The Claiming by Cooper novel Chapter 111

The Council Chapter 18 Jara

Jara

Mason came and got me for dinner. We walked in together and everyone stopped for a moment, looking at us, before going back to eating and talking. We grab our food and head over to where Elijah, Joe and Stella are already seated.

I’ve just sat down when the entire room goes quiet again. I look up and see Luke, his mate and their daughter standing in the doorway. I watch Luke looking around the room and because he was my guard, I know he’s assessing the threat level in this room. His mate has not-so-subtly moved their daughter behind her back, but the cute little girl with big blond curls is peeking around her mother’s legs, smiling at our pack mates.

I stand immediately and Luke’s gaze snaps onto mine. His posture relaxes and he smiles. “Luna Jara.” He says as I begin walking toward him.

“Luke!” I say, pulling him in for a hug. I know wolves aren’t

generally touchy, but he’s going to be part of my pack now and he’ s my guard. I already have a close connection to this man and now that his mate and daughter will be a part of this pack, that

connection will only increase.

When I pull back, I can see that his mate is deciding between being jealous of me touching her mate and trying to make sure that her daughter is safe. “Luke, please introduce me to your family.” I say, smiling at his mate.

“Luna, this is my mate, Brynn and my daughter, Melinda.”

“Brynn, it’s so nice to meet you.” I say, pulling her into a hug, hoping she realizes that this is just who I am. Then I squat down

Dividing into phiges now

as I feel Mason.come up behind me.

“And you must be Melinda.” I say, looking at the little girl. She can’t be more than two years old.

She nods her head, looking around. “Why are they staring at me?” She asks, watching my pack members thoughtfully.

“Melinda!” Brynn scolds.

“It’s okay.” I say, looking up at Brynn. “Most of them have never seen a she-wolf pup before. They are excited to have you in our pack. And they want to get to know you.”

She looks at me a moment before stepping around her mother and looking at the dining room full of adult men. “Hi. I’m Melinda.” She says, waving her hand.

“Hi Melinda.” The room full of warriors and omegas says and I swear every one of them just lost their heart to this little girl.

I smile at her and stand, turning to look at the room. “Everyone, this is Luke, my guard from the claiming. He kept me safe and will continue to be my guard now that he and his family have moved to our pack.”

There is a lot of clapping and cheering to that. Luke nods and waves his hand briefly. I move to stand beside Brynn.

“This is Brynn, his mate.” And before I can say more, there is a chorus of “Hi, Brynn” and Welcome to our pack”.

“Thank you.” She says quietly, looking down. I definitely need to talk to her about her experience in Alpha Shawn’s pack.

“And this, as you already know, is Luke and Brynn’s daughter, Melinda.”

Melinda begins to wave like she’s a Disney Princess on a float in a parade, turning and making sure to wave in every direction of the room. The guys all begin clapping again.

“Alright everyone! Get back to dinner. We don’t want to overwhelm them on their first day with us.” I say before turning back to Brynn.

“Would you join us for dinner?” I ask.

She looks at Luke before turning back to me. “We’d love to.”

“Great.” I say and gesture them toward our table. When we arrive, I introduce them to Elijah, Joe and Stella.

We get them some food, and I wait for Brynn to get Melinda settled before I ask the question that’s been on my mind since I saw Melinda step around her mother’s legs.

“You’re from a ranked blood line?” I ask.

She looks up at me, startled before looking at Luke.

“You can trust her Bry. I told you, things will be different here.”