The Claiming by Cooper Book 5
The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)
Chapter 65 (Jace)
I’ve been running around like a crazy person today. Griffin came by to meet Gianna and Taylor spent the majority of the day with their family as well, which meant it was me and Griffin’s Beta, Finn, getting everything ready for today. Finn is new to his position, just like Griffin, so most of the planning and organizing fell to me.
Eventually, Griffin and Taylor returned and then things began to move more quickly. By the time I headed back to the pack, I was exhausted, but I felt good about everything being ready for tomorrow.
I’m almost back to our pack lands when I get a mind link from Charlie. At the same time, I get a mind link from the warrior that is following Carter. Dammit!
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I answer Charlie first.
‘Hey Charlie, what’s up.’
‘Hi Beta. You wanted to know if Carter left Alpha Taylor’s pack lands again looking for rogue trails. Well, he just passed through.’
‘Thanks, Charlie.’
I disconnect from Charlie and connect with the warrior, Otto.
‘Otto, are you letting me know that Carter just left the pack borders?’
‘Yes, Beta. Do you want me to follow him for you?’
‘Yes, and I’m on my way. Don’t let him see you.’ “Yes, Beta,” he says, and I turn, heading toward Taylor’s pack lands where Carter passed.
I’m getting more and more angry as I race toward the borders. I find the patrols and ask where Otto passed.
“This way, Beta,” Charlie says, jogging up. “I was just about to tell you that a warrior passed the pack borders.”
“Thanks Charlie,” I say and follow him. ‘Otto, where are you? I’m passing the border where you passed,’ I tell him. ‘Run straight, but run fast, Beta. I can’t believe what I’m seeing, but Carter just met up with the rogue Alpha,’ he tells me. I run as fast as I can, finding Otto and watching. From here, I can’t hear anything, so I begin to creep closer, Otto right behind me.
‘Keep your eyes and ears peeled for anyone that is watching for us,’ I tell Otto, not wanting someone to sneak up on us the way we’re sneaking up on them. “Why are you giving us this information?” I hear the rogue Alpha ask Carter.
“My Alpha isn’t strong enough to run a pack. It’s not safe to have a human in our midst. She’s pregnant with one of your babies,” he says.
“My pup,” a man snarls. I look at him, getting a good look at the man that raped Jordan’s cousin until she got pregnant. I’ll be able to give Jordan and anyone else in our pack the image so that when we kill these rogues, we make sure he’s dead. “Okay, your baby. Anyway, it’s not safe for us to have a human in our pack. Jordan isn’t fit to be Alpha.”
It takes everything in me to hold back my snarl. Not only is Carter betraying Jordan as his Alpha, he’s also given this rogue her name.
“So, this Jordan, she’s one of the female Alphas?” the rogue Alpha asks.
“Yeah, there are two of them, her and Taylor.”
“Taylor is the one that is building her pack?” the rogue Alpha asks.
“Yeah, that’s her. She won some contest and became an Alpha, but she doesn’t have any pack members,” Carter continues.
I turn to Otto. “How many wolves have you counted?”
“At least twenty, Beta, more than you and I can take.”
I open the mind link and order the patrols to attack. If I don’t do something, Carter is going to give away every f*ucking bit of information this Alpha is trying to get. Who knows what he’s already said.
I wait until I hear the patrols before I leap, shifting, Otto right behind me. A moment later, one of the rogues howls a warning and the rogue Alpha leaps, shifts and begins to run.
“The f*uck?” Carter says and then his eyes go wide as he sees my wolf.
“S*hit!” he yells and turns, shifting, racing after the rogue Alpha.
The rogues begin attacking, Otto and I fighting them off until the patrols arrive and we begin fighting for real. It isn’t long before we start killing these rogues. They are untrained and unable to keep up with our fighting style. By the time they retreat, the Alpha and Carter are gone.
I order the patrols to follow them, keeping in contact with me, but I need to get back and report to Jordan. I know she’s with her family and I don’t want to bother her, but this is important.
I go back to our room, hoping that she’s back. When she hasn’t returned, I check in with Charlie.
‘Beta, we killed a couple more, but most of them got away. We reached the border you told us not to cross and we’re heading back.’
‘What about Carter, where is he?’ ‘I don’t know, Beta. I’m sorry.’
“Okay, thank you,’ I say, disconnecting.
Just as I’m about to link Jordan, she walks into the room. I turn to her and I’m not sure what the look is on her face, but I don’t have time to question it. I blurt it out, that Carter was talking to the rogue Alpha.
“Jordan, he was giving him information about you, about Taylor and about Gianna. I ordered the patrols to attack, and we killed a lot of the rogues, but the Alpha got away….and so did Carter,” I say, looking at her.
“You heard him?”
“I did.”
“S*hit!” she exclaims.
She looks down at the floor then looks up at me. “Link Elijah, I’m going to send the pack order that Carter is an enemy of the pack and that he has been associating with the rogues. Give Elijah the head’s up.”
I nod and open the mind link, keeping my eyes on Jordan. I can see the weight of what she has to do weighing on her.
‘Elijah.’ ‘Beta?’ he responds.
“I’m giving you a head’s up. Carter betrayed Alpha Jordan and the pack. Jordan is about to send an all-pack link that he is now considered an enemy of the pack. She wanted to make sure you knew before she sent the link.’
‘Thank you,’ he says and cuts the link. I’m not sure if I’ve just devastated my previous Beta or if he’s gone to tell his mate before the link goes out, maybe both. She didn’t ask me to, but I know the bond between Alpha Mason and Beta Elijah is strong. I quickly send a link to Mason.
“Elijah needs you, right now,” I say, cutting the link as I nod to Jordan that she can send the all-pack link.
Jordan sends out the pack link, letting everyone know that Carter has betrayed the pack and that he is to be captured or killed on sight, immediately letting Jordan and me know if he is spotted.
I watch Jordan as we both feel the ripple effect as the pack responds, many devastated, others shocked at what she’s told them.
‘Thank you for the notice,’ Mason links me a few moments later.
I watch as tears pool in Jordan’s eyes, and I walk to her, wrapping my arms around her.
“I hate my job, today,” she says, wrapping her arms around me and grabbing on to the back of my shirt.
“I’m so sorry, Jordan.”
I feel her b*ody heaving and she quietly sobs against me.
“I just devastated my previous Beta and his mate, probably my parents as well,” she says, clinging to me.
“I know, Jordan. I know. I’m here,” I say to her, holding her t*ightly.
There’s a knock at the door and I walk Jordan to our sitting area then I go to the door, blocking the person from being able to her until I see that it’s Jaxon.
“How is she?” he asks.
I open the door and let him in, knowing that if there were anyone that could support Jordan, it’s Jaxon.
He comes in and sits beside his sister, not saying a word, but pulling her into a hug.
To distract myself from this feeling of helplessness, I reach out to the patrol leaders.
‘Is everyone okay? Did everyone return? Any injured?’ I ask.
‘We have some injured, Beta, no casualties. What do you want us to do with the dead?’
‘Burn them,’ I say. When the link doesn’t close, I wait.
‘Did Carter really betray the pack, Beta?’ ‘He betrayed the pack, Alpha Jordan and Alpha Taylor. He betrayed all of us to the rogues. I’ll be adding to our patrols. I don’ t know what secrets he may have given the rogue Alpha before I could hear what was being said.’
‘Yes, Beta. I know that some of us had agreed to help with the new packs, but if our pack is at risk, I know many, myself included, will want to stay and protect our own.’
‘Get with me or Gamma Victor tomorrow. We’ll change your status to make sure you aren’t moved out of the pack, even temporarily.’
‘Thank you, Beta.’
I’ve just disconnected when there’s another knock at the door.
I go to the door, opening it to find Teagan, Rowan and Raelyn.
“We’re here to see Jordan,” they say. I turn, looking at her and she sits up, nodding as she wipes her face.
I open the door and the three of them walk in. They walk over and wrap Jordan in a huge hug.
“I’m so sorry about how I used to treat you, Jordan. I didn’t know what it was like to be in charge, to lead a pack. I know better now that I’m about to take my place as Luna. It’s more pressure than I could have ever imagined and you’re a great Alpha,” Teagan tells her.
“Agreed,” Rowan and Raelyn both say.
I’m just about to order food when there’s another knock at the door. I open it to find Luna Jara and Alpha Mason. “Come in,” I say.
“How are they?” Jordan asks about Elijah and Layan.
“Understandably devastated, but they understand.”
“Gianna!” she says, jumping to her feet. “…Is being guarded by Enzo and Collin. She’s okay and we’ll hear if anything happens. She’s safe.”
It’s hours later before everyone finally leaves, heading back to their rooms or their home.
I close the door on the last of them and turn, looking at Jordan. She looks at me, then stands and comes over, leaning against me. I wrap my arms around her. “You did the right thing. It’s awful that you had to, but it was the right thing to do.”
“Will you hold me tonight?” she asks me. “You never have to ask,” I say, scooping her up in my arms and carrying her to bed. I help her get undressed and then pull one of my shirts over her head before crawling into bed next to her.
When she lays on my c*hest, I wrap my arms around her. “Sleep Jordan, tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
I hold her until she falls asleep, then I begin planning how to make sure that we keep the pack, Taylor, Gianna and most importantly, my mate, safe during the gathering tomorrow.