Her Arranged Alpha Husband by Alicia Banks
Chapter 19
Ben
His father wanted to see him. He wanted to congratulate him in person for the heirs that would be there soon.
“I hear she is beautiful.”
“You could have gone out to greet us. Everyone else was there.”
James waved his son off. “I knew that you weren’t going to miss me. You barely want to be here right now. Fate really did a number on you, son, didn’t it?”
Ben asked him what he was talking about, and he was surprised that his dad seemed to know how smitten he was. He was head over heels in love with Teri and that had nothing to do with Fate. Sure, they had brought them together, but there was something there, a connection that was just Ben and Teri, and no one else got to say that it was because of them.
“I guess I should be thanking you for needing to be saved all those years ago, Father.” Ben said it with a smile, knowing that his father would hate to admit it.
“Yes, I was young. It’s shameful now that Ross helped me. I did make a promise though, and I have now fulfilled it. I am sorry if you feel like you have been slighted.”
Ben assured him that he didn’t feel that way at all. “She is more than I could ask for.” Ben meant it too. He had never imagined that he would love his wife as much as he did. Teri was a treat, and he couldn’t stand how it had all turned out. He didn’t deserve to be so happy.
“Now, son, you can tell the truth. She has black hair from what I hear. I wouldn’t have thought that she would have her father’s coloring. Is she at least pretty?”
Ben agreed that she was, but he didn’t like the way his father was talking about his mate. It wasn’t something that was going to happen, it had already happened. They were together, bonded. Why was his father talking about her in a sense that she wasn’t going to be around for long? Why did Ben feel like his father had something up his sleeve? He had been gone a little over a month, but there were some changes that Ben couldn’t put his finger on. He didn’t understand exactly what it was all about, but something was in the air, and he didn’t like it at all.
“Did you really call me here to ask about my wife? You could have seen for yourself a little while ago.”
James smiled at his son, but then frowned before he asked him what had changed. “You’ve haven’t been gone that long, but you hold yourself up like a man. She ignored you for weeks, so why are you coming back defending her against me of all people? I made you do this, son.”
Ben was confused with what his father wanted. He didn’t know what he was looking for him to say, but he obviously wasn’t saying it.
“How do you know how it went when we were in her village?” Ben wanted to know. His father had been spying on him? Through who?
James grinned. “Son, you act like I don’t know all. I know what is going on with you all the time. Is there something that you are trying to hide from me?”
Ben agreed that there wasn’t. He and his father didn’t have the best relationship, but it was even more tenuous than usual. He didn’t know what to say to him and since he was acting so weird, Ben had no idea how to respond. He wanted to get along with his father, but it was just too hard. When James was acting so strangely, Ben didn’t know what to do.
“I just wanted to catch up, Ben, make sure that you are okay.”
Ben assured him that he was fine. He wasn’t. He had a lot on his mind, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t something else going on. He didn’t want to deal with his dad at the moment. He wanted to go to Teri and make sure that she was getting herself acquainted with everything that was going on. He knew that there was a lot that she needed to ask and find out. He wanted to be there for her, never leaving her side, but James wanted to talk for a bit. By the time he was ready to get away from his dad, hours had gone by, and Ben was for some reason more nervous than usual. He had a sinking feeling that something bad had happened, though he couldn’t pinpoint what made him feel that way.
***
Because he had been gone for so long, Ben was stopped by several people as he made his way back to the house. He knew that Teri was waiting there for him and that was all that mattered. He didn’t want to rush everyone that wanted to stop and say hello, but it wasn’t helpful for him at all. Ben wanted to get to his destination and all he could think was that she would be ready for him. They’d made love several times since the first time, but Ben didn’t think that he was ever going to be able to get sick of it. He was so into her, into the moment, that it took him several minutes to figure out that she wasn’t even there.
The room was empty, and Ben looked around quickly. The bathroom door was closed, so he figured that was where she would be. He was so convinced of it, that when she wasn’t in the bathroom, he didn’t know what to do. Ben just stared at the empty rooms for several more seconds before he started to realize that he was on his way out. He tore out of the rooms, then searched the rest of the house quickly. It was big, but he was determined, and it didn’t take any time at all.
Once he realized that she wasn’t in the house, Ben had to find out where she was. He asked a few people that were around, and they said that they had seen someone leaving the house earlier. The only reason that she was noticed was because she had on his shawl. It was the one from his room and it’s not that it was his that made it unique. It was the fact that it wasn’t near thick enough or warm enough for anyone, even his own people. His father had talked his ear off, and it was dark when he got back. That meant that the darkness had brought about some cold that she wouldn’t be prepared for. It would be their first night together in his home, and it was much colder than she was used to. If she had taken off in the cold with nothing but the shawl on, Ben worried about what that would mean for her. It wasn’t a way that would make it easier to deal with it. She had no idea where to go, and she could easily get lost in the mountains. Traversing his home was hard and he would have liked a chance to teach her how to do it. It was too late now. Where was she going? Was she trying to get away from him?
Ben didn’t know what to think of any of it. He was worried about if he was going to find her at all. While she was likely safe from attack in the village, if she went too far outside of it, she would not have the same protection. Ben wasn’t sure what he was worried about more, the cold or the enemies that his kind couldn’t seem to shake. Then he thought of the fact that she was carrying his children and it made it all the more important to find her as quickly as he could. His whole life was Teri now and he wasn’t going to let her go, no matter how easy his dad made it out to be.
***
Ben searched for her, trying to make heads or tails of what was going on. He thought that she was happy, that she loved him, why would she leave like she did? It didn’t make any sense to him. The only thing that he could think was that she was scared. She must have taken off because she was afraid to live there, afraid of their love, Ben didn’t know. He thought that her fear would have subsided. He tried his best to make sure that it happened.
When he couldn’t find her though, Ben started to blame himself. It wasn’t the first time that he’d wished he had kept her at the Valley where she was safe. There were no enemies there and no one was trying to kill her. Likely she was a lot better off than in the cold climate as well. To Teri, there wasn’t much that could happen to make it better. She had been shivering since they were halfway up the country. The closer they got to home and Ben feeling like he was where he was supposed to be, the worse Teri felt. Was what he asked of her too much?
Ben hated himself. He was silently cursing himself with every step he took to find her. She had to be somewhere, but Ben had no idea where. His eyes were accustomed to the snow and the blizzard that was raising a ruckus around him. He was used to the cold quiet that came when the snow was high and impeding travel of nature too. Everything was up for the night, except a few. Ben felt alone. He wolfed out after a time, trying to see if he could pick up her scent, but there was nothing that was going to make it in the storm and wind. There were no footprints. Ben didn’t know what to do, but he was ready to go back and try another path when he saw a shape that could be Teri slumped at the bottom of a tree.
His heart leapt into his chest because Ben didn’t know if she was alive or not. He only knew that she looked bluish when he got closer and that made him steel himself to what he was going to find. He wanted to believe positive with a fury, hoping that whatever came next, he would figure it out. Teri was there, and then she was in his arms as he lifted her up with care. Ben couldn’t believe that she was so cold, her lips blue, as well as her skin. She was breathing though, just barely, and that was all Ben needed to have faith that it was all going to work out okay.
He held her close and after realizing how far from the village they were, Ben took her somewhere closer where he could help her warmed up and get back to her old self. Ben hated to see her like that, all vulnerable and ready for something to go wrong. He took her to a cabin that was about a half a mile from there. Teri had barely moved, just enough to snuggle closer to his chest. Those tiny movements were all that were needed for him to realize that he was going to have to get her down and warmed up soon. She was still too cold for his liking.
