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

0.00%

21 141

289 Moucherh

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

208 Vouchers

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

off. If she's hungry or needed a safe place to sleep, I

sleep all night worrying about her," he finishes

me.

my hand through my hair

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

Shaw push forward, feel anger at my Beta. "Would you challenge me?"

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

to let you mark her. Kinsley would love to

Shaw's need, mine, or both of ours, I don't

turn and before I can think too much about

288 (Vouchers

where he last smelled our mate. As we run, I catch the scent of local Alphas, but we also catch

growls. The only reason ranked wolves would be in these woods is because they are hunting she-wolves on the run, one of those being my mate. When we cross

don't only search for their fated mates. If they find a wolf and

becomes rocky, Shaw slows, lifting his head into the air and sniffing for her scent. Since we know

that she didn't go inside. If she caught my scent, it could have scared her off. But I'm hoping that 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

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

Chapter 13 Wat

288 Mouchers

have to figure out how to get more here. I don't want hopeful she-wolves going hungry because of my

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

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

but that must be how they got out. Otherwise, I would have seen them.

scent.

and I open my senses, letting him guide me to

packs. that are

288 Vouchers

mate by the fluttering my heart makes at the sound of her voice. "Which way do you think is safer?" the girl, Penny,

her answer. Is she staying or are they going their separate ways

in the middle there? That one is safe, and you are probably safe to go between their pack and the one to the

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.

hear Penny say something quietly to my mate,

"Yes," my mate responds.

must be hard to

my

Chapter 13: Wait

288 Vouchers

This close to what?

hear the rustling of clothing and then the

I hope our paths cross again," my

then I hear her paws running off in the

tell-tale scratching of skin and clothing against the rocky surface of

space is over by the main entrance. As I feel her getting closer, I take a deep breath of her scent. The moment

putting my hands up. "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