The Claiming by Cooper

Chapter 41 Jara

Jara

“Can I ask you a question?” Hana says, sitting up and turning so she can give her full attention to

Isabella.

“Of course, I’m an open book.” That has me spraying lemonade out of my

nose.

“Double entendra intended?” I ask as I wipe my face.

“Of course.” She says smiling.

“So, how does it work? I can’t imagine it. I don’t mean to be rude and if my questions are too intrusive,

please just tell me. But I’m really curious.” Hana says to her.

“And, honestly, how in the world do you have the energy? Mason keeps me so busy that I can’t imagine

having time for anyone else, not that he’d allow it.” I add.

“The difference is that they are your mates. It wasn’t like this when

Bradley was alive. But, once I lost him, I wanted comfort, companionship. I found it in the arms of the

pack members who were thrilled to have an intimate relationship with a she-wolf, some of them having

never experienced any type of sexual interaction with a woman.”

She looks out over the mountains. “Then, it just slowly happened over time. I was curious about different

things and the pack was willing to try anything that I wanted. Now, I can take three easily, four on a good

night and five on a really good night.”

I feel like my mouth just hit the floor. “Five? Where do you put them all?” I ask.

“Our bodies have three orifices, pleasure centers I call them, and I have two hands.” She says, wiggling

her fingers.

“All at one time?” Hana asks, her eyes wide, not being at all subtle in her

amazement.

“Not at first. I worked up to it. Jonas and Jared were my first thr*esome, and if I’m honest, they are still

my favorites. There’s something to be said about having two Alpha males at once, especially when

they’re half your age.” She says smugly.

Hana and I look at each other and burst into giggles. I still can’t imagine it. But maybe it’s because of the

bond I share with Mason. I wouldn’t want to share our time with anyone else. And I can’t imagine that

he’d ever be willing to share me with anyone. He’s already so possessive.

“As I said, it’s different when you share a bond with your mate. And your bonds already seem much

stronger than the one I shared with my mate. So, maybe it would never be something that you’d

consider.”

In the distance I can see the long hair of two girls coming our way, one taller than the other.

“Maybe when Katerina joins us, we can talk about your plans to change the claiming this year. Based on

the changes that I’ve seen already, four claimants pregnant within a month of the end of the claiming, I

would like for her to have something similar to what you two seem to have with your mates.”

“You wouldn’t want her to be in the same type of situation you are in?” I ask, genuinely surprised.

“If she could find a man that steals her heart and takes her breath away, that’s what I would want for my

daughter.” She says as Katerina and Sophia, her younger daughter, join us.

Isabella stands, walking to her girls and hugging them. They hug her, but

their eyes are glued to us.

“Girls, this is Luna Jara and Luna Hana. They are visiting for the night. They’ve come to see our pack. I

thought we could take them on a tour. Would you like to join us?”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Katerina says before looking at her mother. “Yes, I’d like to go.”

Sophia is probably around 15 years old. “Mom, Carl said he’d take me on a run. Is it okay if I go with

him?”

“Be back by dinner time. I don’t want to have to send out half the pack like I did last time. Understand?”

“Thanks mom. Nice meeting you both! I’ll see you at dinner.” She says before running off, shifting mid-

step. A moment later another wolf races up beside her and they take off into the mountains.

“So, you do have ranked blood in your blood line?” I ask. It’s not easy to shift mid-run like Sophia did.

Being young, I’d say they have Alpha or Beta blood.

“I come from a royal Alpha line in Europe. Our numbers, like yours here, were dwindling. My family got

out, bringing us here, thinking it would be better for us.”

Her eyes turn sad. “Our boat capsized during the journey. It was a human boat, and my family were the

only werewolves on the ship. I was the only survivor. I swam until I reached land, found a forest where I

spent many cold nights, practically starving until Jona*’s father found me. He took me in, and the rest is

history.”

I already feel a kinship to this woman, I liked her immediately and I think we can be great friends. I’m not

sure if it’s that, or the pregnancy hormones, but I pull her into a hug and almost instantly feel Hana’s

arms around us too.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” I say, tearfully.

“It’s true what they say. That which does not kill you, makes you stronger. I am here and I am happy.”

She says.

“What’s going on?” Alpha Jonas asks, his voice full of concern, walking toward us with a worried look on

his face. Immediately, he steps up to Isabella and pulls her to him, wiping the tears off her face.

“Oh, I was just telling my new friends about how I ended up here.”

“Issy.” He says softly, pulling her into his chest and kissing the top of her head.

I may not understand the situation here, but there is real love between this pack and their she-wolves.

And Isabella is happy here. It may not be my choice, but who am I to judge the lifestyle that she’s chosen

for herself. It seems to be working for her and her pack.

Isabella gets Laney, the other she-wolf in the pack, and Katerina and the three of them take us around

the pack lands, showing us the beauty of the land. Laney and her mate have two children, a young she-

wolf, and an older son.

As we walk, I can tell Katerina wants to talk, but she hasn’t decided to

open up yet.

When we get back to the packhouse, I turn to her. “What’s on your mind?”

She looks at her mother before looking back at me, considering her question. “You’re pregnant?”

“We both are.” I say, as Hana comes to stand beside me.

“Your happy with your mates?” She asks.

“Yes, we love them, and they love us.” Hana says.

“I have nothing against my mother’s way of life. You know that.” She says looking at her mother.

“I do.” Isabella says.

“But I want what you seem to have.” She says, turning back to me and

Hana.

“Perhaps we can dine out here, the four of us, and maybe Jonas and Jared as well. I think it would be

good for them to hear about the changes you are planning to make and then we can all ask you our

questions in the peacefulness of the veranda.” Isabella suggests.

We all agree and have a wonderful evening, eating, talking and laughing. I come to realize that Jona*’s

hesitation in joining our alliance had more to do with their unique arrangement. He was worried that we

would judge Isabella and try to remove her from their pack, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Something else I realized as I looked around, this arrangement, or maybe it’s Isabella herself, but either

way, she’s keeping the feral-fever away from her pack just like we are. I don’t see any signs of it within

this pack, even with the men in their thirties.

The next morning, I hug Isabella tightly before we leave. “I want to know that you are safe this weekend.

When you get out of Alpha Shawn’s territory, I want to hear from either you or Alpha Jonas.”

“I will. And I hope we can get together soon.” She says to me.

“Well, Isabella, you’re one of the very few females in our packs that know about childbirth. I expect that

I’ll be seeing more of you very soon.” I say, rubbing my baby bump.

“Oh, and my mother-in-law is going to LOVE you.” Hana adds, hugging Isabella tightly.

I turn to Katerina. “You are welcome to join our calls, come visit our packs or anything else that may help

you feel more comfortable going into the claiming next year.” I tell her.

“I’d like to visit Layan.” She says.

I look at Isabella. Visiting Layan may terrify her.

“My daughter is a strong woman. If she wants to visit Layan, then I won’t stand in her way.” Isabella says.

I look at Katerina. “I’ll talk to her. Ultimately, it’s her decision.”

She nods and we say our goodbyes. As we leave the territory, I realize that I didn’t know what to expect

when we arrived, but I’m leaving with a strong bond to Isabella and her pack.