Her Arranged Alpha Husband by Alicia Banks
Chapter 29
Ben
After Ben picked up the stones, he had to fight his brother. While Mark had been his best friend for a long time, there was a part of Ben that was able to hate him anyway. The plot that he had with his dad, that involved Teri, his kids and all the rest, there was no way that Ben was going to be able to let him live. Maybe at some point in the beginning, but not too long after that, Ben knew that he had to take him out. It wasn’t easy, they both fought hard, but Ben was triumphant, even if it was just because he didn’t want anything to happen to Teri. That was enough to give him all of the strength that he wanted.
Ben wasn’t sure how pissed off Teri was going to be that he had not only took off without her, but also that he had locked her in. Teri didn’t listen and while he knew that she was only trying to help, her intentions wouldn’t stop her from getting hurt. He didn’t regret locking her up, but Ben had to imagine that Teri was going to be pissed when he finally got there. He was going to have to make it up to her in some way. Ben had a smile on his face as he got close to the last stretch. The snowmobile was loud, and he didn’t hear anything off, but his eyes saw something off and he stopped. There was smoke in the air, the acrid smell made his nose wrinkle.
All of a sudden, Ben really saw what was in front of him. The trees were still blocking a view of the cabin, but he already knew that all of the smoke that was coming was from the cabin burning down. Ben was beside himself because he had locked his wife in the cabin. He had made sure that she was safe… Did that mean that he had made sure that she was burned up?
When he got to a point where he could see the cabin engulfed in flames, there was nothing that Ben could do but stare at it for several seconds. There was no way that he was going to get to anyone before they died. He was in shock. He could see that the cabin was almost all the way burned up. It had been burning for a while. Ben just stared ahead, not sure what to do or who to be mad at. He needed one or the other.
Ben tried to get close enough so that he could get inside, see if Teri was still alive, but he knew that it was all a waste of time. It was quite clear to him that nothing good was going to come if he got inside. He would likely get killed himself. Just being there, his face felt hot like he was going to get burned up too. The cabin was up in flames and his wife was in there, his kids, his whole new life that made him happier than he had ever been.
All of that ran through Ben’s head and he was flabbergasted by how angry he could be. It didn’t make any sense. All he could do was think about how he had messed everything up. He should have gotten it all out earlier. He shouldn’t have tried to hold Teri back. He shouldn’t have… There were too many to not see them coming. As much as Ben wanted to tell Teri she was right and everything had worked out, Ben couldn’t now. He was full of power, more than he’d ever had. He felt great, and he wanted to tell her. She was no longer able to hear anything he had to say.
Ben couldn’t stop the anger that surged through him, along with the extra power that he had picked up from destroying the stones after he killed Mark. Today was one of the biggest changes in his life. Ben had a lot of hate and bitterness that he had to push toward something and since there was only one more person on his list, he went to go find his dad. It was James that had made it happen. Surely he had been the one to order the cabin burned. Ben was going to make sure that his father didn’t get to breathe anymore. He had ruined his life trajectory and his heirs, all because of what? Ben didn’t even care. That was how mad he was. There was nothing that James could say that would fix anything. He hated him more than he could have ever thought possible.
He couldn’t think about why he was angry. He couldn’t think about the fact that Teri was gone, and she wasn’t coming back. That was the worst part of it and though Ben knew that Teri wasn’t a violent person, he liked to think that she would approve of what he was going to do next.
***
Ben made himself known as soon as he got to the village. It wasn’t like he had to hide it anymore, the animosity and the truth that he had found out. He knew that his father had put a spin on why he had taken and destroyed the stones, but Ben didn’t care. He had freed his people, so whether they were mad or not was fine, but now it wouldn’t hurt anyone. Now, they wouldn’t be tracked down and attacked all of the time for those white, glowing stones. They had a few more powers that could be let go and then the clan could live normally. His father had made them a warring clan, but it didn’t need to be that way. Ben was ready to change all of that and his clan’s trajectory into the future. His dad was in his way. He needed to step down or he would be removed in another way.
He found James where he was supposed to be. He had an office where he went to hide and contemplate things. It was his Contemplation Room after all. Ben had always wanted one of his own. He had wanted to be like his dad in so many ways. Now, Ben just felt like he didn’t know his father at all.
“What are you doing here? Where is Mark?” Did his voice have a touch of real concern?
Ben smiled and shut the heavy door behind him. What was going to happen next all depended on his father. Since he had known him his whole life, Ben knew that his dad found it impossible to let things go. He would give him the opportunity to walk away, but that didn’t mean that he was going to take it. Ben was happy for that temperament, because he didn’t know if he would be able to sleep at night if he was still alive and breathing. The very idea of it really worked him up and there was no need for any of it.
“I killed your son, just like you killed my wife and children. I know that doesn’t make us even, but if you walk away now, I won’t kill you. I don’t think you deserve to live, but some do.” Ben said it all without much emotion. He didn’t want to be so cold about it, but he felt nothing else. Teri was the one that made him feel like he was worth something. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Teri was the light and now he was sent back to the darkness. There was no light left. Ben was void of anything that made him feel human. His darkness was cold and rigid, like his heart.
His dad laughed, but the sound didn’t last very long. He must have seen for himself that Ben wasn’t going for it. “I can’t believe that you got the best of Mark.”
“Well, you seem to have picked the wrong kid. Were there more floating around that you were getting rid of too?” Ben asked snidely. He wasn’t sure what he would do if there were, but he certainly had an idea. His way of seeing things was very different now after Teri.
His father didn’t say anything else, he just eyed him. Ben had a feeling that it was about to be a battle, but he was ready. He was ready when he turned into a shifter and went for him. Ben was so powerful that he didn’t even need time to prepare. He smacked his father down and made him turn back to his human form.
“What have you done?”
Ben laughed. “I did what you wanted. I dug up the stones, and then I smashed them.”
James tried to protest and fight, but Ben wasn’t having it. He moved quickly and sent the blade into his father’s chest. He stood there with him for several moments, helping him to the ground when it was hard for him to stand any longer. “What have you done?”
Ben knew that even though the question was toward him, it wasn’t like the question was really for him. It was instead being asked because he couldn’t believe he had not gotten his way. Ben wanted to feel bad, but all of the goodness that was inside of him was now a dead zone. He felt empty and Ben tried to feel something. He wanted to, but he didn’t. As he watched his father die, all he saw in his mind’s eye was the cabin and it burning up. Ben could never regret getting revenge for Teri.
When it was all over, Ben was dragging ass. He had several more people to visit, fight, possibly kill before he was done. Anyone that was involved with what happened to Teri had to be punished. That ended up being five other people that were close to his father. Ben was exhausted and a week had passed before he made his way back home. He couldn’t stand to go to his rooms though, so he went to see his mother first. He had to tell her the news, how he had failed. Ben didn’t want to admit to anything that he had done or failed to do.
He was now the Alpha, like he was always supposed to be. He wasn’t handed the reins like he should have been. Instead, he was made the Alpha after his dad was found dead. No one suspected that it was Ben that ended his life. Ben couldn’t believe that he was ever going to be able to deal with any of them again. He had done too much and now he had to go be in front of his mom. He worried that she would somehow know why. He hated the idea of that more than anything else. She had helped him, but would she accept the death of her husband and who Ben had become?
When he knocked on the door, his hands were heavy, knowing the bad news that he was carrying. It wasn’t just about the death of her husband, but also her grandkids and how it was his fault. Ben would never be able to look at it any other way. He had failed her. Ben took a deep breath. How was he supposed to tell his mother the bad news? Ben didn’t even know if he would be able to get it out. He was so worked up and Ben knew that there was nothing that he could do about it.
Teri was gone, his kids were gone. The more Ben thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn’t ready to say all of that out loud. He just wouldn’t be able to manage it. He was turning around and walking away when his mom called to him. “Son, are you just going to leave without saying hello?”
Her voice was so sweet and innocent. That was because she had no idea what was about to go down. Ben turned to her and smiled, feeling sad, and Ben knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again. He couldn’t even look at her without the guilt of it all creeping in. Ben found it to all be more than he could have ever imagined. His eyes started to redden. How could he tell her?
“Is that him, Jill? Is he finally here?”
He heard her voice before he saw her. Teri was suddenly standing there in front of him, seconds behind his mother, before she moved forward and leapt into his arms. Ben almost didn’t have a chance to catch her as she started to launch into his arms.
His arms trembled as he held her, wondering if he was awake or not. This couldn’t be real. How was she standing there?
Ben thought his eyes were deceiving him. Was he in a dream?
