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?"

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

night worrying about

me.

a sigh, running my hand through

I can take care of training this morning. Go, talk to her. But Alpha, if you mark

Shaw push forward, feel anger at my Beta.

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,

nods. "Then go, convince her to let you mark her. Kinsley would love to have another

I don't question Lucas' ability to watch the pack while I'm gone. He's

can think too much

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

of those being my mate. When

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

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 where the opening to the safe area is, we continue to make our way there while

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

of another she- wolf, younger than my mate. I follow it to the entrance of the hiding spot that Kinsley found and I smile. If nothing else, I know my mate has eaten recently and hopefully she slept here last night. If I'm really lucky,

leaves the food. I realize that I should have brought some with me.

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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

lift my nose, sniffing the air. Her orchid scent is filling the small

women slept here last night. I walk around sniffing 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. She hasn't been gone long. Then I see the bag. I reach out and take the bag, bringing it to my nose. This is my mate's bag. It's possible that she forgot it, but most

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

scent.

mind and I open my senses, letting him guide me to

are close together. You have to be very careful

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instructs. I know it's my mate by the fluttering my heart makes at the sound

her answer. Is she

we hadn't heard the sounds of wolves nearby last night, I'd say go the other way, but since we did, I think you should head toward the packs. See the one in the middle there? That one is safe, and you are 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

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

to my mate, but I don't hear

"Yes," my mate responds.

hard to be this

my

Chapter 13: Wait

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This close to what?

the rustling of clothing and then the snapping of

hope our paths cross

lets out a soft bark and then I hear her paws running off in the direction of

hear my mate sigh and then I hear the tell-tale scratching of skin and clothing against the rocky surface of what must be the exit. She's

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

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