The Claiming by Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 4

The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)

Chapter 13 (Jace)

It’s late in the evening when I step out back behind the packhouse and see my sister sitting on the patio looking out over the pack pool and the forest.

“Is this seat taken?” I ask Melinda. She’ s nursing Kaiden and I’m assuming that Jonas is upstairs with their other two. “It is if you sit in it,” she says, and I take the seat.

“So, am I getting another niece or another nephew?” I ask her.

“Don’t know yet, it’s too soon. We should find out next week.” I turn and look at her. “I saw dad leave. How was that?”

She shrugs and I smell the salt of her tears. I reach over and lay my hand on her arm.

“It was good to see him,” she says, and I can tell her throat is tight with emotion. She looks down at Kaiden, stroking his head of dark hair. He, like Ryder, is going to look like Jonas.

I stroke her arm, not saying anything. She swipes her face with the back of her hand. “He says mom’s sorry, that she misses me and wants to meet her grandchildren. I just… how do I trust her after what she did? How do I even begin to forgive that? You know?” she says, turning to look at me.

“She kept me from my mate, the father of my children, making us both think that we didn’t want to see the other. Who does that? What kind of person keeps their child away from her mate because you don’t agree with the age difference?”

“I’m probably not the best person to answer that question, Mel,” I say, turning and looking out over the forest.

She’s quiet a moment.

and told Jordan that

ask how you knew, but you’ve always known

Jace. I’m glad you finally

and now it’s time for my

she did. You DID date her

such a tiny person,” I say jokingly, feeling

ever be okay with that, did

was good enough for her,” I say quietly. “Your mother dying had nothing

may have been young, Jace, but I remember how closed off you were after your parents’ death. You tried to shut everyone out, and you did a damn good

small, annoying little girl who wouldn’t let me be,” I say, but I smile at the memory of Melinda, who was like a beacon of sunshine in my dark and

not at all apologetic. “You said yourself that I see what others don’t. And what I see in you, Jace, is the same thing I’ve always seen, someone who

putting him against my chest, rubbing and gently tapping on his back until he burps, then keeping

asks, turning to face me, pulling one leg up

I can be a

you have to prove that

“I do now. Maybe I didn’t before, but I do now. After everything, well, she hasn’t rescinded the rejection and she’s been

add another mate bond to the mix,”

do you mean?” I ask, more

raises an eyebrow at me. “I think

at her a moment. “You’re

you, I’ll take

of my nephew’s head, smelling his sweet baby

are you going

back around in her seat, slouching down and resting her head on the back

of having Luna Jara sit in as mediator, but it would give her a chance to see Ryder and Molly and meet Kaiden,” she

she’d be happy to do