The One He Claimed

Chapter 167: Leaving a Mark

Letti

I can’t believe I met my mate. I can’t believe he’s a Beta who is here to win a pack. And I’m happy, so very happy, that he isn’t one of those ranked members who insists on claiming their mate publicly.

I don’t know Alpha Ezra, I’d never met him before seeing him in Alpha Hunter’s pack, but I’ve been in Alpha Kayce’s pack for a while now. He and Allison have been great leaders. So, I knew he would protect me and not allow anyone to claim me publicly or against my will. Thankfully, Jake isn’t like that at all.

I look over at him again, smiling when I see he’s looking at me too. He turns his head away and chuckles.

“Are you having as hard a time as I am focusing on this pack stuff?” he asks me.

“Yes. But I was serious about wanting to compete for this pack.”

“What do you want to do here?” he asks. We’re walking around the pack lands, getting a feel for them and the size of the pack overall while the existing Alphas mark the pack borders with little wooden stakes with red flags on them.

“I want to start a pack like my friends have created. A place where people can live and be free, be heard, and be safe.”

“Your friends? You mean that group of Lunas?” he asks, looking back in the direction we came.

“Well, only Sophie was a Luna when I met them. Nikki, Allison, and I were on the run together. Allison and I met up first and then we met Nikki when Alpha Aiden tried to claim Allison, Nikki jumped in and was injured helping us to get away,”

He growls a low, dangerous growl. “He’s lucky he didn’t claim you, I’d kill him.”

“You wouldn’t have known that I was your mate though, would you? I mean, unless I had rejected him, which I would have. But there are ways that she wolves can be forced to accept their mates. I know in my old pack, wormen were impregnated and then their pups were used to force them to accept the mate bond again.”

“Impregnated? You mean raped?”

“That’s not what our ranked members called it,” I say,

remembering my father who had used similar tactics against my mother in the beginning. It’s why she helped me escape from my pack.

“Who the **k are these a**l**?” he asks, angrily,

“Entitled leaders who think they can do what they want, and, in the past, the laws supported them,” I say, “Anyway, Nikki was injured and we’d heard about a place where they were leaving food for she wolves on the run. Most of us, when we were on the run, looked out for each other as best we could,” I say shrugging, “We didn’t run in large packs, me, Nikki, and Allison being the largest group I ever saw, but that didn’t mean we didn’ t talk and didn’t help out when and where we could. And, of course, everyone knew about Sophic.”

“The Legend, right? Alpha Ezra said she’s the real deal and our

11

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comfortable, I’ll talk to him and see what I can do,” he says.

I step up to him. I barely know the man, but I already feel drawn to him, and I like that he’s worried about being away from me. and willing to talk about how we can compromise together.

“I’ll come to your pack with you, but let’s get one thing straight before we go,” I say, running my finger down his t-shirt.

“What’s that?” he asks, his voice deepening as I touch him.

I lift up on my toes and put my face so close to his that I can feel his breath on my lips. “I’m the one winning this pack.”

His smile is instant. “You think so, huh?”

“Oh, I know so. I want it, therefore, it will be mine,” I say more confidently than I feel. Jake’s response to my closeness is making me feel bold.

He wraps his arm around me, pulling me against his body, his dark eyes watching me intently as his hard length presses between us.

“And what about me, do you want me?” he whispers, his nose rubbing against mine.

“Yes,” I breathe.

“When do I get to become yours?” he asks.

H**k at his lips, wanting to know if they are as warm and soft as they look.

“Tonight?”

He shakes his head. “That’s too far away.”

“What did you have in mind, Beta? ask him.

“Everyone is following the Alphas and they’ll be busy for hours. I happened to notice an area by the river we passed that looked like it might be a bit secluded.”

“You want to mark me out here in the middle of nowhere?” I ask him, although the idea holds appeal.

“I want to christen our future pack lands with our love. I want both of us fight for this pack like nothing we’ve ever fought for before, because we’ve literally left our mark on it.”

Move that idea. “Lead the way,” I whisper.

We slink away from the others like we’re naughty teenagers sneaking out for the night. When we get to the place he saw, I see that it’s actually beautiful and we can easily conceal ourselves here. Mei pushes forward and I see Andre in Jake’s eyes as I turn to him.

He pulls me into a kiss, and I finally get to feel his warm, soft lips on mine. We spend the rest of the afternoon and evening, marking, mating, and talking about our plans for the future under the stars. Jake’s mind is everything I’d hoped for, kind, loving, and intelligent, and by morning, I know I’m ready to follow him to Alpha Ezra’s pack, ready to start the rest of my life with this man, and ready to begin training harder than I’ve ever trained in my life, because Jake is right.

We’ve left our mark on this pack, and now, I can’t let anyone have it but us.