~ SASHA ~
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Sasha was only confused as Zev—still holding her close—whipped his head around and began to growl a low, rumbling putter in his chest that didn't ease away.
"You're too late!" he spat at whoever had spoken. "She's claimed and declared!"
"The King is never too late."
Oh fuck. It had to be Xar. She couldn't see over the crowd, but Zev could, and his face went rock-hard, the muscles at the back of his jaw flexing like he ground his teeth.
"The King did not present his challenge," Zev said through his teeth, the words dissolving back into the growl.
"It is the Alpha's prerogative when the female has not mated before—"
"She has. She is mine, in every sense of the word. Scent the bond if you have to. It's different, fainter than the Chimera—but it's there. Even she can feel it. We completed it years ago—it's how I've known all this time—"
