War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 44 - Animkii (Part 1)

Animkii was crushed the moment Chloe broke their kiss and left the Mating Ball early. He wanted to spend more time with her, but if she didn't want to be there, he understood. It was hard. He'd seen many disappointed wolves not find their mates at the Mating Ball the first time he went, but they still hung around with the other single wolves and tried to enjoy themselves.

He hadn't been one of them. Not finding his mate at the Ball that first time only further validated his belief (and hope) that Chloe was his mate. In fact, he was relieved. Upon his return home that year, his parents were disappointed and urged him to look for her. He understood, given their age, and complied but still held onto hope that Chloe was his mate.

He stood a few inches away from the door of her hotel room, hoping and praying that she'd change her mind and open it.

She didn't.

He didn't want to push her. Didn't want to take advantage of her hurt, confused, and upset state. All he wanted to do was kiss away all the pain that wracked her heart, but would that be the right thing to do?

No, it wouldn't. It wasn't right to take advantage of others when they were vulnerable.

He pulled a chair out from his room and set it across the hallway from her door, guarding it.

He didn't trust those Ashtar wolves, and as much as he knew Chloe could defend herself, if a group of wolves witnessed their kiss and attempted to take her from him, she could be overtaken.

In the quiet hallway, he contemplated what to do about Chloe, their situation, and how badly he screwed up these past few years. He also thought about the consequences of his actions.

He just kissed Chloe in a room full of wolves. Only his pack knew of his past, and perhaps the betas from the other packs chaperoning the Ball. But what of the Ashtar wolves? They were the current threat to his pack, and while he hoped they wouldn't cause any problems tonight, he couldn't be sure.

He also wondered if the Ashtar Pack wasn't somehow connected to Madison's death. He couldn't be sure of that and he had no proof. Alpha Sergei and Luna Hazel had even offered assistance in looking for her.

While they were currently a threat to his position and pack, he couldn't be one-hundred-percent certain that they had planned Madison's kidnapping and death as well in hopes of destroying Animkii both mentally and emotionally from a broken heart and soul.

The more he mused over the possibility of Alpha Sergei being behind Madison's death, the more it seemed plausible.

However, without proof, he couldn't make any accusations. That could outright start a war and he didn't want to be the cause for a war.

It didn't hurt to try and dig deeper though. Avenging Madison would bring great satisfaction.

He didn't know how to go about getting more answers, but the Ashtar Pack had proved that they were not friendly neighbors. If they were behind Madison's death, he had to know.

When dinner was served, he called Ethan up to guard Chloe's door so he could go down and eat and load up a plate for her, knowing all of her favorite foods from the selection available. He was going to deliver it himself, but his pack surrounded him with questions. Naturally, a few wolves had seen him and Chloe kissing and spread the word amongst the others, so he sent one of the unmated wolves to deliver Chloe's food to her room so he could stay back and explain to them what was going on.

He asked them all to leave her alone for the time being because she was confused and conflicted and needed time to herself to process this information. He explained that she was his second chance mate but that their bond was weak because her true mate was still living. They had yet to find him but this was Chloe's choice to make and not to bring it up to her or stress her out over it.