The One He Claimed by Cooper
The One 85

Chapter 85: The Battle

Hunter

When the howls went up, I left Sophie feeling an emotion I've never felt before. Fear.

I have so much to lose if Koden comes after Sophie. So, while I jump into the fight, I can't truly get my head into it until I know that Sophie is safe. I know my mate, I know the kind of caring, loving Luna that she is. She won't enter a safe room until everyone else is safe.

'Lucas, Sophie isn't in a safe room yet,' I call in the mind link while Shaw pins a warrior to the ground, sna ing his teeth on his spine. Even after we hear the snap and the wolf falls limply at our feet, Shaw holds on, ripping part of the wolf's spine from its body.

'I'm closer. I'll go,' Lucas replies, and I see him rushing toward the packhouse. I can see that the fighting has made its way there.

'Sophie! Tell me you're in a safe room!' I call out in the mind link.

I feel teeth sink into my flank and I duck as another wolf leaps at me before turning to snap my teeth at the one holding my leg. These men are warriors and fighters, but none of them are ranked wolves. I can't worry about whether or not they chose to be here. They are here fighting, and I have to kill them. Shaw snaps his teeth at the wolf's face, grabbing on to the cheek and thrashing until the wolf lets go of our leg. When he does, Shaw

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throws him aside, then leaps, biting into his fleshy stomach and ripping his insides out.

We turn to fight off another wolf as I feel a wave of anger and fear wash through Lucas. 'SOPHIE!'

'Safe,' she says, a moment before the fear in Lucas is replaced by fury.

'Safe rooms are closed and locked, Alpha,' he says, and I can feel his relief the same as mine.

Now I can focus more clearly on the battle. Now, I can replace

en.

I begin attacking, going after wolves, searc! g for him.

'Shaw, where the f**k is he?'

He's just taken down another warrior when we see Koden slinking toward the packhouse, he's going for Sophie. I know my old G**a, he likes to take out mates of the person he's after, weakening them before he attacks them. I can feel that Lucas has moved to the front of the packhouse, fighting wolves out there. Whether they were trying to run, or the fighting has just moved out front, I'm not sure. Either way, he's not there to protect our mates.

I begin making my way toward Koden. He may need a weaker opponent to attack, but I don't. I've always been stronger than Koden, so has Lucas. That's why he was my G**a, but maybe he should never have even been that. Water under the bridge at this point, what's done is done and I've rectified that mistake.

Chapter 85. The Battle

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I'm getting closer to Koden, sneaking up on him, when Carter's howl goes up that he and his pack have arrived. Koden's head jerks to left, and that's when he sees me. Shaw begins running hard, ready to run him down. Koden's wolf, Tormund, tries to evade but Shaw is a much faster wolf.

He tackles Tormund to the ground, Tormund rolling onto his back, and lifting his paws, scratching violently at Shaw's chest and stomach. Shaw presses his body down, trying to pin Tormund's legs so he can't continue to scratch us, while snapping his teeth at his face.

He manages to throw Shaw off of him and we turn to face off, just as I hear Kayce's howl that he and his pack have arrived.

Tormund snarls, no doubt surprised that we have not one, but two packs answering our call for assistanc Shaw leaps again, this time getting his teeth into the fleshy part of his shoulders, ripping a large chunk of flesh from his body. Tormund howls in pain but turns biting into Shaw's side. His teeth graze Shaw's ribs, but he doesn't break any bones.

Just as Shaw is about to leap onto Tormund again, two more wolves jump on him. It takes precious minutes for Shaw to get the upper hand and take out both of the wolves. When he does, Tormund is gone. I quickly look around not seeing him. I begin hunting him when I feel Sophie's mind gently pressing against mine. I can feel her overwhelmed feelings. There is a lot going on in the pack right now, but I don't want her worry about that. She and I can work on her m**l multi-tasking, but not right now. Right now, I need her to be safe and calm.

I feel a wave of love and admiration flows through me from my

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mate, nearly making Shaw purr. As I look around, I've just

spotted Koden, slinking toward the pack borders, when I hear it.

"HELP!"

My head whips around and I realize it's coming from Leah and Brooklyn's house.

Before I can actively think it, Shaw is racing to their home. As we run up, I see the door has been ripped off and I smell the scent of gunpowder and blood. Lots of blood.

I shift as Shaw races up the porch steps and jog into the living area, quickly taking in the scene.

"Alpha, please help her!" Brooklyn says, looking up at me from the floor where she's holding her mother in her arms, rocking her.

I rush to her side, seeing Michael lying dead with a bullet wound to the head beside and partially on top of Leah.

"What happened?" I ask, quickly pulling Leah to me and checking for a pulse. Brooklyn is nearly hysterical.

"It's my fault! It's my fault!" she **bs.

"BROOKLYN!" I say, gently pushing my aura out to get her attention.

She jumps them looks up at me, blinking quickly.

"What. Happened?" I ask quietly and calmly.

"He came for us. Mom bought a gun and silver bullets. She knew he'd come. She put me in here with the weapons, but she 1303

Chapter 85 The Battle

protected me and then he..."

She starts to break down again into tears, but she quickly. swipes her face with the back of her hand.

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"He tackled her and then he was going to mark her again, forcing her back into a mate bond with him. I didn't know...I didn't know that if I killed him that it would kill her," she says. "Come with me," I say, pushing Michael's dead body off of Leah. I pick up Leah and help Brooklyn to her feet.

"Are you injured?" I ask. She shakes her head, but I can see her body trembling. I'm guessing she's in shock.

"Can you walk?" She shakes her head, no, again.

I turn and crouch. "Get on my back."

"Alpha?" she asks and when I turn, I see her frowning at me.

"Get on my back, Brooklyn. I'm not leaving you here alone. The battle is nearly over, but it's not done yet."

"You're injured," she says.

"I'll be fine. Let's go," I say, authoritatively. I have no idea if Dr. Felicity can save Leah, but I know the longer it takes for us to get to the pack hospital, the less likely it is for her to survive. Brooklyn finally climbs onto my back, and I stand, feeling every ache and injury in my body now that the adrenaline of the battle is starting to wear off.

'Lucas, I need you to check in with Carter and Kayce. What's the status on the safe rooms?'

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'Opening them now,' he says. "Where are you?'

'Headed to the pack hospital with Leah and Brooklyn."

'What happened?'

'It looks like Brooklyn killed her father,' I say, and I can feel the shock in him, so strong that he barely registers that Sophie is looking for me.

'Sophie, I need you at the pack hospital. It's Leah,' I tell her in the mind link. She can help keep Brooklyn calm.

When I walk in, I see wolves in every stage of injury, some minor and some serious. The nursing staff is doing triage and I step up to one of them as Brooklyn looks around. "Mate bond?" the nurse asks.

"Yes."

"That way, Alpha," she says, pointing me down a hallway.

I begin striding quickly down the hallway, replaceing another nurse who quickly looks Leah over and guides us to a room. Brooklyn slides off my back and hobbles to a chair while I get Leah onto the bed. The nurses begin attaching her to IVs and checking her vitals.

"You can leave her with us, Alpha. We'll do everything we can for her," the nurse says.

"What can I do?" Brooklyn asks.

"You can stay here and hold her hand like she did with you, Brooklyn. That's probably the best thing you can do," the nurse

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says kindly.

I smell my mate before I see her. When she walks in, I turn, looking her over quickly. I realize she's doing the same to me.

"Can you stay with Brooklyn?" I ask her.

"You're injured," she says.

"Nothing that Shaw can't heal," I tell her, walking to her and pulling her against me, taking a deep breath of her scent, knowing it will help Shaw to heal faster. "I need to go check on the warriors. Can you stay with Brooklyn?" I ask her again.

"Yes, of course," she says, and I start to step away, but she puts her hands on my face, holding me in place.

"Take care of my mate," she says, her eyes merce. They're the same words I said to her hours ago and it makes me smile. D**n I love this woman.

I kiss her quickly but the with the same fierceness I see in her eyes before striding from the room.

"Brooklyn, tell me what happened" I hear Sophie say as I walk down the hallway, and I know my mate is taking charge and will do everything she can to ensure that Leah survives.