Rise of the Dark Alpha

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*****

~ SASHA ~

Sasha's heart had jumped into her throat when Xar shifted back to his human form. That meant he was losing, right? Zev said when they fought to the death they did it in their animals. So if he was human again.

She'd looked at Kyelle, hope in her eyes. But the woman was frowning and quiet. As was the entire crowd, Sasha realized.

Taking her eyes off of Zev just for a second, Sasha glanced around to see that, on both sides of this conflict, Chimera appeared to be confused or uncertain.

"What's going on?" she breathed.

"Who knows," Yhet rumbled behind her. "This is… unprecedented."

Sasha turned back to watch Zev—bleeding, and obviously sore, but so strong. He stood with his feet planted and hands open at his sides, so obviously ready to end this. His shoulders rose and fell with his breath, but his eyes were sharp and intense. But he, too, seemed confused by Xar's shift back to humanity.

Then Zev warned Xar. Twice. The second time, she could see he was determined.

"Your time is up, Xar," he growled. "Take your cat, or prepare to die."

Sasha clasped her hands at her chest and prayed. Zev was hurt, but he seemed to still be strong. If he could finish Xar now… that was the end, right? No more fighting? No more having to worry about someone trying to come between them?

When Xar didn't answer, Zev's eyes narrowed, and he shifted into his wolf again, then jumped, a long, arching leap where he seemed to hang in the air as time slowed and the whole world went crazy.

The moment Zev was in the air, Xar dropped and rolled. To Sasha's time-slowed eyes, the dust puffed around him and he left a trail of blood, but he rolled tightly up against the pile of clothing he'd left.

The older man was crouched, hunching, looking like a hunted animal, his movements quick and precise as he grabbed something from within the folds of his cloak and shoved it into his mouth, then without a pause, twisted towards her.

Sasha's mouth fell open as Xar shifted into his tiger, it's golden eyes fixed right on her and he launched that massive, cat body directly at her.

She froze in the eyes of death descending. Everything went silent, even her mind as the huge cat flew through the air towards her.

A roar of fury erupted behind her, and a desperate snarl behind the tiger as Zev slid in the dirt where Xar had been a moment before, and scrabbled to launch towards her, too.

SASHA! GET DOWN! Zev screamed in her head, and instinctively she did, dropping to the dirt, smacking her elbow on rock, and another digging into her side as she hit the dirt.

She was too slow, still bringing her smarting arm up to cover her head when feet landed on the dirt in front of her.

Human feet.

Sasha froze again, then snapped her head up to find Xar, eyes wide and face beaming as he took a knife from between his teeth and clasped it in his fist, raising it high over his own head, as if to drive it into her skull.

A massive shadow passed over them, along with the whir of something heavy whipping through the air, and a roar unlike any Sasha had ever heard.

But the tiger man was dropping, that knife gleaming in the dim afternoon light, and the shadows approach from behind him and over Sasha, weren't going to reach him in time.

It was reflex to throw her hand up, to block the downward blow of the knife. But he was so strong, he bore her to the ground with a cry, a burning pain flaring in her arm.

She hit the dirt with a thud and screamed—not even words, just the sound of fear and fury.

No matter what she did. No matter how hard they worked, the universe was determined to take her from Zev, and Zev from her.

In the split second Xar snarled in her face and lifted the knife again, she saw it all: The way Zev had tried to save her from this—only to ruin his own life, and hers, and still they ended up here. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that she was going to die at the hands of this madman, just when they were to have finally been able to be together without any more threats.

The sound that broke in her throat was primal—a voice to her pain, her rage, at the injustice of it all.

She braced against the dirt, scrabbling to push up and away from the death descending on her, and her hand landed on that rock. She didn't even think.

As Xar roared and brought down the knife again, she swung the rock straight at his temple with a thud that cracked.

Xar's eyes flashed with surprise, then went dim even as he fell, twitching, the knife clattering to the dirt and his body slumping over hers.

Sasha screamed again and shoved him off, kicking at his heavy body, even as a massive hand landed on her arm and yanked her out from under him with such strength it almost tore her shoulder from the socket.

And another body thumped to the dirt—Zev in his wolf for barely a second before he returned to himself, screaming her name, and yanking Xar back and away from her by both hands on the old tiger's neck, flipping his entire body to the side and taking Xar's head in his hands the way he'd done with that… that Avatar in the parking lot of her other life. Then Zev froze.

Sasha blinked, panting. Her stomach churning.

The clearing was silent, everyone standing, staring—gaping in disbelief.

She stood with her back to Yhet's belly. He held her pinned to his body by one hand, the other extended to stop anyone approaching.

Sasha blinked again and Zev shook his head and dropped Xar, the old man's body slumping to the dirt.

Then he turned to Sasha, his eyes wide and pained, desperate.

"You did it, Sasha. You killed him."

There was a silent moment where the drums beat—but distantly—and she could hear the birds, high in the sky above, calling to each other because there was no other sound in the clearing except the crackle and pop of the bonfire.

Then suddenly, she was surrounded by the thud and rustle of hundreds of male bodies dropping to one knee in unison.

"The Alpha! Acknowledge the Alpha!"

Zev turned to look at them all, confused and shocked, then looked back as Sasha, who was so happy. He'd done it! He'd done it!

But then… then Zev, his jaw slack, dropped to one knee too and thumped his chest with his fist.

And he bowed with the others, towards Sasha.

"The Alpha! Acknowledge the Alpha!" they chanted and Sasha looked around.

Why was Zev submitting? Why were none of the males staring at him? Why did Yhet suddenly let her go and step back to kneel as well?

Sasha turned to hiss at him to help her, but he'd mirrored Zev, taking one knee and clasping one fist to his chest.

It was his voice, finally that broke through the haze of confusion for her.

"The Alpha!" he rumbled, his voice awed.. "Acknowledge the Alpha: Sasha of no clan."

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