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Turning to his people, Zev raised a hand to quiet everyone. Sasha stepped towards him, coming to stand at his side, holding Zan tight against her chest, even though the sling kept him secure anyway.

“Thank you,” he said, and meant the words, though he knew they should have touched him more deeply.

A cloud of calls, huffs, barks, and cries rose.

Zev felt hollow inside. He put an arm around Sasha and pulled her closer, desperate to feel her warmth.

“We’re safe, we’re here. And our son… our son’s name is Zan. He’s healthy and strong and… thank you for waiting for us,” he said, wishing his voice sounded warmer. “But you probably already know, there’s a different threat to be faced here in Anima—one we now know intimately. And there’s no time to waste.”

Everyone went still, stunned, apparently. But Zev plowed on.

“Lhars, Kyelle, I need to speak with both of you immediately. Alphas, please gather ready to council after we’ve spoken with the Seconds. Sasha and I are so grateful you’re all happy to see us—and we’re so glad to be back with you. but unfortunately there’s no time to enjoy it. We’re—”

‘Zev, greet them! Show them that you love them!’ Skhal’s voice in his head rang with dark disapproval. ‘They’ve been waiting for you for three months, begging God to bring you and your family back safe—’

.....

Zev cut off the link and cleared his throat.

“My friends… I know this wasn’t the reunion we all wanted, but it’s the reunion we’ve been given. We are facing a deadly enemy. And I love you too much to indulge in… in fun while our enemy creeps up behind us. So… please, go and prepare. Because very, very soon, we will be at war.”

He looked at Lhars and Kyelle, then started to walk in the direction of the encampment, which he could smell further south.

Sasha sighed heavily, but walked with him, and his people—so many faces warm and bright, fading to fear or disappointment, stepped back to give them the passage of the Alpha through the clans.

*****

Half an hour later, Zev squatted next to a fire in a rough building, similar to those they’d built in the village back at Thana—something that had once been a lean-to, but was slowly growing and being improved.

It was the largest structure the Chimera had made so far, large enough to seat twenty in a circle, though right now, only half a dozen of them were inside. The others were gathering outside, waiting to be called in by the Alphas.

The scent of relief that had permeated the people was being slowly overwhelmed by fear, and it was his fault, Zev knew. But what could he do? Pretend that these Anima weren’t a threat?

He paced back and forth along the back wall of the building, unwilling to admit that he still felt the need to cover his back, even among his own people. Let them think he was only tense.

But Sasha knew, she watched him with worried eyes.

Lhars and Kyelle stood in the center of the room, side by side, their scents entwined and that easy closeness of mates bonded and intimate. Zev knew that feeling—when the body of your mate seemed just an extension of your own. When physical space was unnecessary. He knew that feeling, had enjoyed it for months with Sasha back in Thana.

A flash of jealousy roared through him because his own mate stood further away, watching him, tense, holding their son. Zan had woken and Sasha was feeding him from the waterskin Jayah had provided.

A hum of alarm raced through Zev—they needed a food source for their son, and quickly. Kyelle was already on it, she and Sasha discussing it with one of the healers as they’d walked back to the encampment, but Zev wouldn’t feel safe about it until everything was in place.

He tore his attention back to his brother and Kyelle, catching both their eyes with a warning in his own.

“Tell me, as quickly as you can, how established we are here, who made it and who didn’t. How big are our numbers? How healthy are we? Quickly.”

Lhars blinked, but didn’t question, just launched into the briefing.

From the clan Chimera alone, three hundred had left Thana and at least two hundred and fifty had made it here—that they knew of. It was possible some of the others had landed in other parts of the world, but never reunited with them. At least, not yet.

“You didn’t go looking for them?” Zev barked like he would to a recruit, stopping himself from wincing at his own tone. His brother would forgive him. This was important.

But it was Kyelle who answered. “I was… leading when we first arrived, working to keep the females who’d come from the human world calm and helping them to assimilate, while we still had all the others who’d come with us from Thana and hadn’t adjusted yet. It was a lot, Zev. You have to remember how much they were struggling. We were concerned at the beginning… but being here was actually better. It gave us all a purpose. We kept everyone close—a three mile radius for the first couple of months. Except the hunters and scouts, who kept specific routes. We weren’t certain we were alone, and we thought if we kept everyone close it would help the females settle and it would mean, others were more likely to find us if we were in a larger group.

“But some struggled with the close confines. Especially the females after being in the sanctuary. We had a few breaking ranks. Then Harth disappeared and… and we realized… we couldn’t keep them all cooped up. It was fracturing us. So, we had to let them be free. But a few left after that and haven’t returned yet.”

“A few?” Zev asked quietly, still pacing.

Kyelle licked her lips and glanced up at Lhars like she was nervous to speak. Zev stopped pacing and waited, heart pounding. What had happened? How many had they lost.

“How many?” He asked sharply.

Kyelle sighed.

“We have about two hundred who keep tents or shelters here. A couple dozen that have made homes in the hills or the forest, apart from the main group. And then more that we haven’t seen in a week or more.”

Zev swore. Lhars jumped in, shifting his weight as if he would put himself between Zev and Kyelle.