Claiming their Mate

Chapter 7

  “What happens if someone marries…er…joins with someone and then his fated comes along?”

  “Honestly? Things can get pretty ugly. I’ve heard that some manage to make it work, but I’ve never seen it in action. I guess that’s not saying much, though. I haven’t been one of them for that long.”

  “I wish I hadn’t fought them so much at first. If I’d just accepted it, they’d have claimed me by now, and they wouldn’t be able to send me away, either.”

  She’d hated the idea at first, then she’d simply been afraid of becoming like them. But since she’d begun to fall for Adam and Xavier, she couldn’t imagine going back to her normal life. The idea of leaving them, even temporarily, made her feel six kinds of hollow inside, and who knew how long the threat of war would last? It could all be over in months or she could spend years waiting for them to come for her. And that was if Adam planned to come after her at all. She believed Xavier did, but Adam hadn’t made any such promises. “I can’t believe I let my chance with them slip away.”

  “How could you have known? I mean, what human is just going to jump at the chance to be bitten and join all this weirdness? I sure didn’t. They chased me for months before I finally gave in.”

  “We don’t have months.”

  “Are they still sharing your bed?”

  “I usually end up sleeping with Xavier. Adam hasn’t touched me since the big announcement. I’ve tried giving Xavier the cold shoulder, just because it makes me so angry that he’s on board with this, but it’s like I can’t stop myself.” She'd given in to her body’s desperate need for him more times than she was proud of. It was a near thing with Adam, too, and she’d found herself on the verge of barging into his room on more than one occasion. She’d only just managed to hold herself back, mostly because of her pride. She felt incredibly rejected.

  “It’s the mate bond. He won’t be able to fight against it for long. Just be patient.”

  “How am I supposed to be patient? I simultaneously want to slap him and fuck him at all times now.” It was crass but true. Clara sighed heavily, realizing how self-centered she sounded. “I’m sorry to talk so much about me. I’m thrilled for you, so let’s concentrate on that. When will you tell your men?”

  They were deep into their discussion of all the possible ways Kate could tell them, ranging from the romantic to the hilarious, when Kate’s phone rang. She took one look at the caller ID and beamed. “Hey, big guy. Miss me already?”

  Clara smiled and walked away to look out the window. It had been weird staying with Adam and Xavier after their big announcement, but she’d refused to even consider staying at the lodge. She needed to be near them. Even now, after only being away from them for a couple of hours since breakfast, she looked forward to seeing them again. Despite the awkwardness with Adam, she’d rather be with them than not.

Kate’s gasp snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see her sister’s shocked face. “Kate, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s Will. He’s hurt…He’s been in an accident.”

***

  “You’re crazy if you think I’m staying here. I have to go to him!”

  Clara struggled to hold her sister back. She looked ready to tear through Adam and Xavier to get to Will.

  Xavier tried to reassure her. “Zion is already on his way to the site with a group of men, and Adam and I are leaving now. We only stopped to let you know we were going. The best place for you is here, where it’s safe. We don’t know what to expect out there.”