Rise of the Dark Alpha

~ ZEV ~

They were in the half-dark of the dance floor, a soaring love song floating in the air around them, lights dim, but glaring when he turned towards the stage.

She looked beautiful in this light, staring up at him like that. But she wasn't smiling anymore, and that made his stomach clench.

"Zev, stop," she'd said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"What? I'm serious."

"You can't know that now." She looked down and fear entered her scent.

Zev frowned. "What's wrong? Why are you tense?"

"Because you're being silly about this and… and it's not silly for me. I'm not trying to make you talk about getting married. I'm just saying, that's a dream you know? Something I look forward to. Later. Years from now."

"Right. So all I'm saying is, when we get married, we need to make sure and do that."

"Zev, you can't possibly know we're going to get married. We're still in high school! Don't play that game with me."

"I'm not playing games!"

She'd rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever."

"Sash—"

"No, Zev, it's not a big deal right now. I'm talking about later. When I'm old. Whenever I get married, or whoever I marry, or whatever… Yeah, I hope that we get to dance together afterwards. Touch each other like this and just… be together. I'd find that romantic. Now, let's stop talking about it, okay?"

"Okay," he'd said, uneasy, and a little frustrated. She obviously didn't believe he was serious about marrying her. And sure, there were some obstacles they were going to have to overcome… but shouldn't she know he was that certain of her? Wasn't that what females wanted? A sense of certainty?

He'd never been more certain of anything in his life. He thought he'd communicated that to her. He thought she felt the same way. Did she not?

Zev frowned. "So, when you dance at a wedding—"

"Zev, please!"

"I just want to know!"

She'd sucked in a breath, her body tense, but she didn't let go of his hand or her remove her arm from around his waist. "Look, it's just like this. Slow music, everyone watching… it's just a moment to like, be together. That's all. Okay? No big deal. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

He'd pulled her closer with the hand at her lower back—playing his fingers on her skin there and having to fight off the surge of desire. Then he'd dropped his chin to nuzzle at her neck.

"When we get married," he whispered, "I'm going to remind you of this night and say I told you so."

She'd finally smiled—he'd felt her cheek stretch next to his. "Okay," she'd whispered back. "You do that…"

Now he stood on the grass, swaying with her in his arms again, and staring down at her, beaming. He didn't care about his wounds, or how lightheaded he felt. He cared about the pink in her cheeks, and the sparkle in her eyes when she looked up at him through her lashes.

"You know what I'm going to say, right?" he murmured.

Sasha's eyes closed for a second and she sucked in a long breath, pulling him closer. "I don't know. What are you going to say?"

"I'm going to say you weren't confident of me back when we were young. That you thought I was toying with you. But I wasn't."

Sasha bit her lip exactly as she had that night, but in an effort to stifle her own laughter now, rather than hope. "I guess I have to admit you're right," she said, grinning.

"I told you so."

"Yes, you did."

"I love you, Sash," he said quietly. "I did then, and I do now. That's never going to change."

She closed her eyes again, like she was savoring the words. "I love you, too, Zev."

"So, now that you believe me, tell me what I need to do to make this dream of yours come true?" he asked, surprised by the emotion pinching his throat.

She looked up at him then, shaking her head slightly. "You've already done it," she whispered. "I can't… you've already done it, Zev. I can't believe we're here. And…. And that's all that I needed. Being here, with you. Never having to let go again."

"Never again," he growled quietly, but fierce. Then he brought the hand from her back up to trace the line of her hair and trail his fingers down her neck. Her skin washed in goosebumps where he touched, and he smiled. "You're never dancing like this with anyone else. Only me, from now on."

"It's only ever been you anyway, Zev," she said—a little sadly, but then she smiled. "And I'm really, really glad that that's true."

"Me too," he murmured, then dropped his chin to kiss her softly.

Sucking in a breath, Sasha reached up to circle his neck and pull him down into the kiss and for a long moment, both of them forgot they were dancing, or that there was an audience. Zev couldn't think of anything beyond her beautiful scent, the softness of her lips, and the Solitude.

By the time they broke apart, they were both breathing faster and he was a little lightheaded. But Sasha was beaming, and there was nothing in any world that warmed him or made him happier than seeing her joy.

So as they circled the grass, Zev made himself forget about the pain in his side, and the males watching—mostly laughing or confused because this wasn't how the Chimera danced. He made himself forget that their entire world had just been turned upside down, and it was going to be up to him to keep Sasha safe in this new role she'd just been thrown into.

He didn't even let himself think about the anger of the tigers over their dead King, or what this would do the next time the human's visited.

All he thought about was that smile, that warm body in his hands, and that heart, beating against his chest, that he cherished more than any other in any world.

No matter what, they were going to get through this. Starting tonight.

"I love you, Zev," Sasha said suddenly, her eyes beginning to silver again with tears.

"You're a part of my soul, Sash," he whispered. "I choose you today, and I'll choose you every day for the rest of my life—and the next."

She fell into his chest then, clinging, and he held her as they swayed.

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