The Claiming by Cooper Book 5
The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)
Chapter 86 Ezekiel
The door opens and women and children come walking out of the safe room. I wait impatiently until my mate comes out, near the end. As soon as I see her, I pull her to me, hugging her t*ightly.
“Are you okay? I found the rogue Alpha that attacked you. Did he hurt you? Did he scratch or bite you?” I say, holding her b*ody away from me, looking over her b*ody, checking for injuries.
The place becomes crowded quickly as mates who were fighting come rushing in to find their mates and pups and check that they are safe.
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“You don’t have any clothes on,” Gianna says to me.
I frown, looking down. “No, I shifted and didn’t have time to put any on. I came straight to check on you.”
I’m about to apologize for t*ouching her while I’m n*aked, having been so concerned about her wellbeing that I hadn’t considered my current state might make her uncomfortable, but then, I smell her arousal and I realize why she’s uncomfortable with my n*aked b*ody.
I pull her aside as she carefully averts her eyes from me, although I see her sneaking side glances at me as we move. The scent of her arousal only gets stronger, and my b*ody starts to react.
I growl, a low warning growl. “You need to stop thinking whatever it is that you’re thinking, Gianna.”
“What?” she asks, her eyes wide.
“I can smell your arousal and my b*ody is responding. I would prefer it if no one else smelled this delicious scent.”
Her eyes move to mine. “You think I smell delicious?”
“Gianna, this is not the time or place for this conversation. I wanted to make sure you were okay after I found that rogue ripped apart,” I say, desperately trying to steer the conversation onto something that will help me focus on anything but my intense d*esire to have my face between her t*highs.
“Yes, I’m fine. Jordan asked me the same thing and, I don’t know, maybe it’s because he was one of the ones that imprisoned me and those other women, or because it was either going to be him or us, but the violence didn’t bother me like I thought it would.”
“Good,” I say, looking at her. “I know I’m n*aked, but I really want to hold you right now,” I tell her.
She smiles and walks into my arms. I take a deep breath of her toffee scent, still strong with her arousal. I feel the tension of the battle begin to ease, my muscles relaxing. I’ m just about to ask her if she wants to come with me to our room so I can shower when I hear an anxious voice from the other room.
“Where is Jaxon?” Evangeline asks.
“And Caleb? Has anyone seen Caleb?” Magalena asks.
“I think they went with Griffin. I heard a wolf howl…” someone else says.
“That was me. Layan was attacked by one of the Alphas. Carter saved her,” Elijah says, his teeth clenching, as he clutches his mate to him. It’s obvious that Carter is dead.
“Griffin, Jaxon and Caleb went after the rogue Alpha. Aren’t they back?” he asks just as Ella comes rushing in.
“Where’s Griffin?” she asks, panicking.
“Ella,” Layan says, pulling her daughter to her.
“What direction did they go in?” I ask, just as the other fighters and the bears start to filter into the packhouse.
“North. I’ll go with you,” Elijah says.
“So will I,” Levi says, catching onto the conversation quickly.
“Me too,” I hear from several others.
We race out back, shifting as we run. We follow Elijah to where the Alpha fought with Layan passing what must be Carter’s b*ody. I lift my nose, catching the scent of the four wolves.
As one, the group takes off, racing through what used to be the old claiming territory. As we run, I catch the scent of pregnant humans. S*hit!
“Help! Help!”
We all hear the cries as we race into a small clearing at the base of a cliff. There on the ground are Jaxon, Griffin and Caleb, their bodies broken.
We all shift and as several race to the Alphas on the ground, I look at the women who have now huddled together, the scent of fear coating them.
“What happened?” I ask them gently. I use the same tone I do with Gianna when I’m worried she’s afraid of me.
“They saved us,” one says.
“That horrible man threw us off the cliff and they…”
“They jumped after us, taking the brunt of the fall.”
Elijah lifts his head to howl for help.
“We can carry two of them,” Balor says before shifting.
They carefully lift Jaxon onto his back, laying him face down so his arms and l*egs hang on either side as Balor carefully begins walking back to the packhouse.
They put Griffin on top of Apollo after he shifts, leaving us to carry Caleb.
“Who’s got the biggest wolf?” Elijah asks as we hear the heavy pounding of paws. “He’s my son, I’ll carry him,” Alpha Seth says, rushing up and shifting quickly.
He leans over, checking his son, pressing his l*ips together, then looking at the women huddling in a ball behind me.
“I’ll get them. Can someone let Gianna know I need her when we get back,” I tell them. “I’ll tell her,” Taylor says, helping to lift her brother onto her father’s back.
“Come on, Dad. I’ll make sure he doesn’t fall,” she says, gently placing her h*and on Caleb as Seth begins to walk quickly back to the packhouse. Several others follow them to make sure the Alphas stay on the bears’ and wolf’s backs as they get them to medical attention.
I turn, seeing Nolan watching his mate. “Why don’t you go with them. I’ve got this,” I tell him.
He nods and moves to stand on the other side of Seth’s wolf, helping Taylor keep Caleb steady.
When they’re gone, it’s just Levi, Mateo, me and the women.
I turn, staying where I, crouching down, so I can be closer to eye level with them.
“My name is Ezekiel. You would be the missing humans that we’ve been searching for,” I say gently.
“You’re like them,” one of them says.
“No, we’re not like them. Not like the ones that imprisoned and raped you. We are like the ones that were willing to risk their lives to save you,” I tell them.
“Will they die? They look so…”
“No, they won’t die, but they’ll be in the hospital for a while,” I tell them.
I can tell that one of these women is the leader of the group. She looks at them and then back at me.
“You said the name Gianna.”
“Yes, she was also imprisoned and raped. She’s here with us.”
“How do we know we can trust you?”
“You don’t, not really. You don’t know anything about me or about us, other than we’re wolf shifters.”
“Those other guys turned into bears,” one of the women says.
“Yeah, they’re friends of ours,” I say.
The leader looks at the other two. “Those men saved our lives. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for them. We owe it to them to at least see if they survive,” she says, and one of the women whimpers.
“You don’t have to come with us, but I can’t guarantee your safety any other way. Some of those rogues got away. They came for Gianna, they’ll most likely come for you. We can protect you, but only if you come with us.”
The leader steps back. “I’m going. I remember Gianna. If they know her name, then she’s with them, we can ask her.”
“We don’t even know if she’s alive,” the most fearful girl asks.
“They haven’t asked our names. If they know hers, it’s because she told them,” the third girl says before looking at me. “I’ll come with you, too.”
The scared girl whimpers but stands with the others. I stand too and turn.
“This way,” I say and begin walking. I know Mateo and Levi will walk behind them, covering our flank from attack.
It takes a long time to get back. When we step into the clearing behind the packhouse, I see Gianna waiting for me, wringing her hands. As soon as she sees me, she begins running toward me.
I take off jogging, not wanting her to run in her pregnant state, but I can tell she’s worried that it has taken me so long to get back.
“Ezekiel!” she shouts, throwing herself into my arms.
“I was so worried. The others were back an hour ago. I wanted to come find you, but Nolan and Balor convinced me to wait. They said you found the others…” she breaks off, seeing the humans coming out of the forest behind me.
“Emily?” she asks, pulling away from me. “Gianna!” the leader, Emily says. The two of them rush together and hug as best they can with two large baby bumps in between them.
“You really did survive.” Emily says.
“Yes. You’ll be safe here,” she says, reaching her h*and out to the others.
Then she turns and looks at me. “Nearly everyone is in the pack hospital.”
I nod. “Why don’t you take them to our room. I can find someplace else to sleep until arrangements can be made for them,” I tell her.
“We’ll have some food sent up, too,” Levi says, coming to stand beside me.
“Mateo!” Celine says, rushing up to him, leaping into his arms.
Gianna watches them as they walk off, then turns back to me.
“I’ll come find you after I get them settled,” she says.
I nod, moving to the kitchens with Levi to order some food.
“You’re sleeping with one of them?” I hear the fearful one say as they walk away. I can hear the judgement in her tone.
A low growl makes me stop and turn to see my mate facing the girl.
“He’s my mate and he and the others here just saved your life. If you think you can do better on your own, you’re welcome to leave. If not, don’t say another judgmental word about any of them to me.”
I watch as the girl, wide-eyed in surprise, nods and then moves on. I see Emily turn and look at me before turning back and heading inside with Gianna and the others. “Looks like someone’s wolf is starting to show herself,” Levi says beside me as a smile spreads across my face.
It was my thought exactly.