Chapter 328 The Vow  

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*****

~ SASHA ~

"You'll lead us to Thana. You're certain of it?" one of the females demanded, her nose wrinkled against the cloud of exhaust that rolled over her.

Sasha set her teeth. "I do not answer to you. I have told you my instructions. Are you going to follow them?"

The two looked at each other, then to Sasha's great relief, reluctantly started up the stairs.

The moment the second one took the second step, the hydraulics of the bus door hissed and the door swung closed behind them with a thunk.

Both females gasped and whirled, snarling. But neither shifted, or clawed the other. They stood on the stairs, staring at the dirt outside, trembling.

"You can remain here in a place with stables and breeding arenas. Or you can come with me, back to Thana, and the males, and your clans."

The two looked at each other, then even more slowly than before, continued their climb up the handful of stairs to the main level of the bus.

Sasha nodded at them both, but let their little-alphas come forward to take them to seats, then she turned to face the entire bus, praying they couldn't hear how her heart was hammering.

"There will be a lot of noise and we'll move quickly. If you get sick, use the bags in the seat back in front of you. This isn't a long trip, but it might feel like it is. Support each other. Stay in your groups. And be practicing your focus for your return through the gateway. You're going home."

Then she sat down in one of the two front seats, empty. As the bus's hydraulics shrieked again and it jerked slightly forward, small cries of shock and concern rippled through the females in the bus, but Sasha kept her eyes on Nick's neck—he sat in one of the two front passenger seats next to another staff member—a woman, Sasha thought, though she could see clearly beyond the thick pole and half-wall that separated the front cabin from the travelers at the back.

But she could see Nick, and he could see her. Sitting in his seat, his head turned, he stared at her, blank faced, as the bus began to roll forward, out of the barn and into the dark of the night, broken and glowing from cones of light, hazed into clouds by the humid night air beginning to fog.

They stared at each other, Sasha pouring every ounce of her disdain and rage for this man into her eyes, but keeping her face blank as well.

She wouldn't drop his eyes, couldn't let herself do it. If he was challenging her—but Nick gave a small smile and turned back to face the front as the bus began to crunch down the gravel road.

Shadows passed over the windows of trees and the buildings hidden within them—including the main building that they passed last—before the bus was finally in open air, its headlights cutting bright highlights and shadows even from the stalks of grass in the sanctuary.

Sanctuary.

Sasha wrinkled her nose at the word.

This was no sanctuary. But as they kept moving towards those high, electrified fences, she turned her head and looked out the window, searching the dark, back in the direction they'd come from where the warm lights punctured the dark and gave away the location of the human beings here who tried to play god.

And all the Chimera at their mercy.

"I will come back for you," Sasha vowed under her breath. "This isn't the end. This isn't the only chance. I'll come back for you. I'm not taking safety for myself until I do. I promise," she whispered.

Then she swallowed the pinch in her throat, and when the bus passed through the fence and out onto the dirt road that would lead them first to the country-road, then to the highway, Sasha closed her eyes and prayed like she had never prayed before.

Prayed that the plan she had to get the others out would work.

Prayed that whatever the humans who were going with them planned to do would be thwarted.

Prayed that Zev was safe and that the bond hadn't been damaged by their parting.

Prayed that in the end, good would win. That these precious, traumatized hearts behind her were only the first. That there would be a day that she and Zev could bring all of the Chimera together in peace—which meant, away from any human intervention of any kind at all.

She blew out a breath. That image seemed impossible. Nothing short of a miracle.

But then a warm, calloused hand appeared on her shoulder.

Sasha jolted, turning quickly. But the hand wasn't gripping her, only resting on her, to soothe and encourage.

She met eyes with one of the females she hadn't spoken to personally yet—another wolf. They were almost all wolves, she'd realized when she'd been walking around assigning alphas and groups.

"You have a good heart, Sasha-don," the female whispered loud enough for her to hear. "I will follow you. We will all follow you."

Sasha's heart thrummed with a combination of joy and abject terror.

She swallowed. "Thank you."

The woman nodded. "You did the right thing. We follow a strong Alpha. I am… grateful for this chance to see what will come."

Sasha was moved so that she could only nod, then she had to turn away before the other woman saw her tears.

But she made herself breath and blink until the threat of tears was passed—she knew the Chimera could scent them—and instead focus on the future.

Turning to look out the windows, the night was so dark out here, and the small amount of light in the bus cabin meant she could only see the bare hints of what was passing outside.

She wouldn't know if they were actually going to the gateway until they got there—or to whatever place Nathan had sent them instead.

But they did reach the highway in the time she thought it should have taken. So as the vehicle accelerated and the reflective strips of the highway began to flash past, all she could do was pray.

So that's exactly what she did.