War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 43 - Chloe (Part 1)

Animkii made sure that food was brought up to Chloe's hotel room for her. She still didn't have much of an appetite but ate some of it. She took a shower and watched TV until she went to bed before her roommates all returned, one at a time, giggling and kissing their mates goodbye at the door.

She pulled the blankets over her head and burrowed deeper under her pillow. She tossed and turned until her cousin, with whom she shared the queen-sized bed, demanded her to stop.

In the morning, they all packed up their belongings and climbed on the bus to go back home.

Chloe avoided Animkii in the days that followed. Her siblings tried to cheer her up, glad that she didn't have to leave them but she was depressed. Kayla and Anwaatin tried to get her out of the house for some hiking and exploration in their wolf forms of corners of the territory that they hadn't gone before. It helped a little to take her mind off her misery.

"Come on! It's not so bad sticking with us another year. Maybe that's what you need," Kayla told her. "You need another year to rise up in the warrior ranks so your mate will have to join our pack and then you won't have to leave."

After a few more days of moping around and her friends and family trying to cheer her up, Kayla's comment made her feel guilty. She had so much to be thankful for even without a mate. Another year of waiting for him wouldn't kill her.

About a week after the Mating Ball, a movie came out that Anwaatin was dying to see. She asked Chloe if she would go see it with her and Chloe agreed.

When Anwaatin came to pick her up, her brother was in the driver's seat of the car, waiting.

"You didn't tell me he was driving us," Chloe hissed at Anwaatin as she pulled her purse over her shoulder.

Anwaatin tried to stifle a giggle but it escaped in a bout of snorts that turned to cackles as she grabbed Chloe's hand and dragged her toward the car.

Chloe climbed in the backseat, letting Anwaatin call shotgun, and scowled at the back of her head as she buckled her seatbelt. "Alright," she demanded, "who's bright idea was this anyway?"

"Mine!" Anwaatin exclaimed. "Anim promised last month to take me to see this movie, and you said you'd see it with me, so what could be better than seeing it with my two favorite wolves?"

Chloe heaved a sigh, making Anwaatin twist in her seat to stick her tongue out at her.

"I thought it was a great idea," Animkii said as he turned the car around and began the slow, bumpy drive across the valley. "We haven't hung out together in ages."

"Yeah, because you said we couldn't be friends anymore," Chloe shot back.

"And now we can. Besides," he caught her gaze in the rearview mirror, "I already apologized about that. I don't expect you to forgive me easily, but this will hopefully help to put the past behind us."

"Next stop, Babies-R-Us!" Anwaatin declared. "My little niece or nephew is going to need some cute outfits!"

"Not going to happen," Chloe growled, glaring at the valley outside her window.

"Don't push your luck, pup," Animkii scolded mildly.

Anwaatin giggled to herself before she leaned forward to turn the radio on and adjust the station until she found music she liked.

Chloe wondered what she had gotten herself into and fidgeted in her seat.

The drive to the nearest theater in the suburbs of the metropolis was quiet, aside from the radio. When they had cleared the valley and the forest that surrounded it and hit the first paved road, her anxiety lessened with the smooth roads. She urged herself to relax. The three of them were just going to watch a movie. It was out in public with dozens of humans around. Nothing bad would happen. Animkii would have to be crazy-bold to make a move on her—even if Anwaatin did encourage it.