The Claiming by Cooper

Layan’s Return Chapter 26: Luke

Luke

It’s been nearly a week, and no one has found Katerina yet, much less claimed her. I take a moment, a very brief moment, to appreciate how good she is at evasion. When the shot rang out that we could enter the territory, the Alphas had all headed to the

cave.

I had moved slower than Davis and Quinton. I knew she’d been there, but I wanted to try to catch her scent somewhere else, possibly get to her more quickly. What I realized almost

immediately is that her scent was amazingly absent from the claiming territory.

When I’d gotten to the lake, I had caught a scent trail. It was short and led to the lake in one direction and in the other, it just stopped. I looked around before looking up. I walked closer to the tree, lifting my nose and just catching the scent of crème brulee.

I stood under the tree then walked the 20 long steps to where her scent began. She had literally leaped off the damn tree, leaving as small of a scent trail as possible. It was at that moment that I realized, this was going to be harder than I had realized. Jara’s hunt was difficult because she’d left so many scent trails, all of them leading to dead-ends. However, Katerina was leaving us nothing.

I had moved the rest of the way down the edge of the lake, not getting another whiff of her scent until I reached the cliff face. I got down on all fours, sniffing the ground and finding the spot where she had exited the water.

Then I began sniffing the area around the cliff face. When I didn’t find another scent, I knew she had jumped from the top of the cliff

into another tree. Now I just have to figure out which one, so I know which direction to go to follow her.

I follow her scent to the top of the cliff and enter the cave. Here, her scent is strong.

Lunas.” Davis said, pointing at the wall that the females had started writing

That’s exactly the kind of thing

do. Look after the others around her. I really need

seen her, the little minx. I’ve hunted her in both my human and wolf forms, but I still can’t find her. I’m beginning to wonder if she’s not part cat, she’s so

the breeze, but sometimes, like right now, there is no breeze. I lift up my nose and take a deep breath. It’s there, very subtly, but it’s there. Crème brulee.

territory by the creek. I look around but down here on the ground, I can’t see much. I walk around the

be able to climb a tree and leap through the branches like she’s obviously doing, but if I can get to the top of the cliff,

to the top, I see a watering hole and what looks like a makeshift cup sitting beside it. Suddenly, I’m overwhelmed by her scent. She’s been hiding up here the entire time. I look around, making sure she’s not here, before turning

trees.

going on below her. Since this seems to be where she’s been staying, I tuck myself back into the shadows, crouching down to remain hidden. I only have one more night to catch her.

for a long time and my feet and knees are cramped and tired. However, the moment I hear the soft thud of feet hitting the top of the cliff, all of that falls away and I know I’ve got her.

quietly turn my head to watch as she sniffs the air before deciding that it’s safe. When she heads over to the watering

a good

standing quicky and turning toward me.

I can see her

ping behind me. I’m blocking her path to the trees. There’s

at her. “You’re not getting past me, beautiful. I’ve caught you,

did you find me?” She asks, almost in

who knows what he wants.

shivers at my statement. Oh yes, she will make me one