The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 190: Saying Goodbye

Hunter

Last night was bittersweet. I’m truly happy for my friends and what they’ve accomplished, but **n it hurts to know that I won’t have Lucas by my side every day any longer.

I convinced Lucas to join me for one more training session. I get up early, letting Sophie sleep. I know today is going to be a difficult day for her too. She and Kinsley have gotten very close, but hopefully, the bonds we created here will continue. And while we’ll see them less, the times we do see them will be that much more special.

When I walk out onto the training field, Jaime is already at the front of the group, Lucas standing beside him.

“Get used to Hunter being late to training,” Lucas says good naturedly to Jaime, making the warriors chuckle.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. In the last two days since you’ve been gone, he’s beat me to training,” Jaime says, giving it right back.

“Spoken like my new Beta!” I say. “Come on, Lucas. You’re with me today.” I say as my warriors grumble that they don’t get a last chance to spar with him.

It’s a great sparring match and I know that Lucas is ready to take his place as an Alpha. When we’re done, he rubs his side and smirks at me. “D**n, you really are upset that I’m taking a handful of your pack members, aren’t you?”

“You could have given me some warning,” I grumble.

“Where’s the fun in that?” he says, chuckling as we walk inside. I refocus my attention on Sophie, and I feel her overwhelmed with her emotions.

“I need to go find my mate,” I say, all joking gone.

“So do I. Today will be…”

“Tough. Yeah, it will,” I say before jogging upstairs to find Sophie in the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, crying.

When I walk in, she looks up at me with tears streaming down her face. “I’m going to miss them so much.”

I scoop her up, and gently carry her into the room, sitting on our loveseat and snuggling my mate against me.

Lucas this morning,” I

“How did

not sure if Sophie’s emotions are getting to me,

know we’ll see them

our offices asking to speak with us, we won’t run into them at the pack hospital as we’re having our pups checked. It won’t be the same, but we will see them and once the community area is together, it’ll be even easier for us to schedule play dates or

throat, breathing in my scent as I hold her in my lap, rubbing my hands

bathroom, and we shower together. I wash her hair and feel her relax as I massage

can tell that Kinsley is struggling just as much as Sophie is, maybe more since she’ll be

breakfast and hand her the plate while she and Kinsley talk to the pack members. I can feel Sophie struggling not to cry, mingled with laughter as the pack continues to reminisce about

knowing that Lucas needs help loading their things. It’s late morning

doesn’t look like much, does it?”

like the start

at me, and I see the same emotion in his eyes that I feel in

says, and I pull

to miss

aside while they say goodbye to everyone. Sophie and

over to Brutus and shake his hand. “I know you’ll be a great Beta for Lucas but get your a**back to this pack

realize it would be

soon for Luna

too, Leah,” I

you, Alpha. I’m sure I’ll want to come

“You’re always welcome.”

“This is a whole new

I’m terrified. What if I screw

tell you a secret. You will screw up and you’ll do it more than once. Just make sure your screw ups don’t cost anyone their life or put the pack at risk. Then when you make a mistake, own up to it and learn from it.

“Thank you, Alpha!

the longest to say their goodbyes, both still crying. Lucas and