Chapter 191
The iming by Cooper Book 3
Layan’s Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)
Elijah
On the morning of Layan’s im, Mason joins me.
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“I’d like you to reconsider. If things don’t go the way you hope…”
I’m already shaking my head before he finishes. “I can’t. And you, of all people, should understand
that.” He grits his teeth.
“I do, but I don’t’ want to lose you. You’re a great Beta, and a better friend.”
“Then wish me luck.” I tell him.
His handes down on my shoulder. “Bring her home, Elijah.”
When the gun goes off, the others run into the territory. I walk in, taking my time. But as soon as I hit
the forest line, I smell it, the scent trails. They are everywhere. I close my eyes and smile. She did this
for me. In one of our discussions, she asked me what I would have done with my life if I hadn’t been a
Beta. I told her that my family hade from a long line of trackers. I can pretty much hunt anyone,
anywhere. I’m not as good at is as some of my other family members, but I’m better than most.
I begin walking, take a deep breath, finding the strongest of the scents and I begin to follow it. Last
year, there were 75 of us in the Hana’s iming and nearly 200 in Jara’s. While I can track well, I don’t
have the ability to track a scent that has been stomped over by multiple males, basically covering the
female’s scent.
This year, that isn’t a problem. There are only nine other men in Layan’s iming, and they all went
running for theke and the cave.
I follow the scent that leads me to the burned-out fire. I look around, seeing how she scorched the area.
I wasn’t herest year, I didn’t see it happen, but I heard about it, like everyone else did.
I move around the firepit that she obviously made until I find where her scent is strongest. Then I squat
down and look at the remains of the fire. This is where she stoodst night, howling. This is why she
sounded so fierce.
Others may have thought that Layan was weak, but I never did. The woman is amazing, capable of
kindness to others, even when she’s afraid for herself. She has never let her fear overrule her desire to
help others.
I’m proud of her. She took control of the past, burned it so there is nothing left but ashes. I hope it
helped her find peace.
I stand, catching her scent again, and turning to find her. This isn’t a hunt. I refuse to hunt her, not after
what she suffered herest year. I won’t be the reason that those memories, that horrores back to
her, especially now that she seems to have buried the past where it belongs, here in the iming
territory.
I’m amazed at how many scent trails she has created. This territory isrge,rge enough that I’ll be
surprised if I run into any of her other imants this week. I close my eyes again, taking a deep breath,
finding the strongest scent and turning to follow it.
I follow her scent for three more days. I knew she’d be on the move, and she has been. Surprisingly,
none of her other imants have raised the howl of the hunt. It’s nearly as quiet in here as it was for
Katerina’s im. I wonder if that’s intentional. Layan hand- picked these men. All of them have been
kind to her in one way or another. All of them know what she sufferedst year.
Tonight, I’m lying on the ground, looking at the sky. I’m not sure if she’s scared or feeling lonely, so I do
what I’ve done every night. I howl, letting her know that I’m here.
She doesn’t respond. She can’t and I know it, but my howl is not about me. It’s about her knowing that
I’m here for her.
I close my eyes and I swear I feel someone watching me. As I fall asleep, I hear her voice, soft and
quiet in the night. ‘Goodnight, Elijah.’
The next day, I’m up again, searching for her. Her scent trails are getting more intricate each day. It’s
almost as if she’s up all night, leaving trails and sleeping during the day.
But today, it’s time for me to find her. It’s time for her to make her decision. Today will be the turning
point in my life. I will either walk out of here with my mate, or I will leave her and my pack forever.
Since I’ve been tracking her for days, I know which trails are a dead end. I’ve been strategically
maneuvering myself to where her true hiding spot is. She’s almost exactly in the middle of the territory.
All of her scent trails lead here.
I slowly make my way to her. There’s a cliff, standing alone in the territory here. If I had to guess, I’d
say that’s her ground zero, a beacon drawing me to her. There must be a burrow or hidey hole there
where she’s been staying out of sight and under cover.
I walk out of the tree line, stepping into the clearing in front of the cliff. I can smell her. She’s definitely
close. I continue to sniff around until I find the spot where I know she’s hiding.
“Layan,e out.” I say quietly, and I step back.
It’s quiet for a moment, then I hear her rustling around before she emerges from a well-hidden hiding
spot.
She smiles at me. “Are you going to im what you’ve rightfully found, Elijah?”
I shake my head. “No.”
I see the hurt sh in her eyes before she looks down. “You don’t want me?” She asks so quietly I
almost don’t hear her.
“Oh, I want you, more than anything that I’ve ever wanted in my life.” I tell her.
Her eyese to mine. “Then, why? Why won’t you im me?”
I look around us, at the territory, at this ce. “Layan, I will dly hunt you every day for the rest of our
lives. I will nip at your heels and happily chase you all over our packnds. But not here. I refuse to
hunt you here, in this ce. You deserve better.”
“What are you saying, Elijah?” She asks me.
“I need to know that you want me as much as I want you. I need to know that you want to be mine,
mine for the rest of our lives. I want you so much that it hurts, Layan. But I won’t take that choice from
you. So, I want you to choose me. im me and make me yours so I know that you want this as much
as I do.”
I smell the salt of her tears. “You want me to im you?” She asks, her voice shaking.
I hear the sound of othersing up on us, having heard her voice. I realize though, that they’ve heard
what I said, and they stop, not willing to hunt Layan either. She did a good job at choosing the men in
her im.
“I don’t just want you to im me Layan. I refuse to im you until you’ve imed me. Make me yours
and I will make you mine. This time, the choice is yours. I won’t allow anyone, myself included, to take
that choice from you again.”
She takes a step toward me.
“I’ve wanted you from the moment Iid eyes on you. You were on that stage, young, frightened.” I tell
her.
“And you purred at me. You were the first one that did. Others followed your lead, but it was you, Elijah
that calmed me that day.”
She takes another step toward me. “It’s always been you, Elijah. You are the only man for me, you
always have been.”
Something in me rxes, easing the tightness around my heart and in my stomach.
I open my arms and tilt my head to the side. “Then mark me as yours Layan. im me as your mate.”
I hear her growl, a fierce, possessive sound I’ve never heard from her before. And then she’s in my
arms.
“I love you Elijah, and I im you.” She says before reaching up and slowly sinking her canines into my
neck.
I hold her tightly to me, overwhelmed with emotions, happiness, eptance and the pure love that her
venom sends through my body.
“I love you, Layan. And you are mine now and forever.” I say before gently sinking my teeth into her
neck.
I hold her there, long after my venom has knocked her out, afraid that if I move, something will happen
and I’ll realize this is a dream.
One of my warriors slowly approaches me. “She’s yours, Beta. She chose you. We all saw it.”
I pull my teeth from her neck, her mouth still attached to mine, and I watch as the other nine imants
walk out of the woods.
They had all stood by, letting Layan make her choice, letting her choose me.