Chapter 260


    The iming by Cooper Book 4


    The Contest by Cooper (Jaxon & Evangeline)


    Chapter 60 (Jace)


    It’s time for my match. I was hoping that Jordan would be here again, but I also know there are several


    of our pack members who are battling today and I’ m not the only one in this timeslot. I begin


    stretching, trying to get my head centered on the match, not my mate.


    “Hey, where’s Jordan?” Taylor asks, jogging up.


    “Probably helping one of the others in our pack. I’m not the only one battling at this time.”


    Title of the document


    “I can coach you, if you want?” she says.


    “Sure Tay, thanks.”


    She looks over to see my opponent. It must be a family trait, the way they assess their opponents


    before a fight. Jordan had the same assessing look on her face that Taylor does now. “I think that guy is


    a Gamma, too. But he’s not as strong as you are,” she says as I continue stretching. Jordan would


    know for sure who this guy is.


    I look over at him. “How can you tell?” I ask her. He’s smaller than I am, but he’s muscr.


    “You’re ripped, Jace. That guy is muscr, but he’s not ripped,” she says shaking her head at me as if


    it’s obvious.


    “Hey, I’m here,” I hear Jordan say and I turn, seeing her running over. As soon as I see her, everything


    in me settles.


    She’s smiling at me until her eyes move past me to Taylor and her smile falters. “Unnnnnless, you don’t


    need me,” she says.


    “No, I do. Taylor was just…”


    “I was filling in until you arrived. Now that you’re here, I’ll let you take over,” she says and turns to walk


    away.


    “Thanks, Taylor,” I say, and she waves her hand, not looking back.


    I turn back to Jordan. “Thanks foring. I know there are others battling right now. I didn’t expect you


    toe to mine.”


    “You’re still my Gamma, Jace. What kind of an Alpha would I be if I didn’t try to help you achieve your


    goal of getting your own pack,” she says. Gone is the smiling face she came running up with.


    “Jordan…”


    “Focus, Jace. Terence is a Gamma in Alpha Antonio’s pack. He’s good, but you’re better. Unlike most


    of your other opponents, he’s left-hand dominant, so make sure that you take that into consideration.


    I’m also pretty sure he’s great with his fists, terrible with his footwork,” she says. Yep, I knew she’d


    know everything there was to know about this and most likely every other opponent on the field today.


    She probably stayed up all night reading up on the opponents of every member of her pack. That’s just


    how Jordan is.


    “Thanks, Jordan,” I say, as I walk into the ring.


    “You’ve got this, Jace!” she says.


    When the match begins, I realize that everything that Jordan said waspletely urate. Terence is


    almost solely dominant on his left-side, making his right side weak, counting on the aspect of surprise


    to take his opponent out.


    My first punch is to his left shoulder, injuring him and limiting his swing. After that, I have him pinned in


    20 minutes.


    I hop up, helping Terence to his feet and then I turn, hoping Jordan will rush into my arms like she did


    when I won the first time.


    Instead, she nods, acknowledging my win, then turns and walks away.


    Luke POV


    “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” my mate asks me as I watch my daughter and Jaxon walk


    away.


    “He knotted her, Katerina,” I snarl. When she doesn’t answer, I turn to look at her.


    “So?” she asks me.


    “Do you not understand what that means?” I snap.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The moment her eyes narrow, I know I crossed a line.


    “Follow me,” she snaps in a tone I’ve only ever heard her use with our children when she is so angry


    with them that she’s ready to smack them.


    She turns on her heel, not checking to see that I’m following her. I may have had apse in judgement


    in my tone


    just now, but I’m not stupid enough to go toe to toe with my mate. I’m the Alpha, but she’s got the royal


    blood line and at times like this, I’m reminded of just how close she was to having been a royal.


    When she deems that we have moved far enough away from the crowd that no one will hear her


    dressing me down, she turns.


    “First of all,” she says, smacking her hand against my chest, “don’t ever think you can speak down to


    me, Luke. I’m your mate. You will only treat me with respect.”


    I’m pretty sure that if it were possible, there would be steaming out of Katerina’s ears.


    “Second, from what I saw, it appears that our daughter has no problem with the fact that her MATE,”


    she steps up into my face, “and let me repeat that for those whose ears seem to be cloggedtely. Our


    daughter doesn’t seem to have a problem with the fact that her MATE knotted her, not that it’s any of


    YOUR business anyway. From what I saw, the problem that our daughter had is with her father, not her


    mate.”


    I open my mouth to say something. “Say something. I dare you,” she snarls at me, and I snap my


    mouth closed. “I stood by you when you chose to make Alejandro Alpha, not Evangeline. I didn’t agree


    with you, but I stood by you. I stood by you when you had issues with Evangeline and Jaxon before she


    turned 18. Once again, I didn’t agree with you, but I stood by you. Now, you want to try and put a rift


    between them because they are acting like a young, mated couple? Let’s be clear, Luke. If you force


    her hand, there is only one way this will go. You lose. She will choose Jaxon, as she should!” She takes


    a deep breath and I keep my mouth shut, knowing she’s not done yet.


    “Now he’s knotted her and if we know anything about when a man knots his mate, our daughter is


    pregnant.”


    She steps up into my face. I’m taller than her, but at the moment, she feelsrger than life, her anger


    radiating off of her in waves of fury, her Alpha energy so strong, I almost feel smothered.


    “Let me be very clear with you, mate,” she snarls the word, like it’s a terrible thing that I’m her mate. For


    the first time, I realize how much my mate has supported me over the years and how much I haven’t


    done the same for her. “If our daughter is forced to make a choice, and she blocks you from our


    grandchildren’s lives, I won’t stand beside you. I refuse to allow you to keep me from my grandbabies.


    So, you make the choices you need to make, Alpha,” she snarls again, making it sound like a filthy title,


    “and I’ll make the ones I need to make for me and for my family,” she snarls again before turning on her


    heel and starting to walk away.


    “I’ll apologize to Evangeline,” I say, not wanting the conversation to end like this.


    It’s the wrong thing to say. She’s back in my face in an instant, her hand pping against me, knocking


    me back a step.


    “No, Luke, you will apologize to Jaxon. You will make this right, or so help me goddess, I will make your


    life a living hell.”


    This time, I don’t say anything as she stomps away.


    I scrub my hands over my face, finding a ce to sit, thinking over what my mate said. She’s right, she


    has supported me when she didn’t agree with me, even when I didn’t listen to her, or take her thoughts


    into consideration as I should. I’m the Alpha, which means, I know best.


    But, apparently, I don’t.


    I’ve never truly felt my mate’s wrath, and I hope that I never feel it again after today.


    I lean back, looking up at the sky and I open the door on the guilt I locked away long ago. I chose


    Alejandro to be Alpha. Why? Because he’s my son. No other reason. He will make a good Alpha, he’s


    strong, smart and caring. But if I’m honest, Evangeline was meant to be an Alpha. It’s the guilt that I


    didn’t do right by my daughter that is why I’m struggling with her rtionship with Jaxon. I don’t want


    her losing her second chance at bing an Alpha. And if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t need the


    second chance to begin with.


    My anger with Jaxon has nothing to do with Jaxon, it has everything to do with me. I regret my


    decision, but I can’t take it back now and I want Evie to have the chance to be the person she was


    meant to be. The Alpha she was meant to be.


    Katerina is also right about me causing a rift between Evie and I. If I don’t fix this, I won’t be a part of


    my grandchildren’s lives and that would break my heart. I’m so close to retiring, to having the rxed


    life that Alphas dream about when the day to day of the job weighs heavily on your shoulders.


    Or maybe, it’s just me. Maybe I was never meant to be an Alpha and the job has always been too


    much for me. I took over after my Alpha had to be put down because of feral fever. It was Jaxon’s


    mother, Jara, that stood beside me on that stage, announcing to my grief-ridden pack that she thought I


    could lead them. It probably has more to do with her than with me that I’m the Alpha today.


    I sit up. It’s time for me to ept that my anger and frustration has nothing to do with Jaxon and


    everything to do with my own guilt for not choosing my daughter to be Alpha. I slowly walk back to


    the packhouse, thinking about what I want to say to both of them.


    I get to their room and knock. When no one answers, I knock again.


    “Hey Alpha Luke, are you looking for Evangeline?” I turn, seeing Alpha Jordan.


    “Actually, I’m looking for your brother, do you know where I can find him?”


    “He and Evangeline left about an hour ago. They decided they wanted to head back to our pack and


    asked me to find out the details about the next challenge for them. Do you want me to give Jaxon a


    message for you?” she asks.


    “No, thank you, Alpha Jordan.”


    I turn and walk back to my room. Now, I need to find a way to get my daughter and her mate to agree


    to meet with me before my mate decides she doesn’t want to be mated to me anymore.