Chapter 4 - Ben

Where is Kane?  I have tried repeatedly to get someone to try and search for my best friend, but everyone seems to just ignore me.  Well, not everyone is ignoring me.  Kane's father, Beta Malcolm, has sent search groups out, but they keep coming up empty. 

How could Kane just disappear like that?  I know that he has to be miserable and in pain right now.  I could see it in his face as Alpha Marcus announced that his son, Mike, has finally found his mate. 

I wanted to stand up and scream that the girl isn’t Mike’s mate, but I can’t.  It isn’t acceptable for someone like me to stand up against Alpha Marcus.  Now, Kane could do it, but I know that he won’t.  He has kept the identity of his mate secret from everyone except me for the last two years.  He only has a couple more months before Mike turns 18 and Mike would then be able to find his mate on his own.  However, that all has come crashing down in an instance. 

If only Kane had told his dad, Beta Malcolm would have been able to say something, and he probably would have been able to stop this whole mess.  Not only did Kane get deprived of his true mate, but the girl’s true mate, whoever it is, is deprived too. 

So many lives have been altered, and for what?  An Alliance?  Well, I hope that the moon goddess teaches those idiots a lesson.

My only glimmer of hope is that I can still feel Kane through the mind link.  He has blocked the pack from linking to him, but he is still alive.  I know that Beta Malcolm and his wife can sense it too, but it doesn’t help us trying to locate him.  I don’t know what I’ll do if that connection with Kane ends.  No.  I’m not going think about it.  That won’t happen.

It has been weeks since Kane has left.  I haven’t been able to leave the pack and go back to the university yet either.  It would be of no use anyway.  I can’t concentrate on anything but finding Kane. 

Ugh.  Do you think that if I ask Beta Malcom to let me go find Kane, he will let me? 

I glance around the living room of the pack house.  I wonder if anyone would go with me if I went.

However, my blood instantly begins to boil as my eyes land on Mike and the whore.  Oh, excuse me.  Her name is Bambi.  Even her name sounds like a stripper name. 

I can’t stand to look at them for very long since Bambi has her arm draped around Mike’s shoulder as she sits on the armrest of the couch while Mike is seated on the couch with a game controller in his hand.  I can’t help but to mentally laugh at how the slut is trying to rub her hip up against Mike’s arm while he completely ignores her while he focuses in on the game. 

Even though I find that hilarious, I have to fight the urge to hurl though because Bambi has kept her hair pulled back proudly displaying her mark.  That mark should be on Kane’s neck instead of her neck.  Kane wants to be happy with his mate, but he isn’t allowed. 

I hope when I find my mate that I don’t have deal with the same situation as Kane has dealt with.  Well, I know one thing for sure.  I will rip my mate’s balls off and shove them down his throat if he does something like what Mike has done. 

Oh, let’s not think about that right now.  We have to first find Kane and then I’ll worry about my mate. 

Ugh.  What am I going to do?

I turn my attention away from Mike and Bambi as I think of my options.  However, no matter how many times that I think about it, there is only one option.  I have to go looking for him. 

I have never told anyone, but I have this ability to sense where some people are.  At a young age, I could always tell where Kane is long before I actually could find him.  I don’t know how to explain it, but there seems to be a bond there.  I have that same connection with my family and a few other people.

That is why I know that Kane is still alive.  I can sense him, and I know that he is somewhere northeast of our pack. 

I sigh as I make up my mind.  I really have only one option.  I have to ask Beta Malcom for permission to go try to find Kane by myself. 

I turn towards the hallway, and I walk out of the room while I try my hardest to ignore Mike and the bitch.

***

Beta Malcolm stops the car at the local bus station and as he turns off the engine, he says, “Now, I want you to check in every day, regardless.  I don’t want to have two missing omegas from our pack.  I wish you would agree to having someone go along with you.  You have no idea how dangerous it is out here, especially for an omega.”

I still can’t believe that Beta Malcolm is letting me do this.  However, I have a feeling that he didn’t ask Alpha Marcus about this.  Well, the alpha doesn’t seem too concerned about a little old omega even if it is his Beta’s son. 

I guess Mike doesn’t fall too far from the tree.  It still shouldn’t surprise me that Alpha Marcus is the one who came up with the stupid plan to get Mike mated to someone other than his true mate.  I know that his wolf can tell.  I just can’t figure out why Mike can’t figure it out.  Plus, did Alpha Marcus forget that it will be hard for Bambi to produce an heir since Mike isn’t her true mate.  It is a given that at some point Mike is going to have to have an heir to continue on the lineage and to lead the pack in future years.  How is he going to do that without getting Bambi pregnant? 

Shoot.  Why am I even worrying about something like this?  I need to focus on Kane.

I glance over at Beta Malcolm and nod my head.  “I know.  I will call every night and let you know what I’ve been able to find that day.  I won’t forget.  I promise.”

Beta Malcolm turns in his seat towards me.  “And don’t forget to call your parents too.”

A smile dances across my face as I nod my head.  “I won’t forget.  Don’t worry.”

He leans back in the driver’s seat and reaches inside his suit jacket.  He pulls out a wand of cash and hands it to me.  “Here is some money.  Don’t lose it.  I won’t be able to get any more money to you without people knowing.”

I look down at the wad of cash.  I don’t have to ask what he is referring to.  Without admitting to it, he just confirmed my assumptions.  He never asked Alpha Marcus to allow me to go look for Kane.  So, he can’t have anyone find out that I’m searching for Kane.

I nod my head and mumble, “Thanks.  I’ll be careful.”

I take the cash and pull enough bills off to pay for my bus ticket and then I put the rest in my pocket.  I need to make this stretch, but I’m still holding out hope that I can find Kane rather quickly. 

I glance back over at Beta Malcolm.  I don’t know if it is the morning sun or he is losing is ability to hide his emotions, because I can clearly tell by his frown and the creases across his forehead that he is worried.  I’m not going to lie.  I’m really worried too.  It has been a month since Kane disappeared.

The only reason that Beta Malcolm has finally agreed to let me go look is that I wouldn’t leave him alone.  Plus, when the last search came back with nothing, Alpha Marcus refused to send out anyone else to look for Kane.  Beta Malcolm couldn’t handle it.  He wants to find his son. 

I reach my hand out and gently pat Beta Malcolm’s shoulder, as I softly chime, “I will find him.  I promise.”

Beta Malcolm looks at me and for a few moments we just stare at each other.  We don’t have to say anything.  We both know that this is our final and only option left.  It has to work this time. 

After a few minutes, Beta Malcolm takes a deep breath and slowly nods his head. 

I mumble softly, “Thanks.”  I don’t wait for Beta Malcolm to respond as I open the car door and get out.  I quickly grab my large bag from the back seat and walk away from the car and towards the bus station. 

I hope this works.  The only thing that I know for sure is that I need to head northeast.  Maybe as I get closer to Kane, I will be able to feel his presence more and I’ll know then for sure where I’m going.

Beta Malcolm watches Ben’s back as Ben disappears into the bus station.  Ben is his last hope.  If Ben doesn’t find Kane, he doesn’t know what he’ll do.  He doesn’t want to give up, but what is left? 

If Beta Malcolm had only known that Kane is Mike’s true mate sooner, he could have stopped this whole nightmare from even happening.  However, Beta Malcolm didn’t even protest when Alpha Marcus said that Bambi was Mike’s mate. 

Beta Malcolm should have known that the alpha wouldn’t know, but Beta Malcolm believed the alpha when he said that Bambi was the one that said Mike is her mate.  Yes, Bambi is older and that alone didn’t trigger any warning flags.  However, Beta Malcolm should have realized that something was off when he saw Bambi for the first time coming into the pack house.  She was too calm.

If she was truly Mike’s mate and with her being 19, she should have gone a little bonkers with her mate nearby.  However, she didn’t seem to be pulled towards Mike at all. 

Now, Beta Malcolm knows that this was all a sick game. 

He is also positive that Alpha Marcus is behind this farce.  Well, he is sure that the neighboring pack is pretty happy with the new alliance, but they wouldn’t have been able to get close to Mike if it wasn’t for his own father helping.  However, Beta Malcolm still is trying to figure out why the alpha would do something like that to his own son. 

Did the alpha forget that Mike will still feel a little lost?  Yes, the bond with Bambi will be there, but it won’t be like it would have been if Mike is mated with his true mate. 

Beta Malcolm sighs as he runs his hand through his hair.  How is he going to fix this mess?  Or can it be fixed?