War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 24 - Animkii (Part 2)

It was the second week of August when Animkii followed Anwaatin to her daily training lessons led by Chloe.

He got a little break from training and was going to go home, grab his phone, and head out wherever his feet would take him, but he caught Anwaatin and Chloe going out together. Remembering what his little sister had told him a few weeks ago, he decided to practice his stealth techniques and follow them to see if they would go out and train or if they were going on a little walk.

He must have guessed right because almost a mile from Chloe's house, he was soon intercepted by Luke, one of Chloe's cousins and one of the recent high school graduates to join the warriors.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

He must have been watching over the group to warn them if an adult or parent came across them and break things up. Chloe did get suspended after all for disobeying the wishes of a pack elder.

"I'm here to watch, not intrude, disturb, or tell anyone about it. Ann already told me that these training sessions were secret and I support her in seeking self-defense training that Chloe is offering," Animkii said, holding himself straight and tall over this younger male.

"Do they know you're coming?"

"No, I was afraid I might distract them if they knew I was coming. I wanted to check on Ann's progress without throwing off her focus or cramping her style. You have older and younger siblings, right? It's annoying when they hover."

Luke cracked a smile before stepping aside and lowering his gaze in submission. "Very well, Alpha."

Having lost sight of Chloe and Anwaatin now, he picked up their scent trail and followed it to a small clearing. The clearing was in a dip in the earth near a creek with a rocky ridge at the highest point. He ducked behind a rock overlooking the clearing as he watched a few stragglers join the rest of the pups gathered together and talking softly amongst themselves. He spotted Anwaatin with Chloe and Oliver in the middle as everyone pressed in to greet and touch Chloe's shoulder. Smiles radiated their faces before Chloe called them all to begin. There must have been thirty of them in total.

Dispersing, everyone spread out in front of Chloe with her positioned close to the river's edge. There was another female wolf the same age as her—Kayla, he thought her name was—standing a few yards beside her and facing him and the pups.

He watched on in fascination as the pups followed Chloe and Kayla's lead in slow movements of bending and stretching, preparing their muscles for the training ahead. Lifting arms above their heads and reaching for the sky before bending down and touching their toes, spreading their arms and legs out with bent knees before reaching for their toes again. When their stretching seemed complete, their movements sped up and became more fluid, almost like they were half dancing and half working out. To Animkii's surprise, Chloe occasionally glanced at Kayla leading a split-second before her. He thought these were Chloe's lessons?

The workout lasted only a few minutes to get all the pups breathing hard and a thin layer of sweat to gather on their flesh. That was when they broke up into groups of three or four of the same age and sex. Another wolf approached Chloe and she showed everyone the technique they were to practice first. It was one she said they all knew, but practice made it automatic, like instinct.

It was a simple blocking technique, where the other wolf thrust his fist out to punch her in the face and she blew him off with a swift deflect of her arm. "High, medium, low," she commanded and her assailant threw a punch at her face, shoulder, and stomach, and she deflected each one. The offensive techniques were weak but given that they were untrained, it didn't matter. They weren't trying to inflict harm, only illustrate the defensive moves.

Deflecting punches led to deflecting kicks of various heights and then she showed, one at a time after each group practiced, different ways of turning the assailant's kick around to the defendant's advantage.

He watched her movements, the grace and agility; the strength of her body, and the concentration on her face. She was glowing with pride in her work and in those she was training. She was fully immersed in her lesson and it drew him in, focusing only on her and forgetting about Anwaatin with the pups below.

Chloe was all grown up now. Despite being only fifteen, she was already a leader among the youth. It came to her naturally and she embraced it along with all of its responsibilities.

Why wasn't she his mate?

His heart picked up in speed and heat rushed through his body. Even when a breeze blew against his back, it wasn't enough to tamper down the warmth that rose within him, stirring in his workout shorts.

Pulling away from his position, he slipped back, carefully placing his feet down on the earth so as not to make a sound as his eyes widened.

Why was he getting all flustered?

She was only fifteen, for Goddess' sake!

She had a mate out there, somewhere, he was sure.

And it wasn't him.

When he was far enough back that she shouldn't hear him, he turned and ran. Sprinted as fast as he could home before anyone could see him or question him. Darting up the stairs and to the bathroom, he jumped into the shower and turned the cold water on.

She's just a pup! It's gross!

What about Madison? She was his mate. But she was dead now. Could Chloe be his second-chance mate? How? She wasn't eighteen yet. He couldn't know for sure until her eighteenth birthday when her body chemistry changed, as it did with all wolves who reached the age of maturity and would thus be able to scent out her mate.

Why would his body respond to her physically if she was still a pup?

Unless, perhaps, it was love?

His heart clenched with that thought.

He couldn't have feelings for her again... could he?

But back then... when he loved her, his body didn't respond like this.

Was it lust?

He shook that thought immediately from his head.

He didn't lust after pups—heck, he didn't lust after other females his age. The very idea of looking at another female that way sickened him. He wasn't even ready to meet any females without mates, never mind lust over one or fall in love with one.

Why Chloe? Why this young female he couldn't have? Why now when she wasn't even eighteen yet?

It couldn't be the matebond or anything sacred given by the Goddess.

The only thing he could think of was when he watched Chloe training the pups, he fell in love with her all over again because he got to see an unguarded side of her. One that awakened his heart. One that stole his breath from his lungs. One that defied age.

But she's still too young...

He had to maintain distance from her now. Whether she was his second-chance mate or not, he had to respect that she was only fifteen and he was twenty. He couldn't be near her or be friends with her. His body and scent would give him away.

And what about Madison?

He swallowed. Pain gripped his heart but at the same time, it seemed less than before as Chloe again surfaced in his mind.

Turning the water off, he curled into a ball at the bottom of the tub and held himself as tears fell.

He wished he never sought her out. She'd still be alive.

With Chloe still holding his heart.

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Copyright Jo Lee Hunt ( Joflower ) 2020