The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 144

The Council Chapter 51 Jara

Jara

I wake, feeling like something is wrong. There is a heaviness around my heart that I don’t understand. My head feels groggy. I can hear a beeping sound and the sounds of someone breathing close by me. The sharp scent of antiseptic and cleanser is mixed with the clean, fresh scent of a cool winter breeze. Mason.

I force my eyes open and see a stark white room around me. I frown, this isn’t my bedroom. I look around, trying to get my bearings and that’s when it all comes back to me. Typhon, the battle, Lewis dying in my arms, the blood, Elijah rushing me to the hospital. I had passed out before he even got me here.

I move to reach down to touch my stomach, realizing that Mason is holding my left hand. His head pops up when I pull away from him, my hands going to my much too flat stomach.

I feel the sob catch in my throat and I look at Mason sitting beside me. His eyes are bloodshot, and his face is streaked where he has obviously been crying.

“She’s gone?” I ask, my voice cracking.

He nods, his own eyes filling with tears. He stands and wraps his arms around me, holding me while I sob. When I can finally collect myself, I pull back. Mason grabs some tissues and a glass of water.

“Typhon?” I ask, when I can finally talk again.

“Elijah and the pack tore him to shreds. He’s dead. And you may as well know, the Elders are too. Seth and I hunted them down and killed them last night.”

I should feel bad, or at least feel something about that, but I don’t. I don’t feel anything. I feel numb.

“And Lewis?” I ask, needing to know if he really did die for me.

“Gone.”

“Anyone else?” I ask.

“Some patrols. We’re going to have a ceremony in a couple of days.” He looks at me a moment and I realize, for the first time since I’ve known Mason, I don’t know what to say to him. I think he feels the same because he looks away from me.

“I’ll go get the doctor. He’ll want to know that you’re awake.” I nod.

As soon as he leaves, I roll on my side and curl into a ball. I just want to go back to sleep. Go back to a place where this hasn’t happened, where I’ m still pregnant and my little girl is still healthy and active inside me.

When the doctor comes in, I answer his questions and let him check me over. As soon as he’s done, I curl back into a ball, turned away from the door, from Mason, from the pack and from everything that happened.

Layan POV