The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 13: Wait Hunter

I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep knowing she's out there. Alone. My mate.

I've thought through hundreds of scenarios of how to talk to her, to let her know that I won't force my mark on her, or claim her publicly, but I have no idea how to even get close enough to her in order to have a conversation with her.

Shaw has been no help. He's ready to hunt her down and mark her. He wants to claim his mate so no one else can. He's been pacing in my head, asking me every 15 minutes if we have any updates on where the Alphas are hunting.

When he asks me again, I snap.

'Shaw, it's the middle of the f**k**g night. No one has an update on any of the Alphas!' I bark at him.

"We should go to her, find her, protect her, make sure she's safe.'

'If she's safe and we show up, especially at night, she'll run.'

He growls at me and continues to prowl around in my head.

I sigh, sitting up. There was no use trying to get any sleep. Between me and Shaw, I won't be sleeping tonight.

I feel like a zombie by the time I have to get dressed for warrior

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training. I trudge down the stairs and I'm almost knocked over by Lucas who is practically sk**g down the stairs.

"Good morning, Alpha!" he sings, causing me to flinch at his much too loud tone.

"What's good about it," I grumble.

'It's good because we can finally go to her," Shaw grumbles in my head. He's as tired as I am, both of us working off of anxious adrenaline.

"Rough night?" Lucas asks me, his tone and demeaner much more muted.

I sigh. I haven't told anyone. I didn't even tell Kinsley yesterday on the way home. I look around, seeing the warriors all heading out back for training.

I take Lucas' arm and pull him into my office, closing my door. "This stays between me and you. For now, you can't even tell Kinsley," I say, turning to look at him. "Do I need to command you?"

He frowns at me. "When have you ever needed to command me to keep a secret, Alpha?" he asks, and I can hear the hurt in his voice.

I huff, running my fingers through my hair. "You're right, I apologize. I'm just..." I sigh and scrub my face roughly, trying to focus. When I look back at Lucas I can see his worry.

"I smelled her. Yesterday when Kinsley and I went to the place where she leaves the food for the she-wolves on the run, I smelled my mate. She was there. Chapter 13: Wait

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"Oh, f**k. What did you do?"

off. If she's hungry or needed a safe place to sleep, I didn't want to take that away from

sleep all night worrying about her," he finishes

me.

a sigh, running my hand through my hair

Go find her. I can take care of training this morning. Go, talk to

forward, feel anger at my Beta.

Alphas, but also some in our pack. You need to be prepared for that." "If I mark her and she agrees to return with me, they will accept her or I will reject them

to let you mark her. Kinsley would love to have another female

or both of ours, I don't question Lucas' ability to watch the pack while I'm gone.

can think too much about it, Shaw

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and begins racing to where he last smelled our mate. As we run, I catch the scent of local Alphas,

because they are hunting she-wolves on the run, one of those being my mate. When we cross their trail and smell the scent of only a

is that now, ranked members don't only search for their fated mates. If they find a wolf and

the air and sniffing for her scent. Since we know where the opening to the safe area is, we continue to make our way

scent, it could have scared her off. But I'm hoping that she needed the food and shelter more than she

spot that Kinsley found and I smile. If nothing else, I know my mate has eaten recently and hopefully she slept here last

into the space where Kinsley leaves the food. I realize that I

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have to come back later, or I'll have to figure out how to get more here. I don't want hopeful she-wolves going hungry because of my distraction with my mate. I've made a commitment to help. these she-wolves and I need to fulfill that. I'll just have to figure it out once I've found my

them are here. I lift my

the ground until I find the spot where my mate slept. Her scent is strong. I touch the ground and realize that it is still warmer than the earth around where she was sleeping.

but that must be how they got out. Otherwise, I would have seen them. I see the card sitting on the stone table and s**h it up. I find where the back exit is and I walk over to it, sniffing the walls and

scent.

mind and I open my senses, letting him guide me

that way, there are several packs. that are close together. You have to be

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lands," my mate instructs. I know it's my mate by the fluttering my heart makes at the sound of her voice. "Which way do you think is safer?" the

quiet for a moment while my mate ponders her answer. Is she staying or are they

safe to go between their pack and the one to the left

here would be Alpha Carter's pack. I wonder how she knows that his pack is safe. Alpha Dutton's pack is on the left of theirs from this perspective and it's also safe, although Dutton hasn't found his mate yet. I know he's not out hunting for a mate, but I also don't know that he wouldn't let

say something quietly to my mate, but I don't hear

"Yes," my mate responds.

hard

is," my

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This close to what?

of clothing and then the snapping of bones

hope our

her paws running off in the direction of Alpha

sigh and then I hear the tell-tale scratching of skin and clothing against the rocky surface of what must

the main entrance. As I feel her getting

captured you, but that's not the type of man I am. Please, I just want to talk to you,"