Page 8 of Mine to Claim

“Mm…”

The open road stretched before us, paving the way for our last minute road trip to who knows where. The number of cars lessened the longer we drove, but before I knew it, hours had flown by. We took an exit for Olympia and sped down a road surrounded by trees.

“Open the glove box. You’ll find some crackers I had for lunch. Eat a few. The salt will help.”

“Help? With what?” I asked.

“These woods act as a veil. Soon, we’re going to pass through and you’re going to feel nauseated. You might throw up.” At her words, I opened it and grabbed the bag. Throwing a handful into my mouth, I chewed as she sped up.It’s like when you’re on a plane chewing gum to help with your ears popping.There was this pressure and then I collided with a barrier that quickly snapped—disappearing as we passed through the veil. And she was right. I was hit with a gross feeling that had me leaning on the glass. It was cool to the touch and helped.

With the woods behind us, we entered a clearing, and I was speechless. The moon was the largest I’d ever seen it. Moonlight touched every inch of land, lighting up the surroundings and the fields of flowers as we passed.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my breath fogging the glass.

“Thanks,” Dani smiled. City lights appeared off in the distance, but we took a right turn, veering off into a new direction. Twenty minutes later, we were met with pine trees decorating the mountain side. Nestled at the foot of it was a two story home. The dirt road hit concrete and as we drew near, I realized it wasn’t a home, but a mansion. Black stone, too many rooms to count, and smoke coming off the roof. A few luxury cars parked out front and armed men stood, watching us approach as if they were expecting us.

The car came to a stop and the men were now right in front of us. When she put it in park, a blond who looked like Thor opened her door and she jumped into his arms. Another man, one who looked like Aquaman, opened mine. I kept my head down as I stepped out.

“Jace, the greatest human alive. Lila, Jace. And the oaf next to you is Evander.” I nodded at the guy as he looped an arm around her and said hi to the man next to me.I’m going to assume everyone here is a shifter and now all I can think about is the fact they both have knots.My face heated, but seconds before I could spiral about how much of a perv I was, Evander lifted something around my shoulders. He wrapped it around me and was careful not to touch me.

How did I not know he was holding a blanket?

“Thank you,” I murmured, touched, but kept my eyes down.I know my face is a huge mess and my dress is coated in blood.

“You’re so thoughtful, Van,” Dani teased. I glared at her and she mouthed something like ‘what a man’. To which, I smiled a little because she was right. Parker would never. My throat clogged and she rushed over. Looping her hand with mine, she led me in. The men trailing behind us.

“Who are they?” I whispered. She arched a brow and smiled.

“Pack guards, but they’re also friends. Your room’s next to mine, but you can come in if you need me.”

When we walked in there was an open themed living room area that felt more like a hotel lobby. There was an oak tree in the middle, comfy chairs for people to sit, a huge fireplace against one wall, and large windows giving an almost 360 view of the beauty surrounding this place. Looking up, a wooden rail ran along the entirety of the second floor, and a grand chandelier hung from the pointed ceiling. Dani pulled me over a small bridge to the other side and I glimpsed a lake through the window before we began our ascent upstairs.

“I can’t believe you grew up here,” I murmured, more to myself than to her, as we made our way down a hallway.

“Yeah, dad is actually pretty humble. Despite my tendency to tap the buy button, he doesn’t just throw money around. He wanted to ensure I had a safe space to grow up. That and our pack leaders would raise their family here as well.”

“Well, it’s beautiful. So you don’t just live here with your dad then?”

“No, I should have mentioned that earlier! My dad is alpha, and his second hand is called a beta, and then there’s the gamma—the one who holds them all together.”

“If your dad is the king, what’s the queen called?” I asked. Her mom passed awhile ago, but we didn’t talk much about her.

“Luna. She’s called a Luna,” she said as we came to a stop in front of a white door. “This is your room. Mine is there if you need me.” Pointing at the one across. “We can pick up anything else tomorrow, but everything you need should be inside. Do you need me or…?”

“Thanks, Dani. I want to be alone. Need to process some things,” I gave her a hug. Pulling away, I smiled at the guys before opening the door.

“Okay, that’s okay. I’m going to get caught up on pack news, but I’ll be in my room. Come over or text me if you need anything.”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow,” I rasped.

Closing it, I was surrounded in darkness. A bed was illuminated at the other end of the room. I noted the bags of clothes and pajamas on the bed before crawling under the blanket. Taking a few steady breaths, I listened to the sounds of my breathing as they stuttered and turned to gulps, the tears flowing freely.I know Parker is a shit human being, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was my person.The events that led to me being here replayed. He didn’t listen to me, didn’t care about me, and hurt me.I haven’t changed my mind and I won’t, but now I have to figure out how to just not have him around anymore.Curling into a ball, I cried for the love I thought I had, and mourned the man he failed to be.

Chapter 4

The pounding in my head threatened to splinter and crack my skull into a thousand little pieces. The sun hadn’t come up yet, but there was no way I was going back to bed. My neck was stiff and my body tense as I rolled on my side. It was like I’d been hit by a truck. Sitting up, the world spun, and I closed my eyes as I waited for everything to right itself. When everything stopped, my eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness. I didn’t bother fumbling around for a light that could be anywhere. Carefully, I stood and walked toward the outline of a door. Nudging it open, the lights flicked on.

Of course, its motion activated.

Blinded, I flinched against the brightness, squinting as if that would speed the process up. From the moment we passed through the veil and came out on the other side, everything I saw was beautiful. The bathroom was no exception. In front of me stretched a bathroom bigger than my aunt’s apartment. To my right, a mirror stretched from one end to the other. Across from me, was a three-tier window overlooking the darkened mountainside. To my left was a wall of windows. Below it, a tub big enough to fit at least four people. The tiles beneath my feet were different shades of brown, matching the tile surrounding the tub.

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