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nHe’d been in and out of the female quarters all evening, but he’d been called away to deal with a conflict between Alphas and two males who believed their mates were with the females, despite already being told that they hadn’t come through.

nBy the time he was done, it was high moon and the City was quiet. Three of the females had ventured out to find their mates and been reunited. All mate pairs were being provided solitude in one of the more remote buildings since there was so much space.

nHis heart was full—and also cold.

nHe hadn’t seen Sasha in hours. He knew she was there, and safe. Dedicated, and helping her females. But he needed her. He needed to touch her and know that she was more than safe—she was with him.

nSo after checking that no more females had left the quarters, he hurried up the stairs. A guard had been placed at either end of the hall to stop any males from entering after one of them tried to run in, searching for his sister. But the guard saw Zev and submitted.

n”Has there been any more disruption?” he asked quietly. There was little noise coming from the hall and he hoped most of them were asleep already.

nThe guard shook his head. “No, we took food in, but other than that, they’ve been unbothered.”

n”Good job. Thank you.” Zev opened the door and crept in.

nInside, lanterns were lit, low at each end of the long, wide room. The massive, wide windows—open spaces, usually—were entirely covered in thin hides that had been stitched together. Females were sprawled along the edges of the large room, each with more than one fur, some with heads hidden under furs or pillows, others sleeping peacefully, despite the remaining lights.

nSasha sat on a thick puff near the center of the room, alongside a female Zev didn’t know, and Mae, a wolf, who’d taken hours to stop shaking after seeing her mate. She’d told Zev she wasn’t sure what had held the female back, but she wasn’t going to push her.

nHe stood there a moment, none of the females aware of him, and watched her.

nSasha sat, slumped over, clearly exhausted, her eyes underscored by deep purple bruises of weariness. But she reached out to Mae and rubbed her arm, nodding in understanding.

nThe other female was quiet, but she noticed Zev first and her eyes widened.

nHe raised his hands, palms forward, and rolled his shoulders forward, submissive.

nSasha must have been really tired. She didn’t notice him approaching until Mae looked up. She didn’t seem afraid of him and gave a small, hesitant smile when he reached them.

n”You should go to bed, Sasha,” she said quietly. Seeing the lines on her cheeks left by tears made Zev’s stomach clench, but he was desperate for his mate—and certain that she did need a break if she was going to help these females in the long run.

nHe looked at her, but Sasha frowned at Mae. “I don’t mind if you need—”

n”No, trust me,” Mae said with an uneasy chuckle. “If I could spend this night in the arms of my mate, I wouldn’t let anyone stand in my way. And I refuse to be an obstacle for yours. Go, Sasha. I’ll still be here tomorrow, I’m sure.”

nSasha talked to them both quietly, reassuring and telling them she’d be back in the morning, but they both bid her goodnight, and she finally got to her feet, almost tripping when she took the first step.

nZev caught her as she hunched over with a puff, but then straightened immediately, waving off his concern as he offered her a hand to step through the pillows and furs scattered over the floor.

n”It’s just cramps,” she murmured when she’d reached his side and he put an arm around her back, worried she was ready to topple over from exhaustion. “I’m fine.”

nHe disagreed, but he wasn’t going to argue with her if it could be avoided. So instead he kept his arm around her, just in case.

n”Have you eaten?” he asked carefully as they started down the stairs. She frowned like the movement hurt, but she didn’t say anything.

n”I know I did at some point. But I’m not sure how long ago it was.”

nZev took a deep breath. “Sasha, I know this is important, but if you’re Alpha, you have a responsibility to keep up your own strength. Your people will not be helped by seeing you get ill or injured because you aren’t taking care of yourself.”

n”I know, I know.”

n”Remember the lecture you gave me when I got sick?”

n”Exactly,” she said dryly, but with a smile. “That’s a little rich coming from you, Zev.”

n”Well, I’m recently reformed. I learned the wisdom of my mate when she told me I wasn’t invincible and needed to rest.”

nSasha rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath, but he chose not to hear it. Instead, as they stepped out of the building at the bottom of the stairwell and into the Courtyard, she drew to a halt. “Do we have to go all the way back to the village?”

n”No,” he said, finally smiling. “But I am going to make sure you eat something before you go to sleep.”

nHe took her through the Courtyard to the building that watched over the gate, and up the stairs to the highest level, smiling when they stepped into the Alpha bedchamber and her eye went wide.

n”This is ours?”

n”Technically yours,” he said, seeing the tall ceiling, massive bed, and thick furniture with new eyes, wondering how it appeared to her.

nThen a massive shadow separated itself from the dim wall and Sasha was startled, until she saw him and her mouth dropped open.

n”Yhet!”

nZev had to swallow a lump in his throat watching the two of them reunite. Sasha had no fear of the massive male anymore, and even though it burned to see another male stroke his mate’s hair, Zev knew that Yhet had the mourning for his own mate, and after all, in his own words, he had no attraction to Sasha whatsoever.

nZev snorted at the memory.

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