The One He Claimed by cooper (Sophie and Hunter) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147

‘SOPHIE!‘ Hunter yells in my head.

‘Safe!‘

‘Thank the goddess,‘ Hunter says, relief evident if his voice as the mind link closes again.

I step back, staring at the door, listening to the sounds of fighting just outside our safe room. It’s the sound of whimpering that makes me focus. I turn to address the room.

“Is everyone okay?” I ask. Young pups are crying and some of the mothers are too, terrified for themselves, their pups, and the mates who are outside fighting.

I find the light in the room and see everyone huddled together. The woman who was last in is trying to hold all three of her children, but they‘ re all terrified. I sit next to her, taking one of her children and holding them against my body as I rock gently while we all listen to the sounds of battle going on.

I open my mind briefly to the pack, feeling the fury, the fear, and the pain from the pack. I’m not sure how my mate does it. I know he’s connected to everyone, keeping tabs on the entire pack, but it’s overwhelming to me. It‘ s like it was when he was listening to multiple conversations and keeping track of all of them. I don’t know how he does it.

‘We’ll practice later. Shut it down for now. I’ve got this,‘ his voice floats into my head. This time, it’s distracted, busy with everything else going on around him, but as always, my mate makes sure to look after me. I send a wave of love through the bond, hoping to keep my mate energized.

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I’ve never been in a safe room before, never been in a battle where I wasn’t fighting. It’s almost harder to be in here. At least out there, you’re focused on fighting, on staying alive. In here, you’re just waiting. Waiting for someone to give the all–clear, waiting for someone in your room to begin the keening sound of losing their loved one, or waiting to feel the tether to your own mate snap. Time seems to stand still in this room. In the battle, time goes by quickly and before you know it, hours have passed, and you didn’t even realize it. In here, each minute feels like an hour.

Things are still loud in the packhouse when I hear a howl I’d recognize anywhere. My father and his pack have arrived.

I gasp out a laugh and everyone looks at me. “My father. He and his pack are here,” I say, and everyone in the room relaxes a bit.

It isn’t much longer before we hear another howl, one I’ve heard, but don’t know well. Again, everyone turns to me.

“That would be Alpha Kayce and his pack.”

I carefully reach out to my mate, making sure he’s alive and still fighting, but not wanting to distract him if he’s in the middle of a fight.

‘Koden’s on the run,‘ he says, sounding exhausted. ‘Your father’s pack and Kayce’s are finishing this battle quickly. It won’t be much longer.‘

I tell the others in the room with me, then link Kinsley and one of the women in the third safe room, letting them know as well since Margot isn‘ t part of our pack and can’t mind link.

It isn’t long before the sounds in the packhouse become quiet. We all wait, anxious to hear the sounds of one of our warriors knocking on the door to tell us everything is clear.

It’s Lucas who finally opens our door. I wait until all the woman and

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children have emptied out, before following behind them. I look around and not seeing Hunter, I turn to Lucas.

“Where’s my mate?” I ask. He presses his lips together tightly just as Hunter’s voice filters into my head.

‘Sophie, I need you at the pack hospital. It’s Leah.‘

Margot POV

I hate safe rooms. Until I was mated to Joshua, I’d never seen the inside of one. Soon after mating him, he insisted that I give up my training so that I could focus on giving him a pup.

That man worked so hard to give me a pup, never realizing that I would never, ever risk bringing a female into this world. Thankfully, I found a doctor outside of our pack who was willing to give me what I needed to ensure I never got pregnant. Joshua never suspected a thing. Why would he? I was to do what he told me to do and never stray.

Now, as I look around this room, I’m reminded again of why I miss being a fighter. It’s much harder being in this room, hearing the soft cries and sobs of the women and children, the smell of their fear so pungent that it takes everything in me to remain strong.

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