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,

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

“What’s up, Rowe?”

and looking up at me. “How do you know Evangeline is your

narrow my eyes at my sister. “Did you find

he’s in the competition.” She says, looking down before looking back

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 with me,

I knew I had to have her and that being away from

too young to feel it,” she

you talk

frowns, looking up at me.

are pretty sure that they are

at that. “Teagan is going

But while Teagan is about to turn

if he can sense the mate bond, then

knows that they are mates, because he thinks she deserves someone stronger. Although, it hasn’t escaped me that he hasn’t rejected her either, so maybe he’s still hoping for a

know, Rowe. Maybe your

that’s the case, then I deserve better. And I

is it?” I

me, debating if she should

know I can

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

think for a minute. “You beat him

could be why?

that’s the reason, you’re right, he doesn’t deserve you. He’s an Alpha and I can tell you, as a

only finished the race because of you,”

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

beside her. “Listen, I don’t know Enzo very well, but I’ll pay more attention in the next 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

neck and laying her head on my shoulder.

her a

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

“Yes,

for what you

snorts. “Are YOU going to make it?” she asks me, like

little sis, nothing is getting in the

Jordan POV

nearly as h*ard as my one-on-one training. I was still feeling the

already feeling stronger, and I have