War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 46 - Chloe

Chloe didn't tell her friends about meeting with Animkii. She was hesitant to say something and didn't want to overthink whatever it was he wanted to do with her at sunset. She did tell her parents so that they wouldn't worry about her and knew she would be in good hands should she encounter any trouble.

When Saturday rolled around, she could hardly sit still. Her family had already planned a picnic with Sam and his little family and that helped to keep her mind off of Animkii for a little while. When they all returned home a little before sunset, anxiety launched itself at her and she trembled with both nervousness and excitement.

She didn't know what Animkii had planned. She just took a deep breath and waited for the sun to set.

When the sun sank below the treetops, there was a knock at the front door.

Her heart jumped in her throat as she turned in her seat on the couch with Camilla between her and their father.

"Looks like your date is here." Her father wiggled his eyebrows at her, grinning.

Warmth flushed Chloe's cheeks as she glanced up to see her mother step out of the kitchen and into the living room. Her brothers followed, abandoning their board game at the kitchen table.

Rising to her feet, she strode over to the door and grabbed her purse hanging on one of the hooks next to her siblings' raincoats.

When she pulled open the door, there was no one there, except a handwritten note taped in the middle.

'Shift and follow my scent-trail. Don't worry about clothes, I have some for you. Bring the key.'

Pulling the note from the door, she passed it to her father, who was at her side to see her off.

He read over it quickly. "Well then. I guess we'll see you later."

She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She handed him her purse before stepping down the porch and walking to the trees next to her house, where she stripped out of her clothes. She looked down at the key hanging around her neck between the dip of her breasts. It felt cool against her bare flesh as she brushed her fingers over it, thinking about the vision she had of it months ago at the Winter Moon Festival and finding it in her possession on her birthday. The significance of it was starting to come together but she still didn't know what it all meant exactly.

Closing her eyes, she focused on her transformation as she eased down to the ground and concentrated on the few seconds it took for her bones, ligaments, and muscles to shift and reshape themselves.

She could feel the weight of the key still around her neck despite the fur blocking it from making contact with her flesh.

Animkii's scent had been strong on the narrow trail she and her siblings had created over the years through the forest beside their house, and was even stronger now in her wolf-form. It was fresh, as if he had just been there moments before but she couldn't see him.

[Where are you?] she asked, slipping into his mind and feeling at once at ease within it, but also excited.

[Ahead of you. Follow me,] he instructed.

The more primal animal part of her mind was at the forefront and she could feel her excitement increase with the thought of an adventure ahead of her. A hunt of sorts, though she didn't know what the outcome would be, but games were always fun too.

She followed his scent through the trail for about half a mile where the two split. The trail turned to the left, where it would make a wide loop before returning home, fifteen yards away from where it started, and Animkii's scent continued straight before veering north.