The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 83: Standing Your Ground Leah

When the alarms went up, | knew he'd cfor us, my ex-mate Michael. He's a warrior, a good fighter, but he's

arrogant and his arrogance cost him everything and nearly cost my daughter her life. | know he never expected

that | would reject him, that | could ever be strong enough to stand up to him, but he allowed our daughter to

get hurt and in the worst possible way. | may only be an omega, but I'm a mother, and | will fight to the death for

my child.

"Brooklyn? Brooklyn, honey, its time," | say, going to help her get up out of bed. She still can't walk on her own.

That Alpha, Owen, nearly split her in half on that stage in front of everyone. It would have taken her a long time

to heal anyway, but after he marked her, then immediately rejected her, her wolf had gone silent. | haven't told

anyone about that yet. | need to decide what I will do if Alpha Hunter and Luna Sophie decide that we can't stay i

the pack because she's beca wolfless person.

But for now, I've waited, and I've planned, knowing he'll cfor us. My mate hates to lose, and he would

consider this losing. | know he's angry that | rejected him. He wasn't even willing to take responsibility for his role

in nearly killing our daughter.

"Mom?" Brooklyn breathes. | can smell her tears and her fear. | know she's terrified that Michael will take us, both

of us, back to

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that horrible pack. But | won't stand for it. | won't allow it. My baby has been through too much already.

"Just like we talked about, Brooke. It'll be okay," | say, putting her in the only part of the house that has no

windows. We've already set it up as our own personal safe room. We have food and water, and weapons. The

weapons are key. Luna Sophie and Beta Kinsley made sure that we have weapons to keep us safe. What they

didn't know was that | had ordered a gun and a case of silver bullets. No one is getting to my girl.

My biggest concern is that I'll have to kill Michael. While | still have a lingering love for the man | gave my life

and love to, | won't hesitate to kill him. That's not my concern. My concern is that he never accepted my

rejection. If | kill him, it could kill me. If I'm dead, | can't protect my child.

"We're going to be okay, Brooklyn," | say, hearing t ounds of fighting moving into our pack lands. Michael will be

hunting for us. I'm hoping that he'll start in the packhouse, not realizing that Brooklyn can't take loud noises.

When he doesn't find us there, he'll start searching the pack lands for us. He used to patrol these lands, so he

knows where every house is. It won't take him long, but I only need enough tto get Brooklyn settled.

"Here you are, honey. Where are your weapons?" | ask her.

"Right here. Mom..." she says, tears streaking down her face.

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"It's okay. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"I can't do this without you, mom. | know you. | know you'd give your life for me. Please don't. You're the only

thing that's keptgoing. | need you, mom. Please."

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that horrible pack. But | won't stand for it. | won't allow it. My baby has been through too much already.

"Just like we talked about, Brooke. It'll be okay," | say, putting her in the only part of the house that has no

windows. We've already set it up as our own personal safe room. We have food and water, and weapons. The

weapons are key. Luna Sophie and Beta Kinsley made sure that we have weapons to keep us safe. What they

didn't know was that | had ordered a gun and a case of silver bullets. No one is getting to my girl.

My biggest concern is that I'll have to kill Michael. While | still have a lingering love for the man gave my life and

love to, | won't hesitate to kill him. That's not my concern. My concern is that he never accepted my rejection. If |

kill him, it could kill me. If I'm dead, | can't protect my child.

"We're going to be okay, Brooklyn," | say, hearing the sounds of fighting moving into our pack lands. Michael will

be hunting for us. I'm hoping that he'll start in the packhouse, not realizing that Brooklyn can't take loud noises.

When he doesn't find us there, he'll start searching the pack lands for us. He used to patrol these lands, so he

knows where every house is. It won't take him long, but I only need enough tto get Brooklyn settled.

"Here you are, honey. Where are your weapons?" | ask her.

"Right here. Mom..." she says, tears streaking down her face. "It's okay. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

"I can't do this without you, mom. | know you. | know you'd give your life for me. Please don't. You're the only

thing that's keptgoing. | need you, mom. Please." 1302

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| take my child's face in my hands, holding her gaze as | keep an ear on the fighting outside. | send up a prayer

to the Moon Goddess that I'm not about to lie to my daughter.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm going to fight beside you and when this is over, you and | will walk out of this room

together," | tell her. "I need you to be brave, Brooklyn. Can you do that for me?" | ask her.

She nods, pressing her lips together and fighting against her tears and her fear. The scent is permeating this

room, adding to my own.

| step away from her, grabbing the gun that's already loaded. I've never shot a gun before, never had to. First, as

a wolf, | can fight in my wolf form. But I've lived in a pack all my life. Omegas are not fighters, we're the ones

who keep the pack running, and my mate was a warrior. If anyone was going to fig to protect the family, it was

him.

But now, that role falls to me. | hear paws pounding on the ground, coming in our direction and | know that

Michael has found us.

| turn and look at my daughter again. "Ready?" | ask her.

She nods, a determined look on her face. "Ready."

| move, taking a stance in front of the room where Brooklyn is. She has multiple weapons beside her in case

anyone gets past me. Hopefully the silver bullets will be enough.

J hear Michael's wolf, sniffing at the door before | hear the snapping of bones as he shifts back to his human form

before grabbing the front door and ripping it off its hinges. When he ZDEL

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comes in, | aim the gun at his chest. He's heaving, whether from anger or from running to find us, I'm not sure.

"What are you doing, Leah?" he growls at me.

"I will not let you hurt our daughter again," | tell him, taking a stand.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" he sneers, taking a step toward me. | fire off a shot, just grazing his hip. |

was aiming for his heart, s**t.

"What the f**k? What the hell's gotten into you?" he snarls

looking at his hip like he can't believe | shot him. "Silver bullets?"

"will not let you hurt our child again, Michael!" | say, standing my ground. It would probably sound stronger if m

hands weren't shaking violently. "You are mine, Leah," he snarls.

"I was yours, until you let that monster tear my baby apart in front of everyone!" | scream. "No man worthy of

being a mate or a father would allow that."

He growls atagain, but he's watching the gun as he takes another step. | fire again, this tshooting him in

the shoulder.

He snarls as he leaps at me, tacklingto the ground. The gun goes off again, but | have no idea if it hit him.

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He pinsto the floor, ripping the gun from my hand and tossing it aside. "You forget your place, Leah."

"At your feet? Isn't that where you've always wanted me?" | growl back at him. | can see the surprise in his eyes.

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fought my mate before, never challenged him in any way. Not until he allowed our daughter to get hurt. | had

trusted him to protect her and me, and he had betrayed us both.

"When | re-mark you, all of this will be done. | won't allow you to rejectagain. It's tour family was back

together," he growls.

| struggle underneath him. "I will never accept you as my mate."

"You don't have a choice," he says, ripping my head to the side, pinning my head down with his uninjured arm.

From the corner of my eye, | see his canines extending and | know I've failed my daughter. I'm too weak to

protect her.

"That's where you're wrong. All of us, every she-wolf, should have a choice. | won't let you take hers, like you

anowed Owen to take mine," my daughter says from somewhere behind me. I've never heard the fierce

determination in my daughter's voice that | hear right now. | can't see her face, but a wave of pride flows

throughthat she's standing her ground too.

"What are you doing, Brooklyn? I'm your father."

"No. Fathers don't allow their daughters to suffer like you allowedto. You're just a sperm-donor, nothing

more. My mother and | don't need you."

Michael's grip on my face weakens and | turn my head just enough to see my daughter holding the gun, aimed

at Michael's head. Unlike mine, her hands are steady and sure.

"Brooklyn..." Michael says. | don't know what he sees in her eyes, but he sits up, looking shocked.

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"Goodbye," she says and the shot rings out, echoing loudly in my ears in the small space around us.

I've barely registered that my daughter just shot my mate when the pain rips through my body. | scream,

clutching my chest as Michael's body collapses beside me, his eyes open, still looking shocked. "Mom! Mom!

Stay with me, stay with me. Please mom, stay with me!" | hear my daughter's voice, but it sounds like it's far

away.

"HELP!" | hear her scream as the pain of losing my mate overtakes me.