The One He Claimed by Cooper
The One 92

Chapter 92: Second Chance

Ezra

"Get him loaded up," I say to my warriors.

"You'll pay for this, you f***g p**k. You'll pay for this!" Owen screams at me.

"Shut the f***k up before I break your nose again," I snarl at him. The man never shuts his f**g mouth. Some days I handle it better than others, but I'm heading to Hunter and Sophie's pack today. Being there is hard for me making me less tolerant of Owen's s**.

I sigh, watching my warriors drag Owen into the back of a windowless van, locking him in with silver handcuffs and leg restraints. "You'll regret this!" Owen screams at me again.

"Your pack is gone, half of them killed on Hunter and Sophie's pack lands. The rest, I've taken over. You can choose to shut your mouth and take your death like a man, or I'll shove a silver- soaked cloth into your mouth until we get to their pack. You're lucky I don't wrap your d*k in one after what you did to that innocent girl. I'm not listening to your s**t the entire drive, so shut your f*g mouth or pay the price, your choice," I snarl, getting into his face.

When he doesn't respond, I turn and nod to my warriors to close the doors.

"You okay, Alpha?" my Beta, Jake, asks me.

"Yeah. I just want to get this over with and get home. You need to get back to our new pack. You think Will's got things under control for now?" I ask him, referencing our G**a.

"There's barely anyone there, and we've sent a decent

contingent of warriors. Plus, Alpha Hunter's pack is close to that one; so if there's trouble, he'll call you."

I nod. Jake had been managing Owen's old pack, but with me leaving and the other Alphas still out there threatening war, I didn't want to leave my pack in the hands of my G**a. It's not that I don't trust him. I just know that Jake is the stronger leader.

"If you need anything, call me."

"We'll be fine, Alpha. It's you I'm worried about," he says quietly.

Being around Hunter was never easy after his sister, my mate, killed herself and our pup. I knew she hated how she was claimed, had been so traumatized by it that it had taken me years to finally put a pup in her. And then she'd gone without me to replace out that we were having a girl. I didn't replace out until after I'd found my mate's broken body and laid her body to rest, the pack and I grieving the huge loss of our Luna and my mate.

The thought of her broken body still haunts me at night when I'm alone, the cold, empty bed a constant reminder of what I had and lost.

I

So, yeah, it was always hard to see Hunter after that. He never blamed me, but I blamed myself. I blamed myself for losing her, for not being everything that she needed me to be for her. And 12.35%

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now, Hunter has done what I should have done, what all of us should have done. He's fought the system.

Seeing him and Sophie together Is even harder than it was when it was just Hunter. Watching them, I can see exactly what I could have had with Diana, if I'd been a stronger man, a stronger Alpha, if I'd been the man she deserved. I didn't know it could hurt worse to see Hunter, but it does now. Now, it's not just a reminder of what I lost, but what I could have had if only I had made a stand.

I've never taken another mate, never wanted one. Diana was it for me and I lost her. I smile remembering my mate. She was so beautiful, with a smile that lit up a room. I didn't see it much. after I marked her, but occasionally, I'd catch her smiling at a pup or every once in a great while, I'd do something that would make her happy and she'd turn that gorgeous smile on me.

These are the thoughts that haunt me as I take Owen to Hunter's pack. I don't really want to stay the night in his pack, but it's easier than dropping Owen off and turning right back around and going home. I'll suck it up. In some ways, I crave Diana's ghost that lives as much in the halls of this pack as it does in mine. Hunter's pack was her home much longer than mine was.

I pull into the guard gate at Alpha Hunter's pack.

"Can you let Alpha Hunter know that Alpha Ezra is here with the s**g Alpha Owen?" I ask.

The guard growls a low, menacing growl, looking at the back of the van. I hear several more echoing around the guard gate and the pack. Obviously, "Brooklyn is well loved around here. "Sure thing, Alpha. Alpha Hunter says he'll meet you at the front.

0

say and we pulley Faner this warriors

murmur "Can't wait to see Approve that a**hole's head from. He body

1 make my way to the packhouse. I wonder if my warriors would feel the came about one of our omegas. Would they be This protective of them? Somehow, I don't think so, and while Brooklyn is a beautiful sweet girl think it has more to do with Hunter and Sophie's leadership than the girl herself. Something for me to think about. I may not have a Luna, a heart for my pack, but I need to work to have better cohesion between my pack, members

pull up to the packhouse, stepping out of the car and taking a deep breath. There's a hint of jasmine in the air. I don't remember that scent from the last time I was here, and I would remember it. Diana planted jasmine all around our pack. I've fallen in love with the scent over the years. It calms me, relaxes

me

"Alpha Ezra," Hunter says, walking up to me.

"Alpha Hunter Are we being formal today?" I ask, chuckling

"Only this once." he says, putting a hand on my shoulder by way of greeting i do the same with him. We could have been brothers, we were at one time, when Diana was alive. But I had distanced myself from him after that. Maybe it's time I bridge the distance between us. Diana's been gone several years now. She'd have wanted me to be close to her brother.

I hold him there for a moment. He tilts his head, watching me and waiting "We should reaffirm our alliance while I'm here. I

say.

I see the surprise flash across his face before a smile begins. "I'd like that. I'd like it a lot."

"So would I," I say, finally releasing him.

As we walk to the back of the van where Owen has begun banging, I turn to Hunter. "Did you plant jasmine since I was here last?" "Jasmine? No, why?"

"I thought I caught of whiff of it when I got out."

He nods his head at the van. "Has he been like this the entire trip?"

"No. I threatened to put a silver-soaked cloth in his mouth or around his d**k, so he'd shut up. I guess he figures he's your problem now and my threats no longer matter," I say as I open the back doors of the

van.

Owen immediately begins screaming obscenities at the two of

us.

"What happened to his nose?" Hunter asks casually.

"I've punched him a couple of times. He truly doesn't know when to shut up," I tell him and watch as Hunter walks in and punches Owen in the face, smashing his nose again.

"Shut the **k up or I'll let my warriors go at you until it's time to kill you. Believe me when I tell you, they'd love nothing more than to torture you and hear you scream," Hunter snarls at him. 62.39

He calls some warriors over and the begin to drag Owen out of the van. They 'accidentally' drop him, then 'accidentally' kick him. in the gut multiple times before they finally get him out of our sight. "Do you think he'll survive until tomorrow?" I ask Hunter.

"Oh yeah. They would prefer that I put his execution off a couple of days so they can hurt him. I wasn't kidding when I said that my warriors would love nothing more than to have a go at him. After Koden attacked, Brooklyn tirelessly stitched up their injuries if they weren't too severe. Every one of them has taken up a protective stance with her," he says.

"Protective stance? What for?" I ask as we make our way to the front of the packhouse.

He turns and looks at me. "Did you know Luna Margot asked me for sanctuary? Well, actually she asked Sophie."

"No, I hadn't heard."

"Yeah, well, she got here about a day before Koden attacked. She knows some doctor that she called, and he came to help with our injured." "You had that many injured?" I ask him, surprised.

"Enough that one doctor wasn't enough to keep up. Anyway, the doctor, Dr. Caspian, is Brooklyn's fated mate. Hence the protective detail of the warriors."

I whistle low. "Wow, it truly is never boring here, is it?" I ask as we step inside. I catch the whiff of jasmine again, stronger this time.

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"How is Luna Margot?"

"Getting stronger. She rejected Joshua when she got here which is probably the reason he hasn't yet attacked us."

He's talking to me, but the scent of jasmine is getting stronger and my wolf, Thorin, is starting to thrash around in my head. 'Find her,' he growls.

I'm just about to ask what he means, when I look up into the wide, terrified eyes of Luna Margot.

"No," she whispers, tears filling her eyes. "No, no, NO!" she screams, turning and running from me. I take a step forward, Thorin pushing me to go after her.

"Oh f**k!" I hear Hunter say before I feel a strong hand slap against my chest. I watch Luna Sophie run after Margot, her wide eyes turning to look at me before focusing on Margot. Margot, my mate. My second chance mate.

I drag my eyes away from where my mate ran and look at Hunter.

"Don't chase after her. It's the worst thing you can do right now. Let Sophie talk to her."

I nod, looking back at the direction where she ran.

"How about you and I got get a drink?" he says, leading me to his office.

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