Novelas y relatos de Claim

Elder Ansel stepped forward as if to protest, then stopped with his mouth open, eyes moving between Lucien and the rest of the council, and me. The bond didn’t snap back. It didn’t shatter like glass. It just… burned. I stood there silent, in front of everyone I would have to see tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. There was only one way for me to save face. Orielle jumped and snarled once she knew my intent. I threw up walls to block her from taking control. “I, Soraya Wane, accept your rejection.” The words tore out of me. “I, Soraya Wane, Wane of the Silverpine pack, reject you Lucien Veyric as my mate.”

“I doubt he has said a word.” Charles shrank half an inch. Whitney stared between them, eyebrows shooting up. “Whoa—hold on. Claim me?” Her voice pitched higher in indignation. “I’m not anyone’s to be claimed like some… collectible Pokémon card!” Charles flinched. Ethan huffed a short, humorless breath. “No one is claiming ownership of you. That’s not what this means.” He waited until she looked at him again before speaking, his tone gentling but never losing that Alpha weight.

I said. "Of course," he replied. "The mate claim is described here as active and unresolved." I kept my voice conversational. "My understanding was that the race ruling superseded the claim pending outcome. This suggests otherwise." "It's simply an accurate description of the current legal status," Frey said smoothly. "The claim remains technically active until the race concludes and a ruling is issued." "Technically active," I said. "Yes." "So if I sign this, I'm confirming awareness of an active mating claim."

It started over nothing. That was the thing about real arguments. They never started over the actual thing. They started over something small and ordinary that had the real thing sitting underneath it and when the pressure got high enough the small thing cracked open and everything underneath came out all at once. It started over a phone call. Marco had called me directly on Monday afternoon to tell me he was bringing Isadora to the estate on Wednesday for dinner and wanted to make sure I would be there. I said yes without hesitation and thought nothing more of it.

I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. "You need to be reasonable about this," Bianca's mother demanded, crossing her arms. "You should either accept the apology right now or just forget about it entirely. We are willing to cover your hospital bills, but that is it. We do not want anything else to happen to Bianca. Her reputation getting ruined by your accusations is unacceptable. This needs to end today."

“He’s fine. You know how he tries not to let on how worried he is.” “Please hold him together. I’ll be home soon. I’m working on it.” “Okay. I love you.” “Love you too, Mom.” Since last night, I had avoided running into Ronan Draven. I couldn’t trust myself around him, and to win this, I needed my mind to stop blurring and snap into focus. I sat in my room and opened the statute to the line I’d highlighted. A provisional claim shall be void if the claimant is found to have acted in bad faith or with intent to cause harm.

"Which part wasn't clear, sweetheart? The part where I said I finally got your attention, or the part where I told you I recorded a video of you pleasuring yourself to my name?" Her arms dropped to her sides, her entire body trembling in utter disbelief. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" she screamed. "I couldn't help it," he reasoned smoothly, as if he hadn't just confessed to a federal crime. "You were putting on such a breathtaking performance. I just had to keep a permanent memory of it." "What kind of sane person does something like that?!" she yelled, her voice trembling with rage. "You are a disgusting pervert! Delete that video right now!"

“Even though the standard you approved helped clear the review.” “Yes.” Ailsa swore. Callum leaned back in his chair. “I thought you would be pleased.” “I am pleased.” “You hide it beautifully,” Callum said. “I can be pleased that the problem has a path forward and angry that you still paid for it.” “That sounds inconvenient,” Callum said. “It is.” Callum heard movement on her end. “What happens with Exit?” she asked. “Nothing you did not choose,” Callum said. “Meaning?” “The bank did not accept Cairn's claim that your report was disproved. The original findings stand.”

Calder listened, asked precise questions, and never once sounded hostile. That was the trick. He didn’t attack the claim. He poked the edges of the process around it. “And the child’s projected standing would apply even in the event of… medical complication?” Calder asked mildly. Lira’s head turned. I spoke before anyone else could. “The claim-right is already active through verified blood and filed notice,” I said. “It isn’t a future favor. It exists now. If you’re asking whether a tragedy would conveniently erase it, the answer is no.”

When her eyes find Juni they hold for a fraction too long—assessment, injury, calculation—then move to me. The senior clerk looks up. “Alpha Voss. You requested to present material before the window closes.” “I present a completed claim,” I say. My voice carries cleanly. “The woman standing with me has accepted it. Freely. In full. The claim is mutual. It is not contingent on this chamber’s clock, and it is not offered as a substitute for investigation into the net already on your record. It is simply the truth of what we are to each other, placed on the record before the window ends.”