Due to plagiarism, this series has been taken down. If you want to read it, it's available on Patreon at the link in my bio 💜

Ben's POV:

I woke up sweating and shaking, gasping for air like there wasn't enough of it to take in. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and tried to erase the image stuck in my mind. The one that would never stop haunting me. The one giving me nightmares that wouldn't go away.

Krystal. My mate. Her throat sliced in front of me.

I brought my knees up and rested my head between them, trying to breathe, trying not to see her choke on her own blood, trying not to watch her body collapse to the floor, her eyes wide open but her soul gone. It wouldn't go away, even though it'd been years. That image was never going away. Neither was the feeling of part of myself dying with her that day.

I'd never be complete again.

Throwing the sheet off me, I swung my legs to the side and got off the bed. I wouldn't be sleeping again after that, there was no point in trying. It wasn't even dawn yet but I was used to not sleeping. I hadn't been able to really sleep since I lost her.

Krystal.

A crazy part of me somehow hoped thinking her name through the bond that wasn't even there anymore would somehow bring her back, or at least give me something, some sort of connection to her soul. There was nothing. It was quiet and empty. Gone.

I set my head in my hands and pictured the few good moments I had with her. I never intended to be a higher-ranking wolf but once I caught her scent in those dungeons, I knew my only way in was to make my previous Alpha trust me enough to guard the cell. It felt like forever before I finally worked my way up and was given a shift alone with her. I could still see her light brown, honey hair, her jade green eyes, her delicate features...

My hand moved from my head to my neck where she'd marked me. It was supposed to stay forever but after I lost her, it started to fade. It was no longer a bright, white and silver mark. It was faded to the point there was no beautiful sheen like there used to be, just a faint white mark that could only be seen when the light hit just right.

I shook my head and fought back against the tightening in my chest, the stinging in my eyes. I worked so hard to build up my strength so I could get to her, help her escape those dungeons. If only you'd been strong enough to keep her from dying. My nails dug into my scalp and I stood up, not bothering to get dressed or even go down the stairs. I tugged my boxers off and opened up my window . I jumped down from the second floor of the pack-house, rolling when I landed before finding my footing and shifting to my wolf form, running for the trees.

I joined the patrols and they didn't bother asking why I was up. They stopped asking a long time ago why I'd randomly join the patrols in the middle of the night when I'd already run others earlier in the day. Being one of the Betas did give me the benefit of not having to answer a lot of questions I didn't feel like answering.

I ran for hours and widened the patrol just to be alone for a bit, checking past the borders and paying attention for any unfamiliar scents. Everything was out of hand since our world meshed with the human world. The hound issue was out of hand. So were rogues. We were either scenting them or seeing them growing closer to our borders over the last few weeks and it meant everyone was on edge even more than usual. Patrols were running longer and more frequent, and I was pushing out farther every time to see if I could find a track that would tell me where they were holing up. I guessed it had to be close but hadn't found anything yet.

I got back to the pack house a little past dawn and there were some clothes sitting on the porch. I already knew who put them there and mentally prepared myself for an intervention once I got inside. Sighing, I shifted back to my human form and rolled my shoulder to work out the kinks of the shift before putting the clothes on and heading inside.

The smell of bacon and eggs had my stomach growling and I followed that scent down the hall, to the left and into the kitchen. Sebastian was cooking breakfast at the stove while my Luna was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in her hands, her eyes seeming to wait to catch me the moment I walked in the door.

"Hi there, early riser," Tess greeted, tilting her head to the side. "Get a nice run in?"

"Yeah," I nodded, walking over and taking the seat across from her.

There was no point in avoiding her. I couldn't avoid her. She was my pack leader and she was persistent. I could at least be thankful she was careful about the way she approached me. She waited until Sebastian finished cooking, laid some food out for us, and put the rest in the oven to stay warm until the others got here. They would normally be here already and I had a feeling Tess had something to do with the fact they weren't.

As soon as Sebastian left, Tess sat up and rested her elbows on the table, giving me that unfaltering stare I admired from the moment I recognized her as my Luna. "Nightmares again?" She asked.

I nodded. She sighed and took a sip of her coffee before setting it down. She looked at me expectantly but I stayed silent, crossing my arms.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked.

"Ben," Tess said, narrowing her eyes. "Seriously my dude, I know it's not easy. I know it was awful. I know you don't want to talk about it," she said, reaching across the table and holding her hands palms up, waiting for me to give in. "But you can't live like this. You can't. I don't even understand how you're still functioning when you sleep two hours a night."

"I'm fine," I assured her, setting a hand in hers at least to give her reassurance. I'd learned very quickly that while my Alpha was anything but affectionate, his mate was the complete opposite. She was sometimes overly affectionate compared to what we were used to. "Seriously. I'm used to it. Don't worry about me."

"You know I can feel how much you're lying, right?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "In case you've forgotten, I'm your Luna. We're connected," she said, squeezing my hand. "I know how much you are so not okay."

"I just need to work through it," I assured her. "I'm fine. I'll be fine."

"It's been years," Tess pointed out. "I'm beginning to think you might need some help working through it."

"I don't," I shrugged, releasing her hand and picking up a piece of bacon. "I'm fine."

"You're not supposed to lie to your pack leaders," she said, picking up her coffee and taking another sip. "And yet, lies are all you have for me when I try to check in with you. Don't you trust me, Benedict?"

"Of course I trust you," I frowned. "That's not what it is. I just..." I trailed off and glanced out the window, suddenly feeling like the room was too small. "I just can't, Luna. I can't... I can't relive it."

"I get it," she said, her tone softening. "I just want to take care of you. You're my Beta, you can understand that I desperately just want you to feel okay at least half of the time, right?"

"I feel okay at least half of the time," I said, bringing my gaze back to her and offering a smile.

"Fucking liar," she said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. I think you and I need a little outing where I get you shit-faced and you open up to me."

"Oh Goddess," I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. "I'll be sick for days if I drink with you." It was true. My Luna could hold her liquor better than anyone else in this house. In this pack. Possibly just better than anyone else period.

"Don't worry," my Alpha said, walking in the room and past me towards Tess. "We have too much to do for her to do it soon. I'd prepare if I were you," Kane said, bending down and placing a kiss against Tess's mark. "Morning beautiful," he murmured, kissing her lips.

"Morning," she said, a smile creeping on her face.

I looked away and rolled my eyes. Watching them together was not going to help anything.

"Get a fucking room." Hunter, one of the Gammas entered the room, grumbling and rubbing his eyes.

"Or you could just leave this room," Tess pointed out.

"You can't do it in the kitchen," Hunter scowled, taking a seat. "That's unsanitary."

"Oh but we have done it in the kitchen," Tess said, raising her eyebrows. "On this very table," Tess teased, patting the table.

Hunter and I simultaneously pushed away from the table. "Ew," Hunter fake-gagged. "What is wrong with you two? We eat here."

"Yeah, Kane eats here too," she said, winking.

"Oh my Goddess," I said, wrinkling my nose. "That's it. I'm eating breakfast somewhere else."

"Me too," Hunter agreed.

"Stop being such babies, I'm fucking with you," Tess said, rolling her eyes. "And no one's leaving because we have important matters to discuss."

Kane nodded in agreement and sat next to Tess, dropping his arm over her shoulder and stealing a piece of bacon from her plate. Tess smacked his hand but he ignored her and ate in anyway, making her scowl.

"Don't take my food," she scolded.

"Sorry, baby, I'll make it up to you," he promised, smirking.

"Thank Goddess the bathroom is nearby so we can go vomit," Hunter said flatly, glaring at the two of them.

"I think we're making them uncomfortable," Tess giggled.

"You think?" Mia, another of the Gamma's asked as she walked in and leaned back against the sink, crossing her arms and looked pissed off. But that was Mia. She was pissed off most the time but she was also a good friend and didn't normally stay in the pack-house. She was probably only here because Tess asked her to be.

I glanced over and gave her a small smile. She returned it the only way she could, with not a smile at all but at least less of a scowl and a slight nod of her head. For Mia, that was a lot, and it made everyone jealous that she only showed that soft side to me- outside of her twin brother, of course.

"All right, all right," Tess said, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving Kane away as he nuzzled into her neck. "We have a situation."

"The hounds," Hunter nodded.

"Not just the hounds," Tess said, shaking her head. "We have to do a raid."

"Again?" Hunter sighed. "We never used to have to do that."

"Well, something's up," Tess shrugged. "It's been out of control and they've taken it too far. They're kidnapping humans, fae, vamps, other wolves. The humans are especially an issue given the fact half the world adores us and the other half is looking for any possible excuse to kill us. We have to deal with it."

"How did we get this information?" Mia asked.

"Someone's sister," Kane answered. "She called us last night, said she believes her brother is there. Asked for the Elder's help. We sent Connor and Nessa out last night and they confirmed they're holed up in an old building only a few miles away. They could identify several different scents and from what they overheard, it wasn't good. We need to move quickly before more people get hurt."

"But I don't see a reason to involve the Elders," Tess interjected. "They have enough on their plates. Our pack can handle it."

"Technically, you are an Elder," Hunter pointed out. "So technically, the Elders are involved."

"You know what I mean, smartass," Tess said, narrowing her eyes and throwing a grape at Hunter.

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"Tonight," Kane said. "It's unfortunately not that far from human homes. We'll need darkness on our side to go unnoticed, just to be safe. The last thing we need is humans seeing us fighting amongst ourselves and writing another article about how untamed we are."

The word was said with an air of bitterness everyone related to. Humans got in wars all the time, had shootings, had serial killers and civil wars, and yet we somehow seemed unpredictable and dangerous to them.

"Who's going?" Mia asked.

"You and me are hanging back," Tess answered, nodding to Mia. "But the rest of you are going. Ben, all the Gammas, and a group of Deltas. I want everyone to be careful," Tess said, looking at Hunter and I. "Because this doesn't seem to be your average rogue hideout. The only reason I'm hanging back is because of stupid Elder business otherwise I'd be there with you. I'm not taking any chances so Zach is planning to use the serum that prevents them from shifting. He'll gas it up and then you'll move in."

"We should only shift if we have to," Kane added. "There's no reason to make it more of a blood bath than it will already be and we need to be sensitive to the ones that we rescue. We'll carry silver with and tranquilizers with us."

"Sounds good," I nodded. "What time?"

"Midnight," Kane answered. "Be ready."

A/N:

Heyyy loves! So excited to start this one with you! Let me know your thoughts 💜

This book and the next two are completed on Patreon and we're over 40 chapters into Dean and Mia's story 💜 Link in my bio

Is anyone else crying for Ben rn? 😭

lol Tess with the 'Kane eats here too' 💀

Hmmm what do you think will go down at this raid? 👀

Take care, loves 💜