The Claiming By Cooper

Chapter 57

The Claiming by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Mason

I watch as Jara talks Seth out of his claiming haze. I watch until I’m confident that he finally recognizes her.

When I see them talking, I turn my attention back to the claiming territory. I know I lost two pack members, but I need to make sure the others coming out of the territory don’t need medical attention.

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When I see Elijah, I relax a bit. He’s limping and he’s battered, but he’ s alive and not in terrible shape. Not for a claiming at least.

He limps up to me. “Alpha.”

I pull him in for a hug, happy to see my Beta. “You look like shit.” I tell him, trying to lighten the mood.

He wraps his arms around me, his hands coming up to grip my shoulders, burying his head on my shoulder.

“I couldn’t save them. I tried, truly I did Alpha. I couldn’t get to them in time.” He whispers to me, and I can hear his pain, feel it in the loss of our pack members.

“I know you did. I know you would never stand by while our pack members suffered. This is not on you.”

He nods against my shoulder. We stand there until he collects himself. When he pulls back, I grip the back of his neck, putting my forehead against his, forcing him to look me in the eye.

“I know you would do anything for our pack. I know that if you couldn’t save them, they couldn’t be saved.” He nods, his teeth clenched so tight it has to hurt.

“Now, go find a medic and get yourself looked at. That’s an order from your Alpha.”

“Yes Alpha.” He says, before pulling away and going to find a medic.

I watch Jara leaving with Seth and Hana, but I wait for my pack members to exit. I check them all over. Some are in worse shape than others. I have them all looked over by a medic, making sure they have started to heal before I head back to the edge of the territory.

When I see Elder Jason, I flag him over. “How many?”

“With the ten we lost at the beginning? A total of twenty-two. So, another twelve in the claiming.

“How long before Jara will be able to enter the territory?” I ask him. “It’ll be a couple of days. It will take a while to clean this up.”

When I return to the main house, the atmosphere has changed. It feels electrified as the last of this year’s claimings gets closer.

Tensions are getting high, and we are informed that Jara’s social gatherings will be limited to those that just came out of Hana’s claiming. They are the only ones she’s spent little to no time with.

I don’t see Jara the rest of the day and I feel the loss. I know she’s as busy as I am, making sure that Hana and her brother get medical attention. But I’ve become accustomed to having her close to me, at least at night. So, while during the day I can keep myself busy, at night, when I finally lay down to sleep, it doesn’t come.

“Are you awake?” Elijah asks quietly.

I roll over and look at him in the dark. “I am.”

He nods before beginning. “It was a blood bath in there, Alpha. Everywhere I went, there were dead or injured wolves. I can’t even imagine what it will be like for Alpha Jara’s claiming, when there are three times that many.”

“Yeah, even from out here, we could hear the sounds of fighting and death.”

He nods again, before looking me in the eye. “The hostilities toward you have increased in the short time I’ve been gone. I’ve heard multiple rumblings about it today. Want to tell me what you did to make that target on your back so large?”

I sigh. I don’t really want to talk about my time with Jara with anyone, but Elijah needs to know what he’s getting himself into.

“I’ve been spending the evenings alone with Jara. At the female’s housing. I’ve been having a late dinner and then laying in bed with her at night.” I grin a satisfied grin. “I might have used that time to scent her every night as well.”

He whistles low and long. “Damn, Alpha. You give new meaning to go big or go home.”

He lays back on his back, looking up at the ceiling. “So, you’re ready to fight? To kill?” He asks.

“I don’t see that I’ll have much choice. A couple more of Typhon’s men have approached me about moving to our pack, but there are too many for me to fight without killing them. A lot of them.”

“You know it’s a possibility that someone will stumble across her, right? I actually did stumble across Beta Hana. If I wasn’t so sure I want Layan, I would have claimed her yesterday.”

I sit back up and look at my Beta. “You gave up the chance to take a mate?”

“I told you I would. She ended up exactly where she wanted to be. Why would I take a mate who so obviously wants another male? Would you have taken her as a mate and given up your chance to take Jara?”

When he puts it like that, I have to agree with him. “And I want Layan. I can’t explain it, but my wolf and I feel like she’s mine.”

“I understand that feeling very well. That’s exactly how I feel about Jara.”

We lay in silence for a few moments. “As your Alpha, I want you to know, I don’t expect you to risk your life for me in the claiming territory. I’ve put myself at risk, knowing the risk. But that doesn’t mean that you have to put yourself at that same level of risk for me.”

He turns, propping himself up as he looks at me. “What kind of Beta would I be if I didn’t have your back, Alpha. Don’t insult me like that ever again.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “It’s because you’re my Beta and I know you’re a damn good Beta that I said it.”

“Good, then it’s settled. You and I battle together. You get your mate, we all go home happy and next year, I get my mate. Then, we all live happily ever after.”

I frown. “Did you get knocked in the head while you were in the territory?”

“Nope. I just have a good feeling about this. Well, I actually have a terrible feeling about it. I don’t look forward to killing more of our kind. But I have a good feeling about you claiming Alpha Jara. And when you do, you’ll keep your word that the two of you will work to change this process, making it easier for me to claim Layan next year.”

“Do you think any of the omegas will drop out after what has happened in Jara’s claiming?” I ask. They are most at risk in this process, and I can’t put their safety ahead of my need to claim Jara.

They will mostly have to fight for themselves.

“I heard some talking about it at dinner tonight. Especially those that were in packs with the ones that were injured or killed at the beginning. For their sake, I hope the answer is yes. But I guess we’ll see when the time comes. When are you bringing Typhon’s men into our pack?” He asks.

“Early in the morning before the claim. Elder Jason will have a van ready to take them to our pack immediately. I’ve spoken to our Gamma and he’s ready to take them in, even the new ones that have asked to join our pack.”

“Good, that’s smart.”

I finally get a couple hours of sleep, and while I don’t have time with Jara today, she makes a point of coming to see me periodically and sits with me at dinner. When we’re all done eating, Elder Jason stands up.

“The Claiming Territory is clean and ready for the next claiming. Tomorrow, Alpha Jara will enter the claiming territory.”

The room erupts into cheers with loud wolf whistles and pounding on the tables and floors. I look at Jara. She is looking at me and for the first time ever, I see fear in her eyes.