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It took longer to reach the cave than he\'d anticipated, because a new group of humans were camped a mile from it, right in their path. He\'d been distracted—and frustrated with himself when he realized he\'d been distracted. They\'d almost been on top of the camp before he realized the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and he was about to step into a human encampment.

He\'d slid to a halt, still in the trees, soothing Sasha\'s hurried questions in his mind. But he\'d had to wait and make sure they hadn\'t been seen, then figure out the best way around the substantial encampment.

He should have patrolled this area in the previous days. But Sasha had been worried about the risk of him being caught—and he\'d been loathe to leave her alone.

Now he wondered what else they might find before they reached the cave.

But, thankfully, though he went more slowly through the forest, they didn\'t run into any other groups of humans. And the guards were easy to find by their small fires or lights from devices. It wasn\'t until they were within half a mile of the Gateway that Zev slowed to a walk and began to creep between trees, always checking around every corner and scenting the wind for any threats.

He\'d resolved that if there were guards in the cave he would kill them. He knew it was unavoidable. The devices they all carried to communicate with each other didn\'t leave them any room for allowing people mercy. But his stomach was sick at the thought.

So when they were finally in the final steps up the trail—following the treeline, though they\'d have to step out of it to get to the mouth of the cave—he was relieved to find only one male slumped at the front of the cave.

He was supposed to be guarding, but he\'d fallen asleep, his head slumped forward on his chest, the glow of his device making his skin turn blue.

I\'m going to try and sneak past him, Zev told Sasha in his head. Stay as still as you can, but stay on my back unless he wakes. I can be quieter than you. But if he wakes up, jump off and let me deal with it, okay?

Sasha nodded, clutching his fur.

When he\'d checked the wind again and scanned the entire area, he stepped gingerly out of the treeline and onto the packed snow and stones of the trail to the Gateway Cave.

Twenty feet. That was all. Twenty feet to pass the guy on the ground and step inside the cave, and as long as there was no one else inside, they\'d be free.

It seemed to take forever. Step by cautious step, Zev crept along the short feet to the cave opening, then stepped carefully past onto the stone floor of the cave, which was even quieter, giving a wide berth to the guy on the ground.

They both turned their heads to watch him, Zev freezing when the guy sucked in a deep breath. But then he began a low, rolling snore and Zev\'s heart stopped threatening to actually beat through his ribs.

Zev kept up the silent walk until they\'d cleared the round corner in the cave and could see that there were no more guards inside. Then he trotted forward as quickly as he dared.

When he made it to the Gateway, Sasha slid off his back—almost losing her footing at first because the heavy furs dragged her to the side. But she grabbed him to steady herself, then he shifted back to human.

They stared at each other.

Are you ready? he asked her.

Yes, are you?

Definitely. Let\'s do this.

He offered her a hand, and Sasha took it with a deep breath, then together, fingers twined, they stepped into the Gateway.

Just like before, there was that terrible tugging sensation, as if something suctioned to his skin and tried to pull them apart bodily, from every angle at the same time. But the feeling passed quickly and then they were standing in that rippled, sapphire tunnel that looked like frozen ocean-water.

And once again, there was no light.

Zev took a deep breath, holding Sasha\'s hand so tightly, his knuckles were white.

"Take us to the compound, into the lab where our son was delivered. Take us there at a time when he\'s alone, or if that\'s not possible, when Nathan is with him."

Sasha sucked in a breath as the tunnel lit up around and above, the blazing light rolling down the tunnel and around the corner like water in the walls.

They looked at each other, then started walking as fast as Sasha was able.

*****

~ SASHA ~

She\'d almost cried when the tunnel lit up. Her last fear had been that they wouldn\'t be able to get to him, their son. That he wouldn\'t have been delivered, or Nathan would have stopped visiting him alone.

But then they were walking, hearts pounding, breaths fast and shallow. Walking, and walking, and walking.

The journey seemed longer than she\'d expected, but with every sense tuned to the tunnel, perhaps it was just that she was hyper-aware of every passing second.

Then finally, finally, the light led them around a corner into a side tunnel, and they faced another Gateway.

Sasha rushed forward, but Zev held her back. "Let me go first," he said quietly. "Just in case. You stay in the gateway, keep it open. I\'ll go in and get him—no matter what, you don\'t leave the gateway, okay?"

Sasha looked at him but nodded. He was right, of course. He could take Nathan, but that didn\'t mean there was no threat. So, she followed, almost crying out with joy when he stepped through the Gateway first and then she was in the opening and the lab appeared in front of her—a dark wall full of monitors and equipment. Tables and machines and equipment in neatly lined rows in the center of the room. An adjoining room that had beeping and other digital noises emanating from it, as well as a soft light.

Sasha bit her lip. He was here. Their son was here!

She was about to step out, when Zev looked back at her over his shoulder and squeezed her hand, indicating that she needed to stay there in the doorway so the Gateway wouldn\'t closed.

It took everything within her to stop, but she did, forcing her hands to fists at her sides so she wouldn\'t reach for Zev as he continued forward, towards that door.

But between one step and the next, the shadow in the adjoining room shifted and to Sasha\'s horror, Nathan stepped into the wide, open doorway, holding a bundle in his arms.

His eyes widened and he froze. "Zev," he said.

Zev snarled and leaped forward. And from almost behind them, the other side of the lab, another figure stepped into view, raising a gun.

"Zev! Watch—" Sasha screamed, as Nick pulled the trigger.

The gun made a strange popping hiss. Zev took one step, then dropped to the floor like a felled tree, groaning, his arms and legs flailing weakly.

"NO!"

*****

WE\'RE ALMOST AT "THE END!" If you want more great shifter fantasies to fill the void (or something completely different) go to linktr.ee/authoraimee to find my seven books on WN, and four published elsewhere!