Teri apologized, but she didn’t feel like it was needed. If Ben knew how ill she felt around Mark, he would know that there was a reason for it. Teri had always listened to her gut. It was how she got through life so far. Something was going on and it included danger to her and her children. She wanted Ben to stay there with her and hide, but she didn’t voice that. She needed him to complete his destiny and become Alpha. If he did any differently, he would always blame her and always wonder what could have happened. Teri didn’t want that between them.
“Mark was giving me these weird vibes and while I want you to fight back, I don’t want to lose our kids. I said something about the pregnancy, and he looked like he hated me. I don’t know why they hate me, but I can’t ignore it. The feeling was so strong, so when he left, I took off. I thought it was better than anything else. I can’t wait for something bad to happen while you are away. Your father can send you into traps, then send someone to take care of me.”
Ben didn’t know if he believed it was that dangerous, but Teri did. She insisted that it was, and Ben said that it was better to be safe. “I hate to think of you here by yourself.”
“I know. Soon you will be the Alpha, and this will all be behind us. Watch out for them, Ben. There is something bad about them. I know you can feel it too.”
Ben didn’t know what to think. He was disturbed that she had taken off again, but he didn’t get into it too much about how she should have waited for him. Ben was feeling strange about it all and he wanted her to be safe, so he was glad that she had taken off in that circumstance. She had been right before, and Ben was waiting for another attack from the clan that he had upset because he wouldn’t sleep with the leader. Ben was mucking things up and though Teri assured him that it was going to be okay, it was clear he wasn’t sure of that at all.
Teri tried to make him feel better with her words and when that didn’t work, she used her body. It was clear that Ben was beside himself when she started to lay it on thick. Teri knew that they had to have some conversations soon about everything that was going on, but that didn’t mean that she was ready for it. Ben was quick to get with the program, so she was quick to take it to the next level. They had enjoyed themselves in the cabin, so it was easy to see that they could enjoy themselves again.
Afterwards, Teri was shaking from the treatment of her body and Ben asked her if she was okay. “Are you cold?”
She laughed in response because there was no way that she was cold. Teri was sure that she was burning up instead, but that wasn’t because of anything bad. Teri was sure that her love for Ben was always going to be there. Maybe she wished that it wasn’t, but what could she do? He was certainly not an easy person to love. Everyone around him was trying to keep the two of them apart. It made Teri crazy.
Ben had to go back to the village and his people. The ceremony for the Alpha title to be switched wasn’t that far away. Teri worried that things weren’t going to go as he had thought they would. Ben worried that something would happen to her there, and Teri worried about him in the village. She was safe in the cabin; she just knew that, and it meant that she had to stay there.
“I had a dream about a woman that you wronged in some way. She is coming for you in the next couple of days. She is going to attack at night while everyone is sleeping. Have you wronged a woman lately?”
Ben was taken aback, and Teri wished that she hadn’t asked. It was clear that it wasn’t something that she wanted to know the answer to, but she’d said it, the words were out, and now she had to wait for an answer. In her dreams, the woman was mad because Ben wouldn’t be with her. He had left that part out about his day if it was true. She waved him off, instead of hearing him stumble through an answer. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Just be careful, okay?”
Ben said that he would be, and they held on to each other just a little bit longer before he left. Teri was clinging to him. She wanted him to stay but knew that he had his own destiny to fulfill. Her job was to keep the fire burning while he was away, figuratively and literally.
Chapter 25
Ben
When he got up the next morning without Teri, Ben knew that he wasn’t going to spend much time dawdling. Ben had no choice. He needed to convince Teri that he wasn’t going to be able to live without her. It felt true enough, especially when he considered how badly he wanted to just leave with her. He would walk away from everything, the very reason that they had met and married in the first place. As soon as Ben had met Teri, that was pretty much all she wrote. Teri weaseled into his heart, and he couldn’t and wouldn’t want to get her out of it.
The only problem was he felt such a strong sense of melancholy when she wasn’t around. He was barely able to deal with the daily dealings and when he had to go see his father, that was when his day went from bad to worse.
“Son, I hear that you have lost your mate. Again. Is that true?”
Ben was quiet for a moment. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about being asked that very question. He should have known that his father would want to rub it in. Why hadn’t Ben thought of some kind of retort?
His father smiled in the most satisfied way. It made Ben’s heart sink. “Well? I see that you are speechless about it.”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t know if she is what I need. Like you said, we’ve been married and you have done what you promised. Your reputation and mine are still intact. It doesn’t mean that I have to pay for your weak mistake for the rest of my life. I want to break free of all of this before I am made Alpha. The ceremony is only in a couple of days, and it will be better to go into it single.”
“Ceremony?”
Ben grinned, secretly loving the look of confusion on his father’s face. He had no idea what was going on and that was probably for the best. Ben was smiling on the inside, as well as the out. It was nice to have his dad off guard for a change. He always liked to pretend that he knew everything.
“Yeah, it’s time, isn’t it? I talked to the Elders, and they say that we need to make it happen now. The spring will be upon us, and it is a good time to switch over, don’t you think?”
There was more hesitation and Ben could see that his father was not sure what to say. The hesitation was clear, but why? That wasn’t as easy to decipher. Ben knew then that his dad wasn’t planning on actually giving up the title. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn’t have to give it up, but Ben could take it. His mind swirled with all of the thoughts he was feeling, and it wasn’t long before he shook his head.
“It’s too soon. We can’t do it in the middle of a war.”
Ben scoffed. “Father, if that were the case, we would never switch over. You have made it damn sure that we are fighting everyone around us, neighbor and stranger alike.”
His dad told him that his words were likely caused from not knowing what the hell he was talking about. Ben could admit that he didn’t, especially when his dad was constantly changing everything. There was no telling what was real and what was being lied about. Ben knew that he was going to have to push it. His dad didn’t want to give up control.
“You’re not ready.”
“I am the same age that you were when you took over. I am ready.” Ben assured his dad and himself that he was. He wanted to be so badly, so if that had anything to add to it, Ben was going to take it.
James pressed his lips together and finally they walked in silence. The next thing he said to his son was that he was going to a meet-up with Mark. “You keep saying that you want peace and that I’ve warred too much, so you go and see what happens. Your friend Mark can go with you.”
