Rise of the Dark Alpha

~ SASHA ~

It made sense when she put it all together. The way Zev had always been vague about the "little town" he was from. It explained why he'd insisted he couldn't show her the way there. The way she'd wondered how these incredible people—shapeshifters—could exist without being discovered by hunters, or drones, or helicopters.

If she'd thought about it deeply she would have assumed the scientists that made Zev were government agents and that this place they called "Thana" was on some government base, under a no-fly zone, or something.

But after Kyelle left, she'd sat on the platform outside the door and talked to Yhet for almost an hour.

The reason Zev had given her something to make her sleep for the travel wasn't to hide the location, exactly, though she supposed it served that purpose too. According to Yhet—who had been to the "human world" as they called it—crossing the gateway was a unique kind of challenge. It took a single-mindedness and self-discipline that could be risky for some. By carrying her across when she was asleep, Zev had not only avoided Sasha learning where the Gateway was on her side. But he'd also removed the risk that she would create danger by being distracted once she was within the gate.

"Distracted by what?" she asked.

"The Gate isn't just a doorway, as you would think of it, Sasha. It is a… world of its own. And it offers you the opening to many other worlds. Many options," Yhet said with a sigh. "If you don't keep your mind on the one place you desire, you can end up being sucked into somewhere else. And not all the worlds are safe. Zev was protecting you. I'm certain he would have told you. He didn't expect to be cast out as soon as he arrived."

"And I didn't expect to get taken to an alternate universe!" Sasha snapped, "so I guess all of us are dealing with disappointment right now!"

"Yes, yes, of course you are. It's been a very difficult day—"

"No, Yhet, it hasn't been a difficult day. It's been a night and a day of… of danger, and unpleasant surprises, and more danger and… where am I?!" she wailed, throwing her arms out at the forest around them. "Where did he bring me and then just leave?"

"Zev didn't leave you by choice."

"I've heard that before," she snapped, then dropped her face into her hands. This huge man was lovely and worried and it wasn't fair that she be rude to him—he wasn't the one who'd let her down. "I'm sorry, Yhet. I just… Zev keeps doing things without telling me they're going to happen and I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Believe that he loves you, and always has," Yhet said softly. "We all know of you because you were the only one he could speak of whenever his mind turned back to his time in the human world."

"Then why is he always leaving?!"

The man ran a hand through his gray hair. "Sasha, you saw what happened with Xar. None of us predicted that. Lhars thought Xar would lash him, drop his ranking a few pegs—which wouldn't have mattered to anyone. Dunken thought Xar would put Zev in prison and it would take a council of the Alphas to release him. I thought Zev would have to fight Xar, to take back Alpha before he would leave him in peace. But none of us predicted this. I am not surprised Zev didn't foresee it. This kind of conflict is not the proper foundation for casting a Chimera out. Frankly, I'm surprised more Chimera didn't fight it and refuse not to see Zev. It is a mark of how frightened they are of Xar that they all went along with it."

Sasha shook her head. She had seen Zev's shock, and his fear for her. She had seen that he'd been working hard to keep her safe while he dealt with the Clan leader, or king or whatever he was. But then he'd left and now she was floating in this strange world, with no one but a Sasquatch to guide her and so many rules about what she could and couldn't do with any male her head was spinning.

She wasn't in America. Not even on earth? That didn't seem possible.

Yet… neither was a man who could turn into a wolf, or a woman who could become a huge owl.

Or a sasquatch for that matter.

She looked at Yhet, and her heart swelled. He stood right in front of her knees where her legs dangled in the air off the edge of the platform at the front door. His chest kept her legs warm, though her ass was freezing on the frozen wood. His eyes, so lightly brown they were almost gold, stared at her with empathy and concern over a broad nose and reddened face, pinched by the cold air.

He was very obviously something not human—or not entirely human—and he'd been seen her world before. There had been legends of sasquatch for generations. And here she was talking to him about her ex-boyfriend.

What the ever-loving hell was happening to her?

"You know," she said, a touch of that hysterical laughter bubbling in her throat again. "There are legends of you in my… in my world," she spluttered. "People who go up into the mountains hunting for you. And… and stuff like that."

Then Yhet surprised her by nodding, his face falling sadly. "Yes, unfortunately, I was a rash youngster. I crossed many times and one… one of those times I was sighted. I led the researchers here to Thana. If it weren't for me, the Chimera wouldn't be here—and neither would you." he sighed heavily.

"I'm not sure that's a bad thing," she said, trying to sound kind. "Zev always talked about how much he loved this place and he was so quick to want to come back here. Maybe what you did was a good thing?"

Yhet shook his head. "I too, wish the Chimera could be here—but without the humans. I heard from the others that the way the scientists held them was often… horrible. So perhaps this is better. Except that means…" and his face crumpled as if he might cry.

"Yhet! What's wrong?"

"Don't mind me," he rumbled, rubbing his eyes like a child. "I'm just missing my mate."

*****

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