327 Compassion & Authority

~ SASHA ~

Sasha stood in the wide aisle of the stable, near-choking on the fumes of the huge bus that had been idling for over an hour now.

Most of the females were now inside, peering wide-eyed out of the windows, or walking between the seats, trying to find a place that felt safe enough to settle while their animal instincts were stressed.

But a handful remained on the dirt outside, shivering, their upper lips curling, or hands clawed into their clothing.

They feared this machine, and Sasha couldn't fault them for it. From their perspective, it was a massive, noisy contraption that might swallow them whole, or take them somewhere entirely out of their own control.

But after nearly an hour of trying to convince them, she was beginning to lose hope. She'd made a mistake in having the mini-alphas file onto the bus with their groups, because now only Mae remained outside the bus, and her stress was becoming evident.