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As they walked through the forest, Harth continued to be awed by the luscious beauty of the place. Ears pricked for danger, she was still enthralled by the dark, damp earth that smelled of fresh rain and new growth. So different to the alpine landscape of Thana which was so barren by comparison. She marvelled at the hollow ground echoing under their feet, the thick leaves and lush branches overhead to shelter them from sun or rain... No matter where she turned it was clear that this land was bursting with life.

Under any other circumstances, she would have been overjoyed to be here, to have found this place, and her mate... Of course her mate. She was more than overjoyed to find her mate.

But this?

She peered between the guards in front of them, past the stiff shoulders of the red-headed Queen, and a second circle of soldiers.

Sasha’s dark hair was lank and stringy, half-out of its braid. The tiny, plump face of her son rested on her shoulder, his cheek shoved forward by the weight of his head. He slept. Harth’s heart swelled with pride, and joy, and grief...

They had all been praying every day that Zev and Sasha would be successful in retrieving their son. And Harth’s heart had sung the moment she’d seen them together.

.....

But she couldn’t escape the creeping fear and weight of not knowing...

Would she ever hold such a little bundle of joy for herself?

Was it even possible?

After the human tests-

“This way.” Harth blinked. One of the soldiers stood at the side of the trail, urging them to take the right branch of a fork. Tarkyn’s fingers tightened on hers again. She’d been distracted and not wary.

She couldn’t afford that. She couldn’t let herself get trapped in her own thoughts. That was tantamount to death when she’d been in human hands. She wasn’t yet confident there was any difference here.

Hugging Tarkyn’s arm to her, she took a deep breath.

There was a joy there. She could feel him-aching for her, loving her. It seemed impossible-they’d known each other less than a full day in waking hours. And yet, she felt it too... as if she’d finally found the second half of her heart. As if it had been torn from her, and was now returned, thumping and pulsing with joy.

And yet, the rend in it was not yet mended.

She needed him. Needed to complete the bond. Not only for her aching body’s sake, but for her soul.

Fear fluttered in her chest when she imagined if he was taken from her before they had the chance...

Then they took another turn around one of the massive trees that she’d seen here and there in the area where they’d settled, yet they made up half the forest in this place Tarkyn had referred to as the Tree City.

These massive trunks, wider than the owl’s tree-homes back in Thana, some with doors and windows carved into them. Others just natural trunks... but they were so big, their thick boughs winding straight out from the trunk fifteen or twenty feet in the air, and leaves the size of pieces of paper, in clusters along them, pointing upwards, as if to seek the sun...

Everywhere she looked this place was full of thriving life.

If only it could be such a home for the Chimera.

Then her thoughts were broken again, and she chastised herself for being lost in them a second time. She had to focus!

They were led out of the trees into a wide, open channel of space between the trees. A massive avenue, yet in a line at its center, some of the big trees-doors and windows carved into them-along with buildings and structures clearly intended for storage.

‘What is this place?’ she sent to Tarkyn, thrilled to know he could now send back to her. She’d been worried the differences between them might not allow it.

‘It’s our prison,’ he offered reluctantly.

Harth sucked in a breath, her jaw clenching. Tarkyn pulled her closer to his side.

But neither of them spoke-in minds, or in voice-because just then, Sasha broke forward, running towards one of the doors in one of these massive trees, her voice breaking as she called for her mate.

Harth’s heart broke in the same breath that her rage exploded when the guards ahead of her blocked her with spears and shouted commands.

She tensed, but Tarkyn gripped her arm, a shock of warning-in feeling, not words-washing over her through the bond.

To Harth’s relief, the Queen made a signal with one hand and the guards who’d stood at the doorway both stepped back, pulling their spears back, to allow Sasha to enter.

‘Elreth is afraid, but she is fair,’ Tarkyn offered in her head, his voice fading slightly and uncertain. She couldn’t tell if he was uncertain about accessing mindlink, or about what he said.

She prayed it was the first.

There was a short minute of confusion and instruction when they all reached the tree and Elreth determined who would be allowed to go in with them.

Harth could smell Zev inside and itched to get in there, to make sure her Alpha was safe. But then she shook her head slightly. Of course he wasn’t. Even from outside she could scent the tang of rage and panic on him-and on Sasha.

He was hurting. What were they doing to him?

Then Elreth turned to Tarkyn, and her brows pressed together. “Tarkyn, I need you in here.”

But she didn’t need Harth. That was clear-but remained unspoken.

Harth glared at the Queen.

Feeling her anger, Tarkyn tightened his hold on her. “Let her see her Alphas. Let her see that they aren’t harmed.”

Aren’t harmed?! She could tell they were harmed just by their scents-

But the Queen’s gaze snapped to Harth then and her lips tightened. “You say you are honest. Do you give me your word you won’t interfere with your mate, or with the pris-your alphas? Will you remain quiet and only observe?”

Harth sucked in a breath through her nose. She wanted to set his powerful female down. Tell her exactly who and what she was dealing with. But she felt Tarkyn’s yearning. His ache that she would submit. And she understood.

To gain the knowledge of this place, to understand the conflict, she had to be present. She had to be... not an adversary.

So she blew the breath out and dropped her chin and shoulders. “I give you my word,” she said through her teeth.

The Queen snorted her skepticism, but didn’t say more, only tipped her head at her mate-the tall male with the silver hair-who had slipped up behind her from out of the forest, to put himself at her back as she walked into the tree, followed immediately by a guard, then Tarkyn and Harth, then another set of guards behind her.

For a moment when Harth got inside the dim depths of the tree, the shadows stole the best of her sight. But her eyes adjusted quickly, and then her mouth dropped open in horror at what she saw.

*****

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