The next lucid memory Donghyuck had was waking up inside of an unfamiliar bedroom, his hands bound to the bed frame behind him.
For a split second, he wondered if he had traveled back in time, if he was transported back to when he was held captive in Mark's palace when he first arrived in this stupid place, but once his brain was fully awake and caught up, he remembered the true reason he was here.
They had arrived at the neighboring palace, and Donghyuck had been in the worst of another one of his pre-heat fits. He remembered being in Mark's lap, being pushed away from Mark, and then eventually being dragged into the palace as he screamed and cried out for Mark to save him. He remembered fighting the nurses, thrashing as they tied his wrists to the bed and trying to kick them away, and then he remembered them giving him some sort of sedative that knocked him out.
A myriad of different emotions crashed over him at once. He was humiliated, for how he had acted in front of Mark and all of the other guards, and how he had completely lost control of himself and his instincts to such an extent. He was scared, being restrained once again in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar palace, especially while he was in one of his most vulnerable states as an omega. He was mad at the nurses for using force against him, he was mad at Mark for not helping him and allowing him to be tied up again, and now more than ever... he felt homesick. He desperately wanted to just go back to his tiny college dorm, where his heat suppressant pills were waiting for him in the medicine cabinet, and his bedroom was already prepared to accommodate for his needs. He tugged at the ropes miserably, trying to free himself, and he felt tears of frustration pool in his eyes as he realized that he wasn't even free to make himself a nest that could help him feel more comfortable in this unfamiliar bedroom.
"Hello?" He called out, continuing to tug at the ropes that confined him even if it was fruitless. "Hello? I'm awake now, can somebody please come and untie me?"
Silence. Donghyuck groaned, thunking his head back against the headboard. He turned his attention to examining the knots in the fabric binding his wrists, trying to determine if any of them were loose enough that he could use his teeth to untie it, when suddenly the bedroom door swung open.
He squeaked, startling a little, but when he looked up he just saw Mark standing in the doorway, looking worried and apologetic. Donghyuck's own reaction to seeing the king confused even himself, his anger for the alpha still simmering under his skin, but he also couldn't deny the wave of relief that crashed over him at seeing a familiar face.
"Donghyuck," Mark breathed, slowly approaching the bedside, "are you alright? How are you feeling?"
Donghyuck scoffed, pointedly looking at the silk around his wrists. "If you're asking about my pre-heat, then I feel fine, I don't have symptoms right now. As for being tied up, however... I'm starting to lose feeling in my hands, and I'm not too thrilled at having to be restrained again like some sort of kinky prisoner."
Mark flushed a little, looking sheepish as he scratched at the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Donghyuck. You know we had no choice... you were hysteric, we wouldn't have been able to get you in here safely otherwise."
"You certainly didn't seem to be interested in trying any other method," Donghyuck sneered, "I was reacting well to you, you could've at least tried to help."
Mark's jaw clenched, and he let out a long, deep sigh. "Do you seriously think I wasn't trying to help you? If I had gotten even five feet closer to you when you were in that state, there would be a mating bite on your neck. I did what was best for you, believe it or not."
Donghyuck went red in the face at the realization, but he still couldn't back down. Even if his relationship with Mark had improved, being tied up was putting him in a bad mood, and Mark was the only person around to take it out on.
"Oh come on, alphas are so dramatic. There's no way being around an omega in pre-heat can be that hard, you're just weak and have no self control."
Something in Mark's eyes darkened in a way Donghyuck had never seen before, his scent spiking with something thick and unfamiliar. He had never felt fear in front of the king before, but he felt his breath hitch as Mark leaned down close to his face, his expression completely unrecognizable.
"I have no self control? Who was the one rutting down into my lap and begging for my knot earlier?"
Donghyuck flushed, his mouth going dry as his stomach pooled with heat. Maybe he should have known better than to poke the sleeping bear—he had no idea that his pre-heat hormones had already affected Mark's temperament so much.
When Donghyuck gave him no answer, Mark just scoffed, grabbing the omega's jaw and tilting his face upwards. "You don't think it's difficult, huh? You don't think it's hard for me to hold back when you're all over me, begging for me to touch you, with tears in those pretty doe eyes and your little hands all over my chest?"
"Mark..." he croaked out, his breathing coming out in short gasps. Something about Mark's words, their current position, and even the fact that his hands were tied, was setting off something inside of him that he wasn't even aware of before. Once again, it felt like his whole body had been lit on fire, and he was certain Mark could smell his arousal judging by the way he smirked and pushed forward.
"You don't think it's hard to resist when the prettiest boy I've ever seen is throwing himself at me, putting my hands on his body and pleading with me to give him what he wants?"
Mark slowly crawled over him, looming above him in a way that made Donghyuck's stomach churn with desperation. The closer the king got, the more his scent suffocated him and filled his senses, heavy with Mark's own arousal. The omega shuddered, the warmth in his body starting to overtake him again as he bared his neck and opened his body to Mark, inviting him.
"You just want me to lose control, don't you omega?"
When Donghyuck's scent spiked in interest, Mark chuckled lowly and leaned in closer. "Yeah? That's what you want? You want me to stop resisting and just give in, give you exactly what you need?"
"Please," Donghyuck breathed, his brain already completely clouded over, "alpha, please."
Mark was so close that Donghyuck could feel his warm breath fan against his face. He tilted his head up, moving closer and closer as he desperately tried to close the distance and—
"Your Majesty!" John called frantically, suddenly bursting in through the doorway. Donghyuck jumped in surprise, but Mark didn't pay him any attention, just grabbed the back of Donghyuck's head and brought his neck up to his mouth. The omega closed his eyes and arched into his touch, waiting for the sharp pain of a mating bite, but then John was grabbing Mark by both of his arms and shoving him off of Donghyuck, pushing him down onto the floor.
"Who the hell let him come in here unsupervised? Are you all out of your god damn minds?" John barked into the hallway, yanking Mark up off the floor and pushing him towards the doorway. The king struggled, trying to fight against John's grip to get back to the omega, but it was useless—John's strength overpowered him easily, no one was a match for the alpha captain.
"Alpha, no... don't leave again, I need you," Donghyuck sobbed, writhing on the bed and tugging at his own restraints. Mark let out a pained sound of his own and fought against John with more vigor, but the captain easily resisted and just shoved the king out of the room unceremoniously.
Slamming the door shut behind him, John grabbed the alpha king's wrist firmly and dragged him down the hallway. Mark fought him the whole way like a petulant child, but John still easily succeeded in shoving him back into his quarters and immediately slammed him against the wall, shaking his shoulders and staring down at the king with his eyes narrowed.
"Snap out of it!" John hissed, waiting as the stunned king recovered his senses and looked up at him in anger.
"Captain, what the hell do you think you're doing right now?"
"I'm saving your fucking ass, Mark," John gritted out. The use of his real name instead of his title was enough to shock the king into silence, and John used it as an opportunity to continue. "You were inches away from giving him a mating bite. Do you not understand the consequences of mating someone spontaneously during heat or rut? Do you have any idea what would have happened if I hadn't been there to stop you?"
"I..." Mark hesitated, the hormones that had been driving his actions moments before slowly starting to fade away now that he was no longer surrounded by Donghyuck's scent. The fog in his mind started to clear, and his initial anger that he had felt at John ripping him away from his omega was slowly fading into embarrassment, and he came to the mortifying realization that he had lost control and nearly caused a disaster.
"I'm sorry," was all he could mutter, slumping back against the wall as the energy in his body slowly drained out of him. "I'm sorry, John. I wasn't thinking straight, his scent got to me and I... I'm sorry."
John sagged in relief, the fight draining out of his muscles as well. He released his grip on Mark's shoulders and took a step back. "I'm glad you realize, Your Majesty. I was worried that it would take longer for you to come back to your senses."
Mark inhaled a shaky breath, wrapping his arms around his torso self consciously. The humiliation of having to be physically stopped by another alpha—his Captain, no less—was making his body feel uncomfortably warm.
"You could get in trouble for that, you know," Mark mumbled quietly, trying to subtly pivot the topic of conversation, "for tackling me like that and physically dragging me away. I don't know how the other servants reacted, or if they've started any rumors about you being disrespectful or a traitor."
"I'm aware," John sighed, raking a hand through his hair, "I know I'm not supposed to think this way as a loyal soldier of the crown, but... you are my friend first, before anything. You are my king, but first and foremost you will always be my best friend. I would rather be executed for treason than have to sit back and watch you ruin your own life because I don't have enough authority to stop you."
Mark bit his lip, looking away from John. He felt overwhelmed with gratitude, and he was ashamed that he kept causing John to worry about him and having to risk his own status just to help him. "Thank you, John. You are my best friend too, before you are my captain. I truly don't know what would become of me if I didn't have you."
John let out a sharp laugh. "Without me, you would be mated to an omega who has no desire to be here, and would surely hate you and resent you for the rest of his life for taking advantage of him in his most vulnerable state."
Mark winced, letting out a nervous chuckle of his own. "Right... yes, thank you for stopping me. I suppose I shouldn't speak to him alone until his heat has passed."
"Good idea, Your Majesty. Why didn't I think of that?" John drawled sarcastically, a grin playing at the corners of his lips, "I can't believe the servants let you enter alone. If I hadn't been able to catch your scent from the hallway, we would have had a huge problem on our hands."
"Yes, well... luckily you were there to stop me, and now we don't have to worry about it," Mark mumbled. John continued to grin at him for a moment before it slowly slipped off his face, his expression shifting into something more serious.
"Actually, Your Majesty, now that I have you alone... there's something I've been meaning to speak to you about."
Mark straightened, instantly alert. "What is it, Captain?"
"I received a letter earlier today about a lead on the alpha spy in the palace. Based on the investigations, we've been led to believe that there's not just one alpha working with the Red Moon, but two."
Mark's blood ran cold, looking up at John in shock. "Two of them? Do you think there's more?"
"Right now it appears unlikely that there are more than two alphas involved, but it is still a possibility we must keep in mind," John said solemnly. Mark sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
"Do we have any names for either of them yet?"
"My soldiers at the palace strongly believe that one of them is Choi Suho, one of the lower ranked guards. They'll take him into custody as soon as they receive substantial evidence to convict him."
Mark nodded slowly, looking up and urging John to continue. John shifted uncomfortably, looking hesitant.
"As for the second alpha... my soldiers are saying that it's possible that he's one of the guards we brought with us on our travels."
Mark's heart dropped to his feet. "What? You mean that traitor is here with us? With complete access to Donghyuck to do god knows what?"
John pursed his lips and sighed. "It is lucky that we are here in the palace. I fear that if the traitor really is among our crew, he would have tried to take the opportunity to assassinate the Queen while he's defenseless and in heat, in his most vulnerable state."
"He still might," Mark hissed, suddenly growing panicked, "what if he tries to sneak into the heat room and kill Donghyuck? What if... what if he takes advantage of him beforehand, what if he defiles his body and then takes his life and all the while I'm in my room completely unaware and unable to save him—"
"Your Majesty," John cut in quickly, taking Mark by the shoulders and interrupting his spiral, "take a deep breath. You're working yourself up into a frenzy, Your Grace, you need to calm down."
Mark exhaled shakily, looking up at John with his eyes wide in alarm. "Captain... I can't let anything happen to him. If something bad happened to Donghyuck because of me, because I wasn't there to protect him... I don't know what I would do with myself."
"I know, I understand. Nothing bad is going to happen to him, okay? The both of us are here to make sure of it," John soothed, gently patting Mark's shoulder. The king let out a shuddering sigh and nodded.
"The alpha spy would be a fool to try and do anything to His Highness while we're here in the palace. If we were still on the road, he might have been able to get away with it, but here there is a staff of around a hundred servants looking after the Queen at all times. Jeno and I will personally be keeping watch outside of his bedroom door for all four days of the heat. The palace guards and nurses are thoroughly trained and prepared to keep him safe while he's in this state. You have nothing to worry about, okay? Everything will be alright."
Mark tried to get himself to relax, little by little. Everything will be okay, he tried to reassure himself, in an attempt to calm his inner alpha from wanting to run back to Donghyuck's room and stay with him so that he could protect him. Everything will be fine. I trust John, John will take care of him for me.
"Okay," he murmured finally, sagging against John's hold, "there's no one I trust more than you, John. I believe you'll keep him safe."
"Of course I will. You have no reason to worry, Your Majesty. Your top priority is to stay in your room for the four days and purge any heightened alpha instincts Donghyuck may have activated in you."
Mark winced and nodded reluctantly. Purging his alpha instincts really meant going through a mini rut, where he locked himself in his room and got himself off through waves of lingering desire in order to prepare himself to see the omega again post heat without having the urge to pounce on him as soon as he could get his hands on him.
"Alright. I will put his care in your hands, John... please take care of him, make sure he makes it through his heat safely."
John nodded seriously, clapping a hand against Mark's shoulder firmly in reassurance. Mark bit his lip and tried not to let his anxiety consume him.
The next four days were going to be a challenge, for all of them.