Chapter 358 All F**ked Up  

~ SASHA ~

Sasha decided to wait him out this time, and Nick didn't disappoint. He went back to the device, tap-tap-tapping, then put it down on the bench and stared up at her like she'd tricked him.

"Mae has pain because all the internal organs in her lower abdomen fused together with scar tissue after a surgery. It was a mistake, but one that they can't rectify without doing more damage. If they did the procedure to separate all the tissues, it would only increase the scar tissue in the long run."

Poor Mae. Sasha's heart broke. "What surgery?"

"I don't know. She has several listed that might have been the culprit. But honestly, it's probably the cumulative effect of all of them."

"I thought Chimeran blood was this fantastic healer? Why is she healing so poorly?"

"It isn't a mark of her healing poorly—it's part of the process of learning how the Chimeran system works. She was on the table early in the process, before we understood how the Chimeran body would respond to trauma like a surgery. It turns out they begin to heal while we're still in the process—and often have to be re-cut, or re-damaged in some way to keep the wounds open. We no longer do open surgery on Chimera where it can be avoided for this reason. But we hadn't yet learned that lesson when Mae was operated on."

Sasha shook her head. "Why were they doing surgery on the females anyway? What need was there?"

"Nope, it's my turn for a question: How did you get the females who'd never met you before to see you as Alpha."

"I can't even answer that. Zev gave me some advice about owning my decisions and expecting submission. I followed that advice, but why they accepted it… I really have no clue. They heard that I'm Alpha here and they believed me. I think that's the biggest factor. But from what I've seen, you assholes have broken their hearts and minds so much… maybe just the fact that I was standing there without my mind broken was enough."

"But—"

"Nope, my turn: How were the females selected who were sent here? Why these females? Why did they send some that were made and hadn't been to Thana before?"

Nick huffed a humorless laugh. "More than half the current Chimeran population is made in our labs—haven't you realized that yet?"

"That's not the point, Nick. Answer the questions. Why were these particular females selected and not others? What were the criteria?"

Nick watched her for a moment. She was beginning to understand that this was how he bought himself time—he paused to make the other person think they were under scrutiny, when in fact he was giving himself time to settle and think.

"They chose the ones they believed would present the least risk for the highest reward."

"Risk of what? Reward for what?"

Nick shook his head. "An eye for an eye, remember?"

Sasha rolled her eyes but gestured for him to go ahead. But as Nick opened his mouth, suddenly Zev started screaming in her head.

*****

Zev woke slowly, and with a warm heart. Before he'd even moved, he inhaled and smiled. The scent of Sasha was heavy in the room—and there were only bare traces of the compound. He had to search for it. It would be gone by lunch. They'd done it. They'd kept her clean and gotten rid of the clothes that stank of that fucking place.

With a happy sigh, he rolled over, reaching for Sasha—but when he moved, fluffing the furs, the air around the bed wafted and washed over him. Zev caught a faint whiff of Nick at the same moment that his hand landed on the spot where Sasha had been laying.

The furs were cold.

His heart threatened to beat through his chest as he shoved out of the furs, searching wildly for her—but she was nowhere in the room.

SASHA! He screamed through the mind link. WHERE ARE YOU?! HAS HE GOT YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?

Howls rose across the City as his desperation slammed through the mind of every wolf within miles.

"SASHA!" he screamed and leaped out of the bed.

He was just launching for the door, about to shift, when the most wonderful, perfect voice bloomed in his head.

Zev! Zev! I'm fine. I'm in the village. I'm sorry if I scared you, I wanted to let you sleep.

Zev staggered to a halt, his pulse thundering in his ears. Panic was still rising in his chest—was she being held? Was this a trick? But he did his best to sound calm when he sent back.

Where are you? I'm coming!

I'm fine, Zev. I'm interrogating Nick back at the Village. There are guards here, and—

Zev cursed and sprinted down the stairs.

******

Sasha gasped and grabbed at her head. Zev's voice was so loud it seemed to echo inside her skull.

Frantic, she sent back—apologies, explanation. She didn't want him afraid! She'd just been trying to get this out of the way before he woke. He needed his rest!

But Zev was having a full-blown anxiety attack, and already running toward her.

"Are you okay?" Nick's voice was calm but curious.

Sasha blinked. That's right. Nick didn't know… "I'm fine," she said distractedly, still trying to calm Zev down in her mind. "Just a headache. Probably from hormones since your people seem to have a lot of focus on messing with mine."

Nick didn't respond, just watched her, something in his eyes a little too pointed for her liking. Like he was suspicious of something specific.

"Where were we?" she said suddenly.

"We were exchanging intelligence," Nick said softly, his eyes locked on hers. "But it seems like you're not telling me everything."

Sasha forced herself to laugh like he was being funny. "Well, of course not, Nick. Were you really na?ve enough to think that I was?"

She kept chuckling to herself, shaking her head. Ignoring the dark intensity in Nick's gaze.