The Claiming by Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)

Chapter 40 (Jaxon)

It took me a couple of hours to recover from the morning training session, but by lunch time, I was mostly back to normal.

“Are you gonna make it, Super Hotty?” Eve teases me over lunch.

“If you had asked me a couple of hours ago, I’d have said no, but at least now I feel like I can walk.”

“That was brutal,” Alejandro says, having come to sit with us.

“If you think that was brutal, just wait. If he is anything like Ezekiel, we’ll all be barely standing by the end of the week,” Eve says.

“Yeah, it was about two days before we were all struggling to get through both classes each day and by the end of the week, none of us were able to hold our heads up to eat dinner.” I tell him, enjoying my lunch while my body still can.

“Was it really that brutal?” Magdalena asks.

“Yes,” both Eve and I say together.

After lunch, Eve looks at me. “I was going to spend some time with Maggie this afternoon.”

“Perfect, I wanted to speak to Rowen. She mentioned wanting to talk to me while I’ m here.”

Eve comes over, wrapping her arms around my neck and looking up at me. “See you for afternoon training?”

My arms rest perfectly around her waist, pulling her against my body. “I’ll see you there.”

Her lips start twitching and I raise my eyebrow.

“I’m sure it will get easier for you,” she says, a full-on smile spreading across her face.

“You,” I say, pecking her lips, “are lucky I love you.”

“Every minute of every day,” she says, before leaning in for a d*eeper k*iss. This one lingers until someone, presumably her father, loudly clears their throat. I pull away. No since kicking over the beehive.

Eve shoots a glare at her father before heading out with Maggie. I turn and go in search of Rowen. I follow her scent to her room, where I knock.

“Come in,” she says from inside her room. I open the door to see her sitting on her bed looking out the window.

“Oh, hey Jax.”

I say, closing

room. By chair, I mean bean bag blob on the floor. I hate the things. Once I’m in, it feels practically impossible to get out of it. But I’m here to see my sister, who

“What’s up, Rowe?”

she’s sitting on before taking a d*eep breath and looking up at me. “How do you know Evangeline

narrow my eyes at my sister. “Did

not sure. He’s younger than I am, almost a whole year. But he’s in the competition.” She says,

like nothing I’ve ever smelled before,” I say, smiling as I remember honing in on my mate. “And then she made eye contact with me, and it was like everyone

to have her and that being away from her was going

too young to

you talk to

up at me. “No,

Eve’s brother Alejandro are pretty sure that they

that. “Teagan is going to

so. But while Teagan is about to turn

can smell me, if he can sense the mate bond, then why didn’t he approach

are mates, because he thinks she deserves someone stronger. Although, it hasn’t escaped

Maybe your

snorts. “If that’s the case, then I deserve better. And I doubt

it?” I ask her

looks at me, debating

know

looks at me another moment. “It’s Alpha Enzo. Alpha Antonio

a minute. “You beat him in

nods. “Do you think that could be why?

and going to stand beside my sister. “If that’s the reason, you’re right, he doesn’t deserve you. He’s an Alpha and I

only finished

heart of an Alpha, because she’s strong and because she dug d*eep inside herself, just like you and

I don’t know Enzo very well, but I’ll pay more attention in the next round. If you want, I’ll give you my impressions. Plus,

forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and laying her head on my shoulder.

a moment

to me. Don’t you dare throw any part of this competition because of him. You fight

at me. “Yes, big brother,

you want, I’ll see you at practice this

make it?” she

Alpha, little sis, nothing is getting in the way of me getting my

Jordan POV

and nearly as h*ard as my one-on-one training. I was still feeling the workout from this afternoon during this evening’s

good. I’m already feeling

at my door. I look