The Claiming by Cooper

The Claiming by Cooper Book 3

Layan's Return by Cooper (Jara & Mason)

Chapter 43 (Epilogue 1)

Layan

It's been a year since Elijah claimed me, an amazing, happy year. We've spent the time slowly getting to know each other, mentally and physically.

True to his word, Elijah has taken his time, letting me go at my pace when it comes to intimacy. I'll admit, I had no idea there were so many ways to find pleasure without ever having actual penetration. But he and I explored them all, learning every possible way to make the other come undone.

When the time had finally come and I was ready to try to have him inside me, we had gone very slow. It had hurt.

Not as much as the first time, but I have enough scar tissue that it had hurt to have all of that broken up and stretched. I had cried and Elijah tried to stop several times, but I wanted this. I wanted to have everything with this man, so we pushed through. In the end, he had thrust into me quickly, breaking up some of my scar tissue and after the initial sting and throbbing subsided, Elijah took my body into a whole other world of pleasure.

After that first time, it had gotten easier and every time we were together, the pain was less and less until now, there is only pleasure, and I can't get enough of my man. He loves it, always willing to oblige me when I tell him I need my dose of Elijah, which is pretty much every day.

The next big hurdle had come after Jace's birthday party. They had announced that Brynn was pregnant again and the ache that I felt in that moment nearly brought me to my knees. I told Elijah that night that wanted to try to have a baby.

We had gone to the pack hospital the next day and they ran all sorts of tests on me. Basically, there is no reason I can't get pregnant or carry a baby to term with proper rest and increased medical monitoring than most women don't need, but the biggest issue will be delivery. The doctor had asked about s*e*x. I told him that it had hurt at first but was better now. He indicated that having a natural delivery would be even harder for me, and that if the scar tissue didn't give, we could risk the baby getting stuck in the birthing canal, or me tearing and hemorrhaging and bleeding out.

"So, you're saying that Layan can't have a baby?" Elijah had asked.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. The humans have a procedure that is called a caesarean delivery, or C-Section. It would require me to numb your spinal column and then remove your child from your stomach, rather than having a natural childbirth."

"What? No way! You're not cutting into my mate!" Elijah had exclaimed. He had looked at me. "No way am I risking losing you, Layan. I only just got you. No!" He had been adamant. “Elijah, if the humans can survive it, so can I." I looked at the doctor. "Do you know how to do this procedure?"

"No, but I know someone that does. The pack doctor in Alpha Seth's pack worked in the human hospitals for a while and did a rotation in obstetrics. I will get with him and see how comfortable he would be to do this procedure."

It was first time Elijah and I had argued. He was terrified of losing me and wouldn't even hear of me getting pregnant, no matter what I said. Finally, I convinced him to go with me to Alpha Seth's pack to meet with the doctor there.

He assured us that the procedure was very common amongst the humans and with the proper care and rest following the delivery, that he felt confident that I could not only have a pup but would also recover with nothing more than a small scar above my pubic bone.

Elijah had finally conceded. I knew he wanted a pup as much as I did, so I understood that all of his concern was for me.

The only way to ensure that a female gets pregnant is for the male to knot her. And that ended up presenting the biggest issue of all. Neither of us were prepared for the pain that his knot would cause me. I had cried the entire time, having no choice but to wait it out. Elijah had held me, rubbing my back, purring to me and cooing to me, trying everything possible to help me relax and relieve the pain. In the end, I had torn and bled and Elijah had raced me to the pack hospital as soon as his knot went down.

The doctor had run tests and finally told us that my scar tissue had torn with Elijah's knot and that it would be the same during delivery, so a C-section would be our only choice. After that, Elijah refused to knot me again, telling me that he would never knowingly hurt me like that.

In the end though, it had worked and had been worth the pain.

I'm just returning to the packhouse after leaving the pack hospital. I can't

wait to give Elijah the news. I know that it means I'll probably have to go on bedrest soon, but it doesn't matter. Against the odds, we've won.

I walk into our room, and there he is, stripping out of his clothes from the day and putting on more casual clothes for this evening, looking as incredibly handsome and s*e*xy as ever.

"There you are. I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." He says, coming over to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pouring all of my love for him into the kiss. His response is instantaneous. His arms go around me and his tongue slides into my mouth.

When we finally pull apart, I can see the self-satisfied grin on his face. "Something on your mind, my mate?"

"Mmm, yes there is. You."

"I can help you with that, but we need to take some of these clothes off first." He says, beginning to unbutton my shirt. It's perfect. I knew this would be his response, so I planned for it.

His eyes stay on mine as he unbuttons my shirt. When he gets it undone, he pushes it off my shoulders and that's when sees it. I had used some lipstick and had written it just above my stomach. 'BABY' with an arrow pointing to my stomach.

I watch as he blinks, then blinks again, realization dawning in his eyes. He looks up at me a smile spreading across his face.

"We're going to have a baby?"

I just nod my head rapidly as happy tears pool into my eyes. He swings me into his arms, spinning me around before putting me down quickly.

"Are you okay?" He asks worriedly. "I'm fine! I'm great!" I laugh.

"We're going have a baby, we're going have a baby!"

He races over to the window of our room, throws it open, and yells out into the pack. "WE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!" Then he lifts his head up to the moon that is just starting to peek above the trees and howls his happiness.

The answering howls of excitement from every member of the pack echo around our room as he runs back to me, taking me in his arms and kissing me fiercely before taking me to bed and showing me exactly how happy he is.