Rise of the Dark Alpha

~ SASHA ~

Sasha wasn't sure what woke her from the dreamless bliss of sleeping in Zev's arms, but she didn't open her eyes right away. It was a special kind of delicious to lay there alongside him, cocooned in his warmth as she slowly came awake and aware of her surroundings.

The cave was quiet and smelled like clean, wet stone. It was cozy under the furs and when she moved her arms it fluffed warm air out that smelled like Zev and her heart sang.

A shadow passed over her face. Was Zev leaning over her? She she smiled and opened her eyes to—

HOLY SHIT WHAT THE—

Sasha shrieked and sat bolt-upright, pulling the furs tight to her chest as she gaped at Yhet. He squatted at the end of the furs, his hairy cheeks pushed into a wide smile and his thick hair flying in every direction like some kind of mad scientist.

"Well done resisting the urge to mate!" Yhet rumbled, patting Sasha's hand with a thick paw. "I'll admit, I gambled with Skhal and lost. I will have to give him one of my furs now."

"Give him… what?!" Sasha's heart was pounding her chest heaving with the fright. Adrenalin pulsed in her veins, but Zev didn't even open his eyes, he just put an arm around her butt and scooted her into his side.

"Good morning, Yhet," he sighed.

"Good morning, Zev-dan. And congratulations. You have shown great restraint."

"C'mon, Yhet, I told you, humans don't talk about that stuff."

Sasha spluttered with laughter as Yhet pointed at the tent Zev was pitching in the furs. "Surely it isn't rude to talk about the obvious?"

Zev rubbed a hand over his hair and sighed, then opened his eyes. He looked at Sasha first, and mouthed, "Hi."

Her heart squeezed and she put one hand to his shoulder and mouthed it back. But then he sat up too, the furs falling to his waist—still hiding the, er, obvious as he put a hand behind Sasha on the bed and fixed Yhet with a stern gaze.

"Yhet, I told you: privacy. It's very important to humans. You don't enter the bedchamber without a warning. And you don't talk about… things like that."

Yhet's face went stony. "Well then, if it's rude, perhaps you shouldn't flaunt your arousal—that's like pointing to the honeycomb and expecting me not to taste it!"

Sasha gaped, but Zev just rolled his eyes.

"What's going on, Yhet? Why are you here so early?"

Yhet's lower jaw jutted out like he wanted to pout, but then he looked at Sasha and seemed to pull himself together.

"Kyelle says you need to come talk to her about the owls before she can organize the ceremony, and you need to do that early because you haven't given her much time. And Dunken said to tell you that he's working on Gheet."

Sasha looked at Zev.

"The goat Alpha," he explained softly.

Oh, right.

"Are either of them challenging, do you know?" Zev asked Yhet.

The massive man shrugged. "They didn't say. Kyelle seemed quite disturbed, though."

Sasha and Zev looked at each other.

"Okay, then," Zev said a second later, taking her hand under the furs and squeezing it. "Why don't you go bathe and change, and get ready for the day, Sash? I'll talk to Kyelle, then come to your house and we can make a plan."

"Bathe?" she said faintly.

Zev snorted and tipped a finger on her chin. "I meant at home. Give yourself a sponge bath if you have to. Just whatever will make you feel like you can face a busy day. It's going to be a long one, but it's the last one before we can be together for real," he said, and his eyes heated as his voice went husky.

Sasha's stomach plunged to her toes and she wanted to shiver with the look in his eyes, but she was desperately aware of the large sasquatch standing at the foot of the furs, staring at them, fascinated.

Then Zev leaned over and kissed her briefly, before pushing out of the furs and walking easily—still naked!—across the cave to his bag to dress.

Sash was eager to do the same, but Yhet remained there, talking to Zev easily and smiling.

She waited a long minute, but neither of them seemed to notice, then she sighed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said through her teeth, "but could I get some… privacy?"

Yhet frowned, but Zev jumped—with an apology—to usher Yhet out to the mouth of the cave. "Just wait outside there for a second until she's dressed.

"But why? I would never desire her! I would never desire you, Sasha. I assure you! You can be certain of that—"

Zev growled and yanked Yhet out of the cave.

Sasha snorted with laughter, giggling to herself as she got out of the furs and picked up her clothes from the night before, trying to imagine describing this entire situation to a friend back home.

How was it possible that her life had become centered around resisting sex with the hottest man she knew, while a Sasquatch told her how unattractive she was?

Still giggling, she was dressed and hurried out of the cave to meet both men, who stood in the cold—Zev still shirtless—discussing the village.

"…Xar heard you've taken Alpha of the wolves already. The Tigers are in a fury," Yhet said. "Lhars is nowhere to be seen, I think he's avoiding Xar because he knows Xar will remove him from office."

"If you find him, tell him that's a smart plan and to stick with it at least until the ritual tomorrow."

Yhet nodded. "How did it go with the council?"

"Mostly good," Zev said, pulling Sasha into his side as she approached. "They gave me the vote—both to lead, and with Sasha. So it's only time now."

But then he winced as Sasha squeezed him too hard on his sore side.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I heal quickly. By the time we're back from solitude I'll be good as new."

The two men talked a while longer, but Zev seemed mainly concerned with keeping Sasha out of the path of the owls and goats.

"I thought you said we could be together now?" Sasha asked, disappointed if she was going to be asked to hide all day.

"We can, but until you're Alpha, I can't bring you to a meeting with the Alphas. So Yhet will take you home and you can bathe and change, like I said. Then when I'm done, I'll come get you. I don't want you out in the village without me. It will make then bolder.

Sasha sighed, but agreed.

Zev kissed her softly and leaned into her ear. "Once I've dealt with the Alphas I'll come to you and we can have some time… alone."

Then as he straightened, his raised his eyebrows suggestively.

But Sasha tipped her head, unimpressed. "Don't show me the honey unless you're going to let me taste it," she said primly, stalking past him down the path towards the village.

Yhet bellowed a laugh.