Page 2 of Claiming Claire

“That’s what I thought.” He leaned in, burying his nose in the crook of my neck and breathing in the scent of my skin, causing my wolf to stir with excitement. Calm down, little hussy. “She’s close boys, maybe a week out, two would be a stretch. Ideally, she’s the perfect specimen for our needs.”

“Our?” I managed to push out, and suddenly, my wolf was no longer excited, but terrified.

He made a sound in his throat, “Our. Is that shocking? We’re a family, and we need a mate, sweetheart. What’s a family without pups? Think you could give us a litter or two?”

Shit. What have I gotten myself into? One man was enough of a challenge, but three?

Another face found the other side of my neck. “I think she could.”

Four? No. Absolutely not.

“I-I can’t?”

The hand let go of my chin, and the man attached chuckled, “Why is that?”

“I’ve n-never. . .”

“You’ve never . . . I’ll be damned.” I heard paper crinkle as they read through more specs, “She’s a damn virgin.”

I heard some cursing as I stood there awkwardly, under the scrutiny of the men. There was silence, silence for so long I thought maybe they all walked away and I somehow heard nothing of their departure. Finally, when my shoulder relaxed, and I let out a sigh of relief, I heard a throat clear.

“Claire, there is no one in this room that is a worse decision than you are. Everyone here just needs to read your profile to know that what I speak is true. The daughter of Lester Blackwell has nothing but trouble and grief written all over her. But the fact that you signed up for Pack Match in secret tells me that maybe you already know this. The bastard who takes you on is either going to be really smart or so fucking dumb, and I can’t even tell you which.”

“I understand,” I whispered meekly as I tried to hold back the tears. The man leaned in one more time, inhaling my scent before he and his three companions walked away.

Once he spoke the truth openly, it seemed like all the men were repelled against me, not a single one giving me attention, asking me questions, acknowledging my existence. Even though I couldn’t see them, I knew they walked a full circle around me, avoiding me like the plague.

All too soon, it was announced that the time for selection had ended and all men were to file off the stage. Those who placed bids were instructed to line along the front of the stage, while those who did not find a woman to their liking, had to remain behind the roped-off line if they chose to stay.

We took off our blindfolds, facing the sea of hopeful men as we waited for the final tallies to be counted and the winners to be recorded. The wait time was minimal since they did most of the scores as the ballots were turned in, but even still, the wait dragged on for what seemed to be hours. When they announced they were finally ready to make the matches, the room went silent. The men looked excited, the women looked scared, and the crowd who didn’t bid for a lady seemed more than a little amused at the thick layer of awkwardness that blanketed the room.

The same woman from before picked up the microphone, clearing her throat loudly before talking into it, “I’m so excited for the outcome of this event, how about you guys?” When no one answered her, she continued, “Right, okay. In just a few moments, we will announce the matches. When and if your match is called, you will step forward and claim your girl and then proceed behind the stage where someone will be waiting to show you the ceremony room. Any questions you have about the match can be answered during that time, but keep in mind, there are no refunds now that your match is accepted.”

She went on to announce match after match. Each pair seemingly happy with the choice made. All the females beamed with pride over their new soon to be mates, while the mates latched on to their women possessively, daring another man to look. The stage cleared, one body at a time until only two were left, myself included.

I shifted on the stage uncomfortably. The girl beside me looking equally uneasy. The woman with the microphone cleared her throat, “Well, this is a bit awkward. We’ve never been in this situation before.” She looked down at her papers. “It appears we have two brides left, but only one has a bid. In the history of Pack Match, this is the first time we have a bride unbid.”

It was me, I knew it, my wolf knew it too. I was the unbid bride, no thanks to the men who loudly proclaimed what an awful choice of a woman I would be. I bit my lip, promising myself I wouldn’t cry until I was safely off stage and alone. But, it didn’t stop my eyes from stinging as unwanted tears tried to form.

Hold it together, Claire. There is always next time.

Only there wasn’t a next time, not really. The next Pack Match auction was three months away, and after tonight, my father would surely be on to me. Hell, chances were he had already noticed my absence and was tearing apart our whole land searching for me. Not because he cared, no . . . Lester Blackwell cared for no one but himself. He valued no one’s life over possessions, power, riches.

But I was useful to him. Useful because one day, I would be his bargaining chip. A virginal offer to grow his power and fortune, which was the only reason he kept me stored away, rarely letting me leave his house without permission.

I knew that day was coming close, I’d heard the talk, the bargaining, the counteroffers. It was close, and I thought maybe escaping to Pack Match was my way out, but I failed. Now, not only would I be bartered away, my father would be furious at the match I tried to form.

The whole room was silent as the woman fumbled to open the envelope, the sound of paper rustling amplified through the microphone. Finally, when she got it open, she stared at the paper, blinking a few times before speaking. “My, oh my, someone must really want you, Darling. This is the highest bid I’ve ever seen for a woman, and I’ve been doing this since the company’s formation.”

She cleared her throat, and my vision started to go black. No. You will not pass out from utter embarrassment, I chastised myself. You will never see these people ever again. This would all be over soon. Hopefully.

“The last claimed bride is . . .” she turned her whole body to watch us and let a pause settle over the room, most likely to draw out the suspense, but instead, she was highlighting my shame. “Claire Blackwell. Step on up hun, come claim your man.” She paused and tilted her head at the paper again and corrected herself, “Men. Come claim your men. Claire, you’ve been bought by Jace Stonewall of the Mountain Peak pack. Jace, Laden, Gabriel, Vix, come snag your woman so we can all get the ceremony underway.”

I didn’t move. I was frozen in place, my wolf suddenly dormant. I hadn’t been the one rejected after all. The relief that flooded me was soon replaced by the terror of knowing I had been bought by four men. Jace Stonewall. My stomach tightened, both from fear of the rumors I had heard about him and from excitement.

Jace Stonewall was as mean as they came, well at least that’s what the rumors said. My father’s hate for the man ran deep, so deep in fact that he vowed to one day destroy the whole pack, leaving nothing but bones and ash in his wake. But his scent, I couldn’t deny it was enticing as hell when he stood so close to me earlier, the blindfold only heightened the spicy scent of pine and a freshwater stream.

I must have spaced out because the next thing I knew I blinked, and my vision was filled with four men. Four very handsome and large men. Panic began to set in at the realization of what I had done. Sure, being married off to someone twice my age wouldn’t have been ideal, but binding myself to four men . . . at once. Large, did I mention how large they were?

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