Chapter 129: Real

~ ZEV ~

"What do you mean they make him stronger?" Zev asked Lhars quietly.

"I mean exactly what I said. They're strengthening him, doing everything they can to make sure he doesn't lose control—because he's completely under their thumbs," Lhars growled. "I don't know what they've promised him, but whatever it is, he has no desire to resist them, and as long as he's in power, the Chimera will follow too. It's part of the reason I didn't challenge him—only part," Lhars admitted. "I knew they were going to help him stay in power. But they were nervous today. I think you're the one they've warned him about. They all seemed very twitchy."

"That's got to be why he cast me out," Zev said, his lip curling away from his teeth. "It was such a wrong reaction… I can't help but think it was specifically designed to slow me from reaching him, to challenge for Alpha."

Surprisingly, Lhars nodded along with that.