Syri was forced to watch in horror as Seth and Sina charged Aki. The beta looked back and forth from the two alpha siblings as they ran at him with claws bared and eyes red. Shifting into his wolf, Aki evaded Seth's attack and barely tumbled out of the way of Sina's razor-sharp nails. The alphas were quick to regroup and charge Aki once more causing the beta to remain defensive and dodge their attacks as best he could.

Annoyed by the beta's swift means of evading them, Sina shifted into her wolf form before running after Aki with the sole intent of catching him. Mirroring his sister's transformation, Seth also charged Aki as his wolf, forcing the beta to stand his ground and fend off the danger to the best of his ability. Sidestepping Seth, Aki managed to claw the alpha as Black Moon's crown prince rushed past him only for Sina to body slam him and run him into a thick tree.

Taking the beta by the nape of his neck, Sina dug her teeth into Aki's white fur and swung the beta into the air. Aki released a yelp as he landed on the forest floor just a moment before Sina pounced on him in her human form.

"Change!" Sina ordered as she wrapped her fingers around the beta's throat. "It's not as fun to kill a wolf. Change!"

Fearing Sina would order her guards to harm Syri if he did not obey, Aki quickly became human before landing a blow on the princess's nose and kicking the female off him. The back of Aki's neck burned from the bite wound as he stood to his feet and prepared to fight the two alphas hand-to-hand. However, Seth remained a wolf and sat down to watch the show as Sina began circling the beta.

"This is more like it," the princess commented before running at Aki with outstretched claws.

Aki's eyes turned orange as his wolf took over his human form, and he easily evaded Sina's first strike, allowing him to spin behind the alpha and grab her by the hair. Sina released a shriek as Aki pulled down on her hair and strained her neck back before elbowing her in the throat.

"Is this interesting enough?" Aki growled as he tightened his grip in the alpha's hair and raised his clawed hand to finish her off by ripping out her throat when Seth rammed into the beta and sent Aki rolling onto the ground.

Enraged that the beta would have defeated her, Sina pounced on top of the beta and began landing blow after blow. "I can never lose to scum like you!" Sina screeched. "You will regret it."

Twisting her fingers into Aki's hair, Sina turned the beta's face, so he was forced to see his brother kneeling on the ground between two of Black Moon's guards. Leaning down to be close to the beta, Sina whispered, "Your brother is going to watch you die, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. If you want Syri to live, lie completely still and do absolutely nothing."

Sina's words sparked rage in Aki. There was no way he was going down without a fight. He would give his all to protect his brother and refused to be told to lie down and accept his death.

"Fuck you, Sina," Aki growled as he head butted the alpha and tried to wiggle free from Sina's grasp.

But the alpha was quick to recover and grabbed Aki by the throat as she sneered, "I guess you didn't think I was being genuine. Tsk tsk tsk."

Sina's eyes flashed red as she snarled, "Unfortunate for you, I was being one hundred percent honest. And now I have to prove it." Lifting her gaze to one of the guards who was standing by watching the fight, Sina said, "Ganz," in gesture for him to harm the zeta.

Aki's eyes widened as Ganz bowed his head to the princess before walking over to Syri and striking him across the face.

"No, no, no, stop!" Aki cried out as blood oozed from the wound on Syri's temple. Sina raised a brow at the beta's plea but did not stop Ganz as he punched Syri in the gut before releasing his claws and quickly swiping them over the zeta's chest.

Syri clenched his fists as pain washed over him, but he did his best to not release a single cry or grunt. Not wanting Aki to worry about him, Syri managed a stiff smile as he said, "I'm fine, Inso." The blood that filled his mouth, however, alerted Syri that Ganz had dealt some internal damage. So, he swallowed the thick, hot liquid before staring Sina in the eyes and warning, "If you so as touch one more hair on my brother's head, I will kill you."

The determination and hardness in Syri's gaze caused Sina's heart to skip in fear. She had not seen a wolf so intent on making her pay for what she was about to do. But, keeping face was of the utmost importance to Sina, so she quickly put back on her smirk and challenged, "I'd like to see you try. Because I am going to do so much more than just harm his head."

Turning back to the beta beneath her, Sina reiterated the conditions she had provided. "Remember, if you want your brother to live, do...absolutely...nothing."

Ganz remained in front of Syri in threat of fulfilling Sina's order as they awaited Aki's answer. Staring at his brother's bloodied face and chest and knowing he would be unable to fight off two royal alphas as well as numerous Black Moon guards, Aki swallowed dryly before telling the zeta, "Close your eyes, Syri."

Shaking his head frantically, Syri pleaded with his brother. "No, no, no, Inso!" When Aki closed his eyes and let Sina sink her claws into his chest, Syri began screaming and struggling against the guards holding him down. "Watch closely, zeta," Sina said as she sank her claws even deeper. "This is the power of Black Moon."

"No! Stop!!"

The world fell silent as Syri watched Sina jerk Aki's head to the side, exposing the beta's neck. The zeta's vision turned red from the blood that trailed from his wound as Sina sank her teeth into Aki's neck while piercing his heart.

"Inso!" Syri's cry filled the night as Aki's eyes turned back to brown, and he stared up at the treetops.

Tears filled Aki's eyes; he could feel his life leaving him, but there was so much he wanted to say still. He was aware of Sina's teeth and claws in his flesh, but at that moment, he was cold. Too cold to think about the pain that was numbing his entire body. He could see Syri struggling against the guards in his peripheral vision, but Aki's eyes were honed to the tip tops of the trees as they loomed over his body lying still on the forest floor.

Was it worth it? Aki's wolf's voice was tired as it spoke to him. His wolf seemed so far away. It was muffled as if they were underwater. Aki could barely hear it, and it was growing fainter. Aki knew what his wolf was asking. Was it worth it to let Sina pierce his heart to save Syri? Was it worth it to throw away Aki's pride as a beta and future Beta of Eternal Dawn to lie still and allow an alpha to take away his life? Was it all worth it to give his brother even a few more moments of life, a few more moments to gain the chance to escape or the chance to defeat the wicked wolves of Black Moon?

Aki closed his eyes, letting a tear escape his lids. He knew his answer. Mm. It was.

Good. His wolf's voice was barely above a whisper as he responded. Then we have no regrets.

Aki smiled smally in agreement. He had no regrets. He had spent his life searching for his lost brother and was able to give his life to save him. A bright light filled Aki's vision and a weightless sensation covered his body as he felt himself float away. One last tear escaped the beta's eyes as his head rolled to the side, and his spirit left this world. Goodbye, Syri.

"Inso!!" Syri released a blood curdling scream when his brother closed his eyes and lied on the ground unmoving. Sina released a sigh as she lifted her face from Aki's neck, her mouth and chin covered in fresh blood. "I am going to kill you. I am going to kill all of you!" Syri's face contorted into one of rage as he glared at the female sitting on top of his brother's body.

Flames engulfed the surrounding trees as Syri cried out into the night. Tears stained his cheeks and blurred his reddened vision, and the heat from the flames only increased as Syri became filled with loss and anger. "None of you shall leave here alive." The voice that spoke was Syri and Aska's combined, and the zeta's eyes glowed a fierce aqua as he lifted his head and commanded the flames to aid him in his fight.

The Zeta had awakened.

"Wha-what are you?" Sina asked in horror as she stared at the flames surrounding her in shock. Seth changed back to his human form and came to stand beside his sister while San struggled to drag an unconscious Reem away from the danger of the flames that were quickly growing.

Clenching his fists, Syri called upon the flames to engulf those who bound him down, and the guards pinning him to the ground erupted into fire. Standing to his feet, Syri stared Sina in the eyes as he advanced toward her.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, please spare me," Sina whimpered as the zeta neared her. Syri's aqua eyes glared at the alpha mercilessly; he had no kindness to spare for the one who took his brother from him. Realizing her trick for sympathy was not going to work, Sina resumed her scowl and charged the zeta. "I guess I'll just have to kill you, too!" The alpha snarled as she raised her clawed hand.

Lifting his hand, Syri caught Sina's wrist as she attempted to slice his throat. Surprised by the zeta's strength, Sina's jaw opened slightly as she stared at Syri's solemn face. "What did I say would happen if you hurt my brother?" Syri questioned the alpha as he tightened his grip around her wrist, cracking her bones.

"Where did you get this strength?" Sina asked between breaths of pain as she tried to jerk her wrist out from Syri's grasp. "You were supposed to be weak."

"Why did you have to kill him?" Syri asked, ignoring Sina's meaningless comments about his sudden strength. "WHY?! Why must you be so cruel?" Tears dripped from Syri's blood-stained face as he tried to wrap his head around the evil that possessed Sina. "He did nothing to you, and yet you so viciously stole away his life."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Sina taunted. The zeta had stood still after shattering her wrist, so the alpha was taking that as her opportunity to ask a question that would catch the zeta off-guard and then strike.

However, Syri's response caused the blood to drain from Sina's face. "I will extend the same courtesy to you as you showed my brother."

Locking eyes with Sina, Syri blocked the alpha's kick before raising his flame-covered hand and thrusting it into Sina's chest, piercing her heart. A shriek flew into the night as Sina's heart stopped pounding, and her last breath left her body.

The adrenaline began to recede as Sina's body fell to the ground. Turning his tear-filled gaze to Aki's form on the ground, Syri sank to his knees and lifted Aki's head to rest in his lap. "Inso...Inso!" Syri did not stop the tears that flowed down his face as he cradled his brother's head.

The flames continued to engulf the trees, and soon fire-covered leaves began flying toward the ground, filling the scene with a flaming rain. A howl rang into the night as Seth pulled a dagger from one of his guard's bodies. Syri looked in the direction of the howl as the alpha prince stumbled over to the zeta. Caught in the flames, half of Seth's body was currently burning, but he was bent on avenging his sister before leaving to join her in hell.

Syri was too distracted by the howl that he did not sense the alpha slowly approaching him with the hot blade in his hands. The zeta kept his head turned toward the fire-filled forest as he heard another howl.

Jae...?