The Claiming by Cooper

Chapter 13. Jara
Jara
The more I get to know Alpha Mason, the more I think that if I’m forced to choose a mate, he wouldn’t be so bad.
After sparring and lunch, we head back to our house to rest and prepare for tonight’s events, another ‘social gathering’. At least tonight, Alpha Antonio got pulled for my social event. Poor Hana got Typhon.
When we walk into the house, the omegas are all sitting around in the living room. They go quiet when we walk in, looking at us.
“Just ask her.” Mignon says, nudging Layan. Annabel is watching us carefully.
“Ask us what?” Hana asks, moving into the living room. I’m right behind her.
Layan blushes a deep shade of pink. It only adds to her look of innocence.
She looks down at her dress, plucking at imaginary lint. “Well, you saw that an Alpha got pulled for my claiming.”
“Yes.” I say gently, trying to coax her into feeling comfortable in talking to me.
“Well, I figured, it’s a good possibility that he’ll catch me, since he’s the only Alpha in my claim.” I look at Hana. Neither of us particularly like the Alpha that was pulled in Layan’s lottery. There’s something off about him. He hasn’t done anything, it’s more that he makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

“And, um…..”
“She wants to know about the Alpha’s knot.” Annabel blurts out.
I look at Hana and she shrugs. She has no idea either.
“Well….” I begin. “I don’t know a lot, let me just say that up front. But I do know that it’s not just Alphas that can knot now. I’ve heard rumors of Betas and even G*mmas knotting recently, probably because so many are becoming Alphas.”
“Really? So, my Beta might be able to knot me too?” Mignon looks horrified, and rightfully so.
Knotting is a term used when a male’s penis, previously only Alphas, but more recently any ranked member, swells during sex. The knot basically locks behind the pubic bone of the female causing their bodies into a forced connection until the knot diminishes. This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. During that time, the female is literally stuck with the male’s penis inside her, unable to move away.
“Yes, it’s possible.” I say to Mignon.
“This is what I learned from my parents. The knot can be uncomfortable and even painful if the male isn’t careful. You should never be knotted the first time you have sex with your mate. You’ll already be stretching to an uncomfortable level and the knot could tear you, causing permanent damage. Depending on how badly you are torn, you could bleed to death while waiting for the knot to fade. I don’t know what it would be like with someone you don’t know well, obviously I have the same concern as you all do. But my mother says that if it’s done right, with someone that loves and cares for you, it can make the sexual experience even more enjoyable.”
“Your mother doesn’t mind being knotted?”
“No. She says she prefers it now. She likes being connected to my father in a way that only she can be.”
“But it’s how they ensure that we get pregnant, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.” I say. “But, again, I don’t know a lot, but the impression I got from my mother is that it can be because your mate is so attracted to you and is enjoying the mating.”
They all look at each other as if this is new information. Because there are so few females, knotting has become something specific to ensuring pregnancy. But according to my mother, it wasn’t always that way.
“Any other questions?” I ask them.
“What if we don’t want to be caught by the one that claims us?”
I look at Hana. This, we both understand very well.
“I’ll tell you what my father told me before I came here. If it looks. like you won’t be getting out unclaimed, then you make the choice. You have time to get to know all of your claimants. Start spending individual time with them. Ask them questions that you want answered. If you feel more comfortable with one or two versus others, make sure they are the ones that claim you. You can’t choose completely who you get for a mate, but you can make a choice based on the selection of males provided to you.”
“Thank you.” Layan says, jumping up and hugging me.
“Are there any males that you and Beta Hana could recommend?” Annabel asks. “I won’t know who is in my lottery until tomorrow, but if there are any males that you think are potentially good mates, I’d love to know.”