Chapter 153: Ritual - Part 2

~ ZEV ~

"Are you ready?" Dunken asked him quietly.

Zev nodded, his eyes still locked on Sasha, who couldn't seem to take her gaze from him, either. His heart pounded to beat out of his chest, his pulse throbbing in his skin until his ribs hurt. But he wouldn't give up that moment for anything.

She looked like an angel, floating out of the forest to find him with her eyes. And when she started examining his body… Fuck. He felt her eyes like she was touching him.

Everywhere.

"Down boy," Dunken said quietly, a smile in his tone. "We've got some stuff to get done first."

"Let them try and take her from me," Zev growled, imagining picking Sasha up and running out of the clearing with her, taking her to the cave and tearing that dress off… with his teeth.

"If you don't stop stinking of arousal, you'll get them going too," Dunken muttered, tipping his head towards the crowds of males clustered around the bonfire.

Behind them, Yhet snorted. "You'll have to—"

"No more honey metaphors, Yhet," Zev groaned. "Please."

Yhet giggled surprisingly high for such a massive, deep-voiced male. But Zev wasn't really paying attention to anything but Sasha—the pretty pink flush in her cheeks, the way her eyes flared with heat when she looked at him.

The others were stepping between them, putting hands to him to stop him moving, and Zev realized they were right to do so. He strained towards her.

"We better get this moving before my brother mounts her in front of the adolescents," Lhars drawled from Zev's right.

Zev snorted. "You might learn a thing or two."

Lhars' eyebrows shot up. "I'm certain I will, brother. Not all of us can mate any willing female without consequences."

Several growls rose from the others—including Yhet—behind Zev's snarl. But Lhars only put his hands up. "It wasn't a dig, Zev. I was serious. I would be… intrigued."

"If you ever so much as look at her—" Zev started, but Dunken stepped in.

"Okay, let's get this moving. His instincts are kicking in and the other Clans are restless. Zev, Zev look at me." Dunken gripped Zev's shoulders and Zev forced himself to turn away from challenging his brother to face him. Dunken's face was serious. "This is the day you have been waiting for since you were an adolescent. Do not let yourself get distracted from your purpose. Stake your claim. Deny the challengers. Take her. The rest can be dealt with later."

Zev nodded, knowing his friend was right.

Dunken clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. I pray to the Creator that you'll both be very happy and blessed with many offspring."

*****

~ SASHA ~

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Kyelle stood at her shoulder, eyeing the crowds of males around the bonfire warily and warning Sasha to keep her eyes on Zev.

She didn't need to. Sasha didn't want to look anywhere else. Her soon-to-be-husband was the most gorgeous thing she'd ever seen. And her anxiety drove her to make certain that he wasn't going to disappear again—or be attacked.

Every time there was a surge of activity around him, the males clustering, or speaking, her adrenalin would surge, waiting to see something go wrong. But even Lhars seemed good-natured, if a little tense. And Yhet, standing feet above the others, was beaming.

"Are you ready?" Kyelle asked her quietly. "Dunken is giving the signal. If you're ready, I'll call for him and we'll begin."

Sasha had never been more ready in her life. "Yes, of course," she said breathlessly, "I—" Sasha startled as Kyelle suddenly stepped forward and shouted, her voice pealing across the clearing.

"Raise your eyes, Chimera! Stand and hear! The mate approaches! The female who seeks a clan comes! Raise your eyes and see her! Raise your nose and scent her! She seeks her mate. Where is her mate!"

Then Dunken's deep voice rang out in response. "Her mate comes! Raise your eyes, Chimera! Stand and hear! The mate approaches. The male of the wolf clan comes and knows his mate. He will claim her. Challengers, stand ready!"

Sasha was barely breathing when, without warning, drums began to beat, making the air of the clearing thrum—and the males cheered.

"Where are the drums coming from?"

"The drummers are on the other side of the bonfire. They won't stop now until you are vowed and confirmed," Kyelle said with a shaky smile. "Welcome to your mating ritual, Sasha."

Sasha looked at her, a shade of shame pinching her stomach as she looked down at the beautiful dress she was wearing and tried to imagine if their roles were reversed.

She took Kyelle's hand and swallowed. "You're a better woman than me, Kyelle."

Kyelle shook her head, but didn't take her eyes off the cluster of males around Zev. For a moment, a small, petty part of Sasha wanted to grab her face and tell her to take her eyes off Sasha's man.

But Kyelle didn't stare love at Zev, she knew. She was… grieving.

Sasha kept her hands fisted in the skirts of her beautiful dress and reminded herself how hard it would be for Kyelle to do this—and how kind she had been in it.

Then, breaking free of the men that looked like they were holding him back, Zev prowled forward, chin down his eyes fixed on her from under heavy brows, glowing with intensity. Dunken stalked on one side of him, Lhars on the other, and Yhet loomed over them from behind.

For a moment she thought Zev was coming for her, but as he reached halfway across the clearing between them—close enough that she could see his abdominal muscles clenching and releasing with his breath—he made a motion to Yhet, who continued towards Sasha, while Zev turned to glower at the men gathered around the bonfire.

"Stand for the Alpha of the Wolf Clan," Dunken bellowed and those men that weren't already on their feet, shifted and straightened. There was a small ripple—some men who still didn't approve of Zev's sudden rise through the ranks. For a moment Sasha feared that they'd revolt, her mind painting the images before her with a horde of angry men rippling into wolves and running to leap straight at Zev's throat.

But as her own heart leaped into her own throat, Sasha was relieved to see the men didn't move, didn't suddenly descend on him. They just faced him, watching.

Zev stood, proud and confident, looking poised for a fight, his eyes scanning them left and right.

And then he began to speak and Sasha fell in love with him all over again.

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