#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…”

community, of culture. The moonlight is the space in which we come to know our selves, but in the sun – with the light of day – we come to

elegantly draped in white, so much so that it almost looks like a little alpine village, covered

– stand in a grassy circle down by the edge of the property, 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

memo). I scan the faces all around us

him a wink, pleased to see that apparently he has forgiven me. I’m grateful 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

very 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

circle, dressed in a gorgeous white pantsuit. I was pleased when Victor told me

and steady. “Long separated by time, distance, and misunderstanding, they have come together today to recognize and respect

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

that we are again united. Amelia is in the center of that group, gorgeous in her white strapless ballgown.

ground at her feet.

a few steps so that they’re both facing him. Victor pulls a bone-handled knife from his pocket. It

that his heart is very much in his throat. “From the moment I met you, I knew that you were

as one of bone and flesh, the unbreakable commitment of a father to his sons.” With this, he draws the dagger across his left palm. Blood wells up in tiny beads, soon becoming

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