The phone rang, startling Sky even though she had been waiting for it. She then listened to Bas’ end of the conversation and waited for him to tell her the details of all of it. Bas ended the phone call.

"Okay, we have a pick up about 45 minutes away from here,” Bas revealed. “Cash, the second in my Team, and Ryleigh are currently closest to our location. They will be handling your evacuation."

That was all he said. It was short, simple, and straightforward, like the decisions he was making were no big deal.  She was supposed to go with these people she didn’t know and just accept it?  Well, she could be just as stubborn as him.

"That’s fine, Sebastian, “Sky said in a haunting tone.  “Since we seem to have some time on our hands, why don't you answer this, are you just going to hand me off to your friends without looking back? How about you give me the rest of the information since you seem to be washing your hands of me as soon as we meet up with your friends?"

"Fuck, Sky, I can't say it enough. It’s not like that. This is how things need to play out for both of us.”

"So, you keep on saying, no, telling me about legends that I don’t fit into, or maybe all the mating stuff that doesn’t fit our situation."

Bas let out a drawn-out breath as if she was annoying him, and that irritated her immensely. Sky had a right to these answers, and she didn't want them to come from anyone else. 

"Listen, I realize you don’t get any of what is going on here, and that is fine.  I am doing this in the best interest for you, and you need to remember that. But if you want the information, I will give it to you.  Then you can ask Ryleigh, or any of the other mates, to clarify anything I have missed when you get back to Alpha Base." 

Sky didn't want clarification from the mates, the other women in the pack, so to speak.  She wanted Bas to realized what he was saying was just as insane as what he was in fact doing.  She hoped talking with him and asking questions would make him understand that point.  So, she sat quietly in the car and waited for his explanation.

Bas revealed, "Legend states that when a Shifter meets his mate, an immediate and unbreakable bond snaps into place.  At the same time, for the male, his human and animal forms unify.  Mating goes beyond human marriage; it is all encompassing.  A true mating unites the mind, body, and soul of the couple with the beast that lies beneath the surface.  If the mating is fated, a blessing will appear on one of the pulse points of the pair.  The mating mark, which looks similar to your birthmark." 

"Okay, so what you are saying, in fact, is that we do meet the requirements of your legends?" Sky snapped.

"No, I’m not. Listen, we haven’t fucked, Sky, so we haven’t mated, and therefore we have not completed the bond.  Your birthmark and this mark that is now on my wrist cannot be mating marks.  They don’t look like any of the other ones I have seen.  It’s not natural.  I don’t know what it means, and I cannot explain it.  But once I get you back to Alpha, I am confident that Ryleigh and the others can figure it out." 

Sky begged to differ.  Her mark seemed to be more natural than the others he was talking about. After all, she had had it since birth, and now he held the same mark.  It had to mean something.  Fucking or not, Sky believed it had to mean more. She just needed to convince Bas.  She also didn't believe that she had been genetically engineered in some test tube.  It was possible, but she didn’t think so.  Her parents were not wealthy people; surrogacy, artificial insemination, and others means to have a baby were expensive, and way out of their grasp.  But she held her tongue not saying any of that to Bas. 

"That’s not the only thing,” Bas continued.  “I told you that there aren’t any natural born Shifter females left in the world, only males.  All of the women that we have located are now mating with Shifters, and they fit the status quo.  This thing between us is just a byproduct of that engineering.  My beast calms while I am by you, but as soon as I walk away, getting some distance, my bear is just as crazy as he ever was.  You don’t sooth the beast."

"For my generation, and several before, man and beast exist as separate entities, consistently fighting each other for control.  The human side is usually able to dominate, but as time wears on the animal becomes stronger and more defiant.  When the human side loses control of the beast within, there is no choice but to take them down permanently.  Do you understand what I am saying? My days on Earth have been numbered since the day I was born.   I am going down that path quicker than any of us could have predicted."

"But, how do you know?” Sky questioned.  “I mean, nothing in life happens the exactly the same way twice.  How can you be so confident that this is wrong and how do you know your animal is on the downward slide?  You said that it was early. What makes your circumstance so different than any other Shifter?"

"Fuck!" Bas said, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel a couple of time. " I fucking know because my bear is out of control. I feel my hold on him waning every day.  I fucking know because even though I want you, I can let you go just as quickly.  Do I want you, hell yes! I want to fuck you until you feel me in your body for days afterward, but that doesn’t make you unique, Sky.  I’ve wanted to fuck a lot of women, and I have.  The big difference is, I don’t want to keep you."

Wow, those words cut like a knife being shoved right into Sky's heart.  Here she was pining for a man that just wants to fuck her. Why the hell did she even want to convince him of anything after he had the gall to say that to her?  Sky shifted in her seat, unable to look at him any longer.

"You still don't get it," Bas yelled. “My Alpha had to lock himself in a fucking safe room and let one of the guys tie his ass up just to let his mate leave the damn house.  He can’t bear to be without her.  If you would have done what I said back there at the hotel, then we wouldn’t be together right now, and that would have been fine with me.  Don’t you get it, we are not mates, true or otherwise!"

Sky could feel her cheeks warm. She was angry, a little depressed, and felt kind of stupid for putting herself out there so much.  Bas was intentionally cruel.  She wasn't stupid; they didn't know each other that well, but there was something beyond lust going on between them.  Bas just didn't want to accept that. No, he wanted to ignore the feelings and everything that had happened between them.  The rejection was just enough to put her over the edge.  He wanted to leave, and she wasn’t going to stop him. She didn’t need any of this crap in her life anyways.  She wasn’t a quitter, but fighting a losing battle and beating a dead horse wasn’t her style either. 

Sky only wanted to design and build her bikes, and get as far away from Sebastian Frost as possible.  What she couldn’t figure out was why she was holding on so tight for to begin with, was it chemical or natural?  She didn’t know this man, and Sky sure as hell shouldn’t be feeling all these things for him after two days.  Maybe he was right, and it was all just chemical. She doubted it, but really, how could she convince him otherwise and why would she want to after all he had just said to her?  He made his position clear; he didn’t want her for more than just a quick fuck anyways.

"Oh, no worries, Sebastian, you have finally cracked through my thick skull.  Count the topic efficaciously closed, never to be addressed again."  Sky still couldn't look at him, so she continued to stare at the countryside speeding past her from the window of the car.

Bas felt like a fucking ass.  He had just laid things out for Sky that weren’t even close to the truth, but it was for her own good.  She didn’t need to attach herself to him, and Bas wasn’t going to let her.  He probably could have made the same points without going so far, but he needed her to forget about him.  Forget about this strange bond and move the fuck on with her life.  If she was destined to be a fated mate, she could find another Shifter, one that destiny hadn't already cursed. 

As long as that happened after his ultimate demise, or thousands of miles away from him, he would deal with the backlash.  The thought of her with another man enraged his beast and his human side, but he was all about control, and he would keep that control until his last breath.  The choices he was making were the best for both of them.  Sky would be safe within NAC, and Bas could live out his final days without the burden of making Sky’s life miserable.  There was no other way.

In the meantime, Bas followed the directions that Jacks and given him and made his way to the small airport.  There was only one plane on the tarmac, and it was one Alpha’s.  Cash was standing outside, waiting, so Bas figured that Ryleigh must be inside. 

Parking the car, he got out and motioned for Sky to do the same.  She followed his non-spoken instruction, but still didn’t speak to him.  He knew she was mad, could feel it and smell it.  Sky was putting off the emotions of anger and hurt so strongly that Bas could almost taste them on his tongue.  It made him question himself again. Was he legitimately doing right by her?

Sky followed Bas as instructed, looking around the field that she supposed was some kind of airport or landing strip.  To her it looked like a road in the middle of some cornfields.  The plane on the ground was sleek, it seemed to be a jet of some kind, but she had no idea because planes weren't her thing.  Now put a motorcycle out there, and Sky would be able to tell the make, model, year built, and in some instances, the town the factory was in that had created it.  The plane was, however, her only clue that this place was something other than farmland.  Didn't they need permits and stuff to land and take off?  NAC must have more pull than Sky even considered. 

The man standing outside of the jet, yeah, he was another matter altogether.  He stood tall at least six and a half feet, probably closer to seven feet.  His tatted-up arms crossed over his massive chest. The shirt that covered that chest said, ‘If I wanted your opinion, I would beat it out of you.’ It only added to his intimidating size.  His head was bald, and he was sporting a goatee. But what honestly caught her attention was the look on his pierced face.  It said that she was anything but welcome here.  He looked cold, angry even, and his focus was trained right on Sky.  What the hell was Bas thinking sending her away with this guy?

Bas stopped and introduced her to the man she found out was Cash.  He didn't do the normal things a person would when being introduced to someone for the first time, like hold out his hand for a handshake. No, he just stood there glaring at her.   He did, however, nod his head to acknowledge Bas, but that was it.  Sky felt strongly that this was a man she needed to stay the hell away from at all costs.  When no other pleasantries were left to be expressed, Bas grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. 

She resisted at first, not wanting this contact or connection after having made up her mind that if he was so willing to let her go, she needed to do the same. But as soon as he nipped her bottom lip requesting entry, Sky opened to his kiss, and she couldn’t help but melt into it.

"Babe, I’m sorry, but one day you will realize that this was for the best.  NAC & The Holly Group can offer you things that I can’t.  Now go on and get on the plane. Ryleigh is waiting for you.  I’m going to talk to Cash for a bit, but it should be long". 

With that, the bastard had the nerve to slap her on the ass and send her on her way.  What a total fucking jerk, Sky thought to herself.

Once Sky made her way on the plane, Bas turned to Cash. "I’m not going back with you.  I will clear it with Jacks, but I can’t head back to Alpha right now." 

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bas?” Cash demanded.  “Jacks sent us out here to pick your ass up, and that is what I’m going to do.  You have been ordered back to base with your package."

"No man, that is not what is going to happen.  This situation with Sky is different.  I need to get some space between her and I.  I will make my way back to Alpha, but not with the three of you," Bas said running his hand through his hair in frustration. 

Cash had no idea what was going on between them at the moment, and it was evident that he had no intentions of explaining it all to him either.  The fucker had changed lately.  He used to be Alpha Team’s go to guy for problems, or just someone to shoot the shit with, but lately he had been distant, moody, and brash.  He wasn't even cooking all that much anymore, and that was something he had always said he loved.  Now Emma was taking up most of the slack in the kitchen. 

Cash grabbed his forearm roughly and asked, "What is this?"

Bas knew he was looking at the mark on his wrist.  "Shit man, that is part of the problem," Bas said pulling his arm away from Cash.

"I don’t see how it’s a problem,” Cash snapped.  “You're mated. Why the fuck would you want to leave the one woman that could save your ass?"

"Fuck!" Bas yelled, turning around and threw his hands up in the air. “That just it, man, we aren’t mated.  We haven’t fucked... ‘This’,” he said indicating his wrist, “happened with a simple touch of the hands, a kiss, and just fucking fooling around.  My bear hasn’t calmed down. The bond, shit yeah, it's there, but it is beyond intense. She can feel what I feel.  It’s not natural. Something must have happened to her when she was created, or born or something else entirely, and now it's affecting me.  This thing between her and me isn’t like the others.  We aren’t mates. WE HAVENT MATED!  Shit, right fucking now my bear is tearing me apart. The only logical conclusion is that I’m going rogue, and before that happens I want to do some fucking good.  Can you understand that?"

"Oh, I can understand that,” Cash retorted. “Here is what I don’t understand, how can you be such a fucking pussy coward?  I have watched you take on odds that average men or Shifters would run away from, but you prevailed.  I have seen you go up against men twice your size and still, you have won.  Your Alpha, one of the best of the best, and you’re going to be taken down and run away from your mate?  What the fuck is wrong with you, man!"

Cash continued, "I wished and prayed every day in the hopes of finding Jessie again, but there is no hope, she is gone.  I will go rogue, period.  You, on the other hand, have the chance. One that only happens once in a lifetime, and you are just going to throw it away because it doesn’t follow some SOP that you have made up in your head?  Nothing, and I mean nothing, in life works the same way. Why in the hell would you think mating would?" 

"I’m going to get on this plane and give you a few minutes to get yourself together.  Once you have done that, then we are ALL going to head back to Alpha as planned.  But I want to you think about one thing while you are out here trying to convince yourself that you are doing the right thing and not making the worst possible move of your life by turning that girl away." Cash emphasized by pointing to the plane.  "Your bear isn’t calm because you haven’t fucked, asshole. He needs the connection of body and soul for the bond to form properly. Right now, everything is in limbo. Why you can't see what is as clear as day, that is beyond me.  You are a fool! You’re running away from shadows that aren’t even there.  Jacks and Senior filled me in on that girl, and all indications are she is a natural.  You get what I am saying? She is not a byproduct of Franklin, Pandora, or Davis Defense.  So how could anything that happens between the two of you be the same as the others?  Why on earth would you give up a chance for something as amazing as you could have with her just because of fear?  Or worse yet, cowardice?"