The Claiming by Cooper Book 6
The Gamma Tournament by Cooper (Ezekiel & Gianna)
Chapter 2 Ezekiel
I wait while my mate nurses Zeke inside the nursery. I wasn’t sure about putting him in the nursery at such a young age, but Gianna wanted to work. Then she was pregnant again, so I agreed, but not until I’d had a lot of discussions with the other warriors and Jace about who was watching the pups, if they have their own safe room in case we are attacked and overall, how safe it was to have my pup in the nursery.
Everyone agreed that it was safe and Alpha Jace liked my idea of having a specific safe room for the pups in the nursery, so he started to build one.
I’m standing around impatiently waiting for Gianna to finish nursing Zeke so I can hold him, when Alphas Jaxon and Evangeline walk up.
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“Ezekiel. Are we still having dinner?” Alpha Jaxon asks as Alpha Evangeline goes to get Jaxon Jr.
“Yes, I’m just waiting for Gianna to finish nursing Zeke and then we can join you.”
“Gianna is done nursing Zeke,” my mate says, coming out from a room in the back where she and other nursing mothers can have some privacy.
I reach out and take my son, rubbing my nose against him, smelling his odd scent but with her toffee scent on him. If I could change one thing about my son, it would be his scent. I wish he smelled like me. But, for now at least, he smells a lot like Gianna and that’s good enough for me.
He snuggles against me as Gianna and Evangeline say hello.
Jaxon scoops up his son and we begin to make our way to the dining hall.
“Ezekiel says you’re planning to head back to your pack,” Gianna says, jumping right in. “Not right away,” Evangeline says, rubbing her stomach. “We’re not going anywhere until these two make their appearance.”
“And we want to give them a little bit of time to grow before we head out. There isn’t a good place to put the pups right now. It’s one of the first things that I want to build when we get there,” Jaxon says, helping to get his mate settled before handing Jaxon Jr. to her. I do the same with Gianna, before reluctantly handing Zeke back to her.
Jaxon and I go to get food at the extensive buffet that this pack has. I’ve been in many packs and not all of them eat like this one does. It makes me glad that Gianna wants to stay here. I do too, I just need to reinvent myself, find my new place among the packs.
“You’ve taken to being a father like you were made to be one,” Jaxon says to me as we make plates to bring back to the table.
“I never thought I’d find my mate. After a while, after being in so many packs and not finding her, I just thought it was never going to happen for me. It was an adjustment at first, but then I realized that Gianna didn’t choose this, Zeke didn’t choose this, but I could choose to be a good mate and father. Gianna loves him and it’s not h*ard to love a sweet little one like him.”
Jaxon looks at me.
“But?” he asks intuitively.
I sigh. “I just wish he smelled more like me or at least like her,” I say. “I hate that he smells like his father.”
“His scent may change over time. He’ll spend his life with you, he already seems bonded to you, scent is a fickle thing. Not everyone smells the same, depending on who you ask. So, who knows, maybe his scent will become more like something closer to yours, or at least closer to Gianna’ s,” he says.
“That would be nice, but in the end, it won’t matter. He’s mine and I’m his father.”
Jaxon slaps a h*and on my shoulder. “That’s because you’re a good man and a good wolf, Ezekiel,” he says as we make our way back to the table.
“What did my mate do to warrant such praise from my cousin?” Gianna asks, smiling at me as I set her plate in front of her.
“We were discussing how Zeke is now and will always be his son,” Jaxon tells her.
I watch as her eyes tear up and she reaches up, pulling my face to hers. “I love you so much.”
I k*iss her softly. “I love you, too. Now, feed my daughter.”
“Bossy much?” she sasses me. Damn I love that sassy m*outh of hers. Clever and sassy in more ways than one.
I nip her n*eck. “I didn’t hear you complaining earlier,” I growl softly in her ear, making her shiver.
I sit, taking my son and holding him in one arm while I begin eating with the other. “So, when are you planning to head back to your pack lands?” I ask, making sure that Gianna is settled, and that Zeke is still comfortably asleep.
I look up to see Evangeline smiling at me. “You multi-task well,” she says.
“You should remember that from your training,” I say to her, making her laugh. “I do,” she says, turning to Gianna.
“Have you heard the stories about how your mate destroyed us when we were competing for the Alpha positions?” she asks.
Gianna looks at me and smiles. “My mate is the strongest man I’ve ever met, fierce and passionate. I have no doubt that he could destroy anyone. And then, if he chooses, he could build you back up again.”
“That’s exactly what he did,” Jaxon grumbles.
“It worked, didn’t it?” I ask him.
“If you ever decide you want a position in the packs, let me know. I have an opening for a Gamma,” he says, chuckling.
I look at Gianna.
“Wait, ARE you thinking of taking a position in the packs?” Evangeline asks me.
“I need to find my place again. When I was a lone wolf, and an elite fighter, I knew who I was. Now, I’m a father, a mate and a member of a pack. I don’t know where I fit anymore,” I say honestly.
“You’re still an elite fighter. You’re just an elite fighter than belongs to my sister’s pack. But if you and my cousin want an adventure…” Jaxon begins.
“No,” Gianna says, looking at me. “Right?”
I know she needs stability and I know that her closest relationship, her closest friendship is with Alpha Jordan.
“No, but I am considering entering the Gamma Tournament,” I begin and Evangeline snorts.
“Don’t bother. If you really want a Gamma position, we’ll give you one. Taylor has two elite fighters in her pack, and I was just whining to Jaxon that Jordan does as well. If you want a Gamma position, we have one for you,” she says seriously, taking me aback.
“Wait, you’re serious?” Gianna asks.
“Absolutely. Honestly, if I didn’t have a Beta already, I’d consider offering you that position, but a Gamma position fits you better with your fighting experience,” Jaxon says.
“That was my thought,” I say, leaning forward.
Jaxon looks from me to Gianna. “I think the two of you need to decide what is most important to you and your pups. What do you want in life. I know an established pack has a lot of security and there is a lot of comfort in that. But there is excitement in being able to start fresh, a new pack, a new life. I’m just saying, don’t rule it out. Come visit our pack, see what we’re building, what we’re doing there. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to stay,” he says smiling.
“Stop trying to steal my new best friend from me, Jaxon,” Alpha Jordan says, coming over and hugging Gianna. I watch my mate light up, nearly as much as she does with me, and I know I can’t take her away from Jordan, not unless she changes her mind. She’s been through so much already. I don’t want to disrupt her life even more.
“Actually, Jaxon, we were hoping to come visit your pack lands. I know my mother lived there and I….I want see if I feel a connection to her somehow. Or just see where she lived and where I was most likely born,” she says shrugging.
Jordan sits on her other side, and I reach out, taking her h*and.
I look at Jaxon. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Gianna wants to come visit your pack lands, see if there is anything that tells her about her mother. I’d be happy to help you build while we’re there, and I’ve heard that others are going out there too, so it should be safe from the rogues?” I ask.
“Between our two packs, Tobias and I have a hundred pack members moving to live on our pack lands. Not only that, but Balor and Apollo have returned home and their clan lands bump up against our pack lands. We’ re almost like three pieces of a large pie and it makes it easier to protect the lands when you only have to focus on two sides versus four. Believe me when I tell you that I would not be bringing my mate and our three pups to those pack lands if I didn’t think I could keep them safe. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to have an elite fighter there with us,” Jaxon says.
I look at Gianna. “We need to go into the human city and get her things, but after that, we’d like to join you in your pack. I, for one, would like to see what it’s like to see a pack being built from the ground up and I can do that while Gianna takes her time, getting a feel for the place where her mother lived,” I tell Jaxon.
Jace walks up with a baby in each arm, handing one to Jordan before sitting down on her other side.
“We’d be happy to have you as long as you want to stay. And if that stay is forever and comes with a rank, then I’d be a happy Alpha,” Jaxon says.
“Hey, you’re not the only one with an open Gamma position,” Jordan says, looking at Gianna. “Personally, I’m working to have the first ever all female dominated pack. I would think that would be pretty exciting too,” she says, glaring at her twin. “You could build your own house on our pack lands,” Jaxon says, smiling at his sister.
“You could do that here as well,” Jordan retorts.
I’m pretty sure they’re about to get into some sort of twin war, when we hear a strong, if older voice.
“Where is my great grandbaby?” Luna Nina asks, walking up.
We all turn and look at her.
“Which one?” we all ask in unison.