262 [Bonus chapter] NEXT GEN: Mated

~ ZANE ~

The males both gaped at me as I realized what had come out of my mouth and whipped my head around to look at Lia over my shoulder. I'd positioned myself so she was behind me as I removed that fucker's hands from her.

Her eyes were wide. So wide, I could see the whites all the way around. And her mouth made a little O.

Mate.

My mate.

Lia was my mate.

How the hell—?

"Zan?" Her voice was tiny. Thin and tremulous. Not like her at all. And that broke my heart.

While Lia wasn't quite as forward as her fiery mother, thanks to the influence of her much quieter and more thoughtful father, she wasn't a timid female. At all. If anything, her quieter nature made her fierceness even more intimidating than her mother. The Queen wore her heart on her sleeve. You always knew where you stood with Elreth.

But Lia…