Chapter 21 THE FIRST CLAIMING
ALICIA’S POV
I wake to four pairs of eyes watching me.
Ray sits to my left, he’s filled with fear that he couldn’t contain. His hand moves near mine, not quite touching, like he's afraid touching me will break something fragile in me.
Monty's in the chair on my right, those eyes burning with something that makes desire and want pool low in my belly. Need that's been bottled up for years is finally allowed to breathe.
Kai stands by the window, arms crossed as he assesses me with the same suspicion he would give a potential threat. He doesn't trust what happened. He doesn't trust the power I displayed.
And Logan leans against the far wall, face determined and steady. Like he's made a decision and nothing will shake him from it.
Four mates. Four different reactions. Four bonds pulsing through me with varying intensity.
"You're awake." Ray's voice is careful, controlled. "How do you feel?"
I take paid attention to my body. My body aches like I've been hit by a truck. My head aches. My chest feels like it has a hole in it, like something vital was ripped out. But I'm alive.
"Like I died and came back," I manage. My throat is raw. "What happened?"
"You happened." Kai doesn't move from the window. "Unleashed enough power to kill three wolves instantly and knock out a dozen more. Then collapsed."
The memories rush back. Jake's attack. The blade coming down. The terror, and then the silver light spread out from somewhere deep inside me.
"I killed them." The words taste like ash. "I didn't mean to. I just, I was so scared and something inside me broke and…"
"Hey." Monty finally touches me, hand closing around mine. "You saved us. All of us. Jake would've killed Ray, killed Logan, probably killed the rest of us too. What you did wasn't murder. It was survival."
"But I didn't know I could do that. Didn't know I had that." I look down at my arms, expecting to see the black veins still spreading. But my skin is clear. "What am I?"
"True Luna." Elder Pascal's voice comes from the doorway. He enters slowly, followed by two younger healers carrying supplies. "The first in a thousand years. Congratulations, child. You're a legend reborn."
"I don't want to be a legend. I want to be normal."
"Too late for that." Pascal dismisses the healers with a wave. They leave quickly, grateful to escape. "The moment you awakened that power, you became something more and less than normal. The question now is whether you'll survive long enough to learn control."
"Control how?"
"Through the mate bonds." Pascal moves to the foot of my bed. "Your power is vast but unstable. Like a dam about to burst. The four mate bonds act as anchors, channels for the excess energy. But they need to be completed, fully, intimately, before they can function properly."
Heat floods my face. "You mean…"
"Sex, girl. I mean sex." Pascal's bluntness would be funny if the situation wasn't so serious. "The claiming must be completed with each mate. Physical, emotional, spiritual union. Only then will the bonds be strong enough to contain your power safely."
The room temperature seems to spike. All four mates are staring at me now with varying degrees of hunger barely concealed.
"All four?" My voice comes out smaller than I intended. "Tonight?"
"No. That would kill you in your current state." Pascal considers. "But you must complete the first claiming tonight. Choose one mate. Bond with him completely. It will stabilize you enough to begin proper training."
My eyes move from face to face. Four men. Four impossible choices.
"How do I choose?" The question is barely a whisper.
"With your heart," Pascal says unhelpfully. "Or your head. Or your gut. Doesn't matter which, as long as you choose tonight."
"Can't we wait? A few more days?"
"No." Pascal's voice hardens. "Your power is already building again. I can feel it. Another surge like tonight's could kill you instead of your enemies. You need the stabilization a completed bond provides. Tonight. No exceptions."
He leaves, closing the door with finality.
Silence fills the room like water rising.
"You don't have to decide now," Ray says finally. His voice is rough. "Take some time. We'll wait outside…"
"No." Monty interrupts, eyes locked on mine. "She shouldn't be alone right now. And waiting will just make the choice harder."
"You're pushing her," Logan accuses.
"I'm being practical." Monty stands but doesn't release my hand. "She needs this. Needs one of us. And every minute we delay puts her at risk."
"He's right." Kai turns from the window. "I can feel her power building. It's like static electricity under her skin. Another hour, maybe two, and it'll erupt again."
Ray's jaw clenches. "So we pressure her into choosing while she's weak and scared? That's your solution?"
"You have a better one?" Monty challenges.
They're going to fight. Right here, in my room, while I'm trying to make an impossible decision.
"Stop." My voice cuts through their building argument. "Just... stop."
They freeze, all attention snapping back to me.
I look at each of them carefully. Ray, whose love I understand but whose bond might kill us both. Logan, steady and determined but still recovering from nearly dying. Kai, powerful and protective but keeping emotional distance.
And Monty. Who volunteered first. Who's been carrying feelings for me for three years. Who looks at me like I'm precious instead of dangerous.
The choice wasn't so complex anymore.
"Monty." His name feels right on my tongue. "I choose Monty. For tonight."
Ray flinches like I've struck him. Logan's expression goes carefully neutral. Kai just nods, like he expected this.
But Monty, Monty's eyes blaze with something between triumph and relief and desperate need.
"Are you sure?" His voice is rough. "You don't have to choose me just because I volunteered first. If you want someone else, you're freecells."
"I'm sure." And I am. Monty's been honest with me. He deserves this, and honestly, I want it too. I want him.
Ray stands abruptly. "Then we'll give you privacy."
"Ray."
"It's fine." But his voice says it's not fine. Not even close. "You need this. I understand." He moves toward the door without meeting my eyes.
Logan follows, pausing only to squeeze my shoulder once. "Be safe."
Kai lingers at the door. "If anything goes wrong…"
"We'll be fine," Monty says firmly.
Kai's eyes meet mine for a long moment. Then he nods and leaves, closing the door behind him.
Leaving me alone with Monty.