War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 5 - Madison (Part 1)

Madison hated him.

What kind of a male fell in love with someone else? He knew his mate was out there somewhere. He knew she would be waiting faithfully for him.

How could he do this to their bond?

She didn't want to leave home, her friends and family behind for this... this male. Rotten to the core.

She tried to buy as much time as she could, but once the weather cleared and the forecast looked calm, he was urging her to pack her things and leave.

Biting back tears, the entire three days they spent driving in the backseat—she wouldn't let him see her cry. Wouldn't give him that satisfaction of seeing how his love hurts.

Her world was packed up in the back of their pickup truck. Everything that meant something to her was there. Memories she would cling to and cherish because the future before her looked grim.

He refused to mark her when she challenged him. Some bullshit about doing it when it meant something.

If he couldn't do it to prove he wanted her and not that other female, then he should have done it! It would have meant something to her!

Two nights were spent in cheap motel rooms, where they gave her a bed and Beta Gekek got the other. Animkii said he was fine sleeping on the floor, as long as she was comfortable.

He could sleep on the floor for all she cared—like the dog he was.

She barely slept the entire trip and only allowed herself to cry when she was in the shower.

When they finally arrived in their pack lands, she breathed a sigh of relief that the drive was over and she didn't have to sit in such a confining space any longer.

The worst part of the trip was the strained silence. Beta Gekek tried to engage everyone in light conversation, but it always fell flat. She didn't want to talk with either of them, feeling like a princess taken by a brutish King she neither wanted nor loved to be his Queen in theory—a prisoner in reality.

And the damn matebond... She wished she could tear that thing out from her. Every time Animkii looked at her, it made her skin tingle and crawl. A normal response but she hated it. And she hated the way her body responded to him. She didn't want to get close but at the same time, her body ached to be close to him and touch him. His eyes drew her in and she couldn't tear her gaze away as her cheeks warmed and her core stirred with sensations she didn't want to feel toward him.

At face value, he was a good-looking male. He asked for her opinion instead of making decisions for her. She could tell he was loyal and devoted to the wellbeing of his pack even though he didn't feel ready to be their Alpha. He wanted to be a good leader and understood that he had a lot of work to do before he would be there. For all the good that she knew was in him, she couldn't get past the fact that he was in love with someone else. Someone in his pack whom she would meet one day.

After hiding in the guest room at his parents' house as long as she could, she finally glimpsed the "pup."

The Alpha and Luna arranged a Meet-and-Greet with the high ranking wolves of the pack the Friday evening after they arrived. It was held at the lounge in the main pack house. Why did it not surprise her that that female would not only be the daughter of a high ranking wolf, but the daughter of the Head Warrior no less?

She bristled, raising her head higher as the female stepped up to her surrounded by her family.

Madison didn't even hear a word of what anyone said. Their names fell on deafened ears as she regarded her competition.