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"Nick has shared your goal with me—for the… the betterment of humanity in general. That is a goal anyone can get behind, I think. But because I\'ve been in Thana, not as a team member, and not as Chimera, but as human they\'re coming to see as one of them, I think I can add insight into what drives them and how to motivate them. And also… what you\'re doing that isn\'t working. And I think I can tell you why."

"And yet, somehow we\'ve gotten this far without you," Sour Puss purred.

Sasha nodded. "But I\'d say that you might have had more success if you\'d approached some of these things in different ways. If I\'m going to work with you, I\'d like to see the Chimeran\'s morale grow. I understand the worst of this began with a health crisis, and given what I\'ve seen recently, I fear you might be headed for another. But I know how to improve things for everyone. And… and I think I can help you reach your goals faster and easier in the process."

"So, what are your goals, Sasha?" Santa Claus asked.

"Safety for me and Zev, first and foremost," she said without hesitation. "And I do mean true safety: If the Chimera are led by a Pair who are solid and not anxious, they will feel stronger and more certain themselves. Everyone, all the Clans will benefit."

"Trust me, none of us want to see Zev harmed."

"I think you underestimate the impact of threatening me, in Zev\'s world," she said through her teeth. "You\'ve used me to manipulate and drive him so often, I think you\'ve forgotten how willing he was to work with you when you allowed him access to me.

"Instead of threatening and stealing me away, what if we were to… meet at the table? Zev could be given some assurance that his bonded Pair is under your protection, rather than at threat of her life. And the same for me—if you agree not to remove Zev again. If you give your word that he won\'t be manipulated, kidnapped, or coerced into leaving, it would relieve a great deal of stress for me."

"Perhaps you\'ll forgive us if your stress levels aren\'t our primary concern."

"But don\'t you see?" she shot back. "They should be—and not just mine, but any female that you\'re trying to breed. You would think with all of your research and knowledge you\'d understand the impacts that stress can have on the female hormones and physiology. I am honestly stunned to find that you believe keeping females locked up and imprisoned here is or was ever going to lead to healthy offspring. Human beings don\'t do well under those circumstances, Chimera are like caged lions. They don\'t understand our way of life, and they can\'t relax in our environments—just like we can\'t relax in theirs." Her mind tripped back to that night Zev had to leave the tree house because he was feeling too closed in. How much trauma were these females carrying? And no way to escape it, even for a minute? She wanted to growl.

"You have so much space here. If you\'d let the females be free, make their own homes, build their own societies… even engage with the males when they aren\'t… in heat," she said, her cheeks pinking. "I think you\'d be pleasantly surprised by how much more successful you\'d become over time.

"But even better, if you could bring them back to Thana—even Zev noted that the Chimera used to breed and have offspring. That there haven\'t been any new babies since the females were taken. You have to see that you\'re creating barriers for them, surely? And if you remove my mate from me, or keep us under threat, you\'ll do the same for me.

"I want to have a family too! I may not be physically driven to it like the Chimera. But there\'s no more beautiful idea to me than bearing Zev\'s babies. Yet, the idea of doing that while staring down the barrel of a gun, or at the tip of a blade? You\'re insane if you think that\'s going to end in fertile, strong women. It simply won\'t.

"You have to let me go back and maintain at least some kind of facade of independence. They had lost their faith in Xar because they saw just how weak he was in your hands. I can feed you information, I can action your goals. But if you don\'t let me make them think I\'m keeping some kind of distance from you, they won\'t trust me, and this whole thing will fall apart."

She took a deep breath and they all waited. "That\'s it," she said eventually. "That\'s my goals: Safety for me and Zev, and freedom for the females. Let me make them think we\'re independent. That\'s it."

Three of the men chuckled. It was Sour Puss who just stared.

"That\'s a very bold request, Sasha," Santa Claus said. "I admire your spunk young lady, but you\'re being incredibly na?ve if you believe that we would simple… cast caution to the wind. This project has cost us billions so far. We cannot risk losing all our assets just so that they\'re more… happy."

"Why is it a risk? The females were in Thana until three years ago—even Nick said that you\'ve proven Zev can\'t reproduce with any of them. What harm is there in returning them to a place where they can live happily? And form bonds? You\'ll likely gain a lot more Chimera with a lot less work."

"But not the Chimera we need," Sour Puss snapped. "This isn\'t a game. We are attempting to breed to specific genetics, specific traits. We can\'t leave the results up to the whims of stressed out half-wolves."

"What Chimera do you need if Zev and I are successful?" she asked plainly. "That\'s the goal, correct? Zev? And more like him? Our offspring—and others like ours? Why not allow the Chimera to grow and develop as a people while we… try? Everyone involved—including Zev and I—will be happier and more fertile if you do! Why not give us a couple of years—you can watch Zev and I, then apply what you learn later to—"

"What we do is a little bit more than watch," Sour Puss said patronizingly.

But Sasha wasn\'t going to be diverted. "Great. Then tell me how we work through this together. Because the reason I\'m here is to work with you. The only thing I won\'t do is be a tool for death or harm. You keep the rest of them safe, and I\'ll work with you."

Eyebrows around the table rose.

"You\'re giving your assurance? Your... promise?" Nick asked carefully.

"If you keep us all safe and I can show some strength to the clans, yes. I already told you I would do it. I want to have a family with Zev. What I don\'t want is for our children to be raised in this hellhole. Let us build a life. Build a healthy society. Bring the females back. And if you do…. if you do, I will be your lab rat. I\'ll do whatever you ask. As long as I don\'t have to kill or harm anyone else, you can do whatever you want with me."

Until the day they\'re all in Thana, she added silently to herself. Then I\'ll find a way to keep you all out of Chimeran lives forever.