The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 107: Brooklyn's Role Brooklyn

When Luna Sophie asked for volunteers to cout of the safe rooms, | was one of many who raised my hand.

I'm tired of standing by and letting others fight for me. | need to be strong and while | know | have only been

sparring for just over a week, I've been practicing in my spare tand Cas has been helping me. He may not be

a warrior, but he's always participated in warrior training, so he's strong and knowledgeable of how to fight.

As Luna Sophie ends the meeting, she makes eye contact withand gestures forto wait a moment. | can

feel tears p**g at my eyes. | already know what she's going to say. She doesn't feel like I'm strong enough to

fight.

I wait as others ask her and Beta Kinsley questions before she finally moves to me. | watch as Beta Lucas finds

Beta Kinsley and pulls her aside. I'm guessing he isn't any happier than Alpha Hunter about his mate being

outside a safe room during this fight. I'm willing to give up my spot so one of them can be in the room, but |

know Luna Sophie is about to tellno.

"Brooklyn, | saw you raise your hand before, volunteering to cout of the safe rooms..." she begins.

"Luna, | know I'm not the strongest fighter, or even much of a fighter, but please, | want to fight for this pack

who has done so much for me. Please don't makego into a safe room." Chapter 102: Brooklyn's Role

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She smiles atand takes my hand in hers. "There are two reasons that | want you in a safe room, Brooklyn,

and neither of them is because | don't think you're strong enough to fight for this pack. Hearout, and then

we can decide together, okay?"

I nod, now unsure of what she's going to say.

"The first reason that | want you in a safe room is because | know we're going to need you when the fighting is

done. The warriors have done nothing but sing your praises since the last battle when you stitched so many of

them up. We'll need that again after this war, probably more so. You can't help out in the hospital if you yourself

are recovering from injuries."

| notice she doesn't say 'if you're dead' which makesthink that she means what she's saying.

"We're going to need you, Brooklyn. Everyone has a role to play in this pack, and yours seems to have become

assisting in the pack hospital. That's where you're most effective and that's where | want you when this is done.

Don't think I'm asking that because it will be easy. If you thought you worked hard during the last battle, it will

most likely be worse this tand we have to consider that we'll have even more individuals who lose mates."

| hadn't thought of that, but she's right. Last time, they were so short staffed that they were thrilled for my help.

"And the second reason is that I'd like to ask you to be the Lead in a safe room. You're the only one in this pack

who has ever shot a gun. If these wolves get past our first two lines of defense, | want you to be our third. | want

you to stand in that safe room, in front of the pups, the infirm, and the pregnant she- wolves, and | want you to

fight to protect them," she says. Chapter 107,8 Brooklyn's Role

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I'm shocked. She's truly not askingto sit safely inside the room and wait, she's askingto be a third line of

defense, to protect those in the safe room, and then to be ready to help those injured in the battle.

"Will you do that for me, Brooklyn? Will you do that for the pack?"

"Yes, Luna. | will."

"Thank you, Brooklyn. | knew | could count on you. I'll have Kinsley tell you which room you're assigned to. I'll

need you here today to meet the new individuals coming in because you'll be responsible for closing and locking

the door Brooklyn. That means that if the attacking wolves breach the packhouse and the safe rooms become

compromised, you may have to close the doors without everyone inside. That's part of the responsibility that I'm

putting on your shoulders and it's a heavy one. Those of us on the outside will be pushing stragglers into safe

rooms, but ultimately, you are the one that will have to decide when to close and lock your safe room door."

| realize just how much responsibility Luna Sophie is giving me. It's not that | thought it would be easy, but |

didn't realize that | might have to decide to lock someone out.

"| won't let you down, Luna."

"I know you won't, Brooklyn. | wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't you could handle it."

I nod and she squeezes my hand, turning to go talk to whoever else she needs to talk to in order to make sure

we're all ready for this war. Chapter 107: Brooklyn's Role

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I look around and | see Cas leaning against a doorframe, waiting for me. | walk up to him, and he pullsinto a

hug, not saying a word.

| wrap my arms around him, feeling safe in his embrace. He and | have been working very close together at the

hospital. I've

gotten used to having him around, to having him close. We're still taking things very slowly, but | know that |

don't want to lose him:

"You're not going to be in a safe room, are you?" | ask him.

"No," he answers quietly, his face buried in my hair.

"You know you don't have to stay here. You can leave..."

"Not without you, | can't," he says, pulling away enough to lookin the eye. "| told you; I've waited a very long

tto find you. I'm not giving that up and leaving you here to fight without me."

| reach my hand up to stroke his face. He closes his eyes, leaning into my touch, something that | love. When he

opens his eyes, he slowly leans forward, watchingto make sure | don't flinch away. But | don't. | want to feel

his lips on mine, want to feel connected to this man who is showingwhat love and kindness were meant to

look like.

When he pulls away from our kiss, he leans his forehead on mine.

"Will you stay withtonight? I'm not asking you to have sex with me, | know you're not ready yet. | just want

to hold you, to have you in my arms as long as possible before this war comes to us," he says. Chapter 107,

Brooklyn's Role

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"I would like that," | say, knowing that I'll feel safe in his arms. Most nights, | have nightmares and find myself

searching for him anyway, needing to feel his arms aroundso that | can feel safe. This way, I'll just start

where | always seem to end up most days.

"Let's get sbreakfast, we have a lot to prepare in the hospital before the war comes," he says, taking my

hand and leadinginto the dining hall.

"And | have to be here when the new people cfrom the other pack, so | can make sure they know what safe

room they are assigned to, and | know who to look for in my safe room."

| see my mother sitting on Brutus lap, talking quietly. As | look around, | realize the room is much quieter than

normal, people, families, having quiet conversations about what's to come.

As | look around, | realize that not all of these people will survive, but | also know that Cas and | will do

everything in our power to make sure that they do.

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