RETH

Gahrye looked like he'd been smacked over the head with one of the great trees and stunned. Reth smiled a genuine smile, pleased to have rocked the male—and to have raised his tribe.

Now that the wolves had lowered themselves among the tribes, part of establishing the new hierarchy was knowing which tribes carried the most power. Even without Gahrye, the Equines were the natural choice for their fighting spirit and contribution to the safety of the rest of the Anima during the war.

But Behryn would despise the attention—and might be leaving his post, Reth remembered sadly. Placing that honor on Gahrye played the dual role of legitimately raising the Equines among the people, but also the disformed.

Reth wondered in passing whether Gahrye felt himself more as an Equine, or as a disformed? It was an interesting question he would ask the male when things had calmed down.

He offered the floor to Gahrye who gave a very brief, very surprised speech of thanks. Then, when the people cheered, raising his name to all of WildWood, Reth clapped him on the back and leaned into his ear.

"Take the time to receive them—they'll want to acknowledge you. But please don't forget Elia. I can't return to the cave yet. I trust that you'll let me know if she is in need.

"

Gahrye nodded, then Reth gave him a little nudge towards the stairs, and the male stumbled away looking dazed, straight into the arms of several of the disformed who had rushed forward towards the stage now that the formal announcements were over.

He waited for the crowd to pass away from the stairs, and the people's attention to be drawn back into the market proper, before he slipped down the stairs at the back and outside, breathing deeply of the forest as he hurried towards the Security Council building, praying that Aymora had made his case for him and they weren't going to push Elia.

Thoughts of his mate pushed his feet faster and faster, until he was sprinting through the forest. He had to get the elders on board and save her and Elreth from this danger, then he needed to hold her. To be close, and reassure himself of her safety.

Being away from her was so… unnatural.

Then it struck him… that was how Gahrye felt for this Kalle, this human.

He slowed his pace, his face thoughtful.

*****

GAHRYE

It took him forty minutes to get through the market and out to the trails, and even then, a huddle of disformed surrounded him, talking excitedly and still asking questions about what danger he'd been through to protect the Queen—and how had he done it if he couldn't shift.

"I will… I will tell you all the stories at some point, I'm sure,

" he said finally, looking at all of them, staring at him, wide-eyed. He shook his head.

"But, please… I'm still the same male I was two hours ago. And last week. And last year. I'm just… I'm grateful that Reth's given me such an honor. That was unexpected.

"

"The equines just rose in power because of you!

" someone piped up from the back.

Gahrye frowned.

"I'm sure it wasn't just me.

"

They all exploded with arguments again, and he was grateful. But overwhelmed. And he still had to get to Elia.

"I have to go,

" he said to them. They groaned and argued, but he was adamant.

"My duties to the Queen haven't ended and I have… I have to check on her for Re—the King. But I'll be at the cave tomorrow. Let's talk then, okay?

"

They reluctantly bid him goodbye, more than one set of hands reaching for him to pat his shoulder or squeeze his arm.

And one set of eyes, slightly slanted and female, stared at him through it all.

Elyn leaned into his ear and whispered,

"I'm so proud of you,

" as she rubbed his arm.

There was a time when the familiar way she touched him would have been a welcome distraction and he likely would have pursued something deeper, at least for the night.

But now his skin crawled.

Slipping his arm out from under her hand, he nodded his thanks and turned to one of the others, walking the young male away, deeper into the forest until all the others peeled away.

"We'll talk tomorrow, okay?

" he said carefully.

"But thank you for celebrating with me. I hope we'll have a lot more to celebrate soon,

" he said.

The male smiled and clasped his arm, then turned to run back down the path, likely to tell the others he'd had a chance to speak with Gahrye alone. But Gahrye was already turning away to push himself, sprinting, down the trail, south, towards the royal meadow, trying desperately to rid his skin of the creeping dread of Elyn's touch.

She knew he had a mate. So, why had she made the signals? Did she really think he would simply abandon his mate for her? Why would she want to mate with a male that would do that?

He shuddered remembering the smile she gave, heated and promising. It only made him yearn harder for his mate and search his memories for a moment with Kalle when her eyes had been hooded like that, and her smile so promising.

But then that only made his body want her. He pushed himself harder in the run, fleeing Elyn or his own desire, he wasn't sure.

He was only certain that he had been honored indeed that evening, and that Reth had dropped his jaw with his generosity.

His own Great Tree? It was an incredible gift—not nearly as valuable as Elia's life, of course, but as high an honor as Reth could bestow without appointing Gahrye to some kind of position in the hierarchy that he didn't already hold.

As he broke out of the trees and into the meadow, Gahrye sighed and slowed to a walk, disappointed in himself, and in his life.

This should have been a moment of elation. Of victory. A moment he marked in his mind to remember every day. Yet… all he could think was that Kalle would never see it. That without her there to celebrate, everything else seemed hollow.

Please, he prayed to the Creator. Please let me hold her again soon. Please.

*** THE END IS NEAR - Got Questions? ***

I'm putting together a reader Q & A for the end of BEAST. If you have any burning questions about the characters, my writing, the process of telling the story, or me as an author, please ask them in the comments and I will add them to my list!