The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 277

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)

Chapter 04 (Jordan)

“I need to get Jace and Carter in here. They need to hear this,” I say, mind linking Jace who I know is close.

I try to mink link Carter, but his mind link is closed. Before I push through, I’ll see if Jace knows where he is. I wouldn’t want to interrupt some romantic interlude.

Jace knocks coming in and closing the door.

“What’s up,” he says, not stepping any further into the room.

“Come in and sit down, we need to talk. Do you know where Carter is? His mind link is closed off,” I say.

“We need to talk about that, but for now, let’s chat without him. What about Beta Elijah?” Jace asks.

“He’s over talking with Griffin,” I say, giving him a meaningful look.

Griffin, my cousin and Alpha of his pack, finally told Layan and Elijah’s daughter Ella that he’s her mate. Griffin is nineteen where Ella is only 17, so Elijah felt the need to have ‘the talk’ with Griffin.

Jace grimaces at that but comes and sits down. “Is this about what was so important earlier?” Jace asks Nolan. “Yes.”

I give Jace the quick version of Nolan’s story, watching as he gets more and more concerned. When I’m done, he sits back and scrubs his hands over his face.

“Do we know anything about these wolves? Names, who their parents were, anything?” he asks looking at Nolan.

“I don’t.”

Jace turns back to me. “You know you’ re not the only female Alpha any longer, Jordan. If these wolves are feeling displaced, they could be talking about Taylor.”

I’ve been the only female Alpha for so long that I had completely forgotten about Taylor.

“That’s right, your cousin is now an Alpha of her own pack, isn’t she?” Nolan asks me.

“Yes, you would have met her during the training for The Contest,” I say absently. “She’s part of Griffin’s pack.”

“I never made it to that pack. The only weeks they were free, I was booked. Which pack did she end up choosing?” I look at Jace. “The one between our pack and Griffin’s pack. Even if they’re after Taylor and not me, she’s close enough that it puts this pack in danger. Add to that, she’s family and it’s a real problem.”

“We need to alert the council,” he says. “Yes, Councilman Jason ran The Contest, but I hear that Councilwoman Gia is planning to run The Beta Trials.”

“You should call your mom, Jordan. She’s on the council now too,” he says to me gently. He knows how much I try to do things on my own, without my parents’ help. But he’s right, this is different. This isn’t about me and this pack. This could potentially impact not only me and/or Taylor, but also the new packs that are being formed. Nolan said one Alpha is after the Alpha female, but he also said there is at least one more pack out there.

“This could put Flavia and Evangeline and their new pups at serious risk too,” I say, turning back to Nolan. He’s been watching the silent exchange between me and Jace. It wasn’t intentional, but Jace has been Gamma longer than I’ve been Alpha. He and I have worked together for years and have a way of understanding each other without words.

“You said there is more than one pack,” I say to Nolan. “Do you know how many there are?”

“I only know what the bears told me. But Jordan, you and the packs here will need to do damage control with the bears eventually. You may have been living in an unspoken alliance with

them, but it is the actions of the packs here that have caused the issues that the bears have now. My suggestion to you and the pack leaders is to have someone go speak to their leader. Get as much information as you can from him, but also do damage control. They are losing their kin because of these wolf packs.”

I move to my desk and pick up the phone. My mother was just arriving at Raelyn and Collin’s pack when I left. “Jordan, what a pleasant surprise,” she answers.

“Mother, I need you to come home. We have a situation that requires a discussion with the council.”

“Tell me everything,” my mother’s voice has instantly gone from motherly to serious.

I give her a basic rundown of what Nolan told me.