"You know, this place is smaller than I thought it'd be," Callow said to his friend. They were near the front of the group as they entered the Unclaimed's main town. "Their territory is of decent size, but there's only one city. If you can even call it that, that is."

Evander jabbed his elbow into Callow's side. "Quiet, Cal."

"What? I'm not being disrespectful or anything. I'm just a bit underwhelmed for a pack that's so secretive."

Ev dug his elbow deeper into his friend's side, causing the other to grunt in pain. Unfortunately for him, however, that didn't deter Cal in the slightest.

"Hey, we have a few minutes until the real introductions start, right? I bet we can breeze through this town and do a little sightseeing—"

"No."

"Oh, come on!" Cal grinned. "You can't tell me you're not curious as well."

"But we were instructed to stay within our pack until everything is explained," Ev tried to reason, but he knew when his foolish friend put his mind to something, Cal would fulfill it with or without him.

"They won't notice if we leave now. Come on, just a short walk. Either that or I'll go by my—"

"Let's do this quickly," Ev cut in, grabbing Cal's arm to slow down, eventually ending up at the back of the line and slipping out of sight.

"You don't need to cut me off every time..." It didn't take long for Cal to perk up again, taking the lead and squeezing through the alley. "See? This side of the street is adjacent to the one we were on. As long as we follow this, we can meet up with the rest of them without a problem."

That did not happen.

The town was beautiful; neither of them could deny it. It was certainly cozier than their mountain homes where everything had to be made of stone to withstand the winter winds and summer storms. Why they had to live in such a temperamental climate, he didn't know, but the peace that the woodlands brought made Ev smile a bit.

They followed the street alright, walking past little wooden shops and lime-washed buildings, but when they tried to rejoin their pack, they found that the other side of the buildings wasn't the same at all.

Thus, they were very lost.

"Maybe we can ask someone for directions?" Cal suggested nervously, running his hand through his dark brown hair.

"And give away that we aren't supposed to be here while we're at it." Ev shook his head. They made it so far by acting like they were meant to be there, but even he knew that would only work in a market like the one they just exited. Now, it appeared they were in a more residential area, and not a soul was to be seen. "But I don't think we have much of a choice. We might as well get this over with."

"If we can find anyone..." Cal mumbled, but at that moment, something caught his eye.

In one of the spaces in between houses, they saw a young man around their age turn the corner, heading to the back with an armful of utensils. He had long black hair tied back in a low ponytail and appeared to have just finished cleaning up breakfast. Both alphas paused as they waited to see if the young man would reappear. It only took a minute for the young man to reemerge, but this time he had spotted them. Cal took this as an invitation and immediately approached him.

"Hello! Thank goodness someone's still around." Cal didn't seem to notice the young man take a few steps back. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but we're a bit lost, you see—"

As soon as Cal's was within five feet of the other, the young man bared his canines as a warning. Ev, realizing that they were crossing many boundaries, grabbed Cal's arm and jerked him back. It was at that moment when they noticed several things about the young man in front of them. First was the scent, one that was faint but didn't belong to either of the alphas. It smelled like freshly picked apples but had a few sour notes of distress. Second, the young man was only wearing a loose undershirt, exposing a plethora of old bite scars that spanned the back of his neck and left shoulder. Ev recognized the vulnerability of the man in front of him and pulled Cal back even further to give the other some space.

They had just invaded an omega's home. And neither of them knew what to say.

"You aren't supposed to be here," Zhain stated sharply when the two alphas said nothing. It took everything in him to not cover his scars. He was not ashamed of them, but it was another thing altogether when two strangers kept glancing at them. He wasn't fully dressed. He was unarmed. If they had met under any other circumstance where his title held weight, he might've been able to look them in the eyes. But in the state he was now, he kept his glare low and his guard up.

Without a doubt, Zhian knew they were part of the Firstdawn Pack. It wasn't hard for him to deduce for one, they were of his age and obviously either Etas or Upsilons yet he had seen neither of their faces before, and two, the fact that the Firstdawn Crest shone proudly one the blond one's scabbard, and three, they were both armed in the Unclaimed's residential area, where it is asked that only daggers and knives are to be carried around unless they were heading further into the village.

"I'm sorry, we don't mean to intrude," the one who restrained the first said. He then stepped forward towards Zhian, holding his hand up as if trying to pacify a frightened animal. Zhian didn't know if he wanted to laugh or sneer at the action. "We're visitors from the Firstdawn Pack and got separated from the group. Can you help us?"

Now Zhian definitely wanted to laugh at the alphas. Did they think he was stupid? Unless they were just that incompetent—and to the sky above he hoped they weren't—he knew it was more likely that they wandered on their own.

He wasn't needed till later at the official introduction ceremony, which was to start very soon. Father and Soleva already knew he would be arriving late, but someone needed to clean up after breakfast. It was usually him and Father who did breakfast so Mother and the twins were able to leave for work and school on time, but this time he was alone due to the Firstdawn Pack's arrival.

And that was when Zhian had an idea. The Unclaimed Pack had rules for a reason; he was not about to let a couple of alphas disregard them.

Zhian willed himself to lose the tenseness in his shoulders, and he saw the alphas do the same in response. Good. Lead them into a false sense of security. "If you're willing to wait a few minutes, I'll be heading there myself. I just need to put on proper attire."

The brunet one lit up and nodded immediately. "Thank you! And take all the time you need."

"Well, we are in a little bit of a hurry..." The blond gulped as Zhian set a disapproving gaze on him. If Zhian weren't already late as well, he would've taken his time on purpose in spite.

"I don't think you're in a position making requests," Zhian said anyway before disappearing back into his house.

It only took around ten minutes for him to be ready, even including the more decorative aspects of his formal attire. He did, however, purposefully keep the lace that tightened his collar loose. It was a statement to his testament, that he was not ashamed of his past. Next was leather bracers and chestpiece, one that proudly held the symbol of the Unclaimed Pack at the shoulder. It was only when he had finished pulling his hair up properly—still the usual ponytail with two braids at the sides—did he grab his sword and exit the home, still adjusting the harness strapped across his chest.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said insincerely while sliding his sword smoothly into the sheath on his back. Zhian would be lying if he said he didn't feel deep satisfaction at the bewildered and surprised looks on the alphas' faces. "I may be able to get you through the back of the ceremony hall, but there are no guarantees."

"That's alright. Thank you again for your help," the blond said before offering a small bow. "My name is Evander Greydawn, by the way. And this is Callow Harden."

Ah, so the Firstdawn Alpha's own son is sneaking off with his less-than-aware friend, Zhian thought to himself.

"Zhian." He only offered an inclination of his head low enough to be vaguely respectful.

Without another word, he brushed past them—notes of cinnamon and hot apple cider tickling his nose—and started walking down the road that led to the ceremony hall. And yes, the two alphas behind him were in for a rude awakening for who he was.

Can I get an L in the comments (and a vote :3) for Ev and Cal? Poor alphas got caught by the wrong omega XD.