The Claiming by Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)

Chapter 24 (Jordan)

The bear hits the car, feeling like a freight train hit us, lifting my side of the car off the ground.

The car flips, tumbling down the incline beside the road and landing upside down. From above us, I hear the growl

of more than one bear.

“Jordan, are you okay?” Jace asks.

“Yeah, you?” I ask, smelling blood. I’m not sure if it’s his or mine.

“I think so, I bashed my head against the window, but I’m okay,” he says. So, the blood is most likely his.

“We need to get out of this car. I’m not going to take on a group of bears upside down and pinned in,” I say,

working to push my door open. “You’re not taking on a group of bears at all, Jordan. That’s a death wish,” he says,

but I can hearthem crashing through the brush to get to us. Jace won’t like it, but I’m his Alpha, it’s my job to

protect him.

I unhook my seat belt, careful not to let myself fall on my head and I pull myself out of the car.

“Jordan, dammit, wait for me!” Jace says.

But I don’t. I turn and just in time to. There are three of them standing there. All three are huge men, n*aked from

having shifted back to their human form.

“You were warned to stay away from our lands, wolf. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” the leader says, just

as Jace leaps over the car, landing beside me, having shifted in mid-air. “No, Jace!” I say, grabbing his tail. I hold his

tail while I speak.

“My name is Alpha Jordan Stern. We did not come here to fight. We came here to see your Clan Leader, Balor, and

speak to him about the problems that you are having with the rogue wolves,” I say.

“The rogue problem you created?” their leader asks me.

“What makes you think we have a Clan Leader named Balor?” A second bear asks, his voice growly, but before I

can answer either of them another one chimes in.

“And even if we did, we wouldn’t let filth like you near him.”

Jace begins snarling and snapping at the bears.

“Watch it, pup. I could cut you in half with one swipe of my paw,” the leader says, extending his claws that are at

least two inches long.

“Easy, Jace,” I say to him quietly.

A giant of a man begins making his way toward us. He’s the largest man I’ ve ever seen, easily the size of two

Alphas. He’s big, but he’s all muscle. “What did you say your name was, little wolf?” he asks me, and I watch as the

others step aside deferring to him. ‘Jace, step back, I think this is Balor,’ I say in the mind link. Jace moves back but

ensures that he’s still in front of me. The motion does not go unnoticed by the new leader.

Normally, I would take offense at being called a little wolf, but honestly, compared to this man, I am small. “My

name is Alpha Jordan Stern. I’m friends with Nolan, who I know has been here training the bears against the rogue

wolves. He’s the one who told me of your troubles. Before that, we, the wolves that is, didn’t know that we had a

rogue problem. But we do now, and because of you, we were warned of the pending attack on me and my cousin,

the only other female Alpha. I’d like to get more information on these rogues, and you should know that our elders

are already out hunting forthem. We intend to take them out, but we’d like to know more about them, if possible,” I

say, remaining polite, but making sure they understand that I appreciate their warning and that we are taking the

problem seriously. “Tell me, little wolf, were you planning to hunt the rogues before or after you were attacked?”

the man that I believe is Balor asks me.

“Before. As I mentioned, we didn’t know that the rogues existed until just a few days ago. We believe that they

were hiding in the vacant pack lands that have now been taken over and because they are displaced, they are

looking for a new place to live.”

“That does not account for the last 20 years that they have been killing bears, humans and who knows what else.

Those dead humans have caused us a lot of problems. Dead humans mean more humans come traipsing around

our forests, interrupting our serene lifestyle, killing my kind. I don’t take that lightly,” he says.

“Nor should you,” I say.

He assesses me for a long moment. “So, you’re the little wolf that all the fuss was about. I can see why. You’re a

beautiful woman. Tell your guard dog to stand down. My men won’t hurt you.”

He extends his hand. “I’m Balor, by the way.”

When Jace growls, Balor looks at him, but doesn’t pull his hand away. I give Jace a low, warning growl of my own,

letting him know that he needs to calm down before stepping around him and reaching out to take Balor’s hand.

Balor yanks me to him, leaning in to sniff me.

“For a wolf, you smell f*ucking fantastic,” he says.

Without flinching, I lean in and sniff him as well. “You smell like oak, large and unbending,” I say.

He barks out a laugh. “You and I are going to get along just fine, little wolf. Come on, I’ll take you to my lands,” he

says, before turning and beginning to walk up the incline.

I turn to Jace as he shifts back. I walk to him, pulling some glass out of the injury on his head.

“Are you good to travel,” I ask quietly. “We have medical herbs for your guard dog in my lands,” Balor says, turning

to me.

He taps his nose. “Bears have a sense of smell that’s about ten times better than a wolf’s. I smelled his injury the

moment the glass cut him, just as I can smell the blood of your injury as well,” Balor says to me.

I frown, looking down and see the barest hint of cut on my arm. I look back up at him and he just taps his nose

again.

“We actually smelled you the minute you turned on our highway here. We’ve been watching you as you continued

to get closer to our lands,” he says.

“I’li get our bags,” Jace says, going to the upside-down car and attempting to open the trunk.

Balor nods at his guys and they come over, pushing the car over so that it’s upright.

“Thank you,” I say, knowing that Jace won’t. He’s aggravated with the attack, the disrespect towards me, and he’s

concerned about us going with these bears. I can feel all of that through our bond.

Jace grabs our bags and turns, walking toward me, his jaw clenched.

“Ready, little wolf?” Balor asks.

“Ready, big bear,” I say to him, using his terminology, which only makes him laugh a big belly laugh that echoes in

the forest.

“Oh yes, I like you,” he says as we begin trekking our way through the forest