Chapter 162
The iming by Cooper Book 3
Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Mason
This year’s a*s*sessment seems to be much more intense than any of the years I remember before.
The a*s*sessor told me Elijah looked like shit when he came out of his a*s*sessment. I didn’t even see
him. I’ve been so busy taking care of the others and keeping an eye on Jara, that I haven’t had a
minute to go check on him. When Layan shows up in our packnds, saying she knew Elijah needed
her. I know it isn’t just us. When I have a moment, after sending Jara up to our room toy down. I call
Seth.
Title of the document
“Is it me or is this year’s a*s*sessment worse than usual?” I ask.
“I thought it was just me. This is terrible. My pack members are wrecked. Hana wants to help, but I
keep having to tell her to take breaks.”
I tell him about Layan showing up in my pack and what she told me about the a*s*sessors using her in
Alpha Davis’s and most likely Elijah’s a*s*sessments.
“So., they know us better, since we’ve be a closer-knitmunity. They know how to push our
pack members to the extreme.” Seth says.
“Yes, but it doesn’t seem like it’s intentionally cruel, although it probably feels like it to them. It feels like
they are making sure that these men have control over themselves to ensure that no one gets killed
this year and that we don’t have a repeat ofst year.”
“I agree. But between you and me, I’m d I’m not going through a*s*sessment this year.
“I couldn’t agree more.” I say before hanging up.
Thankfully, Jara slept the rest of the afternoon and the a*s*sessments finished for the day before she
woke up. When she did, we went to the pack hospital to check her pulse, the babies’ heart rates,
anything and everything the doctor felt was necessary. After hearing that momma and babies were
healthy, I agreed that she could help again tomorrow, with the same parameters in ce.
As we walk back to the packhouse, well, I’m walking, she’s waddling in her cute way. I give her the
information that I’ve been waiting to drop on her, knowing she’ll be excited.
“So, Layan is still here, in Elijah’s room. Has been all day.”
She turns to me. “Get out!” She thinks for a minute. “All day?”
“Mmhmm, and I know Elijah is awake because I saw the omegas taking a couple trays of food
upstairs.”
“What do you think they’re doing?” She asks me, slyly.
“I’m sure they’re just talking. Catching up on old times.” I say, smiling.
“You mean, like you and I used to talk” she puts her fingers up in air quotes, “when you’d walk me back
to the female housing during my iming.”
“Hey, we talked a lot on those walks.” I said.
“Mmhmm, and sometimes we didn’t.” She says, turning and lifting her head for a kiss. I may have to
lean over her belly now to kiss her properly, but I’ll take every opportunity possible to kiss my mate.
I pull away, about to suggest that we re-enact one of those moments, when I see Jace sneaking out of
the packhouse, heading to the forest.
Jara must catch the change in my mood because she turns to look in the direction I’m looking.
“Where’s he going?” She asks.
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“I’m not sure. Luke says he’s been sneaking off at night. He’s tried to talk to him about it, but Jace won’t
talk.”
We watch him sneaking through the forest trees for a moment.
“You should go to him. Maybe he’ll talk to you as his Alpha. Things are still pretty tenuous between
Jace, Luke and Brynn.
“I’ll take you back to the packhouse, then I’ll go see what he’s up to.” I tell her, not willing to let her walk
alone, even a short distance.
Once we get inside, she takes my hands. “Go, I’m fine. I’m going to see what I can find out about
Layan and Elijah.” She says, a mischievous look in her eye.
I shake my head at her before kissing her nose and jogging out the back of the packhouse.
I lift my nose in the air and pick up his scent. I begin to follow behind him at a leisurely pace. I know
he’s not leaving the pack, I just want to make sure that he’s okay. He’s pretty young to have to deal with
the loss of both of his parents, but I still don’t like him out here by himself at night.
I find him out in the forest, picking something up off the ground.
“Jace.” I say quietly and even though I tried not to startle him, he jumps up, putting his hands behind
his back.
“Alpha.” He says, looking guilty. Of what, I can’t even imagine.
“What are you doing out here by yourself after dark?” I ask him, slowly approaching him.
“Nothing.” He says, looking down. A sure sign that he’s hiding something.
“Luke says you’ve been sneaking out every night. Want to talk about it?” He looks up at me then
shakes his head, no,
“Mind if I walk with you then?” I ask him.
“I’d rather be alone, Alpha, if that’s okay.”
“Jace, this is a pack. That means that we all support each other. I’m the Alpha of that pack. That means
that I’m in charge of making sure everyone in my pack is safe, healthy and happy. And right now, one
of my pack members isn’t happy.” I say, moving to sit on a fallen tree branch.
“Do you not like living with Luke and Brynn?” I ask him. It’s only been a couple of months, but I know
the transition has been difficult.
“No, they’re fine.” He says, still not looking at me. When he doesn’t continue. I try another tactic.
“What are you searching for out here?” I ask him.
Now his head shoots up to look at me. “Why do you think I’m looking for something?” He asks,
defensively.
“I’m an Alpha, Jace. It’s my job to figure these things out.” I tell him, exaggerating the truth a bit, but at
six years old, he won’t know that.
He kicks the dirt with his shoe. “I don’t want to hurt their feelings.” He says
I frown. Does he mean his parents’ feelings? “You don’t want to hurt whose feelings, Jace?”
“Luke and Brynn’s. They’ve been really nice to me, but I think it would hurt their feelings.”
“Why don’t you tell me what it is, and we can decide together if it will hurt their feelings.”
He shuffles his feet some more. I tap the branch beside me. “Come sit down and tell me what you think
will hurt their feelings.” I say gently.
He looks at me a moment beforeing to sit beside me. I put my arm around him, and he leans into
me. I may not be his father, but I am his Alpha and for a pup his age, the feeling would be simr.
He pulls his hands in front of him and I see that he has a stone in it. It’s t and more oval than circr,
but it looks like it’s a bluish-gray color. He’s rubbing his thumb over it as he looks at it.
“My dad used to collect stones for my mom. I heard him tell her once that he was missing her and he
found the stone and it made him think of her, and how it might make her smile. It did make her smile,
so any time he would find a stone that reminded him or her, or something that seemed unique, he
would bring it to her.”
He lifts the stone up to show me. “I thought I could make a ce for them, where I could go and talk to
them. Since their ashes went to the Moon Goddess, I don’t really have a ce that feels like I can
connect to them. So. I made one.”
“What do you mean, you made one.” I ask him.
He stands, taking my hand and I walk with him to theke that’s on our packnds. He walks me
around the back side of theke and shows me a ce where he has been putting the stones around
the base of a tree.
He leans down, putting the new stone into the existing pile “I made a ce where I cane talk to my
parents when I want to I know they’ll know it’s their ce because of the stones” He says. I sit down in
front of the tree, pulling him into myp.
“Do you want to know what I think?” I ask him. He nods, looking up at me over his shoulder.
“I think you have made your parents very proud of you.”
“You do?”
“I do. And I also think that Luke and Brynn would like toe visit them with you sometimes. Maybe
they want to tell your parents how well you’ re doing, or something funny that you did. They coulde
here and talk to them too.”
“You don’t think it would hurt their feelings?” He asks, looking back at the tree.
“No, I don’t.”
He leans back against me, and we sit there, having our own private conversations with Joe and Ste
until Jace starts to fall asleep.
When he does, I carry him back to his room, tucking him in to his bed before letting Luke and Brynn
know where he’s been going every night.
“We’ll take it from here, Alpha. Thank you.” Brynn says.
I leave them, heading back to my bedroom and my mate. I wonder if it will be different for me when it’s
my own children that are struggling. Will theye to me forfort, guidance? Will they confide in
me, trust me with their secrets?
I guess time will tell.