The Claiming by Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)

Chapter 7 Evangeline

Jaxon is nothing like I was expecting. He's...nice. That's not to say that he doesn't have the Alpha arrogance. He does of course. But he's nicer than I was expecting.

We talk over dinner and it's pretty casual. Others join in our conversation periodically and we join in theirs. Surprisingly, there's an air of camaraderie rather than competition. I'm guessing that will change overnight, but for now, it's casual and comfortable.

I notice that Jaxon isn't drinking alcoholic beverages either and I comment on it.

"I'm here to win, not party." He says.

Magdalena snorts. "Did you two rehearse that?" Jaxon looks confused.

"I said almost the exact same thing to Makayla, our sister, earlier." I say.

"It says a lot to me about the ones that are drinking. They are either here to search for their mates, or they don't understand how brutal the next two days are going to be." He says.

Maggie leans forward. "Who do you think will come in first?" She asks him, smirking. I'm already guessing his answer will be the same as ours.

"Me, of course." And there it is. We both laugh and I can see that arrogant Alpha look come out.

"You don't think I can do it?" He asks.

"That was also our answer when Makayla asked who we thought would be first." Maggie tells him. "Both of us said we would be first." He smiles at that.

"Will you run with your sisters, help them along?" I ask him, curious.

"No, not unless something happens. They are strong in their own ways, but I'm faster than any of them. Plus, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, so I expect Teagan and Rowen to make the cut. Raelvn..." He says moving his hand in a maybe, maybe not gesture.

"A marathon plus." I say.

"Who do you think is your biggest competition?" I ask him.

"I have a list, both of you are on it, by the way." That makes us smile.

"But, if I had to pick my top three. I'd probably say Tobias, because he's older and has had longer to train, Stefan, for the same reason, and my cousin Taylor."

Maggie and I nod. "All three of them are on our list as well. What about Celine? Stefan's sister? Alpha Zaire and Luna Gia were very strong leaders of their pack, and their son Alden seems to have stepped easily into those shoes." I ask.

"I've never met her, but if she's Alpha Zaire and Luna Gia's daughter. I won't underestimate her." Jaxon says.

"What about your brother? Do you think he has a chance?" He asks.

"Lazio? Absolutely. You'd be mistaken to underestimate him, even though he's just made the cutoff to participate. We celebrated his birthday last week, but he will be fierce." He nods, looking around. Alpha Jordan takes the opportunity to lean forward. "How many do you think are here just to find their mates." She asks.

Maggie snorts. "If our sister is any indication, I'd say plenty."

I look down the table, seeing Rowan talking to Alejandro. Their heads are close together and they don't seem to realize that they are in a room full of people. They are lost in their own world. "Not just our sister." I say, nodding at the two of them.

Jordan leans around Jaxon to look. "Yeah, I expect a lot of that. It would surprise me if some don't end up dropping out during the contest. It's going to be spread out over nearly half a year, so that provides plenty of time for people to come of age and find their mates. And there are so many Alpha heirs out there coming of age, that if they find their mate, those mates would not be eligible to participate."

I look at Jordan. "I hadn't considered that. But since existing pack leaders aren't eligible to participate in the contest, if any of the Alpha heirs find their Lunas, those females will be eliminated." "Only if their mate is the current or future Alpha." Jaxon says watching me. "If, say, you and I were mates, we could both still compete, since neither of us are leaders of our own pack."

I feel a fluttering in my stomach, and my mouth goes dry. Thankfully, Maggie answers for me as I grab my water, downing it.

"Well, I guess you'll find out. Evie will be turning 18 during the competition. Who knows, you may walk into a competition and BAM there she is, flooding your senses with her intoxicating scent and distracting you from your goal."

I frown and turn to look at Maggie. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugs. "Just repeating something I heard dad say about when he met mom."

"Except back then, she WAS the goal." I tell her.

"I'm so glad I wasn't born in that generation." Jordan says.

"Can you imagine? Getting chased down by the group of guys that are here for the contest?" I ask.

"Barbaric!" Maggie says.

We all turn to look at Jaxon.

"Don't look at me. I agree. It was nuts. Although, I have to admit, it seems like it worked. All of our parents seem happy." He says.

"It's creepy to think that it could have been different." Jordan says, conspiratonally. "I mean, imagine if my dad caught your mom, or your dad caught my mom."

I look at my parents across the room. I can't imagine them with anyone else. "That is creepy," I say.

We all laugh and move on to other topics. As the night winds down, Maggie and I say goodnight and head to our room. Jaxon grabs my hand, halting me in my steps.

"I wanted to wish you good luck tomorrow I expect to see you at the finish line."

"Oh, I'll be there, Alpha. I'll wait for you when I cross first." I say teasingly.

His answering smile makes my heart flutter. Super hotty indeed.

"We'll see about that, but I look forward to celebrating with you in another couple of days."

"Count on it. Good luck to you too, Jaxon. See you soon."

I turn to head toward my bedroom. We're up on the second floor. As I start up the stairs, I turn, seeing. Jaxon still where I left him, watching me. He winks at me, making me smile.

It's a restless night's sleep, tossing and turning, worried I'll oversleep, stressing about the next couple of days. When it's finally time to get up, Maggie and I go get a small breakfast and head outside.

The atmosphere this morning is considerably different than last night. Today, everyone is in competition mode. This first elimination is going to be huge. Six hundred people are here and only one hundred will go to the next round.

I look around and find Jaxon. He's looking at me and nods Ins head in greeting. I nod back.

It's very quiet, especially considering how many people are standing here. Councilman Jason steps up to the starting line.

"When the gun goes off, the competition will begin. If you need help in between the rest areas, howl and someone will come for you. If you are removed from the race, you are disqualified from the contest. Good luck everyone."

He steps back and everyone pushes forward. A moment later, the gun goes off.

Let the contest begin.