Chapter 184


    Layans Return The iming by Cooper Book 3


    Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)


    McKenna


    I have been so excited to go into the iming territory, to be imed, to find my mate. Of course,


    finding out what really happened to Layan gave me pause, but I felt better after speaking to Alpha


    Davis. I had spent some additional time with Alpha Quinton, Alpha Luke and Alpha Jonas as well.


    Which had also made me feel better.


    Title of the document


    Of course, Alpha Luke is no longer eligible for my im, since he caught Katerina. And now, I’ll be


    entering the territory tomorrow morning.


    I’mying awake on this, myst night in this bed before entering the territory. I’ve been staring at the


    ceiling for hours and I know I won’t get a wink of sleep tonight. The idea of being imed was great, in


    theory. I realized that I had a romanticized notion of what being hunted meant. I saw it as a fun,


    flirtation between me and a bunch of males. But now that it’s my turn, now that it’s here, all I can think


    about is how alone I’ll be. Tomorrow, I’ll be alone for the first time in my life when I walk into that


    territory. And the hunt, that once seemed like a flirtation, now feels like, well, a hunt. And I’m the prey.


    I’ll be alone, hunted, imed, maybe by someone I really want to im me and maybe not. I had to


    choose 50 men. The idea seemed crazy at first. How would I only choose 50 out of nearly 400. Now, I


    wish I had only had to choose a few. I mean, what do I really know about any of them?


    Alpha Davis is a good dancer. Super, so what? Although he did talk to me and help me see that things


    are different than they were for Layanst year. So, he’s patient and kind. And he is a great kisser.


    Those are good things.


    Alpha Quinton is funny, although he takes his job as Alpha very seriously. He’s the youngest of the


    three and while he’s not a great dancer like Alpha Davis, he also seems patient and kind.


    Alpha Jonas is the oldest of the Alphas. I know about his rtionship with Katerina’s mother, and I


    asked him whether he intended to continue that rtionship when he was mated. He said he did not.


    So, that’s good. He’s a bit more broody than the other two, and while I’m sure he would be a good mate


    and everyone, says he’s a great Alpha, I don’t think he’d be very patient with me and my fun-loving


    personality.


    There’s Beta Jared, too. Jonas’s brother. He’s less broody than his brother, a bit more rxed. But he


    too has had a rtionship with. Isabe and identally let it slip that he and his brother have, been


    with her at the same time. He insisted that he would never want that with his mate, but the bad feeling it


    left in me never went away.


    There are others, warriors who seem very nice and are very attractive, but now that I’ve spent more


    time with them, thought about them more closely, I realized they aren’t smart and witty. Things that I


    want in a mate.


    What if it’s one of them that catches me? I won’t have a choice. I’ll wake up, marked by my mate. In our


    world, once I’m caught, that’s it, that’s your mate for life.


    I haven’t been taking this iming as seriously as I should have. I’ve been thinking of it as a dating


    game rather than a battle for the rest of my life. And now my time is up.


    When the sun finally begins to break over the horizon, I get up, getting dressed in my hunting clothes. I


    saw Katerina and the guyse out of the territory. Their legs and arms were scratched, some even


    had cuts on their faces or other parts of their bodies from running in the woods. Many were limping and


    they all looked exhausted.


    I think that’s when it dawned on me. They won’t stop until someone catches me. I will be hunted non-


    stop for a week. I will have nowhere to go, no one to help me escape. I will truly be alone.


    When I get downstairs, the Lunas are there to have breakfast with me. That is something else I didn’t


    appreciate until now. They are here to support us, this year’s iming contestants, and I didn’t, take


    advantage of their kindness, their support.


    When they talked to us about the iming territory, I wasn’t even really paying attention. I didn’t think


    I’d need to know where all the hiding spots and caves and watering holes were. I was going to be the


    flirty girl that no one could capture.


    Now, I’m regretting everything that I’ve done, or haven’t done up to this point. I’ve set myself up for


    failure and I’ll be lucky tost more than a day in the territory. “McKenna? Do you want toe have


    some breakfast with us?” Luna Jara asks me.


    I shake my head. “No, thank you. I don’t think I’d be able to keep it down.”


    The four of them look at each other and as one, theye to me and wrap their arms around me. I


    begin to shake, fear gripping me and wrapping its ugly fingers in my gut.


    “I’m so scared.” I say on a sob.


    “Shhhh. You’re okay. You’ll be fine.” I hear their voices as they hug me, hold me and help to calm me.


    The tearse and I reach out, grabbing onto them, holding on in myst morning before my entire life


    changes.


    “Hey.” Hana takes my face in her hands, wiping my tears away. “It’s going to be okay. Yes, it’s scary.


    Yes, it’s a hunt. But you’re a smart, clever girl. You can do this.”


    “And in the end, you can choose to give yourself to someone if you know who you want. Find that


    person, or when they find you, let them mark you. It doesn’t have to be violent or scary. Look at


    Katerina. Her neck wasn’t even bruised.” Annabel says.


    “But I don’t know how to climb trees. I’ve never done that.”


    “I didn’t either.” Mignon says. “I found hiding spots and waited them out, moving when it was safe to go


    to a new spot. We have faith in you.”


    “Use the water. Use the cliffs. Double back on your scent trails to confuse them. You can do this,


    McKenna.” Hana says.


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    I nod, pulling away from them. “I should get going.” I say.


    “Oh, we’reing with you.” I look up at them.


    “Unless you don’t want us to?” Jara says.


    “No, I’d like that.”


    “Then let’s go.” Hana says.


    When we get there and my im is announced, I can’t even look at the men who will start hunting me


    in 24 hours. I’m terrified of what I might see in their faces. Instead, I ask Jara to walk me to the


    entrance of the territory.


    “Do you remember what we told you?” She asks, pushing my hair out of my face. “No.” I say, trying with


    everything in me not to cry and show my fear.


    She takes my face in her hands. “You have one day to look through the territory and learn what is


    where. Use that time today. It will go by faster than you know. Then tonight go to the cave. Sign your


    name on the wall. Leave your mark. But make a n, decide how you want this hunt to go. You are in


    charge McKenna.” She says to me.


    “It doesn’t feel like it.”


    “But you are. They only have the power if you give it to them. And we’ll all be right here when youe


    out.”


    “McKenna, it’s time.” Councilman Phillip says from the stage.


    I nod, stepping back and turning toward the iming territory. I take a deep breath and when the shot


    rings out for me to enter, I begin running into the territory.


    When I get deep enough into the territory, I stop and listen. Listen to the absolute andplete silence.


    The fear that started earlier begins to grow in my chest and I feel like I can’t breathe. I don’t want to be


    alone. I begin to panic, and everything goes ck.


    I wake in an unfamiliar area, surrounded by darkness. I sit up, looking around, trying to figure out where


    I am.


    I listen and when I hear nothing, I remember that I’m in the iming territory. Did I faint? I look around


    quickly. I have no idea what time it is, but I lost the entire day and now, I have no idea where I am,


    where to go.


    The cave. Jara said to get to the cave and write my name on the wall.


    I have a general idea of where the cave is, so I head that way, giddy with relief when I hear the sounds


    of theke. I drink some water before beginning to climb to the top of the cliff. When I get there, I see


    the firepit and some wood beside it. I make a fire and look around. I see the wall and read the notes


    from the others before me. It helps me, to know that they’ve all been here before and they have all


    survived.


    I don’t know what to write, so I go outside and look at the night, sky. The tearse again, and I feel


    so alone, I lift my head up and cry the sad mournful howl that ising from my heart.


    In an instant, I hear the sound of howls responding to me, echoing through the territory. I can tell the


    Alphas and the ranked members from the others, their howls strong in the quiet night. Iy my head,


    down on the ground, closing my eyes and listening to their howls.


    They continue howling into the night, letting me know that I’m not alone, they are here, nearby, waiting


    toe find me. Several hours go by and my breathing calms, my heart settles. I go back, into the


    cave and sign my name.


    ‘You are not alone. We are with you. McKenna’.


    As the sun rises, I listen to the sounds of thest few wolves, still letting me know I’m okay, that they


    are here for me. I send one. final howl, stronger this morning than it wasst night before climbing


    down the cliff.


    Just as I’m about to head out, I hear the shot go off indicating the start of my im and I begin to run.