There was a feeling of dread that came over Ben almost immediately. He didn’t know if it was because of his dad or his best friend that was less and less who he thought he was. Why was he telling him to bring Mark? It just wasn’t something that his dad would have cared about. It didn’t make sense, and he agreed, naturally he had to, and there was nothing else brought up about the two of them switching jobs. Ben didn’t know what to think when his dad left, but he had every hair on the back of his neck up on high alert. There was nothing that could be done. The more that Ben thought that everything was going to be okay, the more he realized that he was wrong. It was haunting to him that now he was going to have to look at Mark as his enemy. After what he did with his wife, that wasn’t that hard to understand, but it still hurt to do.
Ben got a few things ready before he left with Mark. Not only was he being set up to make peace when it was likely not an option, but Mark was there to what, finish him off? Ben hated how it all made him feel, how he couldn’t trust anyone, and that hurt more than anything else. Ben was quickly losing his father and his best friend. All of it was because of Teri and while he knew that it wasn’t her fault, Ben could see how it was easy to be a bit bitter about it. His life was going in one way a few months ago and now everything had changed. Ben didn’t know the ending to his new path and that made him nervous.
***
Mark was waiting for him. They went toward the meeting spot. Mark started talking like he did when he was nervous. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” he asked with a smile.
Ben didn’t buy it. He asked him again what was going on and then he added in his dad’s name. There was something going on there that he didn’t understand. Why were Mark and his dad so close all of a sudden, and why had they hidden it? What was the conspiracy that he knew was there, even if he couldn’t see it very clearly?
Mark just shrugged and then mentioned that the two of them had gotten closer while Ben was away. It didn’t sound right, but Ben didn’t know what he could do. He was stuck with Mark, slogging through the fresh snow and wondering when and what was going to go down. Ben’s body was tense, ready to start, but it didn’t happen when he thought it would.
When they got to the meeting point, Ben was just about to ask Mark when things had changed between them and he was made an enemy. It was on his head, Ben couldn’t stop it, but then everything was lost. Ben ducked down seconds before a bullet went whizzing where his head had been. He looked back to see if it was someone with Mark, but he was ducking down as well. The bullet had smashed the window out, knocking glass down on their heads.
“Who the hell is that?” Ben asked.
Mark said that he wasn’t sure, but they both figured it was the one that they had been trying to negotiate peace with. More shots were fired, and Ben moved the vehicle backward until there were no more shots. He sat up and looked at Mark. “Why do I have the feeling that my father called ahead and told them to fuck off?”
Mark started to say that he wouldn’t do that, but then he was silent for a moment before he shrugged. “There really is no telling with dad.”
Ben heard the difference. He hadn’t called him his dad, but dad. Was that the clue that Ben needed, but didn’t even know was there? It was not the time to bring it up, but Ben knew that the time would be there before he knew it. Whatever was going on with Mark and his dad was going to be figured out. Were they brothers? How many kids did his father have? That was the real question, and it was one that didn’t seem to have an easy answer.
Chapter 26
Teri
A week went by, and Teri didn’t see Ben. She had no idea where he was, but it felt off that he hadn’t come to see her. If it was going to be that long, Teri was convinced that Ben would have told her. She knew that she had to go find him, even if she was terrified of what she would find. She had put off going, simply because Teri feared what came next. She had sent Ben to his destiny, but it could just as easily be his doom.
That feeling was suffocating, and all Teri could do was try her best to make it all work. It was impossible to think that it could. She prepared herself to make the trek. She worried for Ben’s sake, but also for herself and her children. It would soon be apparent what she already knew; she was carrying Ben’s litter. Teri was freaked out at first, but now she was happy for what was to come, even if her future was not known.
She took one last look at the cabin, wondering if it was all going to be a mistake leaving it. She felt like she needed to stay put for her children’s sake, but something kept her going. Teri had to make sure that Ben was okay, alive. She had a bad feeling, and she couldn’t shake it. Teri had always been closer to knowing the future than she liked to admit. It was never that good to know what was going to happen next. That was likely because it seemed to be all bad news.
As she made her way carefully toward Ben’s village, Teri realized that she didn’t feel like she was a part of it. They were married and it was her home, but it didn’t feel like it. Ben’s dad and friend had ruined it. They were so alike. It hit Teri then, while she was thinking how they were both so disgusting in character. Of course, it was right there in front of their faces! Why hadn’t she seen it before?
Teri moved faster in the direction of her husband. He was in the middle of a nest of snakes, and he didn’t even know it. They were devious from all sides. Teri figured there was one person that she could trust to help Ben. She’d never met her, it was a long shot, but Teri focused on getting to the mother, Jill’s residence. She was the one that Teri needed to fix everything.
A part of her felt sorry for Ben’s mom. She was going to have to hear such horrible things, likely monstrosities, that she didn’t even know about. Teri tried to put herself in her position, but it seemed impossible.
When she got to where the Alpha and the mother lived, Teri hung back and got a read of the place. It was quite clear that the mom was not as guarded as the dad was. He had brought people with weapons when he had visited someone in the village. Now, there wasn’t a soldier in sight, and it made Teri feel like if the mom didn’t know, she was naïve or blind. Teri didn’t know which one would be worse.
She knocked on the door and was not greeted with a servant as she would have expected. She was instead greeted by Ben’s mother. She was not who she expected. Jill was a small woman, dark eyes that saw everything, and she smiled almost immediately. Jill said Teri’s name and then pulled her in close. “I have been dying to meet you. I am glad you are feeling better, dear.”
Teri knew then that Jill was naïve, and she was going to have to burst her bubble of reality. Teri didn’t know how she was going to believe it or if she would take it well at all. She hoped, of course, but that wasn’t what was going to change anything. Jill had a lot ahead of her, and Teri wished that she didn’t have to tell her. No one wants to be such a bearer of bad news.
***
After it all came out, Jill just sat there in the same spot, staring into her teacup. Teri touched her hand, wishing that she could take the pain away, knowing that she couldn’t. There was a moment where Teri had to wonder what would happen next. She did her best to try and figure out what to say, how to act. She was at a loss, just like Jill, and it was all her fault.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, this is good. No one ever tells me anything.”
Teri had to tell her not only all that was going on with her son, but also Teri’s theory that was worrying. She suspected that Mark and James were father and son. She also thought that was the reason why James was trying to refuse to make Ben the Alpha. He was going to get rid of Ben, Jill’s son and Teri’s husband, if they didn’t do something about it. Teri worried that she was too late, though she kept reminding herself that she would have felt something if Ben was hurt.
When it was all said and done, Jill asked the best question that she possibly could. “What can I do?”
“Well, where would Ben be if he just disappeared? Do they have a cell or something that they would use?” Teri asked with hope. If Ben wasn’t somewhere, it could mean that they’d gotten rid of him and that was not something that they could come back from. Teri was sure that she would do anything to avoid that fate.
