The Claiming By Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 68

Mason

The morning after leaving my shirt for Jara, we get up and begin looking in the trees, trying to find her. I know she was near the lake last night. We hadn’t moved too far from the lake to sleep, just in case someone found her. I gave her the evening to calm down. When I claim her, I want it to be on equal ground, not when she’s just been through a traumatic event.

There is something about the hunt that our wolves crave. When we catch and claim our mate, it strengthens our bond. At least that is my understanding. And if that is true, then I want to make sure that Jara is at full strength when I claim her. I want our bond to be something stronger than anything anyone has ever seen before.

Title of the document

Jara’s scent is starting to impact me, and I know I only have another day, maybe a day and a half before the claiming haze takes over. My pack members haven’t given in to it yet, but that’s mostly because, as their Alpha, I haven’t either. Once I can no longer hold out against the haze, they won’t either.

Elijah and I have been searching for Jara’s trail for a couple of hours when we hear the howl of the hunt.

There’s something about this one that feels more real. There was excitement and a feralness to the sound, making me think the one that raised the howl has actually found her.

Elijah and I look at each other before taking off, racing in the direction of the howl. As we get closer, we can smell it. Blood. Lots of it. Layered with the scent of blood is Jara’s scent. My heart begins racing and my vision begins to narrow. If she’s dead…. if she’s dead, I will kill everyone in this claiming.

I feel the darkness of going feral surrounding me. If she’ s dead, they will have to kill me too.

dead men littering the ground. There is blood and gore everywhere, but there is no

“Are you okay, Alpha?”

around. There are others here, but

the mix of dead bodies, blood and gore and begin sniffing. One man, in particular, smells

do have a scent that

to her rescue? I haven’t heard a howl of victory, so I know he hasn’t claimed her. At least

smell his scent more strongly and the scent of blood in this area is very strong. I turn, looking at Elijah, giving him the silent look that were leaving, and

scent back to the lake. There we find him washing blood off his body. When we step out of the trees, he whips around, his claws coming out and his

up and stop, making sure I’m in

Luke. Do you recognize me?”

before he stands straight, his claws and canines

before turning

from the battle. What

the lake as he answers my question. “I found Jara. I was about to go after her when six wolves found me. They were all in the claiming haze. They attacked me. I can take on several, but six was too many for me. I was fighting, but I was going down. It was

him, my eyes

his body that

was in pretty bad shape. I would be dead if it wasn’t for her. And while she told me that she would not be disappointed if I claimed her,” he stops and

mouth gaping and no words coming out. Alpha Luke returns to the lake, scrubbing blood off his arms and chest. “I told her that I didn’t want to be mated to a woman that was in love with someone else, but that by tomorrow, it wouldn’t

a moment. “By tomorrow, we’ll all be in the haze. I warned her to

me and I can see he’s wondering if I know. Using my body to cover my hand in case we’re being watched, I quickly