BENITA
Rage simmered beneath my skin as I left Ralph’s office. The rejection stung more than I cared to admit, and jealousy clawed at my insides, making my wolf restless. Hearing him say he’s let that worthless human into his heart only fueled my anger. How could he choose her over me? Why does he always do this to me? Why does he always have to hurt my feelings? From the beginning, he hated that human to the core. Now, what changed the beast in him? What? I shouted, anger getting the better of me as I pushed the flower pots lined on the wall side, sending them crashing to the ground. The sound of breaking pottery was oddly satisfying, but it did little to quench my fury.
Without thinking, I found myself heading towards his room, where I knew she was resting. Each step was driven by a dark urge, an impulse to end the source of my pain. Her. She was the obstacle. She was the reason Ralph couldn’t see me for who I truly was.
My thoughts twisted with the possibility of what I might do once I reached her, forgetting that I faked my apologies. It would be so easy, a swift end to her. As I approached the room, a low growl escaped my throat. The door was just within reach, my hand extending towards the handle. But before I could touch it, a firm grip yanked me back.
I turned to find my mother, her eyes blazing with anger. “What do you think you’re doing, Benita?” she demanded, her voice a low, threatening whisper.
I tried to pull away, but her grip tightened. “Let me go,” I hissed, my voice trembling with suppressed fury.
Her gaze bore into mine, unyielding. “I know what you’re feeling, but this is not the way. Hurting her won’t bring you what you want. It will only destroy you.”
“Why do you care so much about her?” I spat, my voice a mix of frustration and desperation.
She took my hand firmly and dragged me down the hallway, her grip tight. We walked in tense silence until she led me into an empty room, closing the door behind us with a decisive click. As soon as the door shut, I jerked my hand from her grip, snapping at her.
“This is all your fault!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. “If it weren’t for you, that human wouldn’t be here!”
Her eyes narrowed, her calm demeanour replaced by a flicker of irritation. “Benita, you need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” I spat, my voice trembling with fury. “You brought her here! Zac believes you used your magic to bring them together. Why didn’t you use that same magic to help me, your own daughter, get closer to him? You know how long I’ve waited for him to accept me, to see me as his Luna. But you ruined everything, Mother. You don’t care about me. You never have. You’ve never cared about my feelings.”
She took a deep breath, her expression softening with a mix of frustration and empathy. “Don’t say something like that. I do care about you, Benita. This anger you’re holding onto… it’s not going to help you. It’s only going to hurt you more.”
I shook my head, tears of rage and frustration welling up in my eyes. “You don’t understand! Ralph is supposed to be with me. We belong together. But he can’t see that because of her.”
She sighed again, rubbing her temples as if to ease the tension between us, but I was too damn fired up to care. “Honey, you need to understand something. It’s not just about Keilah. Ralph never saw you as a woman, even before his mate appeared.”
My glare was sharp and cutting, disbelief etched into every line of my face. “Are you really my mother?” I spat, my voice dripping with betrayal and anger.
She blinked, confusion crossing her features. “What?”
“Did you just say he doesn’t see me as a woman? What am I, then? A man?”
Her expression softened, understanding the depth of my pain. “No, honey. That’s not what I meant. You’re a beautiful, strong woman. But Ralph… he just never saw you in that way. It’s not a reflection on you. It’s about his feelings, his perception. And I know it hurts, but you have to accept that.”
“No! You’re wrong, mother! I will make him see me. I will make him love me. And I’ll do it my way.”
Her patience finally snapped. “Why are you making this so hard, Benita? For God’s sake, you’re a werewolf. You know better that a mate bond isn’t an easy thing to play with. If you want a mate that bad, go out and find him. I’m very certain he’s out there yearning to find you. But you’re just keeping yourself in one place, fixated on a man who has already found his mate.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My eyes blazed with fury as I gave her a death glare before storming out, my rage barely contained. As I crossed to Ralph’s room, where Keilah was resting, I halted for a minute, glaring at the door with evident anger before bolting away.
As I walked towards my room, my thoughts seething with rage, I opened a mindlink with Zac. Where are you? I demanded.
Zac’s reply was curt and dismissive. I’m busy.
I don’t fucking care, I shouted through the mindlink, my anger barely contained. We need to talk, and we need to talk now.
There was a moment of silence before he replied, Fine. Meet me in my room.
I stormed into my room, slamming the door behind me. The rage coursing through my veins was almost unbearable. I needed to release it somehow. I quickly pulled on some clothes, not bothering to check if they matched, and headed out to meet Zac.
The walk to his room did little to cool my anger. By the time I arrived, he was slipping a shirt on with a scowl on his face.
The moment I entered, I flipped out in anger, not caring who might overhear. “I want to kill that human! I want her out of my way! You said you would take care of her, but it looks like you can’t!”
Zac’s eyes flashed with anger, and before I could react, he lunged at me, grabbing me by the throat. He snarled, his voice low and dangerous, “Who the fuck are you to talk to me like that?”
I struggled for breath, clawing at his hand, my vision starting to blur. Just as I thought I might black out, he released me, and I collapsed to the ground, coughing hard.
He growled, his anger palpable. “You want her dead, huh? The last time you tried that, what happened? Ralph brought her back to life. After everything you made me do, she didn’t die. Did you forget I lost my man because of it? He killed him before the whole pack because you were unable to do it cleanly.” Now you want to kill her again. How exactly?
I sat down on the cold floor in surrender, the weight of his words hitting me hard. “Now what should I do? I have to come up with something that would be effective,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Zac raked his fingers through his hair, pacing the room in frustration. “That’s one problem, but we have an even bigger one. She’s pregnant.”
I jolted up, walking over to him in shock. “Did I hear you wrong? She’s what?”
Zac stopped pacing and looked at me with a mixture of anger and resignation. “Are you deaf?” he snapped. “She’s fucking pregnant with Ralph’s child. This complicates things even more.”
I stared at him, my mind reeling from the revelation. The fire of my anger was momentarily doused by the sheer shock of the news. “Pregnant…?” I whispered, the word feeling foreign and heavy on my tongue.
Zac’s anger flared even more. “This means all my plans are in vain. It means one thing: I won’t be able to get what I want. And you, you have no chance of owning him. But that? I couldn’t care less.”
It was my turn to pace around the room, biting my nails as I thought hard. This revelation changed everything, and I needed a new plan. “Does Ralph know about it?” I finally asked, stopping to look at him.
“I’m not sure,” he replied, his voice tight. “If he knew, he would have told the pack. So I think he has no idea.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “How did you know she’s pregnant, though? And how sure are you?”
Zac didn’t hesitate. “I have Dahlia at my fingertips for any information I want.”
“Where is that witch?” I demanded.
“That information is for me alone,” he said, his tone final.
I huffed, frustration bubbling inside me. “Our mother is a powerful witch, but she doesn’t care about us. But another powerful witch under your control could help with what I have in mind.”
Zac furrowed his brows, suspicion evident in his eyes. “What are you getting at?”
“That witch can cast a spell that would erase Ralph’s memories from when he met the human,” I said, my voice low and determined. “We have to act quickly though before he finds out about her pregnancy.”
Zac’s eyes widened in shock, but then a calculating look took over. “That’s risky, Benita,” he cautioned. “Memory spells are dangerous, especially ones that involve altering someone’s past, especially for alphas. It could backfire.”
“I don’t care,” I said fiercely. “I can’t lose him to her, Zac. This is my only chance, so are you.”
“What do you say about it?”
Zac thought for a moment, clearly weighing the risks and benefits. Finally, he turned his attention to me. “Alright. I’ll get in touch with Dahlia. But if we do this, we need to be prepared for anything. There’s no turning back once we start.”