The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Jara
Jara
When I left Mason at the cliffs, I thought he’d catch me quickly. When he didn’t, I was surprised, but also on alert. Just because I don’t see him doesn’t mean that he isn’t up to something.
It takes me awhile, but I finally find a tree that will hold my weight but few, if any, of the males left in the claiming. I climb high, knowing that Mason won’t be able to smell me when he finds me. I know he will, he won’t sleep tonight if he doesn’t find me.
However, because the tree is smaller, in general, than the others that I’ve been sleeping in, I can only go so high before the branches become too small to hold even my weight.
I get as comfortable as I can, using several branches that are bunched together to squish myself into. Between all of them, I feel safe that my little spot here will hold.
I’ve nearly fallen asleep when I hear the rustling of the un- derbrush beneath me. Then I hear a limb snapping and the growling of frustration.
I lean over and see that Mason has found me. I’m really surprised that it took him this long. As I watch, he jumps up again, only to break the limb and fall back to the ground. Then he’s up and climbing the tree next to me. When he leaps over to my tree, I feel it sway with his weight.
S*it! I didn’t plan for him to get to me up here. There’s
nowhere for me to go.
As I watch him, he falls to the ground, only when he lands, he’s in wolf form and man is he pi*sed off.
He begins scratching at the tree like he did the other night. Then he leaps up, trying to catch my scent. His howl of frustration brings several wolves to see what the commotion is about. When he begins killing them without any warning, I know he’s back in the haze.
For the rest of the night, I watch him. He continues to al- ternate between trying to get up the tree and scratching the tree as if he’s trying to bring it down. In between he’s attack- ing wolves who either try to attack him or are just in the vicini-
ty.
When he finally settles down, it’s the middle of the night. I’ m exhausted and cramped but unwilling to move. Mason lays down at the bottom of the tree, guarding me again.
It isn’t long before he’s up, trying to get to me again. He’s whining and growling, then he scratches at the tree before jumping up and finally giving up and laying back down.
This goes on for hours. I’m exhausted by the time the sun starts to rise, but my adrenaline is pumping. This is it, I’m at the end. Only a couple of hours left.
I look down and see that Mason is sleeping again. I care- fully unfold myself from this tree limb bed, hearing my joints c*ack and creak as I stretch them after not moving for so long.
When I’m finally standing, I look down again. Still sleep- ing. Good. As quietly as I can, I begin to make my way down the tree, careful not to slip and send debris tumbling onto
Mason. If he wakes up now, there’s no chance I’ll make it out of here unclaimed.
When I’ve gotten as low as I can in the tree, the limbs hav- ing been broken off my Mason’s attempt to climb to me, I leap to the tree next to me. This is the tree that Mason climbed last night. The limbs on this tree are much larger and sturdier. I stay at this height where it feels safe, but also low enough that I can start making my way through the trees to
the entrance.
As I’m moving through the trees, I begin to hear more shuffling and growling below me. The ranked wolves are aware enough to know that this is the last morning, their last chance to catch me and they are beginning to cluster near the
entrance.
I slow my steps, making sure that I’m as quiet as I can pos- sibly be. I don’t want to alert anyone that I’m up here. At this point, they’d probably pull the trees down to get to me. When I get as close as I can, I look out to the entrance of the claim- ing territory, my freedom. So close, but still so far.
Someone, probably Elder Jason, has placed a clock at the entrance. It’s 7:30am. I have 30 minutes and the sprint of my life to make it out of here.
I settle in, taking in my surroundings and the wolves that have congregated near here. They are all keeping their dis- tance from each other, but right now, they are so busy trying to catch my scent that they aren’t fighting each other.
I’m pretty sure I see Alpha Luke, Beta Elijah possibly, and several warriors from Seth’s pack that I know. There are some others, one definitely is an Alpha based on his size and others
that are large enough to be ranked members or just very large warriors.
There are probably 30-40 wolves waiting for me, all searching, all whining and growling in frustration at not being able to find my scent. The breeze is in my favor and I’m down- wind from them.
I just need it to stay this way for 15 more minutes, based on the clock. I send a silent thank you to Elder Jason for giv- ing me the time so I don’t rush it. If I tried to leave the claim- ing territory before the end of the claim, the males would be within their rights to chase me down until someone caught and claimed me. This way, I will have Elder Jason, Seth, and the guards to make sure that I’m not claimed.
Ten more minutes. I look around, not seeing Mason. Is he still asleep? Does he not realize that I’ve moved and I’m closer to the entrance?
Five more minutes and I begin to climb lower in the tree. I keep looking around at the ground beneath me. The wolves are all moving around near me, but there are none right here at this tree.
I carefully slide down to the last limb on this tree. Three minutes.
I watch as time seems to stand still.
Two minutes.
My heart rate increases. The wolves nearby begin howling their frustration that I’m about to outsmart them for this claim. As the sound reaches a crescendo, the clock ticks to 7:59AM.
One minute.
I leap to the ground, running full out. A second after my feet hit, the howl of the hunt goes up. I see Seth at the edge of the claiming territory, Elder Jason standing right beside him. Luke, my guard is there, his gun drawn. None of them are looking at me, they are all looking at the wolves chasing me.
I run as fast as my legs will carry me. I can hear the sounds of several wolves closing in on me. I’m close, so close!
Just as I feel breath on my back, I turn, looking over my shoulder seeing two wolves right behind me, both of them Al- phas.
Because my head is turned, I don’t see the one that hits me from the side, knocking me off my feet. I’m flying through the air, when I feel human arms wrap around me.
No, no, no! He shifted. He’s got me. I have a moment to wish I’d just let Mason claim me before I scream.
“Noooooooooo!”
I feel the canines sink into my neck and a moment later, the darkness takes me.