♕ Benji's P.O.V ♕ It's been nearly four years since I've inherited the Alpha position from my father. And over those four years, I've never had a problem with my promptness. Alaric tends to think I'm too anal about my schedule, but I beg to differ. When you're overseeing a large pack harboring nearly two hundred prisoners underground, you need to stick to a schedule. But, this morning I'm finding it extremely difficult to get my day started. I have the petite brunette sound asleep next to me to blame for that.I can't really say I'm upset about her late night visit, because that would just be a complete lie. A bit shocked, yes, but pleasantly. I could sense her anxiety rolling off her in waves before she even knocked on my door. Whenever she's near, my body goes into tunnel vison - all I see is her, all I hear is her, all I smell is her.I groan, digging my knuckles into my eyes to rub the sleep away. When my vision finally refocuses, my eyes immediately find their way to her.
"No.""But, I think it would be better if I -"Benji's sharp tone cuts me off. "I said no. It's final."It's times like this that I question if Benji and I have even made any progress in our relationship. The finality in his words are set in stone. He's firm in his opinion that he doesn't want me to come, but I don't care. I know better. Gwen will care if I'm there or not. I shift my weight in my seat, silently moving food around my plate as I contemplate my next step. Gwen is being temporary released from the cells in a holding room tonight, similar to where I stayed when I first got out. She'll get assigned her own personal Belinda to look after her before decisions are made on where she'll stay. Decisions that Benji doesn't want me involved with."I know you don't want me there," I start, catching the warning stare from his narrowing eyes. "but I know Gwen. She won't react well not knowing what's going on. It'll be good to have a familiar face.""A familiar face?" He ar
Jeremiah swings the door open abruptly at my confirmation, taking the lead in front of Benji and I. Compared to their staggering frames, I am practically invisible behind them, concealing Gwen and I from automatically seeing each other.At first, all that greets us is dead silence, until a familiar voice speaks up."Did you come back to untie me, asshole?"Her voice feels foreign on my ears. I haven't heard her direct, confident tone in what feels like forever. Jeremiah and Benji stand tall in the doorframe, unmoving, making it impossible for me to get around and see her. As a reflex, one of my hands shoots out to fist the back fabric of Benji's shirt, pre-emptively holding him back. His temper mixed with Gwen's brashness could lead to a potential disaster."Depends," Jeremiah begins to answer, his voice strained coming out through clenched teeth. "Are you going to behave or are you going to be a brat and try to attack me again?"Gwen's quick on her toes, answering almost right a
The moon looked beautiful, illuminating the dark sky with a soft hue. It was comforting to watch, putting some of my anxious thoughts at ease. I used the back of my hand to rub some of the sleep out of my eyes despite the ungodly hour. My eyes were red and puffy, any tears were long gone. I gave up on crying after Benji left the house hours ago.After leaving the pack house, we journeyed back to his home in silence. I had tried to reason with him, begging for him to change his mind on the cells in between tears. He offered me nothing in return, instead locking me in the home and sending guards to watch after me.At first I was sad, but in certain moments where I regain my sense, I'm angry. Furious that this is how he reacts during conflicts. No wonder he has such a bad track record with other packs - the second something doesn't go his way he blows up and revisits his former self. If this is how he reacts with Gwen, how can I realistically think this whole situation will work? How
My first kiss was with a pack boy named Tom. He was a scrawny little boy, even for our age. I didn't talk much and neither did he, so we gravitated towards each other in silence. My parents hadn't yet passed away, so I wasn't the pack's omega orphan just yet. I thought that was the scariest moment of my life. The way my heart thudded against my chest, threatening to break through the flesh.But, nothing could compare to the nail-biting energy I felt coursing through my veins after I pulled away from Benji. His lips were warm against my own, frozen in the moment. His body stilled, no longer intent on trying to turn away from me, but still unsure of what to do next. Benji clearly didn't expect the kiss, and honestly neither did I."Um...I'm sorry." I mumbled under my breath after silence filled the room, nipping at my nerves.It took him a moment to react, blinking away the shock from his face. "Don't," he quickly growled out, pouncing forward to close the gap between us again. His
The rest of the day passed by in a blur of colors and tuned out noises. My time with Gwen was short-lived when Benji came to collect me. He was happy to see I was in good spirits, but behind my tight-lipped smile, my head was alive with new worries and concerns. "It's only a rumor," Gwen had assured me before we left, sending me a comforting smile. "A lot of people say things down there. Hell, we used to say we would killer that bugger the second we had a chance, and look where we both are now? I wouldn't sweat it, really. If there was an issue, he'd tell you." I replayed the words in my head, letting my gaze slid over to the man beside me. Would he really tell me if there was an issue? It doesn't seem like Benji welcomes any cracks in his perfectly placed mask of being a fearless leader."What did you do today?" I asked, using the back of my fork to push around some vegetables on my plate. It was just the two of us, like usual, eating dinner in his dimly lit kitchen. He swallo
I woke up to screaming. I couldn't place who it was, there were too many voices yelling at once to tell them apart. The haze of my post-sleep confusion was short lived as someone pounded on the door of my pack room. "ATTACK!" They shouted, slamming their fists against the walls as a warning cry. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK." I gave myself a fleeting moment to register the words before I sprung into action, tripping over my tangled sheets. In the rush to escape, I didn't even bother with shoes, tearing the door open to see complete and utter chaos. The pack house was a mess, members running about in both their human and wolf forms, fleeing. They warned us. They told us we would be next. I tried my best to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it was too difficult. I was easy prey now. An orphaned Omega who can't even shift. My legs trembled as I ran down the hallway, trying to find any familiar face to help me. I was on my own. A threatening snarl echoed throug
I had almost forgotten about my unease until it hit me like a crashing wave. Relentless and without warning, in the place I least expected it. "I'm not much for gossiping, but I've heard an interesting rumor." I tore my gaze away from the kids playing in the open field, blissfully unaware to the fall winds that nipped at their skin. Ever since I came back to the daycare center, Elise has picked up on my change of moods. I tried my best to conceal it with a timid smile but I couldn't completely erase the worry from my expression. I thought looking after the pups would help distract me from my thoughts. Benji was increasingly busier by the day with pack business, and Gwen had become consumed with the difficulties of adjusting to a new life outside of the cells. Her feelings were at a delay, coming and going at odd times. Sometimes Gwen was herself - snarky and full of life with a witty comment to fire Jeremiah's way whenever he even attempted to approach her. But, other times, she
Benji flanked my side the entire way to the pack house. He slowed his strides, trailing closely next to me as we abandoned the silent sanctuary we inhabited to enter the main portion of the pack. I had gotten used to the heated stares, quick but curious, whenever I walked in the pack with one of their superiors. The stares were always worse with Benji, but he paid no mind. All he had to do was send one lazy sideway glance to a peeping pack member, and they would all scatter in fear. He was quick to leave me, mumbling something about having to get this conversation over with. His hands skimmed along the length of my arm for a fleeting moment as a goodbye, before turning on his heel to leave me with two wolves following my shadow. I stood in front of the familiar door he had left me at, knowing I was in good company, even if it wasn't him. I didn't bother to knock, retching the door open. Gwen didn't seem that surprised, not having many people to expect as a visitor. Her lips curled
I stare at him for a moment, gulping. Was he being serious? He wants me to attack him? I had asked for basic self defense skills, not to become a sparring warrior. Even if Dotty had trained me well, which she hadn't, I still wouldn't pose an ounce of a threat to Benji, of all people. "I, uh, um – I think Dotty may have exaggerated just a bit, about my..."His sudden laugh interrupts me, catching me off guard. Benji's nonchalant expression morphs to one of mildamusement, eyeing me. He interjects, "Stop, relax. I'm just joking." I furrow my eyebrows, clearly not getting his sense of humor. He continues, "Dotty told me your training sessions haven't been that fruitful. I was just joking.""Joking, huh...that's a new one." I take a deep breath to laugh off my previous indication, taking advantage of his good mood to tease him. "Yeah? Want to hear another joke?" Benji scoffs, gesturing to the floor. "Fifty push-ups. Now." "Oh, stop being such a grouch.""Now." Something is telli
I'm not sure exactly what I'm expecting when I open the door. But, one thing I definitely wasn't expecting, was a shirtless Benji to be greeting me. Standing in the middle of the entryway leaning against the back of the couch is Benji, shirtless in all his glory. He's clad in only black athletic shorts hanging almost dangerously too low on his hips and a pair of running sneakers. His head is downturned, distracted by whatever message he's furiously responding to on his phone. Always busy with pack business. He types away for a few moments before carelessly tossing his phone to the couch, looking up to finally acknowledge my presence. "Is that what you're wearing?"The heat that spreads quickly throughout my cheeks is humiliating at his simple comment. I shift the weight on my feet, glancing down at the simple outfit I had worn to the daycare. It was almost identical to every outfit I wore, yet he never complained before."You want me to change for dinner?" I ask incredulously,
♕ Aria ♕ "Well, well...look who we have here. I was starting to think one of the pups scared you away." Elise smiles from her spot in the center of the daycare. The echoing noise of the door gave my arrival away, announcing to not only Elise, but Noah, that I was back. With Dotty's 'training', it had pulled me away from the daycare center. While I had missed Elise's warm energy and the constant changing day with the pups, I welcomed the break. Ever since my unsettling encounter with Noah, I had been finding it harder to shake my unresolved nerves. I thought Dotty teaching me how to defend myself would help, but that didn't work out as well as I had planned. "And let them win? Never." I smile. Elise was quickly distracted by the arrival of the pups, deserting me with a simple wave. Noah stood rooted in his spot, leaning against the wall with a box full of crafts in his hands. He was dressed more professionally today, wearing slacks and a button down. From the corner of my eye,
( THIRD P.O.V ) Benji didn't like her spending so much time with his sister. It irked him more then he would care to admit. Was he jealous of her? It was a foreign concept to him, to be envious of his childish sister. But, a nasty territorial side of him surely was. He would rather it be him with her. Training her. Teaching her. But he couldn't. He didn't trust himself around her like that, in his wolf form. It had been getting harder to reason with his wolf as the promise of a threat grew by each day. They were both desperate to protect her, but had different ideas on how to. Where as Benji would prefer to keep her locked away in a guarded home, his wolf was needy to claim her. To warn people in his path that she was his, and anyone that hurt her would face the consequences. He was fighting an uphill battle with himself, and the growing threat wasn't helping. Devin Berkshire was just the beginning of a rebellion Benji was interested in humoring. There had been talk of escaped r
The gravel path turned to worn down grass as we got further and further away from Benji's property. The first thing I noticed was the noise - grunts, growls, and a chorus of commands. My strides stalled for a moment as Dotty continued to tug us towards the commotion. "Dotty..." I warned, eyeing her carefully. "I'm not sure I like whatever you have in mind for inspiration. Maybe we should just go back to you beating me up in Benji's backyard." "I do not beat you up!" She looked mildly offended, rolling her eyes. "And besides, we're already almost here. It'll be fun." A thunderous growl followed her words, echoing off the forest walls. Where I saw it as a warning sign, it only fueled Dotty's eagerness to stride forward. Dotty immediately noticed my hesitation, my heels digging into the earth, kicking up dirt in our path. "Don't worry. It's just the warriors." Dotty quickly explained, pulling on our arms again. "They're training today. I thought you might like to watch." This c
══════════════════ The morning air was sharp against my cheeks as I pushed open the back door. Like I expected, Dotty sat perched in the backyard, sitting criss-cross on the grass floor. She perked up as I got closer, turning to smile at me, waving enthusiastically. "Aria! Nine a.m sharp, wow. I would say I'm impressed by how prompt you are, but that seems pretty fitting for you." Her gaze flickered to the now shut back door before bouncing back to my approaching figure. "Is Alpha Dumbass coming out to say hello?" I cringed at her comment, knowing fully-well that she was still in ear shoot of Benji who had only left a few minutes before me. "I thought you said you weren't mad at him anymore." I shook my head slightly, offering her hand to help her up. A few days had passed since the breakfast incident, yet Dotty's anger still lingered. She promised me she would let it go, but it didn't seem that likely with her constant need to jab at him for it any chance she got. It was situati
♛ THIRD PERSON P.O.V ♛ The night before... The mildew scent clings to the cell walls, making the air thick and hard to swallow. There are so many different scents lingering underground: unfamiliar wolves, sweat, piss, and blood. So much blood. The iron aroma is so potent - so raw - that it makes the pack guards choke on their own saliva. They can taste it when they gulp, as if it's their own blood their smelling. But it's not their blood. It's Devin Berkshire's. A twenty-four year old wolf from the Sapphire pack. He's a prisoner who's always had a smart mouth on him, but never tested his luck. A sharp gaze that tracked your every move as he lurked in the back of his cell. He never went out of his way to make the new people feel welcomed. If anything, he was the first person to shove them to the front of the crowd when it came down to selecting for Cleaning Day. His philosophy was survival of the fittest. He wasn't down here to make friends. He had plenty of friends on the outside
The room was painfully silent as my question festered in the air. For a moment, all I could hear was Benji's labored breathing as he tried, and failed, to control his reaction. A snarl ripped through his chest, breaking the noise. "That's enough." He snapped, standing up from his seat so suddenly it screeched against the floor. "We're leaving." I hesitated, frozen in my seat. I had expected him to get mad, sure, but I didn't expect this level. When I didn't get up right away, he pulled on the back of my chair, startling me. "I said, we're leaving." He repeated through clenched teeth.Dotty got up before I did, thrusting herself between us. "Aria may be too nice, but I won't hesitate to rip your throat out if you keep this attitude with her." "Attitude?" He scoffed, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side. "Go back to playing dress-up or whatever you do with your free time. I don't need you to lecture me on how to talk to my mate.""Are you in heat or something? Your