The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 269

The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)

Chapter 69 (Jace)

Jordan immediately steps out of my grasp. F*uc*king Nolan, this is twice he’s interrupted a conversation I was having with Jordan.

“Nolan, what are you doing here?” she asks him.

“I came to see if I could pry you away from your work and take you to dinner,” he says, eyeing me.

“Yes, absolutely,” she says, turning to me.

“We’ll talk later, Jace.”

I take a step back. “Remember what I said, Jordan,” I say, holding her gaze until she nods.

I walk past Nolan, nodding my head in greeting before walking out. As I get to the end of the hall, I hear him. “So, he’s the mate, huh?”

So, Jordan told him about me, or at least that she has a mate. I’m guessing that he also knows that she rejected me.

I walk downstairs, going to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat before heading back upstairs to my room. On my way out of the kitchen, I hear his voice.

“She’s made her choice, Gamma. You should accept her rejection and let her move on with her life.”

I stop, turning to face him. “You mean move on with you, don’t you? Isn’t that what this is about?”

“You betrayed the mate bond, and her. She needs someone that will stand by her side, support her in being the best Alpha she can possibly be,” he says.

“And you think that’s you? Here’s a clue, Nolan. Date nights and dinners aren’t what Jordan needs. She needs someone who understands how to help her run a pack, someone who is here to have her back, who understands the difficulties she faces on a daily basis and runs interference on those difficulties, so she doesn’t have to fight for herself and her position every f*uc*king day. You know nothing about what Jordan needs. And what do think will happen if she accepts you as her mate? That you would just continue to go off and train people around the world? Leaving her here to run and pack AND raise her pups? What kind of life is that for Jordan? I’ll tell you. It isn’t one and it’s not one that she’ll want, I can guarantee you that. So maybe it’s you, Nolan, that needs to accept that and let her move on with her life.”

“You know nothing about me or my intentions, pup,” he says condescendingly, getting in my face.

I don’t back down. “I know enough to know that you have no idea how to live in a pack. When’s the last time you spent more than a week or two in any pack, much less your own? You’re a wanderer, a lone wolf. Leave my Alpha alone. She may not want me, but she deserves better than you.”

“Jace!” Jordan’s tone is sharp. I take a step back, my eyes never leaving Nolan’s.

“Enjoy your dinner, Alpha,” I say before heading upstairs.

Evangeline POV

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the complete disarray of these pack lands wasn’t it. They are a disaster and all I can think about is, where am I going to put my pup when he’s born?