Beverly's POV

The word "challenge" hung in the air and I felt my world ending. Chen was claiming me. Not for Marcus, but for himself. The absurdity of it would have been laughable if the legal implications were not so terrifying. I was being fought over like property, like some prize to be won in a dominance display between rival Alphas.

"This cannot be legal," I said. My voice came out sharper than I planned. "We are not living in the olden days. You cannot just challenge for a ...