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"What are you talking about, Yhet?" Sasha asked, sounding very wary.

Zev\'s heart broke for her. She wasn\'t going to like this. But he appreciated the male. If Yhet meant what Zev thought he meant, it was an excellent idea. He never would have asked Yhet to do it, but it showed the male\'s heart that he thought of it himself.

Yhet, obviously aware that his friend was worried, took both Sasha\'s hands. His were so large they engulfed hers, like a human father with a tiny daughter. Zev\'s throat pinched.

For the first time he\'d ever seen, Yhet seemed to suit his title as Ancient.

"Sasha-don," he said carefully, "The humans are crafty. They have many systems—many strong systems. But their systems work on the basis that we all—human, Chimera—flee from pain or death."

"What are you saying, Yhet?" Sasha asked, her voice dark. Zev moved to stand behind her, to be there when she realized.

Yhet sighed, his eyes sad, but fierce. "I want to take as many of those fuckers down with me as I can, Sasha-don. Please don\'t take this from me. I will distract the humans, let them believe the darkness has taken me and I\'ve lost my mind. I will divert their attention to the entrance of the compound while the males are taking the females."

"Yhet, no—"

"Their technology is advanced, Sasha," Yhet said as if she didn\'t know. Zev had to stifle a smile. "They can see things when they aren\'t present. Sense things their limitations cannot. Unless their human eyes and ears are taken with an emergency, there\'s a risk they\'ll alert to what is going on and the females won\'t get out. We can\'t let them keep anyone, Sasha."

"I\'m not going to—"

"You told the males, rightly, that if they were at risk, to leave. Even if they hadn\'t gotten them all out."

Sasha frowned. "I don\'t want that, Yhet. It\'s the last resort—"

"And a good order, Sasha-don. You lead well. I submit," the male said, clasping a hand to his chest and bowing his head. "But I want to help. I want to give the humans something to focus on so that any alarms around the females might go unnoticed until it\'s too late."

Sasha\'s forehead pressed into deep lines. "But… Yhet… you\'re—"

"I am so tired, Sasha. My mate… she\'s gone from here. And from there. But I feel her and it pulls at me. I… I want to do something to avenge her—and to help you and the others."

Sasha swallowed audibly. "Nick said there are ancients there—or they have some, somewhere. Perhaps she\'s—"

Yhet shook his head, his face crumpling. "She\'s gone, Sasha. I can feel it. There is a… gap where she should be."

A small noise broke in Sasha\'s throat. Zev put a hand on her shoulder. He suddenly had to touch her. They both knew exactly what he meant.

Sasha\'s shoulder sagged. Zev was glad the others had gone. She looked very weak, suddenly.

"But, Yhet—"

"The ancients Nick referred to, they aren\'t like me," Yhet said, his voice little more than a growl. "I was taken to them once. They aren\'t like us, Sasha. Their minds… they are animals. They choose to stay close to the humans because they hope for food and shelter. They are mindless… it would be a kindness to kill them, but I will not do it. The only lives I will take are the humans."

Sasha frowned. But Yhet continued. "I don\'t go to save others myself, Sasha. I go to distract the humans and to show them the truth of what they\'ve done—to help you all escape them. I will not see them win this if there is anything I can do to help.

Sasha\'s face crumpled. "But Yhet… I want you to be safe."

"Can\'t you see, Sasha?" he said, and his voice was higher, cracked in a way Zev had never heard it before. His heart went out to his friend. "I cannot be happy here anymore. I… I need to trust that the Creator has a place for us. That my mate is there, and that I can join her. There is no hope left for me here," he croaked.

Sasha gave a little cry, then threw herself into his chest again. Yhet rumbled reassurances to her, continuing to stroke her hair. But his eyes came up to meet Zev\'s.

Zev nodded once, a salute to the honor of his friend who would willingly give his life to save others.

"I honor you, Yhet," he whispered below Sasha\'s hearing.

Yhet\'s face tightened and he blinked, but then he dropped his chin to look at Sasha, clinging to his furs. His think fingers ran through her hair in a gesture of such gentleness, Zev\'s stomach clenched. Had it been any other male, he would have snarled and torn her away to set the boundary. But Yhet… Yhet loved her with the purity of true friendship.

Zev cleared his throat as Yhet whispered to her, words of love and joy and hope—for her and the Chimera. And reassurance of his own feelings. Sasha\'s shoulders shook, but she pulled herself together quickly, wiping her eyes and forcing herself to meet her friend\'s eyes until she was commending him and reassuring him in return.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both smiling faintly.

Zev followed as they turned and began to follow the others. Sasha asked Yhet to go ahead of Lhars and the others and Yhet agreed.

Zev was overwhelmed again. So much loss. So much pain. And yet, so much hope. His heart didn\'t know how to feel. As the three of them walked slowly—Yhet could always run to catch the others if it was needed—Zev focused on listening to the wolves as they communicated about locations and plans.

There were few creatures left in the forest. Those that wanted to had already gone through the Gateway, and those that didn\'t were disappearing deeper into Thana in the hope of being left alone.

Then Yhet\'s low rumble broke through his thoughts.

"Please don\'t tell the others that I don\'t plan to follow them to the new world," he said quietly. Sasha looked up at him, frowning, but Yhet shook his head. "I don\'t have the energy to say goodbye to everyone. Let them focus on their journey and I will focus on mine."

Sasha blew out a breath and hugged his arm. "Okay. I guess I understand."

But Zev reached past her to clap Yhet\'s upper arm. "You\'re a good male, Yhet. The best kind."

The male rumbled a protest, but they all kept walking without commenting further.