The Claiming By Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 72

Jara

After leaving Elijah, I skirted around the territory, staying in the trees. I have food now, thanks to Elijah and based on what he told me, things are going to get increasingly worse in these last few days.

As I’m skirting the edge of the territory in the trees, I find another cliff. This one has a small watering hole in it. It’s probably meant to be drinking water, which I need, but I also need to wash this blood off of me.

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I’m careful this time, checking all sides of the cliff before leaping from my tree to the top. I turn and immediately crouch to see what is going on below me. From here, I have a better view of the chaos on the forest floor. Every where I look, there are wolves fighting, running, hiding. It’s terrible. There are very few that are still in groups now, they all seem to be on their own.

Mason’s shirt and realize that once again, it is also covered in blood. I check my surroundings once more before pulling it off and scrubbing the

on a rock, letting the heat and sun dry it before I have to leave. I wish I could spend the night here but it’s not safe. Having seen how easily Typhon’s Beta snuck up on Elijah, I am not taking

wolves are sniffing the ground, hunting for me. And everywhere I look, there are only wolves. No one seems to be in their human form anymore. It must be because of the claiming haze, in our wolf form, our senses are heightened even more than normal. It would make sense why Elijah said my scent would be addictive. In this form, my scent

stay in the trees for as long as I can. But knowing that my claimants would have to get out of the haze long enough to realize they need to shift to catch me just confirms that decision. Because, even if I’m marked by a wolf, the claimant wouldn’t be eligible to claim me if he

top of this cliff, I grab the shirt, and pull it over my head. I take one more look around. I’ll try to come back here if it’s safe. I like it up here, especially since there is water. I take a couple more gulps, using my hands to scoop the water, before leaping into the nearest tree and heading toward my spot from last night. I felt safe

get closer, I catch Mason’s scent. He was here looking for me. When I leap into one of the trees I use to climb down, I realize that he was not only looking for me, he climbed my tree to get to me. I sniff the air again, making sure that he is gone before

I slept last night, I see the meat. He left me food. I can’t help but

nearby. This tree is no longer safe, so I tie a knot into the shirt and put the strips of meat inside before I begin making my way to find another tree to sleep

on the verge of stopping and settling in for the night when I hear the howl of the hunt. I’ve been hearing them for

me. The only choice I

protect myself. But if I don’t, every remaining

Mason’s shirt which was once white, is now so stained with blood that it at least doesn’t act as a beacon in the