All of that ran through Ben’s head and he was flabbergasted by how angry he could be. It didn’t make any sense. All he could do was think about how he had messed everything up. He should have gotten it all out earlier. He shouldn’t have tried to hold Teri back. He shouldn’t have… There were too many to not see them coming. As much as Ben wanted to tell Teri she was right and everything had worked out, Ben couldn’t now. He was full of power, more than he’d ever had. He felt great, and he wanted to tell her. She was no longer able to hear anything he had to say.
Ben couldn’t stop the anger that surged through him, along with the extra power that he had picked up from destroying the stones after he killed Mark. Today was one of the biggest changes in his life. Ben had a lot of hate and bitterness that he had to push toward something and since there was only one more person on his list, he went to go find his dad. It was James that had made it happen. Surely he had been the one to order the cabin burned. Ben was going to make sure that his father didn’t get to breathe anymore. He had ruined his life trajectory and his heirs, all because of what? Ben didn’t even care. That was how mad he was. There was nothing that James could say that would fix anything. He hated him more than he could have ever thought possible.
He couldn’t think about why he was angry. He couldn’t think about the fact that Teri was gone, and she wasn’t coming back. That was the worst part of it and though Ben knew that Teri wasn’t a violent person, he liked to think that she would approve of what he was going to do next.
***
Ben made himself known as soon as he got to the village. It wasn’t like he had to hide it anymore, the animosity and the truth that he had found out. He knew that his father had put a spin on why he had taken and destroyed the stones, but Ben didn’t care. He had freed his people, so whether they were mad or not was fine, but now it wouldn’t hurt anyone. Now, they wouldn’t be tracked down and attacked all of the time for those white, glowing stones. They had a few more powers that could be let go and then the clan could live normally. His father had made them a warring clan, but it didn’t need to be that way. Ben was ready to change all of that and his clan’s trajectory into the future. His dad was in his way. He needed to step down or he would be removed in another way.
He found James where he was supposed to be. He had an office where he went to hide and contemplate things. It was his Contemplation Room after all. Ben had always wanted one of his own. He had wanted to be like his dad in so many ways. Now, Ben just felt like he didn’t know his father at all.
“What are you doing here? Where is Mark?” Did his voice have a touch of real concern?
Ben smiled and shut the heavy door behind him. What was going to happen next all depended on his father. Since he had known him his whole life, Ben knew that his dad found it impossible to let things go. He would give him the opportunity to walk away, but that didn’t mean that he was going to take it. Ben was happy for that temperament, because he didn’t know if he would be able to sleep at night if he was still alive and breathing. The very idea of it really worked him up and there was no need for any of it.
“I killed your son, just like you killed my wife and children. I know that doesn’t make us even, but if you walk away now, I won’t kill you. I don’t think you deserve to live, but some do.” Ben said it all without much emotion. He didn’t want to be so cold about it, but he felt nothing else. Teri was the one that made him feel like he was worth something. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Teri was the light and now he was sent back to the darkness. There was no light left. Ben was void of anything that made him feel human. His darkness was cold and rigid, like his heart.
His dad laughed, but the sound didn’t last very long. He must have seen for himself that Ben wasn’t going for it. “I can’t believe that you got the best of Mark.”
“Well, you seem to have picked the wrong kid. Were there more floating around that you were getting rid of too?” Ben asked snidely. He wasn’t sure what he would do if there were, but he certainly had an idea. His way of seeing things was very different now after Teri.
His father didn’t say anything else, he just eyed him. Ben had a feeling that it was about to be a battle, but he was ready. He was ready when he turned into a shifter and went for him. Ben was so powerful that he didn’t even need time to prepare. He smacked his father down and made him turn back to his human form.
“What have you done?”
Ben laughed. “I did what you wanted. I dug up the stones, and then I smashed them.”
James tried to protest and fight, but Ben wasn’t having it. He moved quickly and sent the blade into his father’s chest. He stood there with him for several moments, helping him to the ground when it was hard for him to stand any longer. “What have you done?”
Ben knew that even though the question was toward him, it wasn’t like the question was really for him. It was instead being asked because he couldn’t believe he had not gotten his way. Ben wanted to feel bad, but all of the goodness that was inside of him was now a dead zone. He felt empty and Ben tried to feel something. He wanted to, but he didn’t. As he watched his father die, all he saw in his mind’s eye was the cabin and it burning up. Ben could never regret getting revenge for Teri.
When it was all over, Ben was dragging ass. He had several more people to visit, fight, possibly kill before he was done. Anyone that was involved with what happened to Teri had to be punished. That ended up being five other people that were close to his father. Ben was exhausted and a week had passed before he made his way back home. He couldn’t stand to go to his rooms though, so he went to see his mother first. He had to tell her the news, how he had failed. Ben didn’t want to admit to anything that he had done or failed to do.
He was now the Alpha, like he was always supposed to be. He wasn’t handed the reins like he should have been. Instead, he was made the Alpha after his dad was found dead. No one suspected that it was Ben that ended his life. Ben couldn’t believe that he was ever going to be able to deal with any of them again. He had done too much and now he had to go be in front of his mom. He worried that she would somehow know why. He hated the idea of that more than anything else. She had helped him, but would she accept the death of her husband and who Ben had become?
When he knocked on the door, his hands were heavy, knowing the bad news that he was carrying. It wasn’t just about the death of her husband, but also her grandkids and how it was his fault. Ben would never be able to look at it any other way. He had failed her. Ben took a deep breath. How was he supposed to tell his mother the bad news? Ben didn’t even know if he would be able to get it out. He was so worked up and Ben knew that there was nothing that he could do about it.
Teri was gone, his kids were gone. The more Ben thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn’t ready to say all of that out loud. He just wouldn’t be able to manage it. He was turning around and walking away when his mom called to him. “Son, are you just going to leave without saying hello?”
Her voice was so sweet and innocent. That was because she had no idea what was about to go down. Ben turned to her and smiled, feeling sad, and Ben knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again. He couldn’t even look at her without the guilt of it all creeping in. Ben found it to all be more than he could have ever imagined. His eyes started to redden. How could he tell her?
“Is that him, Jill? Is he finally here?”
He heard her voice before he saw her. Teri was suddenly standing there in front of him, seconds behind his mother, before she moved forward and leapt into his arms. Ben almost didn’t have a chance to catch her as she started to launch into his arms.
His arms trembled as he held her, wondering if he was awake or not. This couldn’t be real. How was she standing there?
Ben thought his eyes were deceiving him. Was he in a dream?
Chapter 30
Teri
Seeing Ben’s face and that he was in one piece after almost a week of not knowing, was one of the biggest reliefs that Teri had ever felt in her life. His arms felt like heaven when he wrapped them around her. Teri closed her eyes to the feelings that were going through her. She couldn’t believe that he was there, and Ben seemed just as surprised to see her.
“How are you here?”
Teri sighed. “Why, because you thought that locking me in was really going to stop me from leaving? It was actually your mother that kept me from going after you. She is a bit scary when she wants to be.”
