The One He Claimed

Chapter 183: Talking to Amelia

Hunter

Sophie is trying very hard to manage her jealousy and she’s doing an amazing job at it. I’m reinforcing her positive behavior with her sister because I know she’s struggling. I can’t hide my admiration for Amelia. I cannot imagine that if I was a new Alpha and a new mother or even a new father, that I would be able to balance everything the way that she is. But as I told Sophie, I can admire the woman and not want her in my bed. What I am realizing is that Amelia is more like Sophie than thought. And apparently, Jocelyn has picked up on that as well.

The two of them hit it quickly. I haven’t spent a ton of time with Jocelyn, letting Sophie take the lead there, but the difference in her from when she arrived in our pack to now is significant. There’s a confidence there that I wasn’t there before, and I don’t think it’s solely because she’s getting her body and her mobility back. I think it’s because she’s away from Zahn. I’ll never understand a man who thinks that keeping his mate down makes him stronger. I know from experience that the stronger my mate is, the stronger I am as a man and as an Alpha.

I feel a wave of desire roll through Sophie and I turn to look at my mate. She’s looking at me assessingly and I smile at her.

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“I’d never thought that seeing a man holding a baby would be sexy. But seeing MY man holding a baby and thinking about him holding MY pup in the near future…”

I growl softly as her thoughts move to us making more babies.

“You’re right, it’s a good thing we have space on that wall Hunter. You may have to build me another packhouse before I’ m done having your pups,” she purrs, loudly enough that others glance our way.

We’re sitting in the general area of the packhouse, holding Athena while Amelia gives Jocelyn a tour of the pack. Today is a relaxed day for us before the chaos of tomorrow begins. I’m also planning to take some time to talk to Amelia about the trial and what she can expect. But before that, I need to calm my mate so she doesn’t go scenting the entire packhouse.

I take her chin in my hand and lean in, taking her mouth in a dominating, possessive kiss, she responds instantly, but I don’t let up until I feel her body relax into submission. It’s not something I do often with my mate, not wanting or needing her submission, but right now, her emotions are all over the place.

When I pull back, I look at her. “Better?”

“Better.”

“We need to reconsider you coming back here next week, Sophie. You’re getting very close to delivering our pup and you know there will be a lot of she-wolves in the competition. You can’t go off on them because you’re feeling jealous.”

“I want to be there, Hunter. You’ll help me, right? What if I go into labor and you’re not there?” she asks, and I feel the worry that she’d be alone during our son’s birth flow through the bond.

“You’re not delivering our pup without me by your side. Let’s see how things go this week,” I tell her. Maybe I can talk to Nikki and Allison, even ask Margot to keep an eye on her. I don’t want to leave her overnight when she’s this far along any more than she wants me gone, but with Lucas competing and Calvin apparently planning to compete, it’s going to be a weird competition.

When Amelia and Jocelyn return, Dr. Caspian and Brooklyn are with them. Amelia takes a now fussy Athena and once again begins nursing her as she continues to go about her day. Jocelyn lets us know that Amelia has offered to let her stay and have her next surgery here and Dr. Caspian has agreed.

“As long as you or Dr. Felicity is available when my pup is ready to make his appearance, I’m fine with it,” I tell them.

“I’ll talk to Dr. Felicity and make sure that one of us is in your pack at all times,” Dr. Caspian says.

Over lunch, we sit with our group, Amelia still directing her pack with a baby in her arms. While I know that I look forward to the day when I can hold my son and carry him around the pack with me, I also know there will be times that I’ll be glad to pass him off to Sophie so I can focus. Amelia doesn’t have that option, but she continues to take it in stride.

“You’re right Sophie, she does look like a warrior Alpha, like the Amazons of old. Your sister is as impressive as you are. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet your parents. They must have been amazing people,” Jocelyn says.

“They were,” Sophie says sadly.

In the afternoon, I send Sophie up to our room to rest, while Jocelyn does the same as she’s still recovering from her surgeries. While they rest, I spend time working with Amelia, talking about what to expect with the trial, that we have Jake presiding as our newest Alpha, and that we’d like her, as one of the Alphas in our alliance, to be there.

“It’s a shame you can’t do it here or in Alaric’s pack. Everyone will already be here and rather than having everyone go somewhere else, we could have Zahn brought here,” she says.

I stare at her a moment. “That’s brilliant.”

She chuckles. “When you’re as busy and overwhelmed as I am, you find ways to make your life easier.”

“How is it going for you?” I ask her.

She looks at me and I see the tears welling in her eyes before she looks away.

“Some days are easier than others,” she says quietly.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job.”

She smiles at that and looks up at me. “Thank you. Jocelyn basically said the same.”

“She’s not the only one. You’ve come into this pack, unexpectedly taking over, become a leader, separated from your mate, had a pup, created alliances, and the overall feel of the : pack is settled. Although, you know you have a problem with your Gamma, right?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not sure how I feel about him competing for a pack. On the one hand, I’d like him out of mine. On the other, I prefer him in a position where I can strip his rank and send him packing if he acts out.”

“I saw him compete. He’s not good enough to win a pack. And you didn’t ask my advice, but I’m going to give it to you anyway. You need to find your ranked members. Matthew is great, but he’s past retirement age. Caleb is a festering sore that’s going to explode at some point in the future and cause nothing but problems for you. You need people around you that you can trust and that are strong enough to support you when something goes wrong.”

“Yeah, the problem with that is, everyone that I would be interested in promoting, is looking into competing for the packs. I’m not sure how long these competitions will continue, but let’s just say it’s three months. No one is going to accept a Beta or Gamma position while they have the option of becoming an Alpha.”

“Just watch your back. I have no doubt that you’d be able to defeat him, but I’d be shocked if Caleb doesn’t challenge you very soon.”

“Thank you for the warning. I’ll be careful.”

That night, we spend more time with Amelia, Athena, and Jocelyn. It’s a good, relaxing time for Sophie as we sit out back and watch the pups play while she sips her tea. That night, I remind my mate that she’s mine, several times, and the next morning, the packs begin to arrive.

It’s good to see everyone, even though we’ve all been together so much recently. And Nikki, being Nikki, had to say something to Amelia.

“Damn, girl! Make the rest of us look bad why don’t you?”

“What do you mean?” Amelia asks, once again nursing Athena while she greets her guests.

“I can barely stay awake in the afternoons and here you are, toting your newborn around, nursing her while you direct guests and you pack.”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been here to greet you,” Amelia tells her.

“I think all of us would have-understood that,” Nikki says.

“Not everyone,” Amelia tells her quietly.

“Hmm,” Nikki says hugging her. “If you need anything at all, you let me know,” Nikki says quietly. I can only hear her because Sophie and I are standing beside Amelia.

“And you?” Nikki says looking at Sophie, “You look like you’re about to pop!”

Once everyone arrives, we spend the day going around Alaric’s pack. No one has touched it since the battle, so there are still areas with smashed out walls and windows.

“What do you think?” I ask my Beta after we’ve toured the place.

He looks me in the eye. “I want it.”

I smile. “Good. Make that shit happen.”

“I plan on it.”

That night, Amelia’s dining hall is loud with everyone’s excitement about the pack and before we leave in the morning, more than two hundred individuals sign up for the competition. I spoke to the other Alphas and they agreed to have Zahn’s trial here after the competition next week. That will also allow us to have another new Alpha join the trial. I’m hoping it’s Lucas.

As I look over the names of people who signed up for the competition, I frown. I go find Jocelyn, who is talking to Dr. Caspian and Amelia, preparing for her next surgery.

“Jocelyn, are you going to compete? I mean I know you’re still healing, but I thought you were interested in competing for a pack of your own,” I ask her.

“No. After seeing everything, I realize that I’m not cut out to be an Alpha. I love the idea of it, but I think you have to really want to be an Alpha to be good at it, and I just don’t think that’s for me,” she says.

“What about a Beta?” Amelia asks her. “Have you ever considered being a Beta? I just happen to have a position available.”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.