The One He Claimed by cooper (Sophie and Hunter) novel Chapter 417

Chapter 417

‘Hold on, Nikki. I’m coming,‘ I say in my mind, hoping that wherever she is, she can hear me.

Jacqueline POV

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I’ve been on the run long enough to know that you don’t light a fire at night. It’s like a beacon to those who are hunting for you. So, as soon as I found the cave and got the woman and her son settled, I went out looking for firewood and food, making the largest fire I could make in the middle of the day, cooking the food I’d caught, then letting the fire burn down to embers so that when the sun set, we had heat, but barely any light.

Every couple of hours, I have to stop what I’m doing to nurse the boy. I know the milk will run dry if Momma doesn’t wake up soon and start eating and drinking, but hopefully she’ll wake up.

I’ve found some leaves and moss that I can lay the baby boy on, so that when he goes to the bathroom, it’s an easy cleanup. There are small spots of water running down the mountains, and I found a small puddle where I can give him a bath in the morning.

I’ve been calling him Rory, so I hope that’s his name. He’s a cute little kid, I’ll give him that. He has dark hair and blue green eyes. He’s small, and I’m assuming he was born premature with the frequency that he’s eating, but he’s alert, which is a good thing. Every time I set Momma up against me to nurse him, I look over her shoulder and talk

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lo him or sing to him. The womati looked like she really wanted him, so I’m trying to do what I’ve seen other mothers do to help her while she’s unconscious,

I’m stoking the hot coals in front of our cave when I hear the howls. My heart rate spikes, and I know they’re hunting us. I look at Momma who is still unconscious. Even if she wasn’t, she doesn’t have any clothes, and she hasn’t eaten in who knows how long. She’s going to severely slow us down.

I hear an answering howl, and it sounds like it’s coming from the river. I have to figure out how I’m going to get this woman and her son away from here before they find us. Because if we don’t move, they’ll find us by early afternoon tomorrow.

Nikki

I wake up slowly, confused and sore. Sore everywhere. What happened?

‘Adira?‘

Nothing. Well, that explains the pain. Come on, Nikki. Fight through. What’s going on? Why is your wolf silent? Get a grip. Open your eyes.

When I finally force my eyes open, they’re dry and feel like they have sand in them. They’re scratchy and I have a hard time figuring out where I am. It looks like a cave, and nothing smells familiar. Or almost nothing.

“Rory!” I say, shooting up. The movement has pain shooting through my stomach. “Rory. RORY!” I scream.

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begin moving around the cave, trying to find my son. I vaguely remember putting him to my breast to nurse,

breast to nurse, but nothing after that.

I hear a woman singing nearby and water splashing and I wonder if this woman took my child. I look around and not seeing anything I can use as a weapon, I crawl outside, ready to die for my son. I have no idea who has him, but I will not let anyone take him from me.

I find a small tree branch. It’s not much, but it’s all I’ve got without Adira. I force myself to stand, using the mountain as a wall, while the woman’s voice comes closer. I can tell she’s talking sweetly to my son. She can’t have him. He’s MY son!

When she gets close enough, she senses me and stops. I raise the branch over my head, ready to fight.

“You’re awake.”

“Give me my son.”

“I’m not taking him from you, Luna. I’ve kept you both alive. I’ve even made sure he was able to nurse from you when he was hungry. But I‘ ve had to bathe him because neither of you has any clothes other than my shirt that I’ve been using to partially cover you and hold him. Stand down, Luna.”

“Give him to me!” I insist.

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