Page 12 of Claiming Claire

Gabriel bent down, his hand poised to touch Laden’s stomach when a loud, vicious growl erupted from Laden. He pulled his hand back, holding it up in surrender. “See.”

Laden’s body shifted, “Try to touch me again, and I’ll tear open your throat.” He turned to me, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Morning. Sleep well?”

He had a knowing smirk on his face because he knew I hadn’t. How could I when they woke me up nonstop? “I slept perfectly.”

“Good. Eat. We are heading to town to get some new clothes for you and whatever else it is women like. Then we have a meeting with the elders. Nothing too important, just official stuff before the public celebration.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” I wasn’t going to bring up the elders. I knew I would have to see them, but that didn’t mean I was feeling stellar about the meeting either.

His eyes narrowed, “That dress you wore last night. Let’s be honest, it was hideous.”

“Hey! I bought that with my own hard-earned cash, thank you very much.” I crossed my arms defensively.

“And?” he prompted.

I tried to hide the smile, but it escaped anyway. “And it was hideous.”

Everyone at the table nodded their agreement. “Plus, you only came with a small bag, we expected you would have had more.”

“I don’t need more, I brought what I needed,” I stated.

“Claire. You’re the alpha’s mate. You may have what you need, but you deserve whatever your heart desires.” There was another round of agreements before Laden added, “Eat up, we leave in thirty.”

The town was already busy when Gabriel parked the truck, each member of the pack no doubt already hearing rumors of the alpha’s new mate. Or would it be mates? I wasn’t totally sure how that worked. I knew for a fact that I belong to all of them, and they all belong to me. But to each other? Are they bound to the same rules?

We all got out, and after being cramped between some very large men, I was thankful to stretch, even if I was only confined for a short drive. “Who’s going shopping with her?”

All eyes turned to Laden. I cleared my throat, “You mean I don’t get to lug all of you around all day?”

Vix shook his head. “That would be a negative, sweetheart. Only one of us needs to suffer.”

“Or none of you? I could meet you somewhere in a little bit?” After all, I still had a little money left. Not much until my funds from Pack Match came through, but I had enough to buy a few articles of clothing if I shopped on sale.

Laden shook his head. “No can do. Jace would have our heads if we let you wander around right off the bat without introducing you to the whole pack first.”

Well, Jace isn’t here. He bolted the second the mating was final. “I don’t want to keep you from other things.”

Laden stepped closer and cupped my face between his hands. “Claire, there is nothing more important than you.”

He leaned in and gently kissed my lip before pulling back, and I smiled sweetly at him. “Is that why you are all about to rock, paper, scissors your way to freedom.”

“Aww, sweetheart, I knew you got me.” Instead of rock, paper, scissors, he suddenly called, “Not it!”

A chorus of “Not it!” followed, with an added curse from Gabriel.

Laden raised an eyebrow. “Looks like Gabe will be your chaperone for the afternoon, doll face. You two behave, I’ll know if you don’t.”

The thought of both not behaving and him knowing sent heat straight to my core, “What if we don’t behave?”

He leaned his head in. “Ever been punished by four big, bad wolves?”

Shit, he wasn’t helping his cause at all. “Not yet.”

“But you will,” he paused, “Soon.”

He took a step back from me, then chatted with the men for a few moments. After it was decided that Laden and Vix would take the truck, they got in and took off. Gabriel’s hand found mine, and he twined our fingers together. “We thought it would be easier to see the town if you walked it. It’s pretty quiet now, but if you give it a week or two when summer is in full swing, this place is a tourist hideout. That’s where a good portion of the pack’s money comes from, that and Vix is actually killer with numbers and investments.”

I filed that knowledge away, loving that I learned something new about one of my mates. Gabriel’s hand tugged mine along the sidewalk. “What do you do?”

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