The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 71: Ezra Hunter

I don't like my mate being away from me, especially when she's in a room with an agitated wolf who just found

his mates....two, two mates. | know how strong my pull was to Sophie. | can't imagine what the pull would feel

like if Soph was a twin and there were two of them. His wolf must be nearly out of his mind.

After checking on Nikki, | see Penny, standing in the doorway with bags on her shoulders and in her hands,

looking around wide-eyed.

"Penny. Oh my goddess, did Dutton just leave you?" | ask, rushing up and grabbing her bags.

"Yeah, sounded like he found his mate," she says, looking around the room.

"He did. Mates, actually, they're twins."

"Oh, well, um...where are they?" she asks. | watch as her eyes focus on Nikki and Robin who are dancing in the

room, but the music hasn't started back up yet. I'm just about to reach out to Kinsley when the music begins

again. | look across the room and see that she is taking control of everything.

‘Thank you. Penny is here. I'll take her to her room," | say to Kinsley.

'Is our Luna okay?" she asks.

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'Not sure. I'll check on her when | get back."

She begins walking toward me. "Why don't | take Penny to her room. | was watching over the twins, but | don't

have to do that now. You can cwithPenny, and when we get back you can helpkeep this party

going," she says, smiling at Penny.

For whatever reason, it seems to put Penny at ease, so | thank Kinsley and turn.

"What else needs to happen?" | ask.

"Just keep the party going until | get back." She looks over her shoulder at Nikki and Robin, deep in conversation.

"I think that mate bond will be a good one."

"l agree," | say, watching the imperturbable Nikki blushing in Robin's arms.

When | see an omega putting a large amount of food together, | walk up, asking who it's for.

"Luna askedto bring food for three," he says.

"Make it four, your Luna forgets that she needs to eat, and I'll take it to them."

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"Yes, Alpha."

I help them put the food on a cart and then | follow my mate's scent to an office space where | hear the m**d

sounds of crying. | knock softly on the door before opening it, my mate walking over to me. "How is it going?" |

ask.

She opens the door a bit wider so | can see Dutton on the floor, a twin in each arm as they cry against his

shoulder. He's cooing at them, trying to soothe them.

"What happened?" | ask.

"He asked how they got here. They've already told him more than they told us," she says. | nod. The mate bond

is a very powerful thing.

"You letdown, Sophie Reynolds," | say.

Her head whips around toand her eyes looking horrified. "What? How?"

"You ordered food for three, when you should have ordered food for four, or better yet, food for five. Lucky for

you, your mate adores you beyond anything else in this world and rectified that," | say, smiling at her and

stroking her cheek so she knows | was joking.

"I was hoping to ceat with my mate, but | think | should stay a hit longer. They're doing pretty well on their

own, but the twins are skittish."

"Dutton and Orion and under control?" | ask.

"Yes. They're his mates, Hunter. He loves them and wants them to be happy. | think now that you gave him a

moment to think, he'll be fine. How are Nikki and Robin?"

| smile. "Exactly as we expected."

She leans in and kisses me. "| love you, my mate."

"Not nearly as much as | love you" | say, giving her a soft, but

deep kiss.

"Is this another competition, Alpha?" she asks, smiling.

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"Nope, | already won," | say, making her laugh. Dutton's head snaps up, looking over at us. | nod at him, pushing

the cart into the room and peck my mate on the lips again before leaving. Sophie's right, Dutton seems to have

this under control. If he didn't, he would have growled at having another male that close to his mates, even a

mated one.

| head back into the party, searching for anyone who looks out of place. My eyes land on Ezra who is standing off

to the side, alone, watching everything. As | watch, he follows Penny, who is no longer with Kinsley, to the bar. |

follow behind, wanting to make sure that Penny is okay.

"I'm underage!" | hear Penny say, her eyes wide and the scent of her fear permeating the area around her.

"That's an interesting name, I'munderage. Where does a nlike that generate from?" | hear Ezra ask casually.

"Penny, this is Alpha Ezra. He's a friend of mine. Ezra, this is Penny. She was on the run with Sophie just before |

found her," | say, walking up.

"Penny, that's a much more normal name. It's nice to meet you," Ezra says.

Her eyes track from him toand back again.

"Uh, hi. Uhhh, hi, Alpha, it's nice to meet you," she says, getting a hold of her fear.

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Ezra sniffs the air. "G**a?"

"Yes," she says, nodding.

"Do you mind if | ask where you're from?" he asks her as the omega bartender comes to take their drink order.

Ezra orders a bourbon, which | knew he would, so | made sure to have his favorite on hand. | order one as well

and Penny orders a glass of wine.

"I'm from out west. Sophie and | took a train to get back here," she says, relaxing a bit in my presence.

Ezra tilts his head. "You were on the run, and you took a train? How did you have the money for that?"

"Well..." she begins, looking around as if she's afraid to give away the secrets of the she-wolves on the run.

"Ezra isn't an Alpha who hunts she-wolves," | say.

"No. | found my mate a long tago," he says sadly.

"Oh, is she here?" Penny asks.

"No. She was one of those who took her life," he says, shooting his entire drink. "Excuse me," he says, walking

away.

"I didn't know," she says, watching him.

"I know. She was my sister," | say watching Ezra. He looks lost, sad, miserable.

"I'm sorry," she says

"It's okay. He's never gotten over losing her and his daughter," |

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say, shooting my own drink and heading toward Ezra.

‘Lucas, can you and Kinsley keep an eye on things here?’

'Of course. What's up?"

'Ezra needs a break. I'll be in my office. Sophie is still with Dutton and the twins, but things seem to be moving

okay there and-Nikki and Robin seem fine. If that changes, letknow." 'Yes, Alpha."

"Why don't you cwith me?" | say, putting a hand on Ezra's shoulder. | can see the grief in his eyes as the

memories return.

He nods and | lead him away from the party, to the quieter part of the packhouse. On the way, | grab a bottle of

the bourbon that | bought for him, and we go to my office. When we get there, | pour both of us a drink and

gesture for him to sit.

"I can't sit. | can't.... It's so different tonight. What you've done here, is so different than how it was when Diana

turned 18."

His eyes glaze over with the memory of my sister. "She was so beautiful that night. Well, she was beautiful every

night, but that night, the first night | recognized her as my mate, she was utterly gorgeous. | had to hold Thorin

back from marking her right there. He wanted every f**g male in that room to know she was ours."

He shakes his head and clenches his teeth as his eyes fill with tears. "| tried. | tried to make it as easy for her as |

could. But... when you're in the middle all the chanting, all the feverish energy, you just want to get her away

from it all, and you rush it. A woman should never be rushed her first time, or anytime, but Chapter 71 Ezra

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definitely not the first time. We never had a chance after that. She gave herself to me, eventually, but it was

never like what you have with your mate, not like what I'm seeing between Robin and Nikki. If I could go back in

time..."

He shakes his head again, putting his drink down and scrubbing his face in his hands. "We should have all fought

sooner. We should have all stood up for our mates. You were right, in the committee meeting. You were

absolutely right that we should all be acting like the f**g Alphas that we are, not blindly following a law that's

been outdated for much too long."

"I'm petitioning to have the law changed. Kayce looked it over when he was here and | was hoping to get you,

Robin, and

utton to look it over too."

He nods. "I'd be happy to."

He stares at the floor a moment and | wait.

"You did what we all should have done. You had the courage to stand up for what we all should have stood for. If |

had done that...." his voice c**ks. | want to offer solace, but | know there isn't any. He looks up at me. "I'll

definitely stand beside you. It's too late for me. But I'll stand for the others who deserve better. I'll do it for them,

and I'll do it for Diana."