The One He Claimed

Chapter 152: Meeting Brooklyn

Jocelyn

“I’m going to leave you and Brooklyn alone so that she can help you put on a hospital gown. Knowing what you’ve been through, Jocelyn, I’m guessing being naked in front of a man is not comfortable for you.”

“Thank you,” I say, surprised that he cares.

“I’ll have Brooklyn ask the initial questions and then we can talk about what your options are and the tests that I’d like to run. How does that sound to you?”

“That sounds fine.”

“One question before I leave, so I have an idea of what I’m up against. Is your wolf still present?” he asks me. It’s one of the reasons I jumped off the cliff. My wolf, Cassidy, had gone silent after Zahn forced his mark on me. He’s not our fated mate, and she hadn’t wanted to submit to him.

“No.”

He nods, handing Brooklyn a clipboard and kissing the side of her head before walking to the door. Well, I guess I was right about the mate part.

“That will make your healing more difficult and slower, but not impossible,” he says to me, before leaving and closing the door.

“Okay, let’s get you changed,” Brooklyn says, and she helps me to stand before helping me to get undressed. I don’t look at her. I don’t want to see her face when she looks at my distorted body.

“Your wolf could still come back,” she says. She’s obviously a sweet girl, soft spoken, but she has no idea what I’ve been through.

“I doubt that. She went silent when I was marked and mated.”

“That doesn’t mean she won’t return. Sometimes it takes time and healing on the human side,” she says.

“No offense, Brooklyn, but you’re an omega. What could you possibly know about a ranked member losing their wolf in a public claiming?” I ask her. I keep my voice soft, not because of Sophie’s warning, but because the girl is obviously sweet and innocent. The Beta in me wants to protect her.

She pulls back and frowns at me. “You don’t know who I am? What happened to me?”

I have no idea who she is or what happened to her, and I tell her So.

She huffs out a laugh. “I thought that would be better, meeting someone that didn’t know me or what happened to me. Now, I realize that for you to understand, I have to explain what happened.”

“Should I know you?” I ask her.

“Maybe not. You were unconscious when it happened, I believe, and then you’ve been recovering in your pack, so word may not have spread to you.”

She stops what she’s doing and looks away, as if remembering whatever happened to her. Her lips press tightly together, going white, before she begins.

“Alpha Owen decided he wanted me as his mate, but he said that since he was a ranked member that it had to be public. On my 18th birthday, he pulled me on to the stage, mating me in front of the entire pack. When he marked me, he threw me aside and said I wasn’t strong enough to be his Luna. Then he left my torn and bloodied body on the stage to die. My mother,” she chuckles. “I still don’t know how she did it, but she carried me back here all by herself. Alpha Hunter and Luna Sophie accepted us back, kept us safe, and refused to allow my father onto the pack lands. I received treatment and began healing. I lost my wolf that day, so yes, I understand exactly what happened to you.”

“Has your wolf returned?” I ask her, shocked at what happened to her. It’s horrific.

“She has. Finding Cas, Dr. Caspian, had a lot to do with that. He’ s our fated mate. And he’s so perfect.”

“You let him mark you?” I ask, as she helps me onto the bed.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Yes. He was so patient with me, took his time and let me be the one to decide when I was ready. And now, I’m so happy. Your story may not end the same, but just because something terrible happened to you, Jocelyn, it doesn’t mean that it has to define who you are. You can change the story of your life, the direction your life will take. Here, in this pack, you’ll be given that opportunity, if you choose to take it.”

“So, Alpha Hunter and Luna Sophie are the real deal?” I ask her.

“Do you not know their story?”

“No.”

“Oh, it’s a true love story. I adore their story. Everyone does.”

As she gets me settled into the bed, she tells me about Alpha Hunter claiming his Luna privately and bringing her home to the pack. She explains how he gave everyone twenty-four hours to decide if they were willing to live with a Luna who had been claimed privately and if not, they could leave. After that, if they challenged her, they would be killed.

“That’s why I ended up leaving the pack. My father was friends with our old G**a and believed in the old ways. He didn’t even try to protect me when Alpha Owen claimed me. He even held my mother back, not letting her come to me.”

“Where is your father now?” I ask.

She looks me in the eye and there’s a strength there that I didn’t notice before.

“Dead. I killed him.”

That shocks me.

“And Alpha Owen?”

“Also dead. Alpha Hunter brought him back from the council meeting after Luna Margot knocked him out for attacking Luna Sophie. He wanted Luna Sophie. Longer story about how he almost caught and claimed our Luna when she was on the run, but suffice it to say, he wanted her. Rather than killing Owen, he gave me the option to do it.”

“And did you?”

“No, but my mother did,” she says, smiling.

“Your mother, who I’m assuming is also an omega, killed an Alpha?” I asked shocked. Even if the Alpha was being held, most omegas wouldn’t have the strength to behead an Alpha, especially an omega who lost their mate.

“Well, she and her second chance mate did. She ripped out his throat and Brutus severed his head from his body.”

“Your mother found her second chance mate? What is with this pack? Does everyone find their mate here?”

“This pack is special. After you’ve been here for a while, you’ll feel it. It’s impossible not to. At first, you won’t believe it, you’ll think it’s fake. Everyone who comes here seeking sanctuary does. But over time, you realize that it’s not just our Alpha and Luna, not just our Betas, it’s everyone, it’s everywhere you look. There is so much love, so much camaraderie in this pack. It’s a wonderful place to live. Our Alpha and Luna have created something very beautiful here.”

I settle back in the bed as Brooklyn begins asking me questions about my injuries and what treatment I’ve already received. While we talk, I think about what she’s said. She has no reason to lie and based on my experience in Zahn’s pack, the hospital nurses are the ones who know everything that is going on in the pack. So, if this woman, who has arguably been through more trauma than I have, has healed and is doing so well, perhaps, over time, I can heal too.