War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 17 - Roma

Grabbing his backpack that he left by the front door and the two thick textbooks he set down next to it, he lugged his schoolwork into the kitchen and plunked down at the table and cracked open the first textbook.

An hour passed before Luna Hazel entered the kitchen to start dinner. About five minutes before dinner was ready and she was setting the table, Roma's brother came home.

He scooped his pups up into his arms, kissed them on the heads, and then scooted into the kitchen to grope his mate's ass and kiss her like a starved animal.

Roma looked away and gagged.

His brother eventually tore himself away from his mate to greet him, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "Brother! Staying for dinner, are we?"

"Sure, why not?" Luna Hazel said with a heavy-lidded smile, her lips slightly bruised and her cheeks flushed with warmth. "It's not like he doesn't help out around here. He's welcome to stay for dinner any day."

"Thanks, Luna," Roma mumbled as she blinked out of her daze. Turning, she turned the stove off and brought over the hot dishes to the table. He set his books under his chair and excused himself to go wash the pencil lead smudges from his fingertips.

When he returned, the twins were already sitting at the table in their booster seats and gabbing away to each other as they ate. The way they interacted with each other was special. They had their own language and finished each other's sentences when they were excitedly retelling the same story. They sat side-by-side with Luna Hazel at one end of the table and Roma's brother at the other.

"So, how's school going?" Sergei asked him as he took his seat at the table, facing the twins.

"Fine," he murmured as he scooped out some scalloped potatoes from one of the dishes and onto his plate.

"You sound tired. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah, just feeling a little run down. Probably need more sunlight and exercise. These extra assignments and classes are wearing me out."

"You can do it. I know you can," his brother said as he lifted a piece of steak to his lips.

Roma forced a small smile that fell flat. "Thanks."

"How about we go for a quick run later before you head back to the pack house?"

"Sure," Roma shrugged his shoulders indifferently. He knew the run would do him good and might be the ticket he needed to ease the sexual frustration, but he didn't know for sure. He wanted to talk about the plan with the Zhooniyaa Miskwi Pack but didn't want to bring it up in front of Luna and the pups. He didn't know how much she knew of Sergei's plans.

After dinner, he returned to his studies while Luna took the pups upstairs for a bath, and Sergei cleared the table and washed the dishes.

"So..." Roma began hesitantly in a lowered voice, "what's the plan with the Zhooniyaa Miskwi Pack?"

Sergei looked over his shoulder and gave him a crooked grin. "Is that what's on your mind?"

Roma shrugged. "Well, yeah. It's been months since... you know."

Sergei turned back to the dishes. "Yes, I know. I've been monitoring the Zhooniyaa Miskwi Pack these past few months. I was hoping that female would live a few months longer than she did. It was bad timing to die in the fall. But I know it will take years for a mate to recover from a loss—if they recover at all. Animkii is still a mess and I anticipate him staying that way. He's lost his strength, his motivation, his reason for living... everything. He'll be easy to knock off. His parents too. As soon as the last frost clears, I'll be putting the plan into motion."

Roma nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Sergei's back was still to him as he scrubbed a pot clean.

"I know," Roma mumbled.

He gathered up his books and packed them into his bag and headed toward the front door.

"Hey, hold up a few minutes and I'll join you for a run," his brother called after him.

"No thanks," Roma replied. "I'm just going to hop in the shower and go to bed." And jerk myself into oblivion, he thought with a sigh.

***

The next day was Friday and when Roma arrived home from school, his brother was waiting for him at the bus stop with the twins—which was unusual.

"What's going on?" Roma asked as the twins played in the snow near their father, squealing happily as they fell onto their backs in the fresh powder and made snow angels.

Sergei scratched his thin beard along his jaw. His breath puffed out before him. "Change of plans."

Roma raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I need a babysitter. Do you mind?"

Roma shrugged. It was the weekend—plenty of time to complete all of his assignments and babysit his niece and nephew. "Not at all. For how long?"

His brother motioned him to follow him to his house. There was a car waiting out front and he hollered for the pups to follow them home.

Sergei cleared his throat. "Probably the whole weekend."

Roma stopped dead in his tracks at gaped at him. "Wait, what?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Sergei glanced at his mate waiting next to the car and hugging her pups as she called them over and kissed their cheeks. [Hazel's heat just started. And I'm putting off the plans of over-throwing the Zhooniyaa Miskwi Pack for now as well. There's no way I'm going to put her through that while pregnant. Come on. You stay with the pups at my house while we go someplace private before the pain becomes too much for her to bear.]

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