The One He Claimed by Cooper
The One 38

Chapter 38: Dinner Sophie

When Hunter leaned in to kiss me, I could see in his eyes, feel through our bond, that something sparked a strong emotion, a flash of love for me. So, while I wasn't surprised that he leaned in to kiss me, my immediate reaction was concern that others would see us.

It only took me a moment to realize that those are old fears, fears that I don't need to have with Hunter. He would never hurt me. Ever.

So, after a split second's hesitation, one where he stopped and let me decide if I was willing to kiss him, I closed the distance between us.

The moment our lips touched, I forgot everyone and everything around us. I don't know how Hunter has this effect on me, but it's like he's the only one in the room. I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his neck and tilting my head to the side, letting him. take the kiss deeper. His arms come around my waist, holding me in a way that feels safe and protective. There's a

possessiveness there as well, but I like that. I like that he wants everyone to know that I'm his and only his.

A throat clearing distracts me and I feel Hunter smile against my lips. I open my eyes and his are smiling down at me.

"Perhaps we should let your father continue with his announcement," he says softly.

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"Oh!" I say, jumping out of his arms and blushing a deep shade of crimson as I realize that I just kissed my mate in front of my previous pack. The entire pack! "I'm so sorry," I say, not knowing what else to say. The room is exceptionally quiet.

Hunter takes my hand and strokes his knuckles across my flaming cheeks. "Never apologize for loving me, Sophie."

"Uh, right. So, that's all my announcements," my father says from behind me. I smile at him, completely embarrassed by my very public display of affection for my mate, before sitting down and trying to make myself as small as possible.

Hunter however, puts his arm around my shoulders and leans in to kiss the side of my head. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about, my love," he whispers in my ear.

"Hunter, I completely forgot we were in a room full of people. People who have known me since I was a pup," I whisper yell, glancing around and seeing that people are starting to talk amongst themselves again, but many are still stealing glances

our way.

"About that," Alpha Dutton says from beside me. "Is it really just that Alpha Hunter didn't claim you publicly that your interactions with him are different than every other Luna or ranked she-wolf I've ever seen? Or is it something about Alpha Hunter himself?"

“I'd be interested in knowing the answer to that as well," Alpha Calvin says, leaning forward.

I turn and look at Hunter. He just watches me, letting me answer the question. 1288 (ouchers

Il Is about him not claiming me publicly," I say, turning back to Alpha Dutton. "But it's more than that. I know that he me, that he will protect me, that he would take on the world for respects me. A man like that deserves to be trusted enough for me to give myself to him completely. I know that Hunter would never do anything to embarrass me or hurt me, so I know that I can give myself to him freely, no matter where we are."

I can feel Hunter preening at my praise through the bond, and I'm glad. I mean what I say. He's a man who deserves for me to trust him wholeheartedly.

Alpha Dutton turns back to his food, eating quietly and looking thoughtful.

Alpha Calvin, however, isn't done. "But Amelia knows that I would never hurt her, that I respect her. The only difference is that I did claim her publicly," he says.

I look at my sister, not sure I should be the one to say anything.

"Calvin, you know that I love you and I've learned over time that you respect me. We've built trust in the last two years, enough that I'm carrying your pup. But it's wasn't always like that. That trust had to be earned, rebuilt, if you will. Whereas Sophie and Alpha Hunter don't have those problems in their mate bond."

"So, it is about the public claiming? Even though Alpha Calvin did everything he possibly could to make that night as positive for you as possible, it wasn't enough? Not enough to make your relationship as easy and basically carefree like what Luna Sophie and Alpha Hunter have," Dutton pushes.

Amelia looks at her mate whose lips are pressed tightly together, before looking back at Alpha Dutton.

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"I was mated in a room full of men cheering the act, my first time, the first time I'd ever been with a man, and it was in public. Yes, Calvin did his best, but even that.... When you're rushing a woman her first time, it's not pleasant.”

"My mate is being generous," Calvin growls, tossing his napkin on his plate as if he's lost his appetite. "She tore, bled, because of me. Not only that, but I'll tell you Dutton, the worst feeling in the world is when you sink your canines into their neck, and you feel every goddess-awful emotion that you are causing them, your mate, the one should love above all others. I don't know how some of the other Alphas do it, knowing their mates are horrified or that they despise them for what they've done."

"Those Alphas don't love their mates," Hunter says quietly, watching Calvin.

"It wasn't like that for you, though, was it?" he asks, angrily.

"Calvin?" Amelia says, putting her hand on his arm.

"Was it, Hunter?" he growls again!

"No, it wasn't," Hunter says quietly.

I look from Alpha Calvin to Hunter. If what Hunter felt was anything close to what I felt, it was love, happiness, pleasure, pride, all positive things.

"Excuse me, Amelia, I need some air," Calvin says, abruptly getting up. When Amelia reaches out to him, he takes her hand, kissing the top of it gently, before releasing it and quickly walking away. We all watch as Calvin walks outside, and Dutton looks back at

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his plate. "I don't mean to be meddlesome or obtuse, but, is it really that terrible? Even when your mate tries his best?" "Yes," Amelia says softly, watching the place where her mate walked out.

"Alpha Dutton, I wouldn't have run, other she-wolves wouldn't be running, if it wasn't that terrible. And sadly, what Amelia went through is the best that ranked she-wolves can hope for. I saw a she-wolf hunted down in the woods, her mate growling at her to never run from him again before he slammed his canines into her. She was already sobbing from being mated roughly and he didn't even try to make the marking gentle. It's not a risk that I was willing to take and not a risk that many she-wolves are willing to take. From what I understand, many are putting their lives in peril to escape, and some are taking their lives preferring death to such a life, so yes, Alpha Dutton, it is that bad," I say firmly.

"I guess...I guess I never considered what it would be like, for the woman. I assumed, st**ly apparently, that if I did my best, like Alpha Calvin did, that it would be okay," he says, looking between me and Amelia.

She drags her eyes away from where her mate went. "We've found our way, but it took nearly two years." She turns and looks at me. "And I still don't replace accepting my mate's touch as easy as Sophie does, especially not in public. Excuse me, I need to check on my mate."

Amelia gets up from the table and follows in the direction that her mate went.

Alpha Dutton looks up at Hunter. "So, you're going to war?"

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"If I have to, yes. They'll come for Sophie, the other Alphas. They' II try to force me to mark her publicly, try to strip her of her title when I refuse. I won't allow it. She's my mate, she's my Luna, and I shouldn't have to make her suffer for others to accept that. I won't."

I turn from Alpha Dutton and take Hunter's hand. "And this, Alpha Dutton, is why I trust my mate implicitly. Because I know that he will always put my best interests first, always put ME first,” I say, smiling up at Hunter.

"Always," he says.

Calvin POV

I run my fingers through my hair, again, and take a deep breath.

I'm so filled with envy that I want to punch something. No, I want to punch Hunter. But I know it's not his fault that his mate responds in the way we all want our mates to respond us. Even now, two years later, Amelia doesn't respond to me the way Sophie responds to him.

I remember that night, remember the horror I felt when my teeth sank into Amelia's neck and her emotions came flooding into me. I remember....

"Calvin," my mate's sweet voice says softly from behind me. I spin and without thinking, I pull her into my embrace, burying my face into her neck and hair.

As always, she stiffens in my arms. I go to release her, but she wraps her arms around me, holding me to her.

"You did what you could, Calvin," she says softly in my ear.

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Chapter 30: Dinner

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"No, Amelia, I didn't," I choke, my throat getting tight. "It should have been like that with us. I should have made a stand, I should have..."

"You did what you thought was right. You didn't understand, you didn't know. Just like Alpha Dutton. It's not the same for men as it is for women, so how could you know." "Hunter knew," I growl.

"Alpha Hunter had a sister who killed herself and her unborn daughter," she says, making me pull away and look at her.

"How do you know that?"

"I heard about it at the time and felt awful about what had happened. I didn't know why or how she died, of course. That was never explained to me. But I looked into it, after we were mated, and everything made much more sense to me. From what I gather, Alpha Hunter and his sister were quite close."

"From what I understand, they were. I

gehim being

devastated when they told him she was gone."

I lean my forehead against my mate's. "Thank you for giving me a chance to show you that I can be trusted, that I do love you, and the I will always protect you.

She nods, leaning up and running her nose against mine. "You need to protect our future daughters as well, Calvin. You need to join this fight," she says softly.

I pull her tighter against me, loving that she holds on to me just as tightly.

Chapter 38: Dinner

"Okay, my love. I'll let Hunter know tonight that he has my support, our support."

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Then, my sweet mate does something she's never done before. She takes my face in her hands, and she kisses me first. I don't waste one second before I'm accepting the gift that she's offering me.