The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 26: Being the Legend

Sophie

"You're thinking very hard," I say, chewing the bread that Hunter fed me.

I've thought more than once in the last 24 hours that I must be the luckiest woman in the world to have Hunter as a mate. He's given me the fairy tale. Everything I ever dreamed that finding my mate would be when I was a young girl. And he's perfect. He doesn't make me feel foolish for not knowing things. He doesn't make fun of me, but he gives me the choice, let's me decide how I want to proceed. I'm pretty sure that even without the mate bond, I would have fallen completely in love with this man.

And let's not ignore the fact that he's the s**t man I've ever seen. It's been a while, but I grew up in a pack. Nudity was common, so I've seen naked men and women. But this man...I'm getting warm in tender places just thinking about it. I touched quite a bit of his body while he was sleeping, and even after he woke. His strength, his muscles, only add to the heat that has begun to pool yet again in my core. Since I'm sitting on his lap, I'm not surprised when I see his lips twitch and he looks at me. out of the corner of his eye.

"Something on your mind?" he asks, holding another piece of bread up to my mouth. I don't think either one of us loves this breakfast, but we're both hungry after exerting so much energy last night and as Alphas, our bodies burn a lot of calories in general.

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The Legend

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"Just thinking about how s**y you are," I say honestly.

That makes him smile. "Mmmm, I'd love to explore that further, but for now, we should talk. We need to get back to the pack. I want to officially instate you as my Luna tonight." "Already?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes. You know there will be push back from many packs. We've been working to create a council, a group who can preside over these types of issues, but we're so divided that we haven't even been able to come to an agreement about who should sit on the council. So, without that, and knowing that I've technically

broken a law by claiming you like this, I want to take away any possibility of them stripping you of your title."

"We've broken," I say, and he frowns at me.

"We've broken the law. It wasn't just you. If we're going to face off against the ones who refuse to make change, then we will do it as a unified front," I say, determined that I will stand beside him. I won't let him take the brunt of whatever is to come because he wants to protect me. He's already given me more than I ever dreamed to hope for in the last two years. For that alone, I'll fight beside him. Add to that, I'm completely and totally in love with this man already, and I would die for him, just as I know in my heart, that he would die for me.

He takes my face in his hand, leaning into kiss me in a much deeper kiss than I was expecting. "How did I get so f**g lucky?" he asks, chewing the bread that was in my mouth a moment ago. "Are you talking about me now, or the food?" I tease.

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about," he says, holding out another piece of bread for me. I use my tongue to pull his fingers into my mouth, then bite them, just enough to get him back

I can feel the heat pooling in my core and Hunter's nostrils flare before

for tonight. We do

shoulders. I realize, I'm perfectly happy being naked in my mate's presence

takes a deep breath and sighs, before looking me in

like wildfire through the packs. The Alphas are probably partially responsible for that because they were very vocal about your father searching for you and bringing you back. His absolute refusal to search for you caused a ripple unlike anything I've ever

wage war against your father and your pack. Several of us stood with him, your sister's mate being one of them, agreeing to fight at his side if there was to be a war. There were enough of us, enough strong packs, that stood beside

the packs either for or against the law?" I ask.

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are a few who are neutral. Those that have few, if any, ranked she-wolves in their pack. But for the most

naïve you were that night? It was the same with your sister, I'm sure," he says, and I nod. I remember my mother giving Amelia

well and I'm sure, most ranked she-wolves. There are almost never any ranked she- wolves at a coming-of-age party for another ranked she-wolf, for that reason. However, once you left, everything changed. Mothers who hated the future for their daughters began telling them of what was to come. They began hiding money, setting up secret bank

more easily. But then, she-wolves started disappearing, not just from a pack here or a pack there, but from all of them. The Alphas and other ranked wolves figured out what was happening and some of them started locking their ranked she-wolves in the pack, not letting them leave, even if they are years away from turning 18. Others went on the hunt, as you know, hunting down ranked she-wolves and claiming them. They stopped caring if the she-wolf

knew this, Penny had basically told me how awful

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what I see in his eyes, but it feels almost like pity. It

sure if the Alpha was her fated mate or not, and honestly, I don't think it matters. From what I heard, he wasn't careful with her, he was angry

stops, clenching his teeth. I'm not sure he realizes that his arm has tightened around me, almost as if he's instinctively protecting me from something like that ever happening to me. "To my knowledge, she was the first to start

"Start what?" I whisper.

already decided death was better than the life she had. I wasn't there, but the rumors flew afterward. She apparently

to my mouth. "Why? Why

ripple effect. Every time a she-wolf intentionally took her life after

26: Being

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life. That's why they call you the legend. You started this ball rolling, and they've turned you into a martyr, a beacon for the choices that they