Chapter 305
Chapter 305
2-Ben
It had been several months since any word came from Kennedy. Her calls had been rare and infrequent since she left, only a handful in total, but the silence lately felt unbearable. Deep inside, I sensed something was terribly wrong. The emptiness in my chest had grown heavier over the past weeks, and now with the cold grip of winter settling in, that weight pressed down on me like a suffocating fog. There was an unsettling feeling gnawing at me, something I could almost taste — raw and unmistakable.
WHAM!
“Damn, man! You okay?” Jason’s voice rang out, laced with teasing amusement. “You do realize you’re supposed to defend yourself, right p>
“Shut up.” I snapped, springing to my feet and bracing myself, ready to take him down this time.
“Let. Her. Go!” he growled, punctuating each word with a strike I barely managed to dodge. “She’s not yours anymore p>
That hit me like a punch to the gut. Rage and adrenaline surged through my veins, blurring everything else. I launched myself at him, fists flying, kicks following, each blow a release for the dread and heartbreak Kennedy’s absence had left behind. “That’s it! There’s our Beta! I knew you still had it in you,” Jason cheered, his voice full of encouragement.
I knew he was right. The truth was there, buried beneath layers of pain and denial. I just needed to lock it away, to stop letting her shadow show on my face. Without a word, I turned and left the gym, not daring to glance back. I was painfully aware that my friends had been watching me all along, waiting for the storm inside me to finally break. I had thought I was better at hiding it, but if Jason was giving me grief, I was clearly fooling no one.
After a long, hot shower and a quick change, I headed out to meet my dad. We had to discuss patrols for Jeremiah’s upcoming trip to a neighboring pack. Tensions had been rising along the Black Claw borders, and Alpha Rick wanted Jeremiah’s take on the situation. Alpha James had already met with him, and they both agreed to give Jeremiah a chance to hear the concerns and work through the problem before all three of them convened. Since Jeremiah was still in transition, and the threat wasn’t immediate but steadily growing, it made sense to approach it cautiously.
I was grateful for the distraction. As long as I stayed busy, delivering results, no one could pry into how I was really doing. Everyone knew I was struggling with Kennedy’s absence, but I had no desire to talk about it. Forgetting her, moving on- it all seemed impossible right now. Their gentle prodding to open up only made my temper flare. On my worst days, I escaped to the gym, pounding the heavy bag until I could think of nothing else.
“Ben! I need you to talk some sense into your Alpha!” Luna’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“That depends on what you call ‘sense,’ Luna,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.
“He won’t let me go to Black Claw with you. I have to go! Please tell him he’s being ridiculous p>
“Why do you need to go, Luna? It’s just information gathering p>
“Because the alpha’s only child is a woman. There’s no way I’m letting him near an unmated Alpha female who’s the heir to the pack p>
“Luna, you don’t need to worry. Your mate is completely yours. No one can change that p>
“You don’t get it. Alpha females are different.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ~net
I smirked. “You’re an alpha female yourself. Are you saying you’d act differently p>
She shot back, “I’m the second-born, dumbass.” Normally, she wasn’t this fiery with me, so I knew she was genuinely concerned. “She’s the firstborn with no male heirs. Her alpha instincts will be more like what Ryker and Jeremiah experience. With another Alpha male around, it could go two ways. She might see him as a strong mate or as a threat she needs to attack. If I go, I can stop the first,” I felt the growl in her mindlink, “and if it’s the second, I can keep them both calm enough to talk p>
I had no argument for that. Put that way, I agreed with her. I knew Jeremiah was worried about putting her in danger, stepping into a hostile situation with so little clarity about the real problem. My dad nudged my shoulder.
“Make sure you don’t screw up your face when Luna’s giving you instructions you know your Alpha’s gonna lose his mind over p>
“Is it that obvious?” I asked, standing from the table where we’d been studying maps of the borders between Silver Crescent and Black Claw. I was familiar with most of the neighboring packs-that knowledge was crucial for my role as future Beta-but there were also large stretches of unclaimed land where rogue wolves roamed like nomads, careful not to disturb pack life. It was those borderlands that worried us the most.