Reclaiming Me Novels & Stories

--- ## Chapter 67: The Gamification of Grief Huge, holographic letters, miles high and glowing with a predatory neon green, burned across the grey shroud of the atmosphere. **[WORLD EVENT: THE QUEEN’S RECLAMATION]** **[OBJECTIVE: CAPTURE SUBJECT 01]** **[REWARD: PERMANENT UPLOAD TO THE CORE-REALITY]** **[TIME REMAINING: 23:59:59]** "Twenty-four hours," I breathed. "They’re giving the whole world twenty-four hours to hunt me."

“No daughter of mine’s gonna live like this again.” Together, they began cleaning. Packing what mattered—her journals, her books, the framed pictures that hadn’t been destroyed, her grandmother’s china from the top shelf, and the handmade quilt from her childhood bed. Jamie didn’t stop moving. Every step he took was fire in his veins. Every shirt he folded was a vow. He stuffed a duffel with Aria’s essentials and slid her phone charger inside last. “She’s not coming back here,” he said. “And neither is he.”

I would reclaim my power and rewrite my story. ***

I'm exactly where I belong. And the heat inside me burns brighter than ever. Because they came for me. They fought for me. They reclaimed me. And tonight... They'll do it again and again. Until every inch of me remembers. Until I forget what empty feels like. Until I'm theirs completely. Forever.

“Initialize the Reclaiming Clause. Secure the secondary hardware. Purge the noise.” "They're not talking about the baby," Julian muttered, scrambling up beside us, his face smeared with grease from the station wagon's battery. He held a rusted iron pry-bar he’d salvaged from the floor plates, his eyes wild with a survivalist's hyper-focus. "Grace, look at the tracking overlay on your device. The signal isn't an extraction request. It's a remote override. They’re treating Florence like a server that’s been stolen from the rack."

The second before my consciousness completely faded, I used my last bit of strength to say my final words. "I will not... come back to life." The system prompt sounded: [Condition 3 met. Reclamation of your brother's intelligence initiated.] [All return conditions have been met. Reclamation procedure fully initiated.]

“You, Laurel Moon. You have done just that. You broke the curse with love, you ended the cycle with your sacrifice. And for that, I would like to give you a little reward.” I cock my head in confusion and frown. “A reward?” “Yes. Would you like to reclaim your fated alpha?” I blink. She is giving me a second chance at life! My heart skips at her offer but I am suddenly anxious, “Will I get to see you again after that Goddess?” She laughs with a twinkle in her eye, “Of course my child. Of course.” I bow my head low and deep gratitude fills my heart. “Yes, Moon Goddess. I would love to reclaim my fated alpha.”

All he had to do was get in his car, get on the freeway, and head to where his private jet and pilot would be waiting the moment he made just one call. But it was time to take care of unfinished business. Namely, proving to himself that Ivan didn’t have a hold over him anymore. And then he would head back to the country that had opened her arms for him, soothed his feelings, made him feel like a human, and had made him who he is today. Also, to give 100 percent focus to the only thing that really mattered: good food, interviews, and his Empire. So he wasn't going to turn and run. No, he wasn't going to hide in his spacious modern office or find out what went down at the reunion party from th

I wouldn't let her go again. Not tonight. Not ever. I will reclaim what was once mine.

Like slipping into a silk robe and stepping out of history. “You’re really going,” I said, my throat thick. “Just like that.” She stood and walked around the table, crouching beside me, wrapping her arms around my shoulder. “Not just like that. After the baby. After I know you’re settled and safe. I’m not disappearing, Maya. I’m reclaiming myself.” Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “How long have you been planning this?” “Since the moment I realized you didn’t need saving anymore.”