The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 58: Preparations Sophie

| glad Hunter is happy that we're having a pup. | do wish he'd waited until we'd at least seen the doctor before

he announced it to the pack though.

'Why? I'm sure,' Hedda purrs in my head.

‘I know. I'm just...there's so much going on right now, Hedda. So much that could go wrong...

'Or right..." she says. 'You don't know what's going to happen at the Committee meeting."

She's right and after Alpha Alaric chased the twins over our borders, it's been crazy getting ready for the

Committee meeting. Kayce stayed as expected while a very reluctant Robin finally left and returned to his pack,

swearing to Nikki that he'd side with us, and he would be returning on her birthday to claim her...privately.

| can see she's nervous, but she's been incredible around the pack, helping in warrior training, assisting with the

patrols. She called Allison a beast, and Allison is great, but Nikki? She's all Alpha. Meanwhile, Hunter, Kayce, and

I have been on the phone nearly non-stop with my father, Alpha Dutton, Alpha Robin, Alpha Calvin, and Alpha

Ezta. Hunter had spoken to him, and he'd been willing to support changing the laws. Even without having

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ever met the man, | could hear his depression through the phone, the loss of his mate still wolghing heavily on

him.

200 (ouchent

This morning, I'm getting ready to finally stand in front of the Committee of Alphas. | stare at myself in the full-

length mirror, watching Hunter getting ready behind me.

"How many are there again," | ask for the hundredth time. My palms are sweating, and my stomach is in knots.

What if they Insist that Hunter claimin front of them? What if they refuse to let us leave without him doing

it? What if they denyas his Luna? | can't leave Hunter. But the thought of having to have something so

private, so special, shared in front of those disgusting Alphas In makeswant to vomit.

Hunter's hands caroundfrom behind, his lips press against the back of my head as Shaw begins purring

loudly, working hard to calm me.

"Fourteen, including you and me. Twelve who will be on the voting panel. Your sister, as a Luna isn't considered a

voting member," he says, kissing my shoulder. Of course she isn't. Women aren't considered equal by this

Committee, even if we have Alpha blood.

"And we need a majority to keep from going to war?" | ask, knowing we have six on our side.

"Yes. Alpha Zahn is still an unknown."

"He's the one whose mate threw herself off a cliff?" | ask.

"His second mate. His first one killed herself too."

I suck in air. "But then..."

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They don't care about fated mates any longer. They will never have what we have. But | don't pity them," he

growls. "They did this to themselves.

"What....what happens if we don't get the majority vote?" | ask, turning in his arms.

He shrugs. "They could insist that | mark and mate you in front of them and then all is fine," he says. | knew it,

but I still tense. He leans in and kisses my nose. | won't. Ever."

He sighs, looking over my head. "Then, they will threaten to have you removed as my Luna and they will

threaten to have my title as Alpha removed, and then it will be the threat of war." And then we go to war," | say.

"Then we go to war," he confirms. "But Nikki did givea great idea when she was talking to her brother. |

already had an angle, one that | know will hit hwith the Alphas on our side and if nothing else, clearly bring

them into the war with us. But her angle helps us even more."

"What angle is that?" | ask.

"About no one watching the packs while the Alphas are out hunting their mates. If they declare war on us, and

still think that they will be able to hunt for their mates, they are sorely

mistaken. | haven't felt the need to decimate their packs until now, but I will, if it comes to that, preferably

starting with Owen," he growls.

"What other angle do you have?"

"Your pregnancy. It's unheard of for a mated couple to be

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Chapter 5 Preparations

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pregnant this soon. Your sister and Calvin are pretty rare and that has been two years. Two weeks? Unheard of."

"That's why you got the doctor's report that says that I'm carrying your pup?"

"Yep. Got it right here," he says, lifting the notebook that he's bringing to the Committee meeting.

"And we're sure, our six are truly on our side?" | ask, my heart still thumping in my chest.

He pulls back, looking at me. "Do you have concerns about any of them?"

shrug. "I don't know them as well as you do. | believe Kayce, Robin, and my father will definitely side with us. I'm

pretty sure that Calvin will as well, especially since my sister will be there. But I'm not confident about Alphas

Dutton and Ezra."

"Dutton will stand beside us. I've known him for a long time, and you gave him a lot to think about. Ezra will also.

He still struggles with losing my sister. He loved her completely, like | love you. Unfortunately, she was never

able to give him the slove and affection in return."

He strokes his fingers across my cheek, staring at his hand. "I'm only now realizing how hard that must have

been for him, for Lucas, for Calvin. To have the woman that you feel everything for and knowing that she doesn't

feel the sfor you because of what you did to her. | can't..." his voice is quiet and by the end, his voice

breaks. | can feel the fear through the bond of what it would mean to him to lose me, for our bond to be broken

like that.

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"And thankfully, you are a strong enough man to stand up for what is right. You are the kind of man who would

burn down the world for the woman he loves. And I'm the lucky woman who gets to call herself yours."

"I think I'm the lucky one. | AM mated to the legend, you know," he says, smirking.

| grunt. "Not that again."

"You know it will cup today. The Alphas want nothing more than for you to go away. They blyou for

everything that has happened."

"Isn't it amazing that they giveso much power but take it all away from the other ranked she-wolves."

"You scare them with the amount of power you wield."

"I don't wield any power," | say, leaning into him.

"Don't you? Those she-wolves are only here in our pack because of you. Kinsley is getting stronger, in large part,

because of you. | am a stronger man, a stronger Alpha, because of you. You have more power than you know,

Sophie. You may not want to be the face of this revolution, but make no mistake, if you were to stand against

those Alphas, you could start a revolution all on your own. You don't needat all." "On the contrary, Alpha. |

desperately need you. Multiple times a day," | say, smiling flirtatiously up at him.

"Needingfor sex and needingin your life aren't the same, Soph.”

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"I need you for everything, Hunter | didn't realize how much | needed someone else until you cinto my life.

But even that night when you took Nikki to the pack hospital, | was feeling out. of control, uneasy. Just reaching

out and feeling your presence. in my mind, even though you were focused on her, it still soothed me. If | am to

be the cause of the revolution, you, my dear mate, are the foundation that allowsto lead and to shine.

Without you, | wouldn't be able to do it."

He smiles down atfor a long moment. "How is it possible that | can love you more every day?"

"I don't know. But | feel the same,

He leans in, kissing my softly, sweetly, tenderly. The kiss lingers and all my worries about today leave my mind.

Maybe that was his plan, because by the twe're ready to go, | square my shoulders, lift my chin, and take my

mate's hand.

"Let's do this."

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