Rise of the Dark Alpha

~ ZEV ~

Just as he'd hoped, when he led Sasha out to a clear spot on the grass and pulled her into his chest, her eyes were sparkling—tears threatening, but her smile beaming.

They began to sway to beat of the drums, his side aching, but better now that it had been wrapped. The music of the Chimera was very different to the music they'd enjoyed at the school dance they'd attended together. But he'd never forgotten their conversation. He prayed this strange reflection was enough.

He'd been slightly confused by the human traditions in those days, and had had to ask the other males how to prepare. But Sasha had been in her element, skin flushed prettily when he offered her the corsage at her house beforehand and her parents took photos, her heart racing.

Then they'd driven to the school and Zev was surprised to find the entire gymnasium transformed into a winter wonderland of ice blues, glittering garlands, fake, shining snow, and… and a strange sense of home for him.

The decorations made the air stink of that synthetic tang he hated, but the blue and white colors, the massive mural of snow-capped mountains behind the area for photos, and the faux fur wraps some of the girls wore over their otherwise very revealing dresses all brought a strange, hollow sense of home. It had made him both happy and sad at the same time.

And she'd noticed.

She'd been so attentive to him all night, touching his hair, seeking his eyes. Neither of them had spoken much, content to sit on the edge of the circle of their friends, holding hands, or leaning into each other.

While the other girls had cackled and gotten louder as the night went on—aided by the small flasks of alcohol they'd snuck in—Sasha seemed to only turn to him more, her eyes following him whenever they weren't touching, and their bodies swaying together whenever he tugged her away from the crowd and onto the dance floor.

He'd never danced as humans did—a simple sway and turn in time to slow music, or gyrating to the faster songs—but he could see the similarities with Chimeran traditions, an easy way to modify what he already knew so he wouldn't stand out.

But in the end, all she'd wanted to do was dance to the slow songs, holding him close and swaying to the beat of the music.

He would have wondered if she was bored, but she looked so happy.

"What makes you smile like that?" he'd asked later in the night when they were alone on the dance floor again, all of their friends shrieking in a corner on the other side of the gym.

"It doesn't matter, it's silly," she'd said, not meeting his eyes. But her smile grew.

"No, tell me." He'd tipped her chin up and made her meet his eyes. "You're happy. I want to know why so I can make sure it happens again."

She'd rolled her eyes, embarrassed. "You always make me happy, Zev, you don't have to do anything."

His grin widened at that. "Seriously, though, Sash. Tell me."

She sighed. "You have to promise not to laugh. Or… freak out."

"I promise."

She'd chewed her lip which made him want to kiss it, but he held himself in check and waited for her to speak.

"There's two big dances in a girl's life," she said quietly, looking around them. "The first one's prom. And it's just… It's just a romantic thing, you know? Being here with you, getting to see you in a suit, loving you and having this memory…. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

"Me too," he'd said honestly. Sasha was beautiful to him, no matter what she wore. But seeing her like this, in a dress that hugged her curves, her hair swept up and her make up done… she'd stunned him when she came into the room, and he was still trying to believe she was his.

She shook her head. "See. You're not normal, Zev. Normal high school guys don't care about this stuff! They just do it to get a girl in bed. And I mean, I'm so glad you're not like that… but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Zev frowned. "What shoe?"

She sniggered. "It means, I'm waiting for something to go wrong."

"What does that have to do with shoes?"

"Didn't anyone use that phrase when you were growing up?"

"No," he said honestly.

"Well, nevermind," she said, pulling him in closer and leaning her head on his chest. "What I mean is, I keep waiting for something to go wrong, and nothing is. Thank you."

They'd swayed together for another minute, then he'd pushed. "So, what's the other dance you were talking about?"

Sasha lifted her head off his chest and took a deep breath. "It's not… I don't want you to think I'm thinking this way, I just… When I was growing up, the two dances I dreamed about were this one, and the dance at my wedding. And it just… it's just a dream. It doesn't matter."

Zev had frowned. "People dance at weddings?"

"Yes… how can you not know this?"

"I've never been to a wedding before."

"Well, neither have I, but don't you like see it in movies and stuff?"

"I don't watch a lot of movies."

Sasha grinned. "Well, it's like a… like one of those traditions, you know? After the wedding, at the reception, the bride and groom dance together. And sometimes the bride dances with her dad, or the groom dances with his mom, or whatever, as well."

Zev's stomach had dropped at that. If he was ever able to mate her, she wasn't going to get to meet his parents. Not his real ones.

He hated those reminders, but he pushed the thought away and made himself focus.

"So you want to dance like this at our wedding?"

She'd stopped swaying at all for a moment, staring at him her eyes wide with shock and something else.

Something he didn't like to see.