Chapter 299


    The iming by Cooper Book 4


    The Beta Trials by Cooper (Jace & Jordan)


    Chapter 26 (Jordan)


    Jace is letting these bears get under his skin and they’re enjoying taunting him. They found his b*utton


    almost instantly and they just keep pushing it. Me.


    Except, I’m not ying along. I hadn’t intended to say that I’d be sleeping with Jace, but I was hoping it


    would let Balor know that I wasn’t interested.


    Instead, he caught me in my lie and he made sure that I knew it.


    Overall, though, I like the bears. Darryl and Apollo have more restraint than Jusan, but if I’m right, they


    have some years on him too. I wonder if he’s a younger brother of one of them. I turn, looking at all of


    them and when I turn back, Balor is looking at me.


    “Something on your mind, little wolf?” he asks me.


    “Yes, big bear, I was wondering which one of you is Jusan’s big brother,” I say, taking a risk. But the


    moment I say it, I know I’m right. Balor barks another one of those bellyughs.


    “Damn, little wolf. Are all Alphas as smart as you?” he asks me.


    “That’s a matter of opinion, I guess,” I say.


    “Whose brother do you think he is?” Darryl asks me.


    I look at all of them, but now they are being careful not to show any outward signs to clue me in.


    “Yours,” I say to Darryl.


    “You got some fox in you, little Alpha?”


    Apollo asks me, giving me a big bear smile.


    “I don’t think so,” I say.


    “Do you have any brothers, little wolf?” Balor asks me.


    “A twin, actually,” I tell him.


    “How is it that a she-wolf became Alpha over her twin brother,” Darryl asks me.


    “I was born first. My parents made an agreement before we were born that the first born, regardless of


    gender, would be named Alpha. Of all the packs, only my parents remained firm in the belief that it


    doesn’t matter if an Alpha is a male or female, what matters if their heart and their ability to lead,” I tell


    them.


    “So, your brother, he’s okay with you getting the Alpha position while every other pack gave theirs to


    the oldest male?” Apollo asks me.


    “I think it bothered him,” I tell them honestly. “But we had several packs that were vacant, and he won


    one of them. It’s actually fairly close to here,” I tell them.


    “Where is it?” Balor asks, looking at me intently.


    “On the other side of that mountain over there,” I say pointing. “My brother and his mate got one pack


    and another second son and his mate got the neighboring pack,” I say.


    Balor looks at Darryl and Apollo. “What?” I ask as wee up to a cliff face full of caves.


    Balor holds up a finger, telling me to wait.


    “Attention everyone!” Balor says as we walk into the n of bears. “This is Alpha Jordan and her


    Gamma, Jace. They are my guests, and you will treat them as such. Any act of disrespect to either of


    them will be considered an act of disrespect towards me.”


    ‘Oh, so he does know my name,’ Jace says in the mind link.


    ‘Jace…’ I warn.


    ‘I’ll behave Jordan,’ he says, as we walk through the n.


    I’m used to being stared at, assessed by others, and constantly underestimated, so their stares don’t


    phase me. I keep my head high and I make eye contact with everyone here.


    Balor takes us to the entrance of a set of caves with arge firepit outside of it. The fire is going and


    there is m*eat roasting on a spit.


    Balor gestures for us to sit and we all sit around the fire, Balor sitting on one side and Jace on the


    other.


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    “What was that look before?” I ask, getting back to our previous conversation.


    “You said your brother had moved into a packnd that’s on the other side of the mountain?” Darryl


    asks.


    “That’s correct,” I say.


    They all look at each other again. “That’s where one of the wolfpacks that’s been attacking our kind


    was living,” Balor says.


    “How do you know?” I ask.


    He taps his nose. “Keen sense of smell.”


    “When’s thest time you were there? My brother and his mate have been building a packhouse on the


    lands, having demolished what was left of the old buildings out there.”


    “It’s been a while, but we do know that there are at least two wolfpacks,” Apollo says.


    “How do you know?” Jace asks.


    “They don’t live together, but they sometimes hunt together,” Darryl says. “Do you have any idea how


    many wolves we’re talking about?” I ask Balor.


    “I’d say at least thirty in each pack,” he says, and I look at Jace.


    “I’ll call Councilman Jason,” he says, standing up and moving away to make the phone call.


    I turn to Balor. “Have any of your n been bitten by these wolves?” I ask. “Yes, several were bitten


    and survived,” Balor says, but Jasun snorts.


    “If you can call it survival. The bite makes them crazy,” he says.


    “Crazy how?” I say, a sick sense of fear pooling in my gut.


    Apollo’s intense gaze holds mine. “Crazy, like rabid,” he says. “Only, these wolves aren’t rabid.”


    “F*uck,” I say quietly, leaning forward and scrubbing my hands over my face. “Little wolf…” Balor


    begins, but I hold up my finger like he did to me earlier. ‘Jace, tell Councilman Jason that we need Dr.


    Braxton and Kyra out here as soon as their done with their tests on my pack members. It sounds like


    the bears are not immune to the feral- fever. ‘


    ‘Well, shit,’ he says, and I turn back to Balor.


    “I’m going to give you the best overview I can from a non-clinical person, but I’m asking you to allow


    our scientist toe here and run some tests on you and your n. He’s made significant progress in


    our packs, and he’s testing my pack members that were attacked recently to see if they are infected.


    We call it feral-fever,” I say, and I begin to tell them about our history and what we think has happened


    and how these rogues are alive.


    While I talk, Jacees back and Jasun pulls what looks like a wild hog off the spit and begins cutting


    it up and passing it around.


    “Ladies first,” Balor says, not letting his n members eat until I start.


    I take a bite of food, so they’ll start eating and then turn to Balor.


    “I have to admit, you’re a lot different than I was expecting,” I tell him.


    He looks at me, his milk chocte-colored eyes intense as they focus on me.


    “What were you expecting?” he asks.


    “I’m not sure, but a gracious gentleman wasn’t it.”


    “So, you’re pleasantly surprised?” he asks, and I can tell my answer means a lot to him. He may not


    know me well, but his reputation is obviously important to him.


    “Very pleasantly surprised,” I say.


    “Good. The offer of sharing my bed remains, but if you want to sleep with the pup, I have a space for


    the two of you to share. Tomorrow, we should go to your brother’s packnds. I can show you where


    the scent is for the other pack. Once you have it, it’ll make it easier for your elders to hunt them.”


    “Thank you, I’d appreciate that.” I say.


    When we get to the space that Balor provides for us, Jace fills me in on his conversation with


    Councilman Jason. “Dr. Braxton haspleted his first round of tests. While he found a new strain of


    the virus in the group that has been bitten, their antibodies seem capable of fighting it. He was able to


    determine that it was from the bite, since several of us also gave blood and we aren’t showing signs of


    the new strain. He also said that your blood seems to eradicate the virus, so he’s hopeful that even if


    this strain manifests into feral-fever, your blood and that of the other females will create a new immunity


    and protect our poption.”


    “Good,” I say, grabbing my bag of clothes and checking to see what I have to sleep in. “That’s good.”


    All I have are pajamas which will require me to strippletely and change. I’m not embarrassed, but I


    know that Jace’s feelings for me are strong and mine for him are…confused. Jace turns his back on


    me. “Go ahead and change, Jordan,” he says. “And I’ll sleep on the floor.”


    “No, you can’t, Jace. The bears’ sense of smell is crazy good. They’ll know if you don’t sleep in the bed


    with me,” I tell him as I quickly strip and change into my night clothes.


    Once I’m dressed, I crawl into the bed and turn away, so Jace can change. I hear the rustle of his


    clothing and then I feel the bed dip as he climbs in. Heys beside me but doesn’t t*ouch me and the


    electricity in the air is almost too much to bear.


    I’m not sure how much time has passed, but I’ve just about decided to roll over andy my head on his


    chest, when I hear it. The howl of attack followed closely by thundering paws and the snarl and


    snapping of multiple bears.


    Jace and I are up and racing toward the fight in an instant. The moment we run out of the cave, I leap


    and shift,nding on four paws and pushing h*ard to get to the fight. Why are the wolves here, now?


    Are they here for me? Is this the same wolf that attacked Taylor’s pack?


    I can see several bears taking on the wolves, all of them are big, but one is bigger than the others.


    Balor.


    I realize that the wolves are targeting him, and I don’t think. I push myself h*arder and leap over top of


    him,nding in front of him, the hair on my back raised as I lower my head and snarl at the wolves in


    front of me.