The Claiming By Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)

Chapter 40 (Jaxon)

It took me a couple of hours to recover from the morning training session, but by lunch time, I was mostly back to normal.

“Are you gonna make it, Super Hotty?” Eve teases me over lunch.

“If you had asked me a couple of hours ago, I’d have said no, but at least now I feel like I can walk.”

Title of the document

“That was brutal,” Alejandro says, having come to sit with us.

“If you think that was brutal, just wait. If he is anything like Ezekiel, we’ll all be barely standing by the end of the week,” Eve says.

“Yeah, it was about two days before we were all struggling to get through both classes each day and by the end of the week, none of us were able to hold our heads up to eat dinner.” I tell him, enjoying my lunch while my body still can.

“Was it really that brutal?” Magdalena asks.

“Yes,” both Eve and I say together.

After lunch, Eve looks at me. “I was going to spend some time with Maggie this afternoon.”

“Perfect, I wanted to speak to Rowen. She mentioned wanting to talk to me while I’ m here.”

Eve comes over, wrapping her arms around my neck and looking up at me. “See you for afternoon training?”

My arms rest perfectly around her waist, pulling her against my body. “I’ll see you there.”

Her lips start twitching and I raise my eyebrow.

“I’m sure it will get easier for you,” she says, a full-on smile spreading across her face.

“You,” I say, pecking her lips, “are lucky I love you.”

“Every minute of every day,” she says, before leaning in for a d*eeper k*iss. This one lingers until someone, presumably her father, loudly clears their throat. I pull away. No since kicking over the beehive.

Eve shoots a glare at her father before heading out with Maggie. I turn and go in search of Rowen. I follow her scent to her room, where I knock.

“Come in,” she says from inside her room. I open the door to see her sitting on her bed looking out the window.

“Oh, hey Jax.”

I say, closing her

the chairs in her room. By chair, I mean bean bag blob on the floor. I hate the things. Once I’m in, it feels practically impossible to get out of it. But I’m here to see my sister, who said she wanted to talk to me, so I

“What’s up, Rowe?”

before taking a d*eep breath and looking up at me. “How do you know Evangeline is your mate? She’s not

sister.

younger than I am, almost a whole year. But he’s in the competition.” She says, looking down before looking back up at me.

her scent out of every other one that first day of the contest. She was like nothing I’ve ever smelled before,” I say, smiling as I remember honing in on my mate. “And then she made eye contact

on, I knew she was mine. I knew I had to have her and that being away from her

young to

you talk to

frowns, looking up at me. “No,

are pretty

that. “Teagan

Teagan is about to turn 18, Alejandro is

he can smell me, if he can sense the mate bond, then why didn’t he approach me?” she

mates, because he thinks she deserves someone stronger. Although, it hasn’t escaped me that

don’t know, Rowe. Maybe your strength in the competition

snorts. “If that’s the case, then I deserve

it?” I ask

me, debating if

anyone. You know I can keep a

me another moment. “It’s Alpha Enzo. Alpha Antonio

“You beat him in

that could be why?

“If that’s the reason, you’re right, he doesn’t deserve you. He’s an Alpha

only finished the race

has the heart of an Alpha, because she’s strong and because she dug d*eep inside herself, just like you and

round. If you want, I’ll give you my impressions. Plus, he’ll be older. If he wasn’t sure he was feeling the pull of the mate bond then, he’ll have

forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and laying her head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Jax.

a moment before pulling

throw any part of this competition because of him. You fight for what

smiles up at me. “Yes, big brother,

what you want, I’ll see you at practice this

make it?” she

is getting in the way

Jordan POV

as h*ard

it’s good. I’m already feeling stronger,