Chapter 155: Ritual - Part 3

~ SASHA ~

Zev stood, proud and confident, looking poised for a fight—a fight he was certain he would sin. He scanned the gathering around the bonfire, holding eyes and making certain all of them heard him. With only dim afternoon light overhead, his oiled torso glowed warm in the firelight in a way that made Sasha's mouth go dry.

"I stand before you as Alpha of the Wolf Clan."

A chorus of grunts, snarls and roars met that declaration, but he only stared them down until they quieted.

"I lay claim to Sasha, the human, the female without clan. Her beauty, her inner strength… she has captured me. I am caged. Gladly. And today I will claim her and none of you will stand in my way—I will remove you, if necessary.

"She will be my breeding pair—touched by no other. She holds my matebond and has leashed my heart."