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"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."

A ripple sounded through the crowd and Sasha tensed, but Zev only shook his head. "I was lied to as a youth—and you have been deceived as well. I am not incapable of the bond, only… only form it differently. Like the humans, the act of mating does not automatically produce the matebond for me, but when I found the one… I cannot deny her. Have not been able to since even before I recognized what was happening to us.

"You all know, you were here, when I returned from the human world to take Alpha of All Clans in Thana. You remember my devotion to her, and my grief. I had been deceived. I believed the connection purely emotional, that it would fade with time. Yet here we are, five years later, and she holds my heart as firmly as if it were in her fangs.

"You saw me live for two years without her and take no other female. You have heard lies about my contact with females in the past three years after I returned to the human world. The Alphas have filled you in on my story. You can believe it, or not. But you cannot deny to me what is as tangible as the dirt under my feet: Sasha is not just desirable to me. She is my mate. And I defy any of you to take her from me!" His voice was fierce, rolling off into a growl. Some of the men slouched, submitting, Sasha thought. But others…

Others clenched their fists and their eyes began to glint.

Sasha\'s heart climbed to her throat, but she didn\'t speak. She couldn\'t speak. She had to remember not to speak!

Zev scanned the men again, locking eyes with any that didn\'t look away.

"You do not know her as I do. You see an unmated female, a prize. But I see the female beneath—the steel in her spine, the courage with which she faces her fears, the heart that nurtures and lives in gratitude, and her honesty. She is the perfect Alpha mate—willing to speak even the hard truth and hear it.

"I see her to her soul—it is the other half of mine. So stand, brothers. If you cannot accept my claim, make your stand now, or watch in submission as she becomes mine!"

Howls rose from the wolves, celebrating, heralding their Alpha and his claim. Zev had warned Sasha that the wolves wouldn\'t challenge his claim of her. That the greater risk came from the tigers and goats—though Gheet was not sending a challenger, he also refused to prohibit his males from making a claim to her. Zev had been disappointed, but understood. So, he\'d told Sasha to wait and see. Whether the males liked it or not, few were high enough in the rankings to willingly fight him.

Sasha held her breath, clasped her hands, gripping them until her knuckles turned white, waiting as Zev stood, silent and proud, clearly daring any of them to challenge him.

After a minute that lasted longer than any in Sasha\'s life, Zev\'s grin flashed. "A wise choice, brothers. I prefer not to mar my mating day by kicking your asses first."

A rumble of laughter rolled around the clearing.

"So I have told you of her strength and honesty, but you must see for yourselves. Brothers, stand and show yourselves. Display to my mate, tell her what you would offer. She will yet return to me!"

The barks and calls rose, buffeting the trees around them as the air in the clearing shifted from tension to anticipation.

"They\'ve been looking forward to this," Kyelle whispered next to her.

Sasha gaped. "Why?!"

Kyelle\'s lips twitched upwards towards a smile. "Because they are males. Any opportunity to preen and show themselves better, stronger than their brothers… it\'s their life\'s air," she said dryly. "Surely you know enough of men to see this?"

Sasha snorted, but didn\'t take her eyes off of Zev, her heart pounding as he turned slowly to stand, arms folded—a symbol, he\'d told her, that he would not interfere.

Their eyes locked for a moment and his voice bloomed in her head. "Your turn," he said gently, his lips pulling up on one side. "Have fun."

She snorted and shook her head as the males scrambled towards her en-masse.

For a moment she thought they might be going to repeat the crowd of the other night, circle her. Her heart raced faster, but not with anticipation, but fear. She didn\'t like being surrounded like that.

But thankfully the men seemed to seek an order. Some were allowed to step to the front, while others stood back, until those the others were submitting to all spread out in a line in front of her and Kyelle.

"Don\'t worry, Sasha," that deep, deep voice of Yhet rumbled from behind her. Sasha flinched and snapped her head around to find Yhet standing behind her, his face serious and eyes on the males. "I have your back," he said softly. "None of these assholes will circle around without going through me."

"I… thank you, Yhet," she said, stunned. She\'d forgotten what Zev said, that Yhet was his warrior—chosen to protect her during the ritual. She\'d thought the position to be purely symbolic.

But now, looking at this crowd of males, the light of determination in their eyes, she adjusted her expectations.

"Good luck," Kyelle murmured, stepping to the side so she stood alone.

Sasha took a deep breath and nodded, praying she wasn\'t going to need it.