The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 155: Different

Sophie

Jocelyn’s x-rays look like a child tried to make a stick person using real sticks, except there was no way to really

put them together, so they just poke out at all angles, in the basic image. of a human body. | can’t imagine how

much pain this woman is in. No wonder she’s so snarky. | would be too if | were living. with this kind of pain,

especially with no wolf to help ease it.

“So, you have a plan. Good. You're comfortable with moving. forward?” | ask, confirming that she’s making the

decision. | don’t want her to think that she is being coerced in any way.

“Yeah. If it helps to alleviate even sof my pain or givesa chance to walk with less pain, then I'm willing

to try,” she says.

“Okay, we'll have you here first thing in the morning. For tonight, what are your thoughts about where you'd like

to stay? Your choices are with Alpha Zahn, in the packhouse in a separate room from Alpha Zahn, or in what my

pack members call the Survivor's Center.” | make sure to call him Alpha Zahn, not her mate, since | know she

doesn’t consider him her mate.

“What's the survivor center?”

| explain about the surviving mates wanting to be away from the noise of the packhouse.

“That sounds...peaceful, actually. | think I'd like to stay there, but | probably should tell Zahn what my plan is.”

“That's up to you,” | tell her, reinforcing that she’s in control of her decisions.

“Let’s do that first, and then I'd like to rest.”

“Okay,” | say, getting her wheelchair and helping her to sit.

As we walk, | point in the direction of the survivor center, letting her know where she’ll be staying in relation to

the hospital. “It’s actually closer to the pack hospital than it is to the packhouse. We didn’t do that intentionally,

but it's works, since our surviving mates tend to struggle with healing after losing their mates and need to come

see the medical staff more often than others.”

“How did you get them to survive?” she asks.

“Brooklyn. That young woman is amazing. She realized that the pups who lost a parent and had another one

lying in the hospital were struggling and she brought them in so they could be with their surviving parent,

usually the mother. It helped the pups, and it seems to have pulled several mothers back into consciousness. |

probably don’t have to tell you that those women are struggling a lot with their loss. Don’t be surprised if you

cacross them crying. It’s still raw and hard for them. The pups too, although Kinsley and | are working to set

up something where they can spend stwith Hunter and Lucas, so they still have a positive male role

model in their lives and have someone to cto if they need or want to talk.”

“That's different.”

“We do things differently around here,” | say.

“I'm starting to realize that,” she says as we walk up to the packhouse. | take her through a side door, since |

can’t up the stairs in the front and then go in search of my mate.

He must sensesearching for him because he comes looking for me, a big smile on his face. Then he looks at

Jocelyn.

“Luna Jocelyn, | have your bags here. Have you decided where you want to stay?”

“Yes, Alpha, Luna Sophie offereda place at the survivor center.”

“I'll have your things sent over there.”

“She wants to speak to Alpha Zahn first, Hunter,” | tell him.

“Did you want to use your office, Soph?” he asks me.

“That’s what | was thinking. It would give them sprivacy.”

“I'll have Brutus bring him down,” he says, leaning over to kiss me. When he pulls back, he smiles at me,

stroking my cheek.

“You're wanting to play hide and seek with your son, aren't you?” | ask him, feeling his desire to touch my

stomach.

“Yes,” he says, smiling back.

| chuckle. “After | get Jocelyn settled, I'll csit in your lap so you and our son can play.”

“Perfect,” he growls low and possessively, making my body shiver. He kissesagain, before stepping aside.

| push Jocelyn towards my office. “You really do love him, don’t you?” she asks me.

“With every ounce of my being,” | say without hesitation. “He’s the most incredible man I've ever met. | know

this may not make sense to you, but I'm proud to be Hunter's ate.”

“I don’t understand it, you're right, but I'd have to be blind not to see the love between you two. He obviously

adores you.”

| smile. “Yes, he does. Now where would you like to sit? Do you want to stay in the wheelchair or move to a

chair?”

“I'll stay in the wheelchair. | don’t intend to take too long. But... uh, would stay withwhile I tell him?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. You seem determined to letmake my own decisions and I'm pretty sure he’s determined that I'll do

what he wantsto do.”

“I'm happy to stay. He doesn’t get to make decisions for you in this pack, nor will he be allowed to bully you into

doing what he wants you to do.”

She nods, looking like she’s starting to believeabout being in charge of her decisions.

“Where are your friends?” she asks.

| smile. “They're testing out our new G***a male. He was someone | met when | was on the run, a lone wolf. His

father was a Lead Warrior and apparently a very good one. He's a natural leader and both Robin and Kayce

wanted to test how good he is. Nikki and Allison never miss a chance to tease their mates or cheer them on. |

think this tthey'll be teasing them. Jareally is that good.”

“Ga**a male? Isn't he just the Ga**a?”

“No. Our G*a is his mate, Penny.”

She stares atin astonishment. “Your **a is a female?”

“Yes.”

“And your sister is an Alpha?”

“Yes.”

She frowns again. “Who are you people?”

I shrug. “I'm just Sophie Reynolds. Hunter says I've always been stronger than | realized. | say I'm stronger

because I'm mated to him, and he givesthe foundation to be strong. Maybe it’s both. Maybe we're an

example of what a good mate bond can look like. | know that both Robin and Nikki and Kayce and Allison are

striving to create something similar in their packs to what we have in ours. But Hunter stood for me, stood to

make the changes that we desperately needed in our society, and because of that, our relationship and our pack

continues to strengthen.”

“Not everyone agrees with those changes,” she says.

“No, they don’t, but all we can do is continue to push change forward and hopefully, in our pup’s generation,

things will be different.”