Ch. 411..420

Chapter 411

Lhars had spent two hours making his quarters at the City ready. Luckily the primary Clan's Second's chamber was only across the courtyard from the female hall. He'd struggled even turning his back on it, knowing Kyelle was in there and there were so many males around. But if he couldn't take her away for the Solitude, he could at least give her something to remember.

He'd spread fresh furs on his sleeping platform, lit candles on the bedside tables, made a platter of snacks, and filled a wineskin and a waterskin. He'd realized that the best time to be alone with her would be while everyone had gone for the evening meal and was distracted. While he didn't think any of the males would fight him for her, it was instinct to get her as far from other males as he could.

But when he turned to look at the room, it still looked bare. Females did things, things he didn't understand, that softened a room and made it feel welcoming. For a moment he considered asking Zev to ask Sasha what he might do, but before he could find the courage to ask his brother for such a humbling thing, the door opened behind him and he whirled.

Kyelle stood in the doorway, eyes wide and blinking, watching him, her face uncertain.

Lhars had a moment of quiet panic at the fear on her face until she breathed his name and smiled.

Rocked with relief, he rushed to her, pulling her into his chest and taking her lips in kisses that were quick and insistent. He'd told himself he needed to take care, to slow down, not to press her too quickly. But as soon as his arms circled her, she molded herself to him and lifted her chin without any hesitation.

Cupping her head, he pressed her back into the door, and without breaking the kiss, he shoved the bolt lock home with a small thunk.

"Thank God," he whispered. "I was so afraid—"

"Don't, Lhars," she breathed, pulling him harder into her kiss. "Don't be afraid anymore. You're mine. I want you. That's enough."

Lhars gave a breathless growl and tried unsuccessfully not to let the kiss grow more desperate.

Unwilling to stop touching, to lose her warmth, he struggled at first to find her buttons and begin to undress her. She fumbled too, with his, but both of them laughed and kissed, pulled back when they needed to until they were both naked from the waist up.

Kyelle broke the kiss as she pushed the jacket off his shoulders and down his arms, then she pulled her head back to look at him, biting her lip.

He preened as her eyes followed the curves of his muscles. Then she raised a hand to trace the lines on his torso and he huffed, his stomach clenching with sheer heat.

"You're… beautiful," she whispered, breathless.

He snorted. But then her eyes slid up to meet his and the look of sheer delight in her gaze broke him.

With a groaning huff, he pulled her close again.

"I love you, Kyelle."

"I love you too, Lhars. I always have. I've just been blind. Confused. I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. He didn't want to focus on the pain of the wait he'd endured. He wanted to focus on what they could have now. So with a happy sigh, he descended on her, lips, tongue, hands, his breath tearing in and out of his throat, and to his utter delight, she rippled under his hands.

The minutes that followed seemed to happen outside the real world. He was aware of nothing but the tug of the tie on her furs as he unknotted it, the feel of her skin as he slid his hands under the waistband, then back and down, to cup her gorgeous ass and slid the furs from her. Then the incredible sensation of her hands on his furs, of her touch—tentative, but enthusiastic—as she worked his trousers down.

He'd turned her at some point, he wasn't sure when. But he stepped out of the puddle of his furs and drew her towards the bed, she came eagerly.

When they reached it, she sat, scooting herself back in a graceful crawl, her eyes calling to him to follow. And follow he did, prowling after her, crawling over her until she lay back on the pillow and he was cradled between her thighs, his hands stroking and her hands clawing up his back.

Kissing, touching, stroking, the sound of her sighs… the world became very small. His nose was full of the scent of her, his hands full of her softness. His mind consumed with his eagerness to have her. His body shook with it. He was going to struggle to control himself.

He kissed his way down her neck, letting his teeth graze the side of her neck, his fingers trailing down her throat and she shuddered, her skin pebbling under his hands.

And feeling that, fire burst to life in his veins, roaring from his heart, through his bloodstream, threatening to burn him to a crisp.

He loved the salt on her skin, the tiny sighs she made—and the ones she didn't when her breath caught. Then she shifted, raising her knees and tilting her hips. It brought them together and when he rolled his hips, pressed his hard against her soft, they both made small cries.

He couldn't stop kissing her, but he'd been about to slide down her body, to taste her breasts and explore her, but his body jangled with every pass against her, and Kyelle's breath was already coming in short puffs.

He couldn't stop stroking her, convincing himself that she was actually in his arms—that she wanted to be.

As he arched his back to rub himself against her again, he held the pressure at the top of the roll and she tipped her head back and gasped his name.

Lhars shuddered, his body trembling as his wolf fought to take her. Outside a male shouted from across the city, the world invading for a moment, and a growl puttered in his throat as a wave of possession washed over him.

Chapter 412

Lhars grasped at her, pulling her tight against him—too rough, he told himself. Be gentle. Show more than just the instinct to own her.

But… holy shit… he wanted to possess her, to paint her with his scent, to declare her his to anyone—especially any male—who might ever so much as lay eyes on her.

His fingers dug into her soft skin and muscle with his desperation. But when he forced himself to release her, began to draw back, she whimpered and clutched at him, pulling him closer.

"Don't. Don't let me go," she whispered, clinging to his neck and pulling herself up to kiss his neck and whisper in his ear. "Please, Lhars. I need you."

A shudder rocked him from head to toe and that low, resonant call broke in his throat again. Kyelle gave a happy sob and took his mouth, and he was lost.

"Please," she whispered into his mouth. "Please, Lhars. I can't wait."

His control was already shredded, but when she arched her back as he rolled against her and he almost took her, his entire body went rigid.

"Please."

She trusted him, he realized suddenly.

No one had ever trusted him before.

"Kyelle?" he breathed, pulling back just far enough to meet her eyes.

She hesitated, locking eyes with him, searching his gaze. "What is it?"

"Are you certain? Absolutely certain?" he whispered, as vulnerable and open as a pup who'd lost his mother. He pleaded with her. Knew there was no strength in it. Hated himself for it. But… he had to ask. He needed her to quell the fear that kept rising in his throat to compete with his desire.

Her brows pinched over her nose and she put both hands to his face. "Lhars… there isn't a moment of doubt, not a whisper of it, in my mind. When I thought you weren't coming back it threatened to break me. I cursed myself for a fool. I'm so sorry. I'm so s—!"

But Lhars could see the truth in her and his leash snapped. Fingers fisted in her hair, he pulled her head back and opened his mouth over her throat and Kyelle made that joyful laugh again, her hands sliding into his hair to hold him there as he sucked at her skin, his teeth a hairsbreadth from making her bleed.

And he marveled because, far from shrinking away, Kyelle's breath picked up and the raw musk of her desire peaked and she urged him on, bumping her hips into his, curling one leg around his waist to pull him closer.

"Are you ready?" he rasped into the kiss, then danced with her tongue before she could answer.

"Yes!" she gasped when he finally let her breathe.

Lhars groaned and his world imploded as he took hold of her throat with gentle teeth, then he slid one hand down to her lower back to adjust the angle of where they met, tilted his hips, and cried her name against her neck as he found her.

Her nails pierced the skin of his back as he pressed into her, his entire body alive with sensation and joy as they arched and rolled—Kyelle's skin pebbling—until he was seated in her to the hilt.

She cried out when he reached the limits within her, and he nearly came. He froze, one hand curled over her head, the other still at her back.

He forced himself to let go of her, kissing the indentations on her skin to soothe them as they lay there together, unmoving, twin breaths wheezing.

"Are you okay?" he rasped, his voice ragged with desire and fear in equal measure.

"Lhars… I've never been better," she said and her voice broke.

He smelled her tears and pulled his head back, heart thumping. But he found her staring at him, tears in her eyes that searched his back and forth.

She put a hand to his face and shook her head. "I was so blind," she breathed. "So blind. I'm so sorry I hurt you. I wish… I wish I could go back, Lhars. You're mine. You're mine!" She was fierce and sad and her words broke something open inside him.

The flames that had been roaring through his blood turned to lava—glittering hot and cold, churning and reaching.

"Shit, Kyelle," Lhars said through his teeth as he began to move within her again, but his eyes locked on hers.

Her mouth dropped open, and she gripped his neck and shoulder, but her eyes were wide and never left his.

Lhars shook with inexpressible joy and with the overwhelming sensation of being one with her. As his thrusts became frantic and he began to call to her, she sobbed his name, gasping for air, clinging to him, pulling him closer.

"Kyelle, I—"

"Don't stop, Lhars, please… Please!"

He gritted his teeth, holding on by a thread as her eyes rolled back in her head and she began to keen, her body tightening around him until he was certain he couldn't hold back another second.

One fist gripping the furs next to her head, his arm became an iron bar. She curled her hand around it and held on. And yet, her skin was softer and more liquid with every second that his body turned to steel.

"Mine!" he snarled and thrust into her, arching his back.

Kyelle half-sobbed, half-laughed his name. "Yes, Lhars—"

"Only mine, Kyelle! You're mine!"

"Yes! I…" then her voice dissolved into wordless calls, each higher and more desperate than the one before until her fingers dug into his shoulders so her nails pierced his skin and she cried his name, her calls echoing from the chamber walls and ceiling. A heartbeat later, Lhars' tumbled over the edge of that cliff with her.

And as he did, something within him unfurled, an explosive flower opening to the sun of her. A piece of his heart broke free, twisting and curling, slicing its way out of his chest, but the flash of pain was immediately soothed because it found her and entwined with the piece of her that barreled out of her to find him.

As their bodies thrummed and shuddered, their hearts danced. Until the moment Lhars breathed her name again, then slumped over her, one hand curled over her head, his body covering hers as he panted into her neck.

Chapter 413

Some time later they lay facing each other on the furs. Lhars combed her hair back and let his fingers run through it, smoothing where it had become tangled in their lovemaking.

Kyelle stared up at him, one of her hands flattened on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Then she blinked and took his hand and pressed it to her chest between her breasts.

"Feel that," she whispered, awed.

Their heartbeats were aligned.

Lhars' swallowed. "That's…"

"The bond," she said, nodding. "You're mine, Lhars."

"Body and soul," he said gruffly, his chest aching not with pain, but with the sheer overwhelming love he felt for her.

Her eyes went soft and he couldn't resist. He curled a hand over her waist to the small of her back and pulled her across the furs, against him, cupping the back of her knee and pulling it over his, just so they were tangled together.

He never dropped her gaze. His heart thrummed out of time when she smiled.

"I wish we could walk the ritual," he said, his voice still rough. He looked down at her breasts, fondling one of them gently to give himself space because holding her eyes made him feel as if he bared his soul.

"I'll admit, I'm kind of glad we can't."

Lhars froze and looked up at her, hearing uncertainty in her. But she spluttered a laugh and kissed him.

"No, no. Don't look like that. I meant because… because this feels so much more about you and me," she said shyly. "The ritual is romantic, but it's so public. I feel like we already did that part today. I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that. But I wanted you to be sure."

Lhars huffed. "I loved that you gave me that. I was afraid that when we were apart you might change your mind."

"No, Lhars." She pushed up onto one elbow and nudged him onto his back so she could lean over him. Then she played with his hair, pushing it back off his face as she spoke to him. And the gentleness of her touch, the intimacy of being naked together, the way her breasts brushed against his chest and she didn't even notice… as if it weren't a gift to him… it all stole his breath.

"Lhars, I've always known you were special," she said quietly. "I've always known you could be trusted. And I've always naturally looked for you when I'm in a space where I feel… uncertain. But I… I confused what all that meant. I want you to be certain now. Before we have to go back out there, please… look at me, Lhars."

He'd been staring at her breasts again, but he manfully yanked his gaze back up to her eyes and she grinned, then her face went serious.

"Hear me, Lhars… there's no one else for me. You're my mate. You can feel that. If you ever start to doubt it, just press right here." She took his hand and put it at the center of his chest. "I'm there now," she said simply. "And I'm so glad that I am."

He gave a groaning huff and pulled her down into a kiss. She came willingly, leaning on his chest, one hand in his hair.

"I love you, Kyelle. I have for years," he croaked when they finally broke apart. "This… this day is… it's the best day of my life."

Her forehead crumpled into lines. "I feel so bad that I made you wait so long."

He didn't like it either, but he refused to mar the beauty of this moment by focusing on that. With everything that was about to happen, they could be torn from each other at any moment. If this was the last moment he had with her, he would spend it flush with love and joy. Not bitterness.

Cupping her jaw, he stared up into her eyes, and then he smiled. "Remember that day you told me no one wanted to mate you because you couldn't have young?"

Her smile faltered. She watched him warily. "Yes," she breathed. "I'm sor—"

"Stop apologizing, that's not what I'm getting at. I want you to remember that. Remember how angry I was? I will give my life to stand between you and danger, Kyelle. And I still stand over anyone—male or female—that would make you small. So promise me something, please?"

"What?"

"Promise me that any fear or hurt you have, you'll bring it to me. So I can fix it, or soothe you. Whatever is in my power to change in this world, I'll fight to do that for you. But if there is a pain we can't change… then I'll hold you. I want to hold you. Please… let me hold you now Kyelle."

"Oh, Lhars," she gasped, tears spilling over her long lashes. She dropped her bury her face in the hollow under his jaw. But he rolled her over so he was the one to push up on one elbow as she lay back on the pillow, and he went back to stroking her hair.

"I love you, Kyelle. You are precious to me. So please… let me stand between you and the world."

"Me too," she hiccupped. "I want to protect you, too, Lhars."

It sounded preposterous when she said it. but he knew exactly what she meant. And he needed that, he realized. He needed her protection. Her comfort. He needed her to stand between him and the fear he could never seem to escape.

"I'll make you a deal," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her lips. "If you keep telling me that you love me, and stay at my side, I'll make sure you never have to hear another ugly word from another ugly person. You're more than enough for me, Kyelle. You're everything I want and need."

Kyelle spluttered into an ugly cry and pulled him down over her. They clung to each other as she whispered all the ways she loved him, her voice broken and ragged with tears. And for the first time Lhars could ever remember, he was fearless.

Laying in the arms of his mate, certain of her, ready for her… he was fearless. Because no matter what came, if she would stand by him and he never had to meet it alone, he could face anything.

Chapter 414

It had been a helluva morning. The moment he appeared in the Courtyard the questions and requests for decisions began—especially since Sasha was spending most of her time trying to help the females. Zev soon discovered he couldn't make it two steps past one male before another appeared to take his place with yet another question. So he'd given up.

He took a seat on the wall again, just feet from Chet who had a pile of leathers and fabrics next to him that he was fashioning into bags.

First Zev got word that Nick was on the move to the cave. Then Lhars spoke into his head—and that was a huge relief. But it had left his body gripped with a strange kind of tension that made him snappish and irritated.

He needed to be near Sasha. But he knew she was already overwhelmed, and facing her own questions as Alpha, even while she tried to help the females. So he'd been unwilling to disturb her. But that tension in him only grew—until it drove him to his feet. And still he couldn't make it more than a few feet.

He wasn't sure what he'd thought he would do—go into the female hall again? Sasha would have his throat if he did. He just needed to be closer. But he'd only made it to the bottom of the stairs when the best scent in the world reached him on a breath, and he turned to find Sasha trotting down the stairs, surprised to see him so close, but apparently relieved, because she smiled when she saw him.

Ignoring the males surrounding him, Zev met her eyes and asked in her head, do you have a few minutes?

Her smiled broadened. It's almost lunchtime. I told them I'd be back in an hour.

Zev's heart raced and with a murmured apology to the males around him, he'd leaned through them to take her hand and dragged her out of there, across the courtyard—ignoring the cries of his name—and straight to their bed-chamber.

He'd picked her up as they passed through the door, kissed her while he kicked the door closed behind him, then thrown her onto the bed.

Sasha had laughed in surprise and pushed up on her elbows, but when he'd torn off his furs and landed on the bed with her, her brow furrowed.

"Are you okay, Zev?"

"I am now," he whispered, then took her mouth.

Now, sprawled on the furs in their bed-chamber, Sasha was laid out for him like a feast, her head back and body rippling under his. He couldn't even think straight, she was so beautiful. Zev arched into her and they both held their breath.

He'd only intended to play when he started this, to give them both a little joy in a difficult day. But at this point, he was all in. His resolve to simply spend some time with her relaxing and enjoying each other had gone out the window when she'd responded to him, as if she were as off-balance as him, and needed him to center her.

Their kiss had turned hot within seconds.

Now, as he moved within her, he was determined to take his time, but the way she stroked his back, the plumpness of her lip, swollen from his kisses, the heat in her eyes… she made him so hot, he was going to have to be careful.

Nipping her ear, he slid his hand down the back of her thigh until he reached the back of her knee, then cupped and pulled it up towards his hip. She thought he wanted her to lock it around his back, but he gave a little growl, then kept extending it, pulling her leg up almost to her chest and pinning her with his weight. When he thrust into her again the change in pressure and angle made them both cry out. And the little gasp she gave almost tipped him over the edge. But he gritted his teeth and pressed into her again.

His mouth was open and he drank her in with his eyes as he braced one elbow on the furs over her shoulder and cupped his other hand over her head.

Sasha braced on his bicep, arching to meet him, her cheeks flushed, as they start rolling together in this new kind of clinch. Small noises broke in her throat with every thrust. Feeling her undulate under him was incredible, and he worried he wouldn't be able to sustain until she found her release.

"That's… I really like that, Zev," she whispered breathlessly.

Pausing for a breath, he kissed her neck, then smiled. "Roll onto your side," he said, then nipped her ear again.

Sasha whimpered when he pulled out, but he pushed himself back onto his knees and kept stroking her body as she turned herself onto her side. "Don't worry," he said, his voice heavy with lust, "it'll be worth it."

She got herself on her side, then looked at him, curious. "Like this?"

He raked down the length of her with his eyes. Her eyes sparkling, cheeks and skin red with heat, her breasts pressed together by her arms and her knees bent to curve around his knee where he knelt.

He nodded and swallowed. "Yes, just like that. But straighten your bottom, leg," he rasped, groaning when she did as he'd instructed.

Then, still in a kneeling position, he straddled her lower leg, lifted her upper knee and hooked it around his hip, guiding himself into her. They both gasped as they came together in a whole new way.

Sasha fisted the furs to give herself purchase as he started to roll, using her thigh to pull her against him with each thrust. Sasha's mouth fell open.

"Oh… fuck, Zev. I… I love that," she whispered.

Breath rasping with need, he continued to rock into her, bracing on the furs behind her shoulder when it all became too much. Sasha was falling apart, her jaw slack and eyes squeezed shut with pleasure.

He could feel her climbing towards her climax and fought not to join him when she moaned and clenched around him, her entire body trembling, first rigid with the shock of pleasure, then loose as the wave passed and she was left breathless.

But Zev didn't give her time to recover. While she was still trembling, he pulled out again and quickly lifted her by her hips, pulling her up into his lap to straddle his thighs with her back to his chest. Sliding a shaking hand up to cup her breast, he positioned her hip and thrust back into her, and she cried out at the assault, her body clenching again.

She had nothing to hold onto, and at first she was scrambling, but then he wrapped both arms around her, cupping her breasts. "I've got you," he croaked. "Just relax, Sasha, I've got you."

With a small cry, she let herself slump back against him, raising her hands to grip his shoulders, arching back so her breasts were presented to him, bobbing and bouncing with every thrust.

Zev groaned.

Sasha was shaking and breathless, her limbs loose and her skin so pink. His wolf slavered for her. He needed more space or this would be over, and he wasn't ready for it to be over.

With a few whispered reassurances and his arms locked around her, he sat further back and straightened his legs so she straddled his hips, still facing away from him. Then he lay back, gripping her hips and pulling her back onto him as they rolled together.

At first, she rode him, but then with a cry, seeking another climax, she leaned forward, her hands on his shins and she gripped him, rubbing herself against him as they rocked together again, and again, and again.

She'd given herself over. Strange cries and moans broke from her throat with every roll.

The sight of her, watching himself enter her, coupled with the sounds she made were too much for him.

"Oh, shit, Sasha… I'm… shit—" He sat up so he could cup her breasts, playing the peaks with his fingers, then he opened his mouth on the back of her neck, over the claiming scars.

Sasha clenched around him and ground down, her head falling back so her hair splayed over her back. Then she went silent with the force of her orgasm, her body bearing down on him, embracing him.

Electricity exploded between them and his teeth pierced her skin again as he gave a guttural groan and came inside her. Biting and sucking at her skin, he couldn't stop pulling her closer. But Sasha just cried his name again and again, and suddenly the bond was alive, their hearts, spinning faster and faster, blood racing, as they rode out the pleasure together, her hands in his hair, holding him against her, back arched, as he gripped her and sucked at her skin until they both slumped and their panting breaths echoed in the chamber.

Chapter 415

The moment they'd both caught their breath, Sasha buried her face in his neck and groaned. "I can't stay. I have to get back. The females are really struggling and I need to get them used to the idea of getting out of that hall. Some of them haven't left at all, yet."

"I know," Zev sighed, rubbing her arm. "Me too. I have to make sure we've informed all the Creatures. And since Lhars is out, I think I'll be the one running the meeting with the Alphas."

"I'm so happy for them," Sasha said with a smile.

"Me too." He sounded more relieved than happy, but Sasha wasn't sure in the current climate whether there was any difference.

Neither of them moved for a few more minutes. But finally, Sasha sighed and leaned forward to kiss him. She was about to tell him she was leaving when he spoke up.

"Let's bathe tonight," he said quickly, watching her. "Even if it's really late. Let's do that. Together. At the little pool."

She nodded. "It's a date. But it might be late. I got a message that Nick told the guards who took him to the cave that he was probably going to stay overnight there in the human world."

Zev went very still, frowning.

"Is that a bad thing?" Sasha asked him.

"I don't know," Zev said carefully. "It's entirely possible that he just wants to sleep a night away from the threat of Ernie," Zev snorted, but his humor didn't last. "But then, with Nick, you can never be sure."

Sasha nodded. "I keep second-guessing the decision to wait until he comes back. I mean, what if he brings the team with him?"

"Even if they realize I was on the device, they want those females healthy. I didn't do anything but access information. The risk is that they make some plot with Nick that we don't know about."

"But we won't be here to see it play out."

"Exactly."

"So you think we stick with this plan? If he stays overnight we don't leave until tomorrow? And do we just cage him and go? Do we leave him to die?"

Zev's eyes went very dark and Sasha felt the first cold, creep of fear. "It's tempting," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

"Zev—"

"What?"

"I don't like how angry you've become with him. It feels… dark."

He growled. "You don't think he deserves it?"

"Of course he deserves it. I'm worried about you, not him."

Zev rolled onto his back and rubbed his hands over his face, then linked his fingers under his head, his elbows out wide.

Sasha scooted over and rested her head on his thick bicep. "Hey," she murmured. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be angry. I'm saying don't let it eat at you."

"Skhal said the same thing. I just… that fucker," Zev growled. "He knew and he didn't tell us. I'm certain he knew, Sasha."

"Well, then, let's focus on the fact that we're going to steal all those females right out from under their noses. They're going to lose all of them, Zev! The females back at the compound are all stronger and healthier than these. Life for the Chimera is going to continue, and in a way, that's… more natural."

"I hope so."

"I know so. God's going to make it happen, Zev. He's going to show you. He's going to save all of you."

Zev turned his head and held her eyes. "He didn't save our baby."

Sasha sucked in a breath as the pang hit, right in her heart.

Zev closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Sash, I shouldn't have said that." He rolled to face her, curling himself around her. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. I just… it took me by surprise, that's all."

He held her then, running fingers up and down her spine, and despite all the external pressures and their limited time, Sasha found she needed that. She needed to be there with him and process that.

"What do you think they would be like?"

"Who?"

"Our baby, Zev. I think about it sometimes. I want to have a baby with you. But… could you imagine if I'd been pregnant? Could you imagine if they knew I was pregnant and they took our baby? That's what they want to do. That's what they were trying to get me to agree to. You know that right?"

"Oh, I know, trust me."

Sasha blinked. Of course, he'd been raised by these people. Sometimes she was such an ass. She put a hand to his face and stroked it with her thumb.

"Every time I think about my baby in their hands…" she shivered. "What was it like growing up with them, Zev? Did they hurt you all the time?"

"No! But…" Zev squirmed, suddenly uncomfortable in his own skin. "They aren't abusive that way, Sash. At least, they weren't to me," he said reluctantly. "But it's still sick. They didn't beat me up or anything, but they don't love. They care for Chimera like they would an animal that's valuable. Everything you need to be healthy in your body, but nothing for your heart. Nothing for your mind."

"Nothing for your soul," Sasha added, watching him worriedly. "That makes me cry for you, Zev. If there's anything they've stolen from you, it's that understanding of how important you are. Like, on the grand scale. To God."

"God doesn't care about freaks of nature that were never intended to exist."

"Stop talking about yourself like that!" Sasha scowled. "Seriously, Zev… if we have a kid, are you going to see them as a freak, too? Are you going to tell them that?"

Zev blinked, his brows pinching over his nose. "I… I hadn't thought about that."

"Well, think about it now. Because I'm willing to bet you aren't going to let any kid of ours talk about themselves or see themselves that way?"

"No, you're right. I wouldn't. But… that doesn't mean it isn't true," he said sadly.

"Zev…" Sasha was heartbroken for him. "What did they do to you? My love, my male, my mate, my husband… what did they do to you?" she whispered, fighting tears.

Chapter 416