War Claim (The Claim: Book 3)

Chapter 47 - Chloe (Part 2)

Chloe completed reading the journal on Thursday after dinner.

She was in the backyard, lying down on a blanket on the grass several feet away from the firepit with the notebook on her stomach and her arms crossed over it. While her father observed Oscar practicing his campfire-building skills, the rest of her family was preparing to roast marshmallows.

Chloe stared up at the sky as if the universe would provide her with the answers.

The days were still long but starting to get shorter bit by bit. The sun wasn't due to set for another hour, but the cicadas were out in full force, playing their evening symphonies as loud as they could. A few thin clouds stretched across the sky with the summer heat still engulfing the earth, baking it warm all day and drying out the grass.

Her mother plopped down next to her with a wide-brimmed hat to shield her face from the sunlight. Even now, this late into the evening, her mother worried about her skin burning.

"You've been awfully quiet this week," her mother commented.

"I have a lot on my mind. You know that."

She nodded. "I do."

"Would you have ever given up on Dad and married someone else if he hadn't found you when he did?"

Her mother sighed. "It's hard to say, Chloe. I wasn't looking for a relationship. I had a few dates with men who were interested but something never sat right with me so nothing became of them. I know now that was because of the matebond, but I didn't back then. I was more focused on you and my career so I could provide you with the best life possible."

It was no use. Her parents couldn't offer her any words of wisdom. All of her conflicted thoughts and feelings were something she had to work out on her own.

Animkii's journal revealed all of his struggles—except for several months after Madison's death. She suspected he kept a separate journal for that. While she got the gist of what he endured from talking with Anwaatin, she was grateful that she didn't have to read about his pain and loss. Some things were better kept private. She'd listen if he ever wanted to share his thoughts and feelings about that time, but she didn't think she could read through his raw emotional state of mind. His devastation would have been too great for her to bear.

She was surprised by some of his latest writings—specifically the erotic dreams he had of Chloe. It was hard to believe that he could even think about her in that way, and yet it excited her. He wrote about how he wished those dreams could be real someday.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she did too.

"How do I know what the right thing to do is?" Chloe asked, her eyes still up at the sky.

"I'm not the one who can answer that," her mother replied. "Only you can make that decision."

Chloe closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. She knew that. It didn't make anything easier, unfortunately.

"I will tell you this, and maybe it will help," her mother added. "Alpha Animkii was your best friend for years. You looked up to him and clung to him so much so that I think it was a bit unhealthy. You two needed time apart to grow up a little on your own. While you both endured very different struggles, I think you both came out stronger in the end. Regardless of everything that happened in the last few years, you both still hold powerful feelings for each other. That's not even taking into consideration that you're second-chance mates. In the human world, a love like that would be considered very rare and blessed. Something worth fighting for."

Chloe opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her mother sitting beside her.

"The thing you really need to think about—and answer for yourself—is whether or not you think you can spend the rest of your life without Animkii in it. If you do find your mate—whether that's weeks from now, months, or even years—you will probably have to join him and his pack. You won't be able to be friends with Animkii. You'll be forced to end all contact. Is that something you can do? Will you be happy without Animkii in your life?"