The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 8

Mason

She’s magnificent. I already love her fire. To threaten a large group of males, half of us Alphas and Betas takes some grit. She didn’t even flinch, however, I think it probably had the opposite affect that she was going for. Now, most of us want her, some to tame, some to possess and some like me, to stoke her fire.

The Master of Ceremonies really doesn’t know what to do with these two ranked females. They refuse to submit to this process. I love it.

“And a round of applause for Alpha Jara.” The growling and howling are deafening. Yeah, that little stunt might have backfired on you, Jara.

“Before we pull the name of the first contestant, let’s make sure we’ve all heard and agreed to the rules of the competition.”

“Rule #1: Only claimants pulled from the lottery are eligible to claim the identified female. The only exception is for the Alpha female’s claiming.”

“Jara.” I hear a shout behind me. I turn and see Alpha Seth.

“Excuse me?” Beta Michael asks, putting a hand over his eyes and trying to see who spoke out.

“The Alpha female has a name Beta, it’s Jara. She’s a person, not an object.”

“Of course. I meant the only exception is for Alpha Jara’s claiming where everyone who has not claimed a female will be eligible to enter the claimant pool.”

He waits a moment, I guess to see if Seth is going to say anything else before continuing.

“Rule #2: You will all have time to meet the contestant whose

claim you’ve been drawn for. In the case of Alpha Jara,” he nods in the direction of Seth and I see Jara roll her eyes, “you will be split into groups of 20 and will be able to spend time with her during your allocated timeframe. During these social gatherings, you may attempt to draw the attention of the females, but it is up to them if they choose to spend time getting to know you. If you attempt to force any of the females into an unwanted interaction, you will be removed from the social gathering and potentially the entire claiming.”

There is some grumbling about this. It’s a new rule and I have to wonder if it’s because there are ranked members in the claiming this year.

“Rule #3: A claim is only confirmed when the bite mark of the male is set into the marking spot of the neck of the contestant. A bite on any other part of the body will not constitute a claiming mark.”

“Rule #4: A claim can only be made in the same form as the contestant. For instance, if she is in human form, the male can only mark her in human form. If she is in wolf form, the male can only mark her in wolf form. Any mixed breed markings will be excluded, and the claimant will be removed from the competition.”

“Rule #5: In most instances, the claimant will be of equal or greater rank than the female. When that happens, it is common for the female to black out during the marking. It is absolutely prohibited for any female to be mated while she is unconscious. If any male attempts to mate the female while she is unconscious, his claim becomes nullified, and he will be removed from this and all future claiming events.”

“What if she doesn’t black out? We do have two ranked females this year?” Some asshole behind me asks.

“Because your mate would want you to pound into her in front of a field of your competitors?” I ask, turning to look at the asshole. Alpha who asked the question.

“Best way to prove she’s mine and not yours.” He snarls at me.

“The mark is sufficient on the claiming field.” Elder Carson says, stepping up to the microphone.

I see the Alpha pucker his lips, like he’s blowing a kiss to Jara and/ or Hana. I turn just in time to see their matching snarls.