Rise of the Dark Alpha

Chapter 465  Searching for Security

~ ZEV ~

That day passed in a blur. That entire week, in fact. Zev felt like he didn't really wake from his stupor for several days.

They'd gotten lucky. He'd been in shock and not thinking clearly. They were lucky that the humans either hadn't gotten their location or hadn't had time to get a force over to them before he was able to move.

Sasha had killed the fire already, so they grabbed the few things they had—waterskins, leather straps, the furs—rolled them up and he put them on Sasha's back. It was a heavy load for her, but he needed to get her out of there, and that was going to happen a lot faster as his wolf, with her on his back.

It had been a tough day and night. He'd pushed to move her away from that cave, taking a twisting, turning route through the foothills on the back side of the mountain, then following a low running river until his wolf-toes were numb and he kept stumbling and almost dumping her—and their dry furs—into the river.

He kept thanking God that she'd thought to destroy the device the male had on him. Maybe that was why they hadn't found them, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he could barely rest. As soon as they would stop to eat or sleep, he'd be on his feet again two hours later, urging Sasha back onto his back.

For the first couple of days, he didn't really think about the route, just followed his instincts. But over time a plan formed in his mind.

The humans were sight-blind and reliant on their technology to locate any other living creatures. But the technology only worked when it was pointed in the right direction. And he'd observed with humans that there was a tendency to lean into the most likely solution. Which was usually right, but not always.

Over the course of three days, Zev traversed the back side of the mountain across the valley, then during the fourth night, they took the risk and crossed back over the valley—but behind the mountain whose foot contained the Gateaway cave. The forest was thick there, and the mountains craggy and full of rockslides and sheer cliffs. It was a natural barrier, and one the Board laughingly described as a "natural fence." None of the Chimera, that Zev knew of, had penetrated that range. All their settlements and activity had been in front of the cave, for the miles and miles of Thana that spread out before it.

But Zev had heard rumors of Creatures flying into those ranges. That if you could get high enough, there was lush land on the other side of the range.

He'd never crossed and he didn't intend to now. But he was taking a risk, making an assumption about the relative stupidity of the humans.

He was banking that they'd assume the Chimera were never going south from the Gateway cave, only north. For all time that Zev knew of, that would have been true.

Did it mean the humans hadn't guarded their backs?

He hoped so.

It was a hard week, clawing his way up the side of that mountain, far enough back that they wouldn't be seen by anyone in the valley, but then, on the eighth day after he'd killed the man, they finally reached a plateau, half a mile up the mountain, and deep enough that they couldn't be seen from the valley, or from the cave-mouth trail unless they went to its edge.

It was a wild, nearly-barren place. No food sources beyond birds and insects. But Zev didn't care. He could sniff out birds to kill in their nests. They could only use fire during the night—very carefully shielded to ensure it wouldn't be seen if anyone was on the opposite mountain.

He needed to be positioned close enough to the cave to monitor it, but far enough away that the sight-blind humans wouldn't detect them.

He needed access to those coming and going without them realizing that he was there.

And he needed a place for Sasha to rest.

When they finally bedded down that first night, it was with a huge sense of relief. Sasha had terrible red burn marks in her shoulders where the leather straps had cut in from the heavy load on her back being jiggled around by his movement.

He was so sad when he saw them.

He'd found a shallow cave in the rock of the frozen mountains and dragged a shield of scraggly, stunted mountain trees that normally clung to the crevices between rocks. There was a tiny stream—little more than a thin waterfall down the side of the rocky mountain, with a puddle and trickling creek wending away from it. But it would keep them hydrated and relatively clean.

They had six weeks. And Zev was going to use them. But he needed Sasha in a place he could get to her easily—and keep her out of sight.

So that night, after he'd run for days carrying her, then made their little cave safe and hard to see, they both lay down in the furs, side by side and he kissed the marks on her shoulders.

Sasha's forehead crinkled and she pulled him into a hug.

She was cold. He'd been right that their furs really weren't enough to keep her warm when they were higher up. But they didn't have a choice. He'd try to get his hands on some more trees and foliage to block the entrance to the cave and hold in more heat at night when they were able to make a fire safely.

Until then, he rolled over to cover her body with his own, tucking her feet under his legs, wrapping her in his arms, and laying his face in the hollow between her head and shoulder.

"Rest," he whispered, kissing her temple softly. "Just rest. We'll figure it all out tomorrow."

She sighed deeply, but she was asleep in minutes. He didn't move until she started to sweat, then he curled her onto her side and spooned her all night.