#Chapter 55 – Claiming

The day of the claiming dawns bright and clear. I am almost woozy with lack of sleep, having spent the whole night – as promised – tearing apart Amelia’s table cloth and making it into something new.

I caught a few hours of sleep, just before dawn, but now I’m up, showered, and ready to face the day. In the soft yellow light of morning I lift the linen dress up over my head and let it slip down over the length of my body, falling all the way to the floor.

Ultimately, I decided on a very simple pattern. My dress is almost Grecian in its drape. Its simple lines fall from my shoulders to the floor with a slight hitch at the waist, my arms left bare. I study myself in the mirror, pleased with the result. It’s simple, but it’s elegant. And I look damn good in it.

Smiling, I bustle from my room and hurry to open the door to the boys’ bedroom. “Alvin, Ian –“ I call and then stop short when I see them standing in the middle of their room, dressed in their posh little white suits, Alvin quietly straightening Ian’s tie.

“What – what are you two doing up?”

“We couldn’t wait,” Ian says, smiling at me.

“We couldn’t sleep all night, we’re so excited,” Alvin says, finishing with his brother and striking a pose for me. “How do we look.”

“You two look amazing,” I say, meaning every word of it. I stretch out my hands for them and we head down the stairs. “Now we just have to figure out how to feed you without getting lucky charm stains all over your clean clothes…”

family, of community, of culture. The moonlight is the

yard is elegantly draped in white, so much so that it almost looks like a little alpine village, covered in snow. Beautiful

by the trees through which you can see my own little cottage standing cheerily by. The rest of the guests – there are tons of them – gather around us, peaking around our shoulders to watch the action. There are politicians here, celebrities, members of the press – most of whom I don’t know and who I hope, very

scan the faces all around us and am

for that. Looking around, I see a lot of Alphas who I know to be Victor’s contemporaries – important faces I’ve seen on television but never,

small bow. I smile back at him. Willard is the Alpha of a very small, new, progressive, and relatively unimportant pack. Did Victor invite him here because of me? If so, it was a very kind gesture, and I’ll have to remember to

Prath steps out into the middle of the circle, dressed in a gorgeous white pantsuit. I was pleased when Victor told me that she would be running

and

“Victor, Alvin, Ian, will you please come forward.” The three walk steadily towards Annabeth and stop when Victor stands at her right hand and Alvin and Ian stand at her left. My heart aches sharply when I notice that Alvin and Ian are holding each

I notice the circle close together behind them so that we are again united. Amelia is in the

Annabeth says, gesturing towards the ground at her feet. “you may

a few steps so that they’re both facing

keep his voice steady. To most, I imagine he seems successful, but knowing him, I can tell that his heart is very much in his throat. “From the moment I met you, I knew that you were very special, very brave, and very much

of a father to his sons.” With this, he draws the dagger across his left palm. Blood wells up

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