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 her

things. Once I’m in, it feels practically impossible to get out

“What’s up, Rowe?”

d*eep breath and looking up at me. “How do you

at my sister. “Did you find your

think so, but I’m not sure. He’s younger than I am, almost a whole year. But he’s in the competition.” She says, looking down before looking back up at

first day of the contest. She was 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 else just

she was mine. I knew I had to have her and

to feel it,” she

you talk to

looking up at

Eve’s brother Alejandro are pretty sure that they

wide at that. “Teagan is going to be

But while Teagan is about to turn 18,

me, if he can sense the

mates, because he thinks she deserves someone stronger. Although,

know, Rowe. Maybe your strength in the competition intimidated

case, then I deserve better. And

it?” I ask

debating if she

You know I can

“It’s Alpha

a minute. “You beat him in

think that could be why? Because

beside my sister. “If that’s the reason, you’re right, he doesn’t deserve you. He’s

she only finished the

an Alpha, because she’s strong and because she dug d*eep inside herself,

you want, I’ll give you my impressions. Plus, he’ll be older. If he wasn’t sure he was

laying her head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Jax.

her a moment before pulling

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

me. “Yes, big brother,

you want, I’ll

it?” she asks me, like the

nothing is getting in the

Jordan POV

word, Nolan made the evening training even h*arder than the morning and nearly as h*ard as my one-on-one training. I was still feeling

already feeling stronger, and I have overnight to

at my door. I look