The One He Claimed

Chapter 156: Telling Zahn

Sophie

There’s a knock at the door and I look up to see Brutus. He steps aside and Zahn rushes in, crouching in front of her.

“Jocelyn. Are you alright? What did the doctor say?”

“Alpha Zahn, why don’t you have a seat,” I say, knowing that Jocelyn is already tired, and he blew into the room like a tornado.

He stands and turns to me. “Do you mind giving us some privacy?”

“I’ve been asked to stay, so I’ll be staying. Why don’t you have a seat, Alpha?” I suggest again.

He growls, a low, irritated growl, before complying. I feel Hunter’ s presence strengthen in my mind. If Zahn isn’t careful, my mate will come flying through that door. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. Jocelyn needs peace, not arguing and fighting.

Zahn collects himself and sits, reaching out to take Jocelyn’s hand. She quickly pulls it away.

“I just wanted to let you know what’s going to be happening, Zahn. Dr. Caspian is going to do surgery on me tomorrow. Depending on if or when Cassidy returns, my recovery time will be very slow. He can’t do everything at once, so, he’ll be focusing on one part of my body at a time. Starting tomorrow, he’s going to rebreak and reset the bones from my right hip to my right toes. Without Cassidy, it will take me two months to heal before I can have the next surgery.”

“Two months! No way, Jocelyn. You’re not ing to be here, recovering, for two months! I can’t be away from the pack that long,” he says.

“I understand. I will stay…..”

“NO!” he jumps to his feet, his fists clenched. “I will not allow you to stay here while I return home.”

“Alpha Zahn, please have a seat,” I say, keeping my voice calm.

“You stay out of this,” he snarls at me and that’s all it takes. One moment, he’s standing in front of Jocelyn and I, snarling, and the next he’s against the wall being held off his feet by the throat. Brutus and William come in and flank the doorway.

“Never threaten my mate,” Hunter snarls in his face.

“Get off me,” Zahn snarls back.

“Let’s go,” I say to Jocelyn, knowing that my office is probably about to be destroyed. However, before I get outside the office door, Robin and Kayce step in, nodding to me as we pass. Nikki and Allison are outside and fall into step with us.

“Well, whatever you said sure did pi** him off,” Nikki says. “Where are we headed?”

“The Survivor’s Center,” I tell her, hearing something smash in my office.

“Do you have anything really important in there?” Allison asks me.

“No, but hopefully Hunter will get him outside pretty quickly.”

“I’m sure the guys will help. Your mate won’t be looking too pretty for a couple of days,” Nikki says to Jocelyn.

“He’s not my mate. Not by choice, anyway,” Jocelyn says.

I see several warriors jogging to the back of the packhouse and I know that Hunter got Zahn outside. I’m guessing they’re going to punch it out.

“Are you worried about your mate?” Jocelyn asks, turning to look up at me.

I smile as Nikki and Allison snort.

“No. Hunter is very strong.”

“So, is Zahn. He’s an Alpha, too.”

“Trust me, he isn’t as strong as Alpha Hunter. All three of our mates train every day. I didn’t realize it until I was mated to Robin, but now I can see the differences in Alphas who train regularly and those who don’t. Alpha Zahn doesn’t train daily, does he?” Nikki asks.

“No, he doesn’t. A couple times a week, maybe.”

“Trust us, it will be no contest. Hunter will win that fight. Easily,” Allison says.

It makes me proud that my friends see what a great Alpha Hunter is. I mean, I see it in their mates, but it’s nice to know that others see it in mine too.

“This is a nice area, Sophie. I don’t remember it being like this when we were here,” Nikki says

“Did we just not come over this way?” Allise take looking around

“No, when Leah and Brooklyn came back, they wanted a place away from the packhouse, but I wanted to make sure that we could keep them as safe as possible, so we created this little walkway. Now that the others have moved out here, it gets more foot traffic and, well, since those pups need as much happiness in their lives as possible, we’ve planted little flowering bushes and some stone benches for people to have some quiet space. It’s why Kinsley is talking to the group about starting a garden. I think it will be a nice place to plant not only vegetables but also some flowers and it will give them something that they can do to help but may also be therapeutic for them as well. I’m sure they’d appreciate your help too, Jocelyn, if you want to participate while you recover,” I tell her.

She jerks and looks up at me. “I don’t know anything about gardening.”

Allison shrugs. “You can still dig holes, get your fingers in the dirt, plant some seeds, and cover them up. Then, eventually, you can prune the plants as they grow. We have a small garden in our pack and a lot of our pack members enjoy the peacefulness of gardening. I’ve been thinking of expanding it so more of the pack can participate,” Allison says.

“I love that idea. I need a garden in my pack too, Alli. Will you come visit, help me find a spot, and give me some ideas on how to get started?” Nikki asks her.

*I’d love to!”

“We may need your help while you’re are too.” I tell her as Kinsley walks up.

“Good afternoon, Luna Jocelyn. We have your room ready, and some warriors already brought your things.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Thank you.” Jocelyn says, pushing herself to stand. She carefully tums, using the wheelchair to keep herself steady.

“Truly, thank you. I didn’t know what to expect when I got here. but you’ve been nothing but kind to me. I’ve been given more freedom today than I’ve had in a very long time. I’m not sure how FII ever be able to repay you, but I’m truly thankful.”

“You can repay us by letting yourself heal. Take all the time you need, relax, regenerate, find yourself again, Jocelyn. It truly is all that we want for you, I tell her.

She nods and turns back, her host, Sandy, bringing out her crutches and cane. Jocelyn takes the cane and slowly begins making her way inside.

As I watch, she stops, lifting her head to the sky and taking a deep breath of air.

Nikki nudges me, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “Your magic touch is already working.”