The Claiming by Cooper Book 6
The Gamma Tournament by Cooper (Ezekiel & Gianna)
Chapter 1 Gianna
I can’t believe my mate got me knocked up on the first try. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled, but I had tried for years with my ex- husband, and nothing had happened. Now, I have a newborn son and I’m already pregnant with our daughter.
I’m thankful I wasn’t a virgin for our first time. In all the conversations I’ve had about marking and mating, no one had bothered to mention the knot to me. Ezekiel said it’s because that is usually something only ranked males can do. Whether it’s because he’s mated to me, an Alpha female, or just because he’s an elite fighter, he knotted me.
It happened when we marked each other together. My wolf, who had made her first real appearance, was still milking her venom into his b*ody, pushing our scent into him. Ezekiel told me that my scent was weak, but it was there. I don’t want my mate to have a weak scent on him, so I ended up marking and remarking him several times that first day. I might remark him at least once a night still, but that’s only because he has the most amazing o*rgasms when I do. I love feeling my strong, powerful mate come undone because of me.
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So, as I was marking him again, I suddenly felt the swelling inside me. Ezekiel still had his canines in my n*eck as well but he had pulled them out, his eyes going wide. “What?” I asked panicking. I had started to move but he had held me firmly in place. “NO! Don’t move. I’m knotting you.”
He had to explain to me what that meant and since we had so much time while his knot receded, I got the full story.
There was something very intimate about being physically connected to the man you love, the man you absolutely adore. You can’t get up, you can’t move more than a few inches from each other, so you’re forced into intimacy, whether it’s physical, emotional or both. For us, it’s both, every time he knots me, which doesn’t happen now because apparently the damn wolf spirit knows when you’re pregnant.
I can’t wait for him to knot me again. Talk about feeling full. It’s the most incredible feeling I’ve ever had, a nearly constant state of o*rgasm. Ezekiel likes to tease me about how insatiable I am. It’s not my fault I’m mated to one of the s*exiest men alive. Truly, the man’s b*ody is a work of art. And I’ve seen how tough he is on the training field, but with me, he’s soft, and sweet and gentle, unless I don’t want him to be. The man can bend me over, grab hold of my hair and pound into me until I forget who and where I am.
The door to our bedroom flies opens and my s*exy mate stands there, his eyes dark.
“Why can I smell your arousal down the hall?” he growls, closing the door and prowling toward me.
“Great sense of smell?” I tease, ducking around a table.
His growl gets louder, and he begins to stalk me. “Where’s Zeke?”
“Daycare,” I tell him.
“How much time do I have?” he asks.
It’s a calculated move on his part, one I fall for. When I turn to look at the clock, he pounces, wrapping his strong arms around me and turning his b*ody so I land on top of him on the couch.
I smack his c*hest. “If our daughter leaps around her bedroom when she’s older, I’m blaming you!” I tell him a moment before his m*outh covers mine. Today isn’t a gentle day and I love every minute of the punishment he gives me for being sassy.
After we catch our breath, he pulls me against him, as much as he can with our daughter between us. It’s still h*ard reconciling the gestation for werewolves which is only 5 months. At two months along, my little girl is already showing nicely.
“What were you thinking about when I walked in?” he asks me, stroking my hair. “You,” I say.
“Anything in particular about me? I like knowing your get worked up thinking about me.”
“Actually, I was thinking about taking your knot and how I miss it, then I was thinking about how much I enjoy your sweet, gentle love making and then how much I enjoy when you aren’t sweet or gentle in your love making.”
“What an insatiable little Alpha you are,” he says, k*issing my nose before getting up. He looks at the clock.
“I have time to get a quick shower before going to get Zeke. I spoke to Alpha Jaxon. He and Alpha Evangeline are making plans to go back to their pack lands. I told him we wanted to talk to them before they left. We’ re meeting them for dinner.”
“They’re going to go back to their pack lands? When? Alpha Evangeline is due to have her twins any minute,” I say.
“I get the impression that they are going to pack up their kids and go. If they wait much longer, they’ll get behind, possibly losing pack members. And now that we know the rogues were camping out on their pack lands, they want to set up an official pack.”
“How many are going with them?” I ask. “I think fifty to seventy-five. There are more that are going to help build and patrol, which will be good for Alpha Tobias and Luna Flavia in the neighboring pack. I think they have fewer individuals that want to move to their pack, but together, they can make sure their borders are safe for everyone.”
“You go shower, I’ll come with you to get Zeke. It’s time for him to nurse anyway,” I tell him.
“Have you heard anymore about the Gamma Tournament?” he asks as he walks into the bathroom.
“No, I talked to Gabriella today. She said the council is going to elect their new officials next week and after that, they’ll make plans for the Tournament. Why, are you thinking of joining?” I ask him.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I was going to talk to you about it. It’s a big deal, but now that we’ re starting our little family, maybe we should think about the legacy we give to our children. Ranked membership generally gets handed down from generation to generation. If I became a Gamma, we could pass that on to Zeke. And Gammas usually manage the training of the warriors and scheduling patrols. I’d be good at that.”
“Yes, you would. Do you really think you’d want that life for yourself though? You told me you liked being a lone wolf, able to go wherever, whenever you wanted.”
He pokes his head out of the shower. “That was before I met you, before I had a family. Now, I like the idea of being part of a pack. It’s safer for you and our pups. I know you’ re strong and once you have our daughter, I’ II make sure you become even stronger. I’ll train you so you feel confident in your ability to fight against a wolf,” he says.
He knows the thought scares me. I know that I’ve been told I’m an Alpha female, that I’m related to Aunt Jara and Uncle Seth, and I’ve seen all of the family members sparring. But I can’t reconcile that with my life as a human. The thought of taking on a wolf in my human form terrifies me.
However, I also know that if anyone ever came for my children, I’d kill them, wolf, bear, or human.
I hear my mate purring in the shower, having heard my thoughts. He pokes his head out again. “And that’s why I know that you’ll be an amazing fighter. You not only have the genetics for it, but you also have the d*esire to protect our family.”
When he steps out of the shower, I h*and him a towel.
“Are we still able to go into the city to get my things this weekend?” I ask him. “Yes. I worked it out with Alpha Jace and Beta Victor, and since Levi will be here, he can take over training while I’m gone.”
“Has he said anything to Emily yet?” I ask. “No, but he did ask her on a date,” he says, smirking and rushing out of the bathroom. “Ezekiel! What did she say?”
He laughs, k*issing me.
“She said yes, of course. Who could deny the adoration of the mate bond? Even if she doesn’t know that’s what it is, he feels it and I know there is never a moment that I don’t want you to know how much you are loved and cared for. It’s the same for him.”
“It’s too bad the council has taken so long to have their elections. Maybe this could have been resolved already,” I say as Ezekiel pulls on jeans and a light long- sleeved shirt. Fall has just started to come forward and there is a chill in the air at night.
He grabs a sweater for me and wraps it over my shoulders as we head out to go get Zeke before we meet with Alpha Jaxon and Alpha Evangeline.