Syri sat up straight as Aki's words echoed through his mind. The zeta's heart pounded in his chest, and a sinking feeling entered his gut. Something's wrong. Aki would not contact me like that without explaining.

Frantically throwing back the covers and running out of Jae's chambers, Syri tried over and over to contact the beta. Aki Inso! Inso, can you hear me?! Inso! Answer me, please! Aki!!

Running to the adjacent corridor, Syri banged on the door to Yejin and Estan's room. "Estan Inso!"

The pann, who had been standing guard outside Jae's chamber, came to a stop a few paces behind the zeta. Syri paced back and forth in the corridor as he caught his breath and waited for the gamma to respond.

After a few moments, the door opened, and a worried gamma exited. "Syri, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I can't reach Aki Inso," Syri said with wet eyes. "He told me that the one who attacked the border is Black Moon, and I haven't been able to contact him since. He was scared, Inso. I don't know what happened."

Realizing the situation, Estan quickly set his arms on Syri's shoulders to steady the frantic zeta. "I will contact Yejin and see if they've heard anything. Are you sure he said it was Black Moon?"

"Ae, it was clear as day," Syri confirmed. Aki's words had been burned into his mind. He doubted if he would ever be able to forget the urgency and fear in his brother's voice.

"Those bastards." Estan's brows furrowed, and a low growl escaped his throat. Syri had not seen the gamma so upset before. "I'll relay this to Yejin. For now, tell the Prime Luna of this," the gamma suggested. "Also, be careful no matter where you are. There's no telling what those murderous wolves are up to. If they went after Aki, they may come for you, too."

Syri nodded in agreement before turning to go relay the news to Armina. Hearing Estan's warning, Haikon and Xander came to stand in front of the zeta while Brenton and Reem brought up the rear. The four remained in this protective formation all the while Syri made his way through the palace and to the corridor that housed the Prime Luna's study. As Syri was making his way down the hallway and to Armina's study, a boy who worked in the palace came running up to the zeta.

Stopping, Syri watched as the boy bowed to him before handing him an envelope. "This just came for you, Ante Luna," the boy said as Syri accepted the envelope.

"Who was the sender?" Syri inquired as he turned the envelope to look at the cover.

The boy's face took on a small frown, and he looked to the ground. "Some man came to the door and asked for this to be delivered to the Ante Luna. I do not know who he was, though. Apologies, Ante Luna."

"That's fine. Thank you." Syri quickly smiled at the boy and thanked him for the delivery. After watching the boy run off down the corridor, Syri opened the envelope and withdrew the letter that was held within. The zeta's eyes widened when he saw the wax seal that was stamped onto the letter. It was the seal of Black Moon!

Briskly walking to the nearest window, Syri opened the letter and read it beneath the moon's silver light. The contents were as such:

Dear Zeta Syri of Eternal Dawn,

Please accept this invitation to dine with alpha Seth, Crown Prince of Black Moon, in two night's time. You are to come alone should you choose to accept. The subject of the dinner will be your betrothal to the Crown Prince and a welcome ceremony into Black Moon as its Ante Luna. You have been chosen to be Seth's mate due to your abilities as zeta. Together, you and Seth will make an unstoppable Alpha/Luna pair and will aid greatly in Black Moon's success.

Alpha Greem has given his approval, so do not tally! You are to wed Seth on the third day that follows the dinner. All preparations have been made, so please rest easy that you will not have to lift a finger regarding this matter. Do not inform anyone of this letter and its contents if you wish for beta Aki to be spared. Aki of Eternal Dawn will be making a special appearance at the dinner. Your attendance is greatly encouraged for the well-being of the dinner's guest.

Best Wishes to our Ante Luna,

Pack of Black Moon

Tears of fury stained the paper in Syri's hands as he read the horrendous letter. The zeta's eyes moved back and forth rapidly as he digested what had happened in the past ten minutes. Firstly, Aki had contacted frantically before going silent and has now been captured by Black Moon who was responsible for the slaughter on the border. Secondly, Black Moon is holding Aki hostage in exchange for Syri's hand in marriage to its crown prince, Seth. Thirdly, according to the hints given in the letter, Black Moon plans to use Syri to expand its reach and dominate the wolf world.

How could people like this exist? No, they are not people; they're not even werewolves. They are monsters. Monsters who wish for nothing more than power and control. Syri's body filled with rage at the audacity of Black Moon. He was so enthralled in his anger that he did not realize how tightly he was gripping the paper in his hands.

"What is the matter?" Reem's calm voice brought Syri's attention to the rho who had come to stand next to him. The pann looked down at the zeta's grip of steel around the letter and back up at Syri's tear-stained cheeks. "Is there anything I can do?"

Reem's offer warmed Syri's heart. He did not want to drag innocents into this issue, but he knew he would need all the help he could get if he wanted to rescue his brother. So, even though he hated it, Syri asked, "How much are you willing to do for me?"

Reem was silent for a moment as he digested Syri's inquiry. "I swore to protect you with my life," Reem began after a moment. "If my life is enough, then I would gladly give it to aid you."

Fresh tears rolled down Syri's cheeks at the rho's promise. Extending his arm, Syri offered the letter to the pann and allowed Reem to read its contents. Reem remained calm as he read the threatening message. The mask hid his expressions, but Syri could not sense any reactions or signs of being affected by Black Moon's disgusting proposition.

Once he was done reading the letter, Reem handed it back to Syri and said, "I suggest you do not show this to anyone other than Breton, Haikon, Xander, and me. The one who delivered this is likely lingering around the palace, and word of you leaking the contents could be deadly for beta Aki." Brenton stepped forward and accepted the letter from Syri to read while Reem continued, "The deliverer from Black Moon is wearing moonflower. The only scent I can detect from the letter is the boy's. It will be impossible to track down the deliverer now, and we do not have much time to lose."

"The letter states the dinner is two nights from now. That means you will have to leave now to make it in time," Reem said as Brenton passed the letter to Xander to read. "They are betting on you following their orders exactly as they have been laid out, but they do not know that four pann have been sent to protect you."

Haikon accepted the letter from Xander as Reem added, "I know you are not considering going through with their plan, but if you did, it would bring about a war that will not end until Black Moon has pillaged and razed the other packs to the ground. And knowing Black Moon, the moment you are marked and mated by Seth, Aki will be killed."

Syri shut his eyes as he heard Reem's words. He knew the rho was right. Even if he went through with Black Moon's plans to save Aki, he would end up losing everyone in the end...everyone. Taking a deep breath, Syri opened his wet eyes and looked at the rho. "What do you propose?"

Reem waited for a moment to make certain the zeta was ready to hear what he would suggest them to do. "You will ride out alone in exactly twenty minutes. The deliverer will be waiting to ensure you have departed before running ahead to relay the news and prepare to welcome you to Black Moon. Brenton, Xander, Haikon, and I will follow shortly after."

"Once you arrive, follow everything they do and keep asking about your brother. They probably have him under the influence of perliph so that he can't contact anyone. This is why you will need to confirm Aki's well-being when he makes his special appearance. Once you are certain he is alive, excuse yourself saying you are unwell and tired from the sudden journey. We will have staked out the dinner by this time and will be monitoring where they bring Aki. Once the night settles down and Black Moon thinks their plan is going proceeding without a hitch, we will extract you and Aki before returning to Crimson Night."

Syri remained silent as he digested the plan. Haikon looked up from the letter and returned it to Syri. The three pann were invested in the rescue mission and were willing to give their all to save Aki and stop Black Moon from forcing Syri to mate its crown prince and eventually dominate the five packs.

"What do you say?" Reem asked after giving Syri a moment to think it over. "Shall we break up this dinner they so want?"