The Claiming by Cooper Book 3
Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Chapter 42
Jara
It’s been two months since this year’s claiming. It took awhile for Layan to get her things from Alpha Davis’s pack, to get sworn into our pack and take her official place as Beta. And then, Mason and I went right into the annual Alpha’s meeting which now also includes a Luna meeting. Layan and Brynn stayed behind to run the pack with Elijah and Luke.
It was interesting this year. Katerina and McKenna brought a new perspective to the group. McKenna has grown since becoming a Luna and even more so now that she’s pregnant. She and Davis are having a boy.
I announced that I was pregnant again and Hana said she is too, a boy this time. Katerina said that she and Luke are waiting, wanting to take time to be together first.
We all agreed that this year’s claiming had been much better than last year’s and that we wanted the females to continue to elect the members of their claim. The Alphas had agreed, and they also identified that assessments would be less brutal next year as long as no one went feral between now and then, but that gunmen would still be in the territory, just in case.
We had elected our council members again and Brynn remained a council member for another year. Jason and my father retired, Jason saying he was getting too old for this work. My father just wants to spend time with my mother and his grandchildren. Surprisingly to me, Alpha Saul took Jason’s place and Alpha Quinton took my father’s place. He said that he didn’t have a Luna yet and so, he wanted to make a difference in another way. Luna Gia remained on the council and so did Brooks from Alpha Jonas’s pack.
Today, I’m meeting with Layan and Brynn. It’s time for the three of us to decide on pack responsibilities.
“I want to talk about the distribution of duties in the pack. I don’t want to go with what are known as traditional Beta duties or traditional Gamma duties. I want us to build a partnership here and I want us to be the best possible ranked females any pack can have. So, that means, I’d like for us to consider looking at our individual strengths and dividing the duties up based on who the person is that is strongest in those areas.” I say.
I watch as Layan and Brynn look at each other, the confusion evident on their faces.
“For instance, Layan, you love to cook, and you are great at managing the kitchens. That is typically a Gamma duty, but why couldn’t it be a Beta’s duty. At the end of the day, it’s about making sure that the pack and the packhouse run smoothly.”
“So, I could do the work rosters for the packhouse?” Brynn asks.
“Exactly! Layan, I don’t think that’s one of your strengths, but it is Brynn’s.”
“Have at it, with my blessing.” Layan says to Brynn.
We spend the day going through the list of duties and dividing them up between us. In the end, there are duties that either none of us were that great at or that more than one of us excelled at and then we divided it up by the amount of other duties that each person already had assigned and the time those duties would take.
We settled into a rhythm together. Mason and Elijah have been a team for almost as long as Mason has been Alpha, and Luke slid into the Gamma role easily. So, for them, there wasn’t as much of a transition. For us, the ranked females, it took some time, but we got there.
Today, the pack is celebrating Jace’s seventh birthday. We still have so few pups in the pack that here, we celebrate all of their birthdays. Today is no different.
Everyone went all out, and Melinda made sure to direct them. There is just something about Melinda. She has this entire pack wrapped around her little pinky finger. I’ve even seen her riding around on the backs of my patrol leaders when they were off duty, running the patrol lines with her on their backs as if she wanted to check our borders and help to keep them safe and our pack members obliged.
We’re sitting around the pack pool, playing games and just being together as a pack. It’s one of those days where the pack has nothing more to do than bond and be together. It was Brynn’s idea and Layan had agreed that we should find more ways to have these fun get togethers. So now, at least once a month, we have a pack party. We make sure that the days and times vary so that the patrols all have a chance to attend as well.
Brynn comes out, carrying a cake with candles and Luke cuts the music as everyone begins singing happy birthday to Jace. He stands at the table smiling at his cake and Melinda walks up beside him, singing, taking his hand. The relationship between these two was forged at a very young age and it has done nothing but grow over the last year. Jace still struggles to deal with the loss of his parents, but Melinda is always there for him. She just seems to know when he needs her.
When he blows out his candles, we cut the cake and pass it around. While we’re doing that, I see Jace lean over to Brynn. Her head snaps up to look at him, but then she smiles and nods her head.
Jace gets up on a chair and whistles in the way only a wolf can, to get everyone’s attention. I watch as Luke comes up to Brynn, wrapping his arms around her as their watch their son.
“Attention everyone.” He says and everyone chuckles. “I have an announcement to make. First, thanks for the great party and the even better cake!”
Everyone laughs and cheers for the cake. Layan takes a bow, since it was her creation. Elijah moves to stand beside her, and she tucks into his side.
“But second, I wanted to let everyone know that we have another reason to celebrate today. My mom, Brynn, is expecting another baby.” He says looking at her and Luke.
The pack erupts into cheers and almost immediately Brynn and Luke are surrounded by pack members congratulating them. Since I was also unaware of this event, I bide my time before sidling up to Brynn.
“Were you going to tell me?” I ask her, rubbing my own protruding belly.
“Oh Luna, I had planned to tell you next week. We told the kids this morning, and Jace wanted to announce it to the pack.” She turns, finding him in the mass of people and smiling fondly. “He asked if he could announce it for his birthday. How could I say no?”
“I’m really happy for you. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”
“Boy.” She says turning to me. “Do you think that will be a problem? We have already told Jace that he will be Luke’s replacement as Gamma in this pack. But now, we have a son that is our blood.”
“Problems for another day, Brynn. Let’s just enjoy today and we’ll deal with those problems when they arise.”
“And that’s why you’re the Luna.” She says, smiling as her mate pulls her into a conversation with another group of pack members.
I feel my mate’s arms go around me, his head leaning against mine, his mouth by my ear.
“If you’d have asked me two years ago, hell a year and a half ago, if I thought my pack would ever be this happy, I’d have laughed in your face. But look at them. Look at what we’ve done together, love.”
I watch, seeing the laughter, the happiness, the playfulness as our pack members. They won’t all find mates before their time on this earth is done, but they will have a life, one that is long and filled with friends and companionship, rather than the pending doom of going feral.
“I don’t think I would have believed it either.” I say, turning in his arms.
“We did this together. You and me. We’ve helped to create the changes that have made our world a better place, giving our entire species hope for the future.”
I cup his face in my hands. “And somehow, I got the best of all of it. I got you, my incredible, amazingly s*e*xy man.”
He stokes his fingers down my face, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Yes, we did do this, or at least we were the catalyst that will bring about the change in our species. I couldn’t be happier that I get to stand by and watch that, with the woman that I love more than anything in the world, at my side. And I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”