The Claiming by Cooper Book 3
Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Chapter 25
Jara
When the meeting with Dr. Braxton ends, I walk over to speak to Brynn. This is the first time she’s sat in and listened to Dr. Braxton’s reports since the first one. It’s a lot to take in, especially when her daughter is part of it.
“How are you doing?” I ask her.
“Would you think less of me if I told you I’m overwhelmed?” She asks. “I’d think less of you if you weren’t. I think we all are. That was a lot all at once.”
“So, why do you think Melinda has higher than normal antibodies in her system?” She asks me.
“I don’t know Brynn, we can ask Dr. Braxton, but it’s been clear from the beginning that Melinda is pretty special.” I tell her.
She nods and we approach Dr. Braxton as he’s putting his things away.
“Excuse me, Dr. Braxton?” I say, as we walk up.
“Oh yes, Luna Jara. Hello, Gamma Brynn.”
“Doctor, we were wondering if we could ask a question about Melinda.” I say.
He gestures for us to sit, and we do, turning our chairs to face him.
“You want to know why your daughter, a true Beta, is showing the same high levels of antibodies as the Alpha children?” He guesses, looking at Brynn.
“Well, actually, yes.”
“The simple answer is, I don’t know for sure. I can hypothesize that it’s because she was born at a time when the antibodies in your blood stream had strengthened enough to be passed to her, it could be that she is just the first to show the signs that all children will show going forward, or it could just be that your daughter is who she is.” Dr. Braxton smiles. “She’s quite a charming young lady. Engaging and sweet.”
“Yes, she is.” Brynn says.
“And insightful.” He says, watching her.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“Well, she’s not yet four, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.” Brynn tells him.
“And yet, I heard that during a*s*sessment, she went and sat on the laps of several of your pack members. She inherently knew that they needed her close. But more than that, the a*s*sessments this year were brutal from what I understand. Having her close, might have helped them feel better because she was pushing the feral- fever and claiming haze viruses back after the a*s*sessment process attempted to activate them.”
“I’m not sure I’m following you, doctor.” Brynn says.
He pushes his glasses up his nose. Mason had mentioned this particular habit of the doc’s and now I’ve become hyper aware of it. He really does do it all the time. “The a*s*sessments are supposed to push the males, forcing them into feral-fever or a claiming haze based on the nature of the virtual reality that they are put into. Even though everyone passed, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t feel the unease of the virus in their system, pushing forward, trying to take hold. Your daughter seemed to instinctively know that they needed her presence to push the virus away, to help your pack members feel better.”
“You’re saying my daughter instinctively knew that she needed to help our pack mates?” Brynn asks.
“Yes. Are you sure that you or your mate don’t have Alpha blood in your history.”
Brynn shrugs. “It’s possible I guess, but it’s nothing recent, that’s for sure.”
“It would be possible, I mean look at Jared, Jonas’s brother. He’s a Beta, but he’s Alpha blood, he’s just a second son.” I say to her. “In a few generations, folks may not remember that he descended from an Alpha line.”
“Or maybe your daughter is destined for big things, Gamma. It wouldn’t surprise me if she became a Luna one day. Either way, she’s a special girl.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Dr. Braxton stands and begins packing his things again. “Doctor, will you be continuing your research?” I ask him.
“Yes, Luna. I think for us, as researchers, to truly understand what is going on, I’ll need to continue my experiments and testing for years to come.”
“Then I guess we’ll be seeing you around, doc.” I say as we walk
I spend a little more time with Brynn before she heads back to the pack. With Mason and Elijah here, she and Luke are running everything for us. Now that most of our pack members have been sent home, it’s a lot of work for the two of them. When I get back to our housing, I see Jaxon sleeping in a baby rocker on the floor. I look around not seeing Jordan.
“She was fussing, so Mason took her up to your room so she wouldn’t wake the others. Annabel had just gotten Valentina to sleep.” Hana says, from where she’s sitting nursing Harper.
I nod, going to get Jaxon and tucking him against me when his eyes open, bouncing him gently until he settles back into sleep. I walk upstairs and listen at the door. Not hearing anything I walk in and stop.
There, on the bed, is my mate, lying on his back. And laying on his chest is my daughter, her legs and arms curled up underneath her, her face over his heart, no doubt listening to the soft thumping of Mason’s heart. He has his hands on her, holding her to him as they both get some much needed sleep. I smile before quietly backing, out of the room, leaving them to their nap.
I take Jaxon outside, not wanting to wake him, but also wanting to take advantage of this quiet moment. I move to the spot where Mason and I once sat listening to the sounds coming from the claiming territory. I find a seat and sit down.
It’s much quieter this time, we’ve barely heard any howls or barks. Dad said the gunmen were put into place inside the territory last night, but so far, there hasn’t been any sound of gunshots, so I take that as a good sign.
I kick my feet up, and scoot down, letting Jaxon lay against my chest. I lift my face to the sun shining through the trees and close my eyes, listening to the far-off sounds of wolves on the hunt.
I don’t know how long I’ve been there when I feel familiar hands taking Jaxon from me. I open my eyes and see Mason standing over me, pulling Jaxon into his arms. “Did you get a little nap, Luna?” He asks. I blink, looking around and realize that I must have been asleep for a while as the sun is father down in the sky than it was when I closed my eyes.
“I guess so. Does Jordan need to be fed?” I ask, standing and stretching after so long in one position.
“Nope. She woke not long ago, hungry. Your mom snagged her and gave her one of the bottles of milk you pumped this morning.”
“Oh, nice.”
“I’m not sure what your mom is going to do when we leave. She’s enjoying having all her grandchildren here in one place.” He says, tucking Jaxon into one arm and wrapping the other around my waist.
“I can’t believe how much more quiet this claiming is than any of last year’s.” I say. He turns looking back at the claiming territory.
“I think that’s a good thing. That and not hearing any gunshots.”
“That’s a very good thing.” I stop, turning back. “I can hear them moving around in there, but what do you think it means that no one is howling?”
He smiles at me. “I think it means that you trained this next group of Lunas very well.”
I chuckle. “You think Katerina will be caught by an Alpha?” I ask.
“You don’t?”
“Oh, I do. But which one?” I ask.
“There are three options.” He says.
“Not for her.” I tell him.
“No, for her, there is only one option.”
“Luke.” We say together.