The Claiming By Cooper

Layans Return The Claiming by Cooper Book 3

Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 28

McKenna

I have been so excited to go into the claiming territory, to be claimed, to find my mate. Of course, finding out what really happened to Layan gave me pause, but I felt better after speaking to Alpha Davis. I had spent some additional time with Alpha Quinton, Alpha Luke and Alpha Jonas as well. Which had also made me feel better.

Title of the document

Of course, Alpha Luke is no longer eligible for my claim, since he caught Katerina. And now, I’ll be entering the territory tomorrow morning.

I’m laying awake on this, my last night in this bed before entering the territory. I’ve been staring at the ceiling for hours and I know I won’t get a wink of sleep tonight. The idea of being claimed was great, in theory. I realized that I had a romanticized notion of what being hunted meant. I saw it as a fun, flirtation between me and a bunch of males. But now that it’s my turn, now that it’s here, all I can think about is how alone I’ll be. Tomorrow, I’ll be alone for the first time in my life when I walk into that territory. And the hunt, that once seemed like a flirtation, now feels like, well, a hunt. And I’m the prey.

I’ll be alone, hunted, claimed, maybe by someone I really want to claim me and maybe not. I had to choose 50 men. The idea seemed crazy at first. How would I only choose 50 out of nearly 400. Now, I wish I had only had to choose a few. I mean, what do I really know about any of them?

Alpha Davis is a good dancer. Super, so what? Although he did talk to me and help me see that things are different than they were for Layan last year. So, he’s patient and kind. And he is a great kisser.

Those are good things.

Alpha Quinton is funny, although he takes his job as Alpha very seriously. He’s the youngest of the three and while he’s not a great dancer like Alpha Davis, he also seems patient and kind.

Alpha Jonas is the oldest of the Alphas. I know about his relationship with Katerina’s mother, and I asked him whether he intended to continue that relationship when he was mated. He said he did not. So, that’s good. He’s a bit more broody than the other two, and while I’m sure he would be a good mate and everyone, says he’s a great Alpha, I don’t think he’d be very patient with me and my fun-loving personality.

There’s Beta Jared, too. Jonas’s brother. He’s less broody than his brother, a bit more relaxed. But he too has had a relationship with. Isabella and accidentally let it slip that he and his brother have, been with her at the same time. He insisted that he would never want that with his mate, but the bad feeling it left in me never went away.

and are very attractive, but now that I’ve spent more time with them, thought about them more closely,

up, marked by

taking this claiming as seriously as I should have. I’ve been thinking of it as a dating game rather than

Their legs and arms were scratched, some even had cuts on their faces or other parts of their bodies from running in the woods. Many were limping and they

until someone catches me. I will be hunted non-stop for a

until now. They are here

I’d need to know where all the hiding spots and caves and watering holes were.

I’m regretting everything that I’ve done, or haven’t done up to this point. I’ve set myself up for failure and I’ll be lucky to last more than a day in the territory.

I don’t think I’d be able to keep it

them look at each other and as one, they come to me and wrap their arms around me. I begin to shake, fear gripping me and wrapping its ugly

scared.” I

voices as they

holding on

my tears away. “It’s going to be okay. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s

who you want. Find that person, or when they find you, let them mark you. It doesn’t have to be violent or

I don’t know how to climb

didn’t either.” Mignon says. “I found hiding spots and waited them out, moving when

scent trails to

away from them. “I should get going.” I

coming with you.” I look

want

“No, I’d like that.”

go.” Hana

start hunting me in 24 hours. I’m terrified of what

we told you?” She asks, pushing my hair out of my face.