Here's for tonight. Thank you for waiting, lovelies! We are nearing the Claiming (again!), and I'm excited to share that part with you 💜 But just a heads up, I am taking two days off (tomorrow and Thursday) as we are heading off somewhere before school starts next week. I'll be back on Friday! Thank you for your patience and understanding! Hopefully, next week I can write more with our kids back at school by then. 💜 Thank you for all the gems and reviews! 💜💎
CATHERINE. I didn’t know how much I needed this time away until I got to this moment. I knew I could rest with my whole family and friends around me, but I wanted Tyler alone while I was still trying to take Maddox off my senses. With just the two of us, I was able to tell him everything about Maddox. Tyler and I spent nights talking about my experiences in that packhouse. I cried while I told him about every pain Maddox caused me — the physical and the emotional ones. I cried for the trauma he caused Daisy and for Purity when I thought she would give up her pureness to just any wolf to save us. I cried when I told him how much I missed him and how he was the only one that kept me and Purity fighting to get out of there alive. I cried, and Tyler was not embarrassed to cry with me. And these moments with him were enough to slowly heal my bruised heart. And I knew that after this, I would move forward and leave all the bad things behind us. Tyler and I spent the early morning s
CATHERINE. Tyler and I headed home at the scheduled time, and I couldn’t be happier with the family waiting for us. If I were to look at the expression of our mothers, I knew I had made the right choice in having this Claiming soon. Mom and Aunt Alia had always wanted Tyler and me for each other, and the excitement brewing in their aura as they helped me try the gown I would wear for the Claiming was also pumping up my adrenaline. Two gowns were prepared according to my liking, but I ended up loving both. So I chose both. I told them I would wear one for the ball and change into the other for the arena, with the latter making it easier for me to move or run around. The Claiming would be held at the Green Valley Pack, a territory just near the Council’s main headquarters, which was also great as Green Valley was under Uncle Caleb, one of Dad’s trusted friends, who was also Cameron’s dad. Which meant we could get information on who entered and exited the territory for the Claiming.
YOUNG ALPHA ALONSO. I smelled her, but it seemed Catherine did not, which was not surprising as she didn’t have her wolf at the moment. I knew coming here was a big mistake, but even if I knew it was, I still went here. I will be leaving for my Alpha training in two days, and I want to have a glimpse of Davina before I go because this might be the last time I am free to look at her. But I didn’t see her when I came here and spoke with Amara. So now I had no idea if she was around, as I didn’t want to ask. “When are you leaving, by the way?” Catherine asked. “The day after the Claiming,” I answered a little too fast when I realized she was asking something. And then Davina’s scent fainted. She was walking away. I wanted to see her but didn’t want her to see me or find out I was here. But now that she did, I was bothered that she would leave the packhouse, and I would not see her at all before I left for the North. I knew she would not be allowed to go to the Claiming, as th
THE CLAIMING BALL. FORMER BETA FEMALE ALIA. Amara, Clair, Nadine, and Cassidy were assisting Catherine in the private room assigned to her. Janna and I decided to leave it alone for now so we could look around the ballroom. Gavin came for me and took me away while Janna was in Aaron’s arms. My eyes wandered as we stepped into the ballroom. The decor was elegant and indeed fascinating. There was no doubt that Alpha Caleb and Luna Anya went all out for this event. Although it had been almost twenty-five years since the moment I first stepped into the Claiming Ball, the way this ballroom was designed brought back memories as if it were just yesterday — and I was eighteen, marveling at how many Alpha Females were around and how strong the Alpha pheromones were swirling in the air. My heart beat erratically as the flashbacks of Gavin turning his back on me flooded my head. I had moved on and had the best days of my life with him, but for a moment, the pain crossed my chest once more
(FUTURE) BETA BELLATRIX. “Hammond? Alonso’s future Beta?” My wolf and I perked up at the mention of his name. “Where is he?” Hammond and I had attended Beta training together on many occasions. And he had always caught my attention, although I knew his eyes were set on Amara. But she was off the market already, so maybe his attention could be drawn to another blonde female, which is me. I smirked and chuckled at my own confidence when, all of a sudden, an intoxicating scent of almonds and sandalwood filled my nose, and my wolf began to pant in my head. I swallowed hard before my tongue swiped over my lips. The scent kept getting stronger, and it was too late when I realized my wolf had taken control of my voice. “Mate!” A growl ripped through my throat as my body swiveled around. But it didn’t slip my attention that the faces of the men in front of me warped into surprise before they changed into confusion and disappointment before I was fully able to turn and find where the add
TYLER. Alonso confirmed no other men were listed for Catherine except for me, Cyrus, Joshua, and his Beta. Either Joshua was bluffing, or the Alpha he was in conspiracy with was waiting until the last minute to put his name in. My eyes searched for any Alpha and Beta males I could spot around the ballroom. There were many, as aside from Alphas and Betas, Alpha Males up to third degrees were also considered Alpha Blood, and every one of them was a possible contender. With the ballroom getting thicker with guests, too many things were going on, and too many thoughts were running through my head. I wanted to blame myself for being too lax about this Claiming. The experience from the last one where no one listed for her made me think this would be an easy one as well. I shouldn’t have underestimated how big Jace’s territory and influence were. And Catherine was a sure way to get favors from him. I glanced at the big wall clock overhead and let out a sigh. I wanted the time to go
TYLER. “No!” Catherine screamed The frustration in her voice made me close my eyes and balled my hands into tight fists. I asked the Goddess to give me the willpower not to lunge at Maddox at that moment because all I wanted was to beat the hell out of him and take Catherine away from here. “You have no right to do that! We just rejected each other!” She spoke bravely in a voice full of determination. My eyes snapped open to look at her. She was glaring at Maddox, and Uncle Jake was standing beside her, arms coiled around her to stop her from taking a step forward. If Catherine was angry, Uncle Jake was furious. I had never seen a deadlier expression from my former Alpha than what I was witnessing at the moment. And I knew right here and there that his control over all this Maddox ordeal had finally snapped. Footsteps echoed around the ballroom, and the crowd in between where Catherine stood and Maddox moved away, making way for the Council to stand in the middle of them. I li
YOUNG ALPHA CASSIDY. (A few moments ago). I couldn’t keep a straight face as I looked at Catherine and Uncle Jake. My heart bled not just for Catherine because the maniac Maddox was here but also for what Uncle Jake was feeling. Dad would always tell me that my pain was always his biggest pain, and seeing Uncle Jake proved that. He had always been so tough, like Dad, but he was breaking down tonight. I couldn’t watch them anymore. I quietly turned around and walked toward the empty corridor, back to Catherine’s room. I closed the door behind me and grabbed my phone from my purse. Walker answered the phone after just one ring and talked right away. “I think I will be late. I will be there for more or less one and a half hours.” I closed my eyes and calculated the time. “The arena will open in less than one hour,” I said in a low voice. “I know. I’m driving fast. If they put my name on it, I can rush inside the arena as soon as I arrive.” “Okay… I’ll see you here then,” I said