Rise of the Dark Alpha

~ SASHA ~

They stood there together in the Gateway, staring deeper into the indigo tunnel, and Sasha felt like something had been stolen from her.

"Are you sure?" she murmured.

Zev demonstrated again, calling for different places or times they'd been before, then for something they knew was in the future, and always, the Gateway darkened.

She couldn't resist it. She hated it. Felt that her hope had been stolen. But she knew there was no point fighting it because they couldn't change it.

"You're right, Zev. You're right," she said sadly when he offered to try again. "Let's... let's go home."

She turned around to the gateway at their back that they'd never stepped away from, but Zev caught her.

"Just wait, just a second," he murmured. Then he looked at the Gateway again. "Take us back after Nick has left Thana," he said clearly. But once again, the gateway was dark, not even lit up under their feet.

Sasha sighed. "He hasn't gone yet."

"I didn't really think he would have. But I wanted to check," Zev said. "Let's go home."

Sasha nodded, and the slick stone—or whatever it was—under their feet lit up as they turned and stepped back through.

To Sasha, stepping back into that cave felt suddenly very dark, and very cold.

They hadn't let go of each other. But when they go through, he folded her into his chest and they held each other for a long time.

Sasha fought tears—she was so sick of feeling sad and angry and just defeated. She'd been so certain she had the answer to this!

It was the biggest sense of an anti-climax she'd ever felt as they finally pulled away from each other and started on their way out of the cave.

Thana remained cold and beautiful and... not where she wanted to be. Blinking back tears as a cold wind blew up—as if the land had felt her sadness and chill and given it voice—she stepped out of the cave and onto the trail back to the village. But they'd barely gone down and around the curve towards the valley floor when Zev grabbed her arm.

"We can't let Nick know we're still here. He'll think we were lying about everyone else leaving."

Sasha immediately realized he was right. Wiping her face to rid herself of the last of the frustrated tears, she looked up at him. "Where should we go?"

Zev looked around, his face pensive. "I'll shift and run you through the trees. There's a place I know that will give us a view of the cave mouth—we need to know when he's gone and I can't communicate with Ernie in the mind link. Or I can take you to the City and just patrol, in case he does get brave. I don't' think he will. I think he'll be figuring out what to do whether we were lying or not. And once he does... he'll leave. He heard you about the bruises. He'll want to use that."

But if he does, they'll come back here, guns blazing!" Sasha said nervously.

Zev nodded. "We've got no choice, Sash. We're going to have to hide from them and hope that with just two of us they won't catch the signs. They really are quite sight blind. Even their tech doesn't do as well as a good scent. We'll have to be careful to stay out of their way. They can find us with their drones if they're really determined. But I think once they accept that the Chimeran population is gone, they'll just leave. I mean... what do they have here without us? Nothing."

Sasha hoped he was right. "Okay, but I think we should stay out of the City and the village until we're certain he's gone. I just don't want to risk anything."

Zev agreed. He looked like he was about to step away and shift, but instead he leaned down, cupping her face, and kissed her.

"We can do this," he murmured. "We can do this, Sash. It's a delay, not the end. We'll go into the gateway every fucking day if we have to until we can reach him. Just... don't give up, okay?"

"I'm not!" she exclaimed, feeling guilty suddenly for her self-pity when he was heartbroken about this as well. "I'm sorry, Zev. You're right. It's just time. We just have to wait. We'll get him. We will."

Zev nodded and kissed her one more time, then he shifted then and she crawled onto his back again, suddenly utterly exhausted. As he darted through the trees, she was grateful to hide her face in his ruff and hold him tightly. But she was so tired, too. All she wanted to do was crawl into the furs with him and sleep until they could get their son.

But she knew it wasn't going to be like that.

Gone would be the conveniences of the city and the population around them who served their Alphas. Gone would be the warmth and friendship of their friends.

They were alone.

Sasha almost laughed. Under different circumstances she would have been ecstatic. Two months alone with Zev in a beautiful land with no interruptions? She couldn't think of anything better.

But deep in her gut curled a twist of fear.

The humans weren't going to take this lying down. They likely had only hours until the danger arrived at their doorstep.

She curled her fists even tighter into Zev's fur and held on to him. It was instinct. No matter where she was, or what storm she faced, it was always him that she wanted close. His strength she trusted. His smile she sought for comfort.

Which quickly reminded her of his words.

He was right. They would do this. They would succeed. The Creator had answered their prayers about being able to get through the Gateway together. When the time came, that would be invaluable. Why would He have given them that if He didn't intend for them to succeed?

The thought was niggling, but as much with encouragement as fear.

She couldn't know the future. She couldn't know the danger that was coming. But she could know for certain that she was with her mate. That their hearts were aligned, and their goals. And that they would both do everything in their power to save their son.

Or die trying.