The Claiming by Cooper Book 2
The Council by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Chapter 47
Jara
When we got to Alpha Quinton’s pack, we found out that Alpha Luke and Alpha Zaire’s packs had been attacked. I was exhausted but I told Alpha Quinton that if anyone called to give us an update, I wanted to know.
It wasn’t until the next morning that we finally got word. About the time that Mason and Seth dragged themselves into Alpha Quinton’s small packhouse, exhausted and nearly dead on their feet, the phone rang. Both Alpha Luke and Alpha Zaire
had defeated the attackers from Gunnar’s packs. Both had some losses to their pack members, but both said they killed more of Gunnar’s remaining groups’ packs than they lost in their own.
When Seth asked, we found out that none of the dead included the Elders, or the remaining Alphas. Mason filled them in on the situation over at Alpha Davis’s pack. Ira had caught Typhon’s scent of rotten flesh. So, while we had originally thought the attack on Davis’s pack was from Gunnar and his men, it ended up being a coincidence that Typhon blew it up at the same time that our alliance was fighting Gunnar’s on three other fronts.
The packs made plans to bury their dead. Alpha Emanuel’s dead pack members were piled into a hole and the bodies burned. Jonas left pack members there to make sure that the forest didn’t catch on fire. When we heard that the fighting was over in Luke and Zaire’s packs, he called his men back, knowing Gunnar would be checking in with Emanuel. By now, we’re sure he knows that one of his alliance’s packs has been decimated. Now, we just wait to see what he does next. The alliance has men watching each of the remaining three packs non-stop.
The next month goes by in a haze. Davis divided his pack between ours and Seth’s. Quinton didn’t have the space that was needed to house that many men for an extended period of time. Alpha Davis and his pack immediately begin to rebuild their packhouse. It will take a couple of months, but all of the alliance’s packs are pitching in with money, clothing, food, supplies and man-power to rebuild.
Since Isabella had gotten the she-wolves out of the packhouse, they felt safer staying with her. We had agreed to have them continue there. Isabella had also agreed to lead a support group for the she-wolves that had been mistreated in their packs. She had invited Layan to the support group. At first, she declined, but when Elijah had prompted her, she had joined.
Layan and her parents had been part of Alpha Davis’s pack that was temporarily placed in our pack. At first, I had worried that she would regress because of the bombing. Then I was concerned that the large number of wolves in our pack would scare her. But she stays close to the people that she feels safe with, myself, Elijah, Lewis, Stella and Brynn. She has been a great help with Jace and Melinda, watching them for us during the day as we send off a large group of our warriors every morning to help Alpha Davis rebuild and then prepare to feed that same group of warriors coming home at the end of a long day of hard work.
Elder Jason stayed with us for a couple of weeks after the bombing. He worked with Mason to go through the records he had on feral-fever and the claiming haze. What little information we have, did seem to imply that there is a possibility that a wolf can be impacted by feral-fever and the claiming haze at the same time.
“The Alpha that hurt Layan probably had that same issue. He was crazed to do what he did, but if he was sick with both, then he was definitely out of his mind.” Elder Jason said.
“Yes, and if Typhon is also suffering the same, then he, too, is out of his mind, but singularly focused on Jara. I can’t say what would have happened to the Alpha that attacked Layan if he had survived, but when they brought him out of the territory, he was fighting hard to get to Layan.
It’s almost as if they become obsessed with one she-wolf.” Mason says.
“But then why try to kill me?” I asked.
Mason looks at me a minute. “I don’t think he did. I think he was trying to create a diversion so he could capture you. None of the bombs went off on the side of the house that you were in. I know the roof collapsed and the floor gave out, but the entire other side of the house was leveled. The only reason everyone survived is because of our advance healing.”
“And if your mate hadn’t insisted on increasing your guard, Typhon might have succeeded. There was so much going on in that pack, chaos everywhere, people devastated at the loss of their home, that you could have easily been taken without anyone realizing for a while. Long enough, probably for Typhon to get you far away.” Elder Jason adds.
After that conversation, my guards did increase. It’s a bit overwhelming, but Mason shifts them out so that the ones that are working to rebuild Alpha Davis’s pack get periodic breaks by being my guard for a day.
Isabella has joined our she-wolf calls and has let us know that the females that were rescued from Alpha Emanuel’s pack are struggling to adjust.
“Our pack is the same size that Alpha Emanuel’s was, but they struggle with being around the male pack members. They also have a hard time with me allowing my daughters to go off alone with the pack members. I’ve had both Katerina and Sophia speak to them, but they won’t listen. I’m open to ideas on how to help them if anyone has any.”
“Do you think it would help if they came to one of our packs?” Gia had asked. “We all have juvenile she-wolves in our packs, and all of us allow our males to spend time with them. Maybe they need to see that it’s not just your pack?”
“I’m willing to try anything. But I was thinking that maybe spending time with Brynn or Celeste would help. They have both had similar experiences and they both have daughters that they are learning aren’t unsafe if they are alone in the pack.” Isabella says.
“I’m happy to take them in, as long as they know that we’re packed to the gills with men in my pack. We’ve got half of Alpha Davis’s pack, so does Hana.” I say.
“Yeah, happy to have them, but they need to know what they’d be getting into. Our pack is smaller than Jara’s, so that might be a better fit. How old is the daughter?” She asks.
“She’s ten, but she’s small for her age. She is malnourished and I’m working to make sure she eats enough. Her mother realized recently that she’s been hoarding food.”
“Then, she might do better in Hana’s pack. Juliet is thirteen, where Melinda is only two. Maybe someone close to her age can help her. And then Celeste can help work with the adult she-wolves.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the a*s*sistance. It’s nice to have a support now. I wish it had always been like this.”
“It’s the way it should have been all along.” I say.