~ SASHA ~

One moment they were walking down a trail through a forest, the next the tall pine trees opened and behind a line of thin saplings and thick bushes, small buildings seemed to just appear out of the forest—structures that, at first glance might be a fallen log, or a stack of broken branches. But were, in fact, a thick slab of bark from a massive tree to form a sloping roof, or a thick layer of branches used to insulate a wall.

Sasha blinked and swallowed and tried to make herself see, because unless she focused on something, it seemed to disappear into the forest in her peripheral vision.

They had entered a large clearing. Almost a clearing.

The trunks of massive trees were peppered around the space, still rooted and tall—but becoming the pillars of a shelter, or one side of a wall. The tops of the trees had been removed so there was more light—which was why it had the feeling of a clearing. When Sasha looked up, there were no branches blocking her view of the sky. And yet… and yet everything around her looked like it had grown there.

Sasha was fascinated. Some of the structures were easily as big as her apartment back in the city. How had they made these places with no straight lines, and with only natural resources, so that they blended so perfectly with their surroundings?

She turned to Zev, smiling, but her stomach went cold. His face was somber and tight. He was watching the people that were congregating at the center of this area, pouring out of the structures—some even leaping from within the branches of the surrounding trees—to flow into a crowd that continued to grow and grow.

She heard Zev’s name more than once, but it echoed over barks, coughs, growls and calls as the people in front of her—all male as far as she could tell—stood, their mouths wide and heads thrown back as they called to the sky.

Zev’s Adam’s apple bobbed and she squeezed his hand, touched that he was emotional at the greeting. But he wasn’t smiling, and it kept her on edge. Why wouldn’t he be glad to be here? He’d always smiled about his home and it had been clear how much he missed it. Why wasn’t he ecstatic to be back? Especially as these people kept arriving, kept rushing in to join the others, as if his arrival was a massive moment, something to be witnessed and declared to the forest.

Then Zev dropped both bags to the ground and turned his head and caught eyes with someone. When Sasha followed his gaze, Yhet was nodding and stepping forward.

“Why don’t you come with me, Sasha?” the huge man rumbled with a gentle smile. “Zev needs to greet the people.”

She frowned. Shouldn’t she greet them as well? But clearly customs were different here. She stepped over to Yhet who patted her shoulder awkwardly with his palm as big as a Christmas ham, and ushered her back to the edge of the clearing where they could watch.

And watch, Sasha did. She was fascinated.

When she turned from the edge of the clearing back to watch him, Zev nodded once at Yhet, then said in her mind, don’t worry, this won’t take long, then I’ll introduce you.

She’d been about to answer when he turned and lifted his chin, howling long and high, his hands clenched to fists and arms tense in front of him.

A surge of sound—mostly howls, but a few other calls and barks—rose in answer to him, and then Zev finally cracked a smile as he dove into the melee of people, of men, and chaos ensued.

Sasha held her breath when Zev disappeared under the arms and excited leaps of men, all wanting to touch him, to press against him, to… were they sniffing him?

“What’s going on?” she murmured.

Yhet gave a little huffing noise, the punch of his breath fluttering in her hair. “They’re greeting him. He has to give his scent and scent them. They all have to be convinced that it’s really him. And then… then they have to decide where he stands in the pack.” Yhet said the words gently, as if he were trying to share bad news with compassion.

Sasha tore her eyes away from the wrestling, rolling males in the village to glance up at Yhet’s face. His smile was fixed and tight.

“Yhet?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you say that like it’s a bad thing?”

“Did I?” She was already learning that for him, that was a high voice and that he used it when he was nervous.

“Yes, you did.”

“Oh, well, don’t worry about me. We Sasquatch can be a little anxious. But Zev’s got this. I know he does. He’s strong. It’s all going to be fine.”

“What’s going to be fine? What’s happening? It seems like they’re happy to see him.”

“Most of them probably are,” Yhet said, nodding enthusiastically.

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I, uh, I guess you could say that… that this isn’t the real challenge. Though Zev does have something to prove to them all. Once the packs have made sure that he is who they think, then the alphas will all step forward and Zev will have to take his discipline.”

“Discipline? For what?”

“For leaving the people.”

Sasha looked back at the churning crowd of men and frowned. “Why are they so mad that he left?”

“Because, Sasha, didn’t he tell you? He was Alpha. When he left we were all lost for a while. It caused a great deal of conflict and uncertainty—and ultimately gave the humans the freedom to steal our females while we were all distracted. Zev is… Zev almost ended the Chimera, whether he meant to or not—and I know he didn’t,” Yhet added hurriedly.

Sasha coughed. “He was Alpha like… the leader? Of the whole village?”

Yhet snorted. “He was Alpha of the whole people, Sasha. And that was back when we had many, many more than we do now.”

“But he’s so young!”

Yhet looked confused. “He is a fully fledged adult, Sasha. Not a juvenile. He was very capable. And very well loved. When he left… well, we have all felt it.”

She turned back to see Zev pop up in the middle of the crowd, clasping another man by the back of his neck, who in turn clasped him, and they touched foreheads, then turned to rub their cheeks against each other. She blinked.

“Is that…”

“They are sharing scents,” Yhet said, a smile in his tone.. “Don’t worry, Sasha, it will be your turn soon.”