Chapter 145: Sleep

~ ZEV ~

As it was, he didn't see Sasha until well after dinner, though he'd hoped to join her for the meal. Between meeting with Gheet and attempting to prove that he and Sasha were actually bonded, not just choosing each other for mates, and having to answer questions from every other wolf he encountered about his plans for the pack, he was on his feet and moving every minute of the day.

He kept hoping to run into Sasha, but Yhet had done a great job of keeping her out of the crowds while they were still waiting for the ritual. And he imagined that Kyelle wasn't in any mood to put up with the natural ribbing and looks she'd receive from the males.

He winced just thinking about it and made a note to tell the other Alphas to go easy on her.

But as day turned to night and his list of tasks got shorter, his heart began to race. He prayed he'd get to Sasha before she fell asleep. He was desperate to hold her and make certain nothing difficult had happened in her day.

So when he was finally free, he shifted to his wolf to run to her house, shifting back as he reached the base of the tree to find Yhet settled on the ground outside, humming to himself.

"Ah, Zev, I'm glad you're here," the sasquatch rumbled, unfolding himself to his great height. "She's been worried about you."

"I've been worried about her too," he said with a glance towards the bright square of the window above. She was in there, hopefully warm. Hopefully happy to see him. He hadn't intended to leave her alone all day. "Thank you for watching over her, Yhet. I'll take it from here."

Yhet snorted, a great blast of air from his nostrils and Zev grinned. "You're welcome, brother," Yhet said with a chuckle. "I'm sure she'd much rather be watched over by you."

Zev raised an eyebrow, then climbed easily up onto the platform, hand over hand, waving goodbye as Yhet disappeared into the dark.

Heart pounding in anticipation, he opened the door. "Sash?"

"Oh, you're here! Thank goodness," she said. Sasha lay in the bed in the alcove to the right of the door, propped up on pillows and under the thick quilt, reading a book. "I just keep reading the same pages over and over again because I can't concentrate. Where have you been?!" She pushed out of the bed, her legs bare below the long t-shirt he'd given her the night before.

That made him smiled.

Locking the door, he hurried to close the space between them, wrapping her in his arms and burying his nose in her hair.

"You're safe," he breathed, unaware of how afraid he'd been that that might not be the case.

"You're here!" she said, her voice high and little quavering.

"Hey, hey. Yes, of course I'm here. I'm sorry, I know it's been a long day. But I had to meet with Kyelle and Gheet, and there were males to notify—"

"It's okay, Zev. I'm just glad," she said, her head craned back to smile up at him. "I've missed you and it felt… I was worried something might have gone wrong, that's all. So I'm glad."

"No," he said stroking her hair back from her temples, over her shoulders and down her back. "In fact, I'd say it's been a more successful day than I thought. There will be no challenges. Both Kyelle and Gheet have given up their chance to—"

"Kyelle told me," Sasha said quietly. "She admitted that she tried to entice you. And she said you set her down pretty hard."

Zev sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Was she hard on you?"

"No! No, she was… she was good, actually. Hey, do you know if there's anything going on between her and Lhars?"

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"My brother?" Zev chuckled, delighted even at the idea. "I can't see it honestly. He likes his females a lot more… flashy. And Kyelle…" he trailed off, frowning.

Sasha snorted. "Yeah, brothers. It's hot."

Zev's mouth dropped open. "Did you just say—do I need to beat my brother again so you won't be tempted by his bedroom eyes?"

"Zev, stop. The only bedroom eyes I need are yours."

He loved it when she was playing and smiling like that, but he didn't miss the tremor in her cheeks. And once he'd finally kissed her and they'd both sighed, he pulled away to meet her eyes. "Are you okay? For real?"

She nodded. "I just… it's scary when you aren't here. I keep thinking you won't come back again."

"I'm sorry, babe," he murmured, pulling her into his chest, aching because he knew it was his own fault that she lived in that fear. "But I'm here now, okay? What do you want to do? Tomorrow's going to be a busy day. Is it too early to sleep? Would you like to try?"

She levered up an eyebrow, but didn't throw the flirt at him, instead she bit her lip and looked a little bit wicked. "What about… a bath?"

Zev's heart sang. "Your wish is my command," he growled, leaning down to kiss her again. "But for the Creator's sake, this time make sure you bring dry clothes. I'm not walking you back here naked."

Sasha tipped her head. "You know, we could—"

Zev growled and pulled her off her feet, into his chest. "No, Sasha. One more night. Just one. Dear Lord, I can't wait to get you away from everyone tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night? Like, we won't sleep here?"

He shook his head. "No, the solitude has to be taken out of reach of the people. We'll be travelling tomorrow evening."

Sasha groaned. "Do we have to hike again?"

Zev laughed and lifted her off her feet again. "Maybe a little bit," he said, giving her a smacking kiss. "But if it gets tough, I'll carry you, okay? I promise."

She buried her face in his neck and sighed heavily, letting her lips trail again his skin as she spoke—sending goosebumps all the way down his back.

"I love you, Zev. As long as I'm with you, that's all that matters."

"I'm really glad to hear that," he whispered back, squeezing her. "Really, really glad."

*****

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