Daven sat down on his throne, his head propped up by his right arm. His mind swirled with complex thoughts as he tried to think up a way to save the two missing boys. Although he cared less for Mian, his little boy, Flare, and his mate would surely never let him hear the end of it if he dared abandon the weak omega.

He sighed again and ran a hand over his snout. There was a way. But it had been so long since he tried anything like it.

"Daven." His mate's soft voice drifted into his ears. They twitched slightly as he turned over to see Kira looking at him with a concerned expression. When he laid eyes on her pure white fur, he felt a throb of pain as he thought of how disappointed she would be if he saved on Dion, and left Mian to the humans.

"Kira." He held out his hand to Kira. She gingerly took it and sat on the armrest of his throne, her other hand resting on his shoulder. "You are tense." She murmured under her breath as her small hands moved to his shoulders to ease the built up tension that left his muscles bunched up.

"You never came to our chambers." She whispered, her eyes downcast.

"I am trying to avoid running into Flare." He replied, placing his larger hand over her smaller one.

"Then this is the worst place to hide. He could just run by and see you." She smiled slightly, although it was a sad one.

"I know... But I just don't know what to do." The boys were taken by the Henshaw Duchy. They have most likely been kept so they can be used in that disgusting game the humans like to play with their demi-human slaves." Daven's face twisted with disgust when he mentioned the games.

The games had been going on long enough for the demi-humans to get a wind of it. It had increased the tension between them and the humans even more ever since.

Kira grew worried.

"If Mian is put in those barbaric games... The boy won't last." She whispered the last part.

"Don't worry, love. I will handle it." He pulled her close and gave her a kiss. The two of them spent some more time there before returning to their chambers. The moment he stepped into their chambers, he noticed the small yellow pup that was curled up in a corner, a heap of soft furs covering him up.

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Flare was fast asleep, having expended his energy waiting for Daven to return from wherever he was. Daven smiled slightly and walked over to the pup, kneeling by Flare and patting his head. Flare growled lowly before sinking deeper into the furs and covering his head.

"Such a feisty little pup. I'm glad we have him." The patriarch and his mate smile before retreating to their bedroom for the night.

...

"What are we going to do?" Mian asked, fiddling with his thumbs as he kept his gaze fixed to the ground.

"I don't know... Rest. Tomorrow, we will see what the humans will pit us against. Hopefully it won't be too strong." Dion shrugged from his own cot.

Mian sighed and laid down on his side, facing the wall.

"Mian?" Dion whispered hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Mian hummed to show he was listening, bur didn't turn around to face the dark furred boy.

"Um, I'm sorry. If you had not tried to save me back in the forest, you wouldn't be here right now." He clenched his fist in frustration. His thoughts were true. If Mian had been more selfish and not tried to help the person who had shown him kindness, then he would never have been captured by the humans. Dion was sure that he could hold out through the games for some time, at least until help came for him. He was sure that the patriarch would send help, as he was the next in line with the Alpha hormones.

Alpha hormones were a substance that was released by the next Alpha that was destined to lead the pack. Normally, these hormones do not surface until around the age of twenty to twenty five, but for Dion, they had surface just after his eighteenth birthday. The signs were quite easy to spot, as the individual in question would be moodier, and crankier than usual. And aside from that, the present Alpha usually noticed the presence of the hormones as long as the one bearing them came close enough.

"It's fine." Mian turned to face Dion with a tight smile. Although he was smiling, Dion could see the pain in Mian's eyes. The boy himself wasn't sure if he would make it through the game tomorrow.

"Good night." Dion nodded and Mian returned to his position facing the wall with a head full of stray thoughts. He thought of how he would make it through the match they had the next day with a grim look on his face. His capture had completely drained him of all hope. Not even the excitement of his new found abilities was able to cheer him up. After all, what good were the abilities if he was dead?

After a while, Mian finally drifted into a light sleep that was plagued with restlessness and bad omen. He felt ill at ease through it all, occasionally waking up in the middle of the night, panting hard, and eyes wide open with fear. He felt as though a blade hovered over his neck ready to behead him at any moment.

Eventually, morning rolled by and the two boys were woken up by the violent clanging of two metal plates against each other. A stern looking guard went about, walking through the entire hall slowly in order to wake up each and every one of the captives.

Mian sat up and rubbed his sore eyes. Glancing to the side, he saw that Dion was already awake. The two of them looked at each other grimly.

The time had come.