War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 29 - Animkii (Part 2)

Every day for the last two years, Animkii stared at the framed picture of Madison on his nightstand before falling asleep. He thought about his past, his present, and his future. Frequently, he'd pick it up and talk to her, asking her what he should do. Telling her he missed her but no matter how hard he had tried, he still loved Chloe.

It didn't hurt as much to think about Madison as he spoke to her image during his quiet times alone in his room in the pack house with the other unmated wolves. It started to come naturally, the ache always present but lessening.

The closer Chloe's eighteenth birthday drew, the more he questioned the possibility of her being his second-chance mate. The only one his heart would accept because their souls were intimately entwined.

He still held himself back as much as he could. If Madison was his soulmate, and Chloe was his second-chance, then who was Chloe's soulmate? Would he have to die before Animkii could have his chance with Chloe? How did these second-chance matebonds work exactly?

He tried looking into their history books, delving into their spiritual understanding, but everything that came up said that second-chance mates only occurred if both wolves had previously lost their mates.

As much as Animkii wanted Chloe, Chloe deserved to be with her true soulmate. The one made for her. If he took her while her soulmate was still alive, they would have an incomplete bond. She'd never be able to have pups with him and he knew she wanted to be a mother someday. They could adopt but it wouldn't be the same. Chloe deserved to live the life she was destined to live, and that did not include Animkii at her side.

***

The day Animkii started his private training with Chloe's father, Cameron posed the question Animkii had been dreading to answer for years. "What happened between you and my daughter?"

They had left the valley behind them to train discretely in a glen a few miles away from the pack house. The evening sun that was hot on their backs across the valley was now shielded by the canopy of leaves with barely a breeze to rustle amongst them. There was a coolness in the shade that the trees offered, but without a breeze, the hot air was stifled.

At first, Animkii tried to shrug off his inquiry, but Cameron grabbed his arm and forced him to face him. His golden-colored eyes bore harshly into his.

"I'm serious. Either you tell me now or I won't train you."

Animkii's spine straightened. He stood taller than Cameron now, a few inches he'd never noticed before. "Didn't Chloe tell you anything?"

"Oh, I know her side of the story, but I want yours." Cameron released his arm only to point at Animkii's chest. "I want the truth, not her assumptions about what she thinks is the truth. You two were friends—best friends, at that—and you broke her heart—repeatedly."

Animkii's hands curled into fists at his sides and he swallowed as Cameron continued.

"I agreed to train you because our families are friends and I know you're the best candidate to lead the pack. I will follow your lead, regardless of what happened between you and my daughter, but I want to know the truth. Every detail of it no matter how much it might enrage me."

Taking a deep breath in, Animkii held his head high as he held Cameron's stare. "If I didn't respect you so much, I'd sugar-coat it, but I know you can handle the truth and I trust you with my life. But you must keep this a secret. Can you agree to that?"

Cameron ground his teeth. "What about my mate? You know how difficult it is to keep secrets from mates."

"You know your mate better than me. I'll leave that to your discretion. Tell her the parts you think she can handle—but she must keep those parts secret as well."