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.

sparring with Lucas this morning,” I say, kissing the top

nods. “How

made to be an Alpha,” I say, not sure if Sophie’s emotions are getting to me, or if I’m struggling on my own with saying goodbye to my

we’ll see them again

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 community training sessions. We even talked about having the warrior competitions to give our warriors something to strive for and

in my scent as I hold her in

wash her hair and feel her relax as I massage the shampoo into

them before they leave. I can tell

plate while she and Kinsley talk to the pack members. I can feel Sophie struggling not to cry, mingled with laughter as the

that Lucas needs help loading their things. It’s late morning before their truck is

much, does

at it and smile. “It looks like the start of a new

at me, and I see the same

says, and I pull him into

to miss you

inside and get our mates, Sophie and I standing aside while they say goodbye to everyone. Sophie

Beta for Lucas but get your a**back to this pack when you’re done,”

it would be so hard to

soon for Luna Kinsley’s delivery, but…I’ll miss

him. “You too, Leah,” I say as she walks up, having said goodbye

sure I’ll want to come back a lot to

“You’re always welcome.”

a whole new opportunity for you

What if I screw up?”

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

“Thank you, Alpha!

their goodbyes, both still crying. Lucas and I walk