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?"

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

night worrying about her," he

me.

my hand

this morning. Go, talk to her. But Alpha, if you mark her, if you do

at my Beta.

"No, never. I understand now, more than I ever did. But others may challenge you and her as a Luna. Not just other 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 from the

let you mark her. Kinsley would love

it's Shaw's need, mine, or both of ours, I don't question Lucas' ability to watch the pack while I'm gone. He's my Beta for

I can think too much about it, Shaw

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As we run, I catch the scent of local Alphas,

hunting she-wolves on the run, one of those being my mate. When we cross their trail and

of the problems that has arisen with the she-wolves running is that now, ranked members don't only search for their fated mates. If they find a wolf and catch her, they claim her. So, the fact that this she-wolf is mine won't matter to them.

get higher up into the areas where the forested mountain becomes rocky, Shaw slows, lifting his head into the air and sniffing for her scent. Since we know

could have scared her off. But I'm hoping that she needed

I follow it to the entrance of the hiding spot that Kinsley found and I smile.

my way into the space where Kinsley leaves the food. I realize that I should have

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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

my heart drops. While I can smell her scent and the scent of the other she-wolf, neither of them are here. I lift my nose, sniffing the air. Her orchid scent is filling the small space and the small bit of air blowing around

touch the ground and realize that it is still warmer than the earth around where she was sleeping. She hasn't been gone long. Then I see the bag. I reach out and take the bag, bringing it to my nose.

it, 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

scent.

up in my mind and I open my senses, letting him guide

If you go that way, there are several packs. that are close together. You

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makes at the sound of her voice. "Which way do you think is safer?" the girl,

moment while my mate ponders her answer. Is she staying or are they going

probably safe to go between their pack and the one to the left of them. There's about a mile between the pack borders, but you'll have to be fast.

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 an opportunity like that pass him by if one landed, at his front door.

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

"Yes," my mate responds.

hard to

is," my

Chapter 13: Wait

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This close to what?

the rustling of clothing and then the snapping of bones as Penny

our paths cross again," my mate

out a soft bark and then I hear her paws running off in the direction of Alpha Carter's

wait, listening, until I hear my mate sigh and then I hear the tell-tale scratching of skin and

to startle her and cause her to hurt herself. The fa**t place I can move in this small space is over by the main entrance. As I feel her getting closer, I take a deep breath of her scent. The moment

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