The Claiming by Cooper

Chapter 59 Mason
Mason
Last night, when Jara had told Seth that she was going into the territory, I had understood his look. You better catch my sister, and you’d better treat her right.
I had nodded my head in acknowledgement. From one Alpha to another, I wanted him to know that I’d take good care of his sister. And he would know that for himself, because unlike Typhon, I had no intention of keeping her from her family. Plus, she has become very close with Hana. I imagine the two of them will remain close even after this claiming.
I had laid with Jara, holding her as long as I dared before returning to the main house. When I got to my room, I refused to change out of the clothes that smell like her, so I laid down in my bed, sleeping for a few hours before it’s time to get up.
Although I don’t want to, I know I need to wash Jara’s scent off my body. I’m not sure that I’ll be back to this room today, and I have enough to worry about without adding more people to the list of those that want me dead.
After breakfast, we all head outside to watch Jara enter the claiming territory. She looks so alone, standing on the stage with only Elder Jason there beside her. But my girl doesn’t let any of the fear she confessed to me last night show on her face this morning. Instead, she goes all Alpha on us.
Before Elder Jason can escort her off the stage, she steps past him to the microphone, looking out at the crowd.
“I’m giving you all fair warning. If you were one of the ones involved in the massacre before Hana’s claiming, and vou come
for me? I’ll kill you. If you and your pack members try to gang up on me, forcing me into a mate bond, I’ll kill all of you. And, if I’ve been very clear that I want nothing to do with you and you try to claim me, well, I’ll kill you too. You have one day to think about whether or not this claim is worth it to you.”
She turns and struts off the stage, her head held high. I can’t help but smile at my gorgeous mate-to-be. She’s everything I could have dreamed of and more.
She begins walking to the line of the territory. I suddenly realize that she has walked every one of the other girls out here so they wouldn’t be alone. But there is no one left to walk beside her, giving her a last-minute confident boost.
Just as I think it, I hear Hana calling her and jogging over. She runs right into Jara’s arms, hugging her close. We all watch as they stand there for a long moment. I see Jara nod her head briefly, so I know Hana is talking to her. Good. She needs to feel as confident as she sounded on that stage.

I watch as Hana turns toward a smiling Seth. He’s standing off to the side, obviously not wanting his mate around all of the unmated males who are exuding excited energy in waves.
Hana takes Jara’s hand and walks her to the starting line. Just before the gun goes off, she turns and looks at me. I’m not sure if she’s saying goodbye in case I don’t catch her, or if it’s a plea to make sure that I do claim her. Either way, she will be mine this week.
She turns and the gun goes off. She immediately begins running into the claiming territory. All around me a howl of excitement goes up. This next 24 hours will be electrified with energy. But I don’t care. As Jara runs into the claiming territory, I feel as if a band has attached from her to my heart. The farther she goes into
the territory, the tighter the band gets, making it hard to breathe, forcing me to stay where I am. So, this is what the others felt. A connection to their mate before the claiming even occurred. I walk up to the edge of the claiming territory. As expected, I won’t be going anywhere until the gun goes off tomorrow morning.
I tune into the sounds that Jara is making. I can hear her running through the territory. I’ve been thinking of the layout of the territory for so many nights now, that I pull up a map in my head and follow her sounds on my imaginary map. She’s headed to the right, swinging around the edge of the territory. She’s going to start by seeing how large the territory is.
As I’m listening, I smell Elijah just before I feel his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll bring lunch out here to you, okay, Alpha?”
“Thanks.” I say, not breaking my concentration away from Jara.
I listen to her all day as she makes her way around the territory and then begins to find her way to the inside of the territory.
Elijah brings me lunch and dinner. I don’t look at what he’s brought me, and I don’t taste it. I’m too busy mapping out Jara’s movements around the claiming territory. She had come across the cave hours ago, but she had left it behind. When the sun goes down, I expect to hear her find a place to sleep for the night, but she’s still moving around. I smile because I realize that she has created overlapping patterns of her scent all over the territory. I needn’t have worried about someone stumbling on her
accidentally, although it’s still a possibility. But with her creating these lines of movements, her pack of suitors will be all over the territory. And now, hopefully, she knows where she’s been and can avoid those lines.
Late into the night, I hear her head back to the cave. I’m glad she’s finally settling, it’s time to bring Typhon’s pack members into my
pack. Elijah and Elder Jason join us, and I have all 10 of them swear their allegiance to me, having them drink my blood. Once I feel their mind links join with mine, I give Elder Jason a nod and he escorts them to the vans waiting to take them to my pack.
Once they leave, I shift into my wolf, knowing my senses are heightened in this form. If she begins to move, I’ll hear it and wake up. A couple hours later, I smell the faint smell of a campfire. She’s warm and hopefully she found some food today.
My wolf gets a wolfish grin on his face. She’s going to run all of us ragged during this claim. I can’t wait.
It feels like only a few hours later when I hear her moving around again. I lift my head, tilting it to the side when I hear her moving closer to the edge of the territory where I am. She doesn’t get all the way here, before I hear another sound that I don’t recognize.
What is she doing? In my wolf form, I continue to tilt my head from side to side trying to figure out what the sound is that I’m hearing.
I haven’t figured it out when Elijah brings me breakfast, sitting to eat with me.
“Know where she is?” He asks.
“More or less.” I say. “I would have expected her to put as much distance from us and her as possible, but she’s moved closer to the entrance.” I tell him quietly.
Elijah chuckles. “Clever girl.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, not turning my face away from the claiming territory.