The Claiming by Cooper

The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)

Chapter 69 (Jace)

Jordan immediately steps out of my grasp. F*uc*king Nolan, this is twice he’s interrupted a conversation I was having with Jordan.

“Nolan, what are you doing here?” she asks him.

“I came to see if I could pry you away from your work and take you to dinner,” he says, eyeing me.

“Yes, absolutely,” she says, turning to me.

“We’ll talk later, Jace.”

I take a step back. “Remember what I said, Jordan,” I say, holding her gaze until she nods.

I walk past Nolan, nodding my head in greeting before walking out. As I get to the end of the hall, I hear him. “So, he’s the mate, huh?”

So, Jordan told him about me, or at least that she has a mate. I’m guessing that he also knows that she rejected me.

I walk downstairs, going to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat before heading back upstairs to my room. On my way out of the kitchen, I hear his voice.

should accept her rejection

face him. “You mean move on with you, don’t

bond, and her. She needs someone that will stand by her side, support her in being

Here’s a clue, Nolan. Date nights and dinners aren’t what Jordan needs. She needs someone who understands how to help her run a pack, someone who is here to have her back, who understands the difficulties she faces on a daily basis and runs interference on those difficulties, so she doesn’t have to fight for herself and her position every f*uc*king day. You know nothing about what Jordan needs. And what do think will happen if she accepts you as her mate? That you would just continue to go off and train people around the world? Leaving her here to run and pack AND raise her pups? What kind of life is that for Jordan? I’ll tell you. It isn’t one and

intentions, pup,” he

no idea how to live in a pack. When’s the last time you spent more than a week or two in any pack, much less your own? You’re a wanderer, a lone wolf. Leave my Alpha alone. She may not

take a step back, my

I

Evangeline POV

I was expecting, but the complete disarray of these pack lands wasn’t it. They are a disaster and all

had already started crumbling to the ground, literally falling apart in front of us. The second one had vines and trees growing inside the

get to the third one two days later, the excitement in our group is gone. We’re all overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that will need to be done once we claim our packs. Well, let’s be honest, no one is

the first one was. Jaxon comes up behind me and wraps his arms around

will look like when we’ve made this place our home,” he

I ask. It’s the first time he’s said something like

lands. Personally, I think it was foolish to put the packhouse way out here. I much prefer having it like

the space differently as I listen to Jaxon, seeing

where we could have pack members open their own shops, making it

idea, and I love you. So, do you