The Claiming by Cooper

The Council Chapter 49 Jara

Jara

My little pup has become very active. I was so excited when I first felt her move inside me. It was wonderful. Ever since Mason could hear her heartbeat, he couldn’t wait to be close to her at night. Now that he can feel her moving around inside me, he’s always touching my stomach, hoping to feel her move. When she’s awake, she never disappoints him.

Today, after Mason and our large group of warriors leave to help Alpha Davis rebuild, I decide to go with Layan and the kids outside to play. Jace and Melinda are very active and giving them time outside to run around is a great way for them to burn off some of their energy. Since Katerina will be here tomorrow for the weekend, I wanted to spend some time with Layan today to see how she’s feeling about the

visit.

I sit and watch Layan chasing the kids around the yard, playing tag and then hide and seek. When she finally comes to sit beside me, I turn to

her.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow and this weekend?”

She shrugs. “I don’t want to scare her off. You, Hana, Annabel and Mignon all had good experiences. I know mine wasn’t the norm and I know that you are working to make sure it never happens to anyone again, but….” She trails off, watching the kids playing.

“But?” I prompt her.

“But that wasn’t my experience. If she asks me, I’ll tell her the truth. Things can go bad inside the claiming territory. You know that as well as I do.” She says.

“Yes, I do.”

I’m just about to say something else, when the howl of warning goes up. Almost instantly, it is cut off, as if the person was attacked. I’m hoping they are okay but I don’t have time to worry about that.

I jump up as does Layan. “Jace! Melinda!”

We run to them, picking them up and turning to go inside when the scent of rotting flesh hits my nose.

I turn and see the most hideous creature I’ve ever seen running straight toward us. It’s black, its fur, if that’s what it has is matted all over its body. It looks like it has four legs, but they aren’t placed like they should be on a four-legged animal. The two in back are too close together and they are too close to what should be its front legs. Whatever it is, it isn’t natural.

I shove Melinda into Layan’s arms. “RUN! Get them into the safe room. NOW!”

the creature behind

yell again, turning to put myself between the creature that is still coming straight

and wolves that were heading toward the sound of the howl immediately turn to help her. My guards,

leaps at me, Lewis jumps in front of me, taking the brunt of the

into me, knocking me to the ground.

the creature pins Lewis to the

teeth snapping at his

Lewis gets up, standing in front of me. The smell is horrible, worse than anything

pack members are trying to surround the creature, but it’s so wild, and misshapen that it’s just attacking randomly. Its snarls are feral, and I finally realize that this is a feral wolf. I don’t know what’s happened to it to make it so

doesn’t even know that its body is so broken.

over, leaping over the men to fight the creature, the creature

by the scruff of its neck and yanks it away from me. The men following, attacking the intruder as they can. It continues snapping its teeth at everyone. Even when they

a safe room.” Lewis says

ask. “It looks like

Typhon, Luna, you need to get up. Are you

creature again. I would never have guessed that it was my sister’s

stand?” Lewis asks me again more urgently.

side hurts, but I push myself to my feet.

my waist. I wrap my arm protectively around my stomach and

creature attacks him again. This time, there’s nowhere for me to go and Typhon slams Lewis into me. I fall to the ground on my back, Lewis on top of me, crushing my stomach as Typhon snaps and snarls at him, trying to get to me. His saliva, which smells like rotten fish, is dripping onto my

he snarls, making me want to vomit.

but Typhon doesn’t seem phased at all by the pain. If anything, it seems to

their bodies. Even feral, Typhon

still thrashing on top of me, trying to keep Typhon away from me and I can do nothing

of Lewis’s neck where it connects to his shoulder. Elijah, not realizing, yanks him off Lewis. The

the weight on top of me lessens, I feel hot blood begin rushing down my

off of me. I can hear the snaps and snarls that

and his mouth is opening and closing but nothing is coming out. Air bubbles

throat and I realize he’s drowning in his own blood

side, putting his head in my lap, hoping to keep him from aspirating. I