. The sound of something heavy and hard smashed into the door. Minho focused on Jinki until all the sound fell away–the world could be falling into the pits of hell outside of this room but he was going to do this.

He laid his head on Jinki’s chest, closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound of his heartbeat. The soft pulse against his face, the rhythm that he’d memorized and could sing any song to, brought back memories, images washing over him. 

“Jinki…” he started as he lifted his head and burrowed it in the concave of his neck. “I need you,” he pleaded softly.

He lifted the hem of his brown oversized shift, took Jinki’s listless hand and placed it on his belly. “We need you.”

“Fight, Jinki,” he begged. “Please.”

Minho opened the bond and began to let energy flow from him and down to his mate.

That’s it, Minho. The Alpha Beta couldn’t tell if the voice came from Onew or Caleo–it sounded like the both of them, as if they were existing in one place. Keep going.

Minho laced Jinki’s fingers in between his, kissed his knuckles before he recited a incantation he now knew by heart. “Protegéieren, I summon thee. To my mate, I bind thee and to I, I bind him. I bind Onew to him; Caleo to me.”

The door smashed open and the time in the room seemed to slow to a stop. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, illuminating the darkness, bright, vibrant and orange, then white. Minho shielded his eyes but he never relinquished his hold on his mate.

The shouts that he’d shut out previously came roaring back into the room, filling the room like floodwaters from a broken dam.

Minho looked up, his confusion evident as a volley of Fortress Guards rushed into the room. As they fell into an arch formation around Jinki’s bed, The Elder of Prae fell in line. In his hand was a piece of parchment, crumpled in his large hand.  Minho didn’t understand the emotion on his face.

“Kyung. Arrest the Alpha Beta.”

Minho’s eyes widen as he looked from the Elder to a very resigned Kyung, who slowly approached him, a pair of iron restraints in his hand. Minho looked past him only to find that his Bone Pack had appeared and were being held back by the rest of the Fortress Guards. There was something wild in Jonghyun’s eyes as he stared down the sword pointed as his neck.

“We are at war! This is hardly the time for this bull!”

The Elder turned towards the Bone Pack Captain. “Do our laws cease to be laws because another clan has attacked us, Jonghyun? No. Exactly the opposite. It is in the time of war when laws need to be held at even a higher degree!”

“The confidence of the people cannot be compromised in times of war either! You are attacking their leader!”

“Hold your tongue for this is the people’s wish! There is a mob of people outside of the Fortress calling for evidence of this so called,” he glanced at Minho, “crime.”

“You’re going to drag him through a mob?” Yifan countered, his voice horrified.

Changmin sighed. “No.” He pinched the bridge of nose. “The interrogation will be held inside of these gates. I have not proven or disproven his innocence therefore I am not going to put the AlphaBeta’s life…or possible the life of his child at risk. The guards will break up the crowd as well. ” He motioned to the Captain of the Guard. “Place him under arrest. Now.”

Jonghyun must have not accepted that answer because from the bed Minho could see the gold bleeding into his eyes. “Jonghyun. Stand down.”

“I’m not going to let them take you,” he growled, staring down the guard member in front of him. The guard member trembled and Minho saw the same opening Jonghyun could have taken. His throat guard! It leaves him open to a close range attack.

He held up his hand. “No. Think about Kibum, think about your child. Don’t endanger that for me.” He looked at his other Captains, his brother and sister in law, his mother and mother in law. “None of you raise your hand to defend me. This is my cross to carry and I will carry it without endangering the ones who need to be alive to save Prae.”

Minho glanced down at Jinki. His eyes were still closed. He saw no visions of Onew or Caleo. He frowned sadly, his heart breaking. “I’m so sorry…”

Was this the last time he was going to see him? To be near him? Alive? Was this it? He wanted to cry but he blinked his tears away. He had to be strong for Jinki, for Prae.  

Minho looked up and acknowledged Kyung. “I’m ready.”

Don’t.

Jinki froze under the covers, his body tense as the Elder of Prae called for Minho’s arrest.

You’re a fool if you think that I’m going to just sit here and–

Ah. I get it. The difference between the two of you. I mean I get it, like holistically, but to hear your thoughts, to hear how amazingly aggressive and nonlinear your thought pattern is. Amazing. Like a raging fire. Funny considering it is I whose name means fire and–

Caleo.

What?

My mate has just been arrested on High Treason and you–

Oh. That’s right. He has. Don’t move.

Why? Jinki growled.

Because, Caleo stressed. Do you want all of Prae to know you’re awake? Do you want them to know the Apparition Magikus worked? Do you want to ruin your ability to rescues him from the clutches of obligatory evil? I mean Changmin’s okay but still– Caleo hissed.

Jinki grumbled. Caleo was right.

I know I’m right. Just wait until they cart him away. I promise you I know what I’m doing. I promise you the only person I care about is him now that I’ve gotten you all patched up.

Why does my wolf love Minho but you barely tolerate me?

False and we’ll speak on this later. They are gone. Open your eyes. 

Jinki blinked opened his eyes, squinting at the light from the lanterns.

Staring him in the face from the hallways as if she’d seen a ghost was his mother in law.

He held a finger to lips. Her eyes jutted from the guard at the door back to Jinki.

“Is it okay that I take a seat?” Danye said looking inside of Jinki’s healer room. “The events…I’m–I don’t feel so well.”

Jinki saw Taemin squint at Danye’s question. They were all hovering in the hallway, Taeyeon trying to calm the Bone Pack down, Jonghyun most of all. Taemin glanced inside the room and their eyes connected.

Aware now, Taemin rushed to Danye’s side and wrapped a hand around her arm. “You don’t look well. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, seeing your son taken away like that! Let’s get you into a seat.” He began to usher her into the room and the guard looked the two of them before rolling his eyes and thumbing for them to go.

Taemin walked Danye to the side of Jinki’s bed and he positioned himself between the bed and the door.

“Jinki,” she whispered harshly. “You’re awake?”

He nodded, and opened his hand, the crystal lightly pulsing with light.

Danye gasped. “It worked.”

Jinki nodded again. “We gave to get rid of that guard,” he said under his breath. “How many are stationed in the Healer’s Alcove?”

“Just him. There’s another at the main door but he’s one of Kyung’s.”

“Where did they take him?”

“Beam Room,” Taemin answered. “They’ve told us they’ll start the interrogation in the morning. For now, he’s just being held prisoner. It won’t stop them from charging him with high treason.”

Jinki cursed.

“I’m going to handle the guard. Are you able to stand?”

“I’m fine. Once the guard is taken care of, we will come up with a plan.” Jinki carded his hand through his hair. “ing Blood Moon. I have to fight a war on the inside and one on the outside.”

Minho didn’t understand Elder Changmin.

He understood that he’d literally forced Changmin’s hand. The Elder wasn’t being unreasonable or unfair by arresting Minho. Nothing about this was actually surprising. He’d, somehow, always knew it would come to this.

Minho had committed high treason. Minho had been charged with high treason. More than likely Minho would be executed as a traitor.

It all made sense. He understood it. It was devastating and he was terrified but…he understood it.

He still didn’t understand Elder Changmin.

“I thought you said the interrogation was in the morning.”

The Elder held his hands out before folding them together on top of the stone table in the Beam Room. “It is in the morning.”

“Then what is this?”

“One step below an interrogation. Morbid curiosity. See, I don’t have a particularly lenient job, Minho. You two run Prae, however, as an oligarchy. There is flexibility there. Your power represents your right to rule. The Gods ordained the position.”

“Okay…” Minho tried.

“I was placed in this position. Almost forced into it by Yunho. I didn’t have a choice. You did. So maybe I’m about to ask a question you’ve already answered…but why. Why put yourself in this position? Honestly, before you say something about Wheph’s honor…Wheph is a village of thinkers, not necessarily known for its leadership. If you had bowed out of the Blood Moon ceremony I do not believe too many people would have blinked an eye–I would have because…that’s just who I am and maybe Durkhai because they are obsessed with the weakness they perceive in others but you…you know better than to fall into the trap of perceptions. So…tell me why?”

“I can’t answer your questions, Elder. You have to understand my life is at stake and there are things I can or cannot say. ”

“Wheph. The village of intelligence and thinkers. Keep your silence. It is wise. I, on the other hand, shall tell you what I think, then.” Changmin hummed and leaned forward, balancing his chin on his fist. “The Gods ordained this Minho. And I do believe in our Gods and I do believe our Gods make no mistakes. You were meant to be the Alpha Beta. I know that, the Oracles damn sure knew that, Boa knew that…your father would have known that.”

“If that’s what you believe then why are you–“

“Because,” and the Elder leaned farther into Minho’s space. “The words of our Gods are ceremonial. If we actually followed, in complete ordinance, what the Gods wanted, there wouldn’t even be an Alpha-Beta-Omega structure. Sadly, there would be breeders and then there would be non-breeders. Doesn’t go a long way in determining a person’s ability to make a mark on this world, does it? We are shifters of hard heads and even harder egos. We think our laws are above the Gods’ wishes. There isn’t anything I can do about that. If you are indeed an Omega, which will be discovered during the medical interrogation with Gae Shi, then despite your favor with the heavens, you will be subjected to earthly Prae laws. The Gods cannot save you and neither can I.”

Minho crossed his arms. “You’ve done nothing but tell me information I already know,” Minho said dourly, annoyed. “This discussion was fruitless.”

“You think so? Let me try this another way and listen to me carefully. The laws of Prae are the laws of Prae. As I was forced, by duty, to arrest you, those in charge of your interrogation will be forced to condemn you, as they are bound by the laws of Prae.”

“You seem to forget that I am the Alpha Beta of Prae. I know how our laws work.” Minho frowned.

“I’m not challenging your wisdom on Prae laws. I’m challenging something else. Prae may seem like the entire world, but it isn’t. Prae law doesn’t exist outside of Prae.” He drew back, leaning back in his chair for a moment before he stood. He came around the table and put a hand on Minho’s shoulder. “Your father was a good man. He was an honest man. A trusting man.”

He headed towards the door, knocking on it. The door swung open at the guard’s insistence. “I pray his son is as wise as well.”