Rise of the Dark Alpha

480  Epilogue – Part 1 (Lhars & Kyelle)

~ LHARS ~

Lhars excused himself from the training circle when the others were busy and slunk into the nearby trees. Once he was out of sight and no one had called him back, he shifted and ran back towards the encampment.

He’d told Kyelle to meet him in the cave for lunch.

Lunch.

He snorted to himself.

Even in his wolf, his body responded to thoughts of his mate. His beautiful, incredible mate who had only stepped from strength to strength since they’d left Thana.

Sasha had named her Alpha and Lhars her second, and while he’d applauded the decision for Kyelle’s sake, he’d had a niggling sense of disappointment that she hadn’t named him. And yet, he’d seen the wisdom in it almost immediately.

The females who’d arrived from the human world were so weak by comparison to their brothers who’d remained in Thana—in body, at least. It was why they ran training every morning. Every female choosing the things that drew her—hunting, fighting, gathering… Kyelle had made the decree on the second day. The Chimera would not hide from this new world. The females would not shrink. Each of them would pursue something. Whatever would give them a reason to rise from their furs in the morning. n0𝒱𝚎𝗅𝗎𝔰𝒷.𝑐0𝗆

She’d set males with skills in all areas of Chimeran life to the task of teaching and training. And even now, three months later, it was what they gave most of their time to, serving the dual purpose of building their new home and equipping their females for life within it.

Three months. Almost. He couldn’t believe it.

He couldn’t believe Zev and Sasha hadn’t made it. His chest ached whenever he thought of it. He prayed every day that they were only seeking their son, or held up in some way that didn’t involve the human Team, or death.

But if they could travel through time didn’t it mean that they would have returned to the time when everyone arrived? Wouldn’t they have focused on Kyelle just like the rest of them?

A whine pierced his throat. He shook off the sad thoughts. He was going to find his mate. They were here together, and safe. If others had been lost in the pursuit of that… he would live grateful to them. He would make certain that every Chimera living now, or later, knew their names and what they’d done to save their people.

Yhet. Sasha. Zev…

He froze, his mouth open over her throat, his drive to take her suddenly doing battle with his sense of protection.

He pushed up on his elbows to frown down at her. “Who?”

“Harth.”

Lhars swore. “She ran again?”

“I don’t think she runs to run away… but she’s gone again, yes. And this time no one’s sure they’ve seen her since last night. There’s a couple who thought they saw her at breakfast but they didn’t speak with her and… we just aren’t sure.”

They stared at each other, both of them battling the selfish desire to stay close to each other while their sense of duty sprang to the fore.

“She’s gone many times before and she’s always come back.”

Kyelle nodded and stroked his face. “That’s the only reason I’m here. I still hope… I hope she just needed a break and she’s on her way back already. But… I feel like I can’t just ignore this, Lhars. Something is building. She’s just a symptom of it. We’re going to have to start branching out deeper into this world. The hunters are already afraid they’ll remove too many of the wildlife if we don’t extend their boundaries. And the shelters… they’re only temporary. We can’t be sure, but it seems like the season will change soon. We need more permanent shelter for everyone if it snows here, or there’s a rainy season…”

With a heavy sigh, Lhars rolled off of her to lay at her side, staring at the cave ceiling, one arm curved under his head.

Kyelle rolled to rest her head on his other shoulder. “Don’t look sad,” she said. “We’ve been here three months and everyone’s still safe. This is a good place, Lhars.”

“I know. But I just… I just wish Zev and Sasha were here to share it. I was just thinking about them on my way here and thinking how she knew we’d need you in this place, Kyelle.” He turned his head to look at her. “You’re a remarkable Alpha,” he said quietly.

Kyelle’s face pinched with emotion and she stretched up to kiss him—more slowly this time, but the heat built quickly and he couldn’t resist it. As she teased him with her tongue, he rolled over her again, his breath beginning to pant.

“Kyelle, are you sure?”

“Twenty minutes,” she gasped, pulling him against her. “No one’s going to die in twenty minutes.”