Chapter 13: Ghost of Samuel's Past

**Benjamin**

Ryan and I arrived to find my parents' car and his dad's red truck already parked in my driveway, and just as we walked through the front door, an unexpected smell of rose hit and took us by surprise. Ryan's face suddenly paled in distress, and mine flushed with concern at the instant realization that Roxanne was also here with my parents. 

But if my sister was in my house, where the hell was my mate? I couldn't catch her delicious scent among the others, and as a billion questions raced through my mind, panic began to creep in. Tonight was only Mina's second in Jester, so why had Roxanne left her behind, all alone? 

Something was wrong, I could feel it walking into the living room, and the moment my eyes fell on my sister's ashamed and guilty face, Silas too began to writhe in a frenzy.

"Where is she?" I yelled aloud, already beside myself.

My four guests quickly jumped to their feet, startled by my voice, and when she saw my angered eyes studying hers, Roxanne cowered right back into the couch.

"I-uh. I…" she stammered, casting her gaze to the floor as Ryan, who had silently followed me, settled protectively behind her. 

"You what, Roxy? Where's Mina? Did you leave her alone?" I asked, growing more impatient with each passing second.

"She's fine, Benji," my father interjected in his most reassuring tone as he walked over to me. "She fell asleep earlier, and she's resting. We didn't want to wake your mate," he explained calmly. 

"His mate?" Ronan now asked, stunned as he looked at each of us. "Benji, you found your mate? Bless the Goddess! When? Who is she?"

"It's, uh, it's a- It's a long story," I muttered, still looking to my dad as he guided me to an open seat next to my mother. "Are you sure she's okay?" I asked him under my beard.

My father slowly nodded then turned to Ronan, who, still shocked, was speaking a little louder.

"What does it mean, Benjamin?" the former Beta asked. "You found your mate or not?"

"Oh, he found her. He's just planning on rejecting her," his son replied for me and earned the appalled stares and gasps of everyone in the room.

"What?" they all screamed before turning to me.

"Benjamin, you can't be serious?" my mother blurted out. "I thought you've always wanted a mate? Why would you do this? You're an Alpha, Benjamin. Have you thought of that?" she yelled, upset.

"I don't understand," Ronan cut her off. "A mate is the most sacred gift the Moon Goddess could ever bestow on us, so why go and reject it? I truly don't understand young werewolves today," he sighed and shook his head as he glanced toward his son.

On the other hand, my father remained quiet, as if lost in thought, but an overtly disapproving look drew on his face all the same, and before I could try to explain myself to him or the others, another verbal assault came my way. 

"You're an ass, Benji!" Roxanne yelled to me. "You're wrong for doing this! I told Mina she'd be safe here, and you're just going to go and hurt her? No, I won't let you do that. She's my best friend-"

"Best friend?" I stopped her in awe. "Since when does that mean anything to you?" I growled back, forcing my enraged sister and the rest of my shell-shocked family into complete silence. "I've had enough of this! None of you can tell me what to do. I may be your son and your brother, but I'm your Alpha above all else, and I suggest you all start remembering it." 

"Benji-"

"Enough," I snapped, raising my hand to stop my family again. "We are here to talk about the attacks and only the attacks. If you have any other comments regarding my mate, keep them to yourself or leave my house. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," I heard in faint mumblings before my father's voice finally sounded again.

"Here, Benjamin. I brought the note," he said as he handed me a small and bloodstained piece of paper.

The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the deep sense of dread and unease that the threats written evoked in me certainly were.

"I- uh. I don't know where to start," my father cleared his throat, pulling my focus away from the note and onto him.

"How about you tell us who Samuel Miller is?" I proposed sternly. "Tell us what happened," I added, and to my surprise, my mom spoke up instead of my dad.

"Samuel was your father's younger brother and my first love," she said nervously, searching for support in my dad's hands. "I better be the one explaining all of this, Carson," she then told her mate.

She took a deep breath before rehashing, under our dumbfounded stares, the secrets of a past that she and my father genuinely believed to be dead and gone.

"Samuel and I were born on the same day, and because our mothers have always been such good friends, we practically were raised together. For years, we were inseparable, tied at the hips through most of our days, and until I married Carson, Sam was the only person in this world who knew me best. 

So it came as no surprise when, over time, our friendship turned much more romantic as he and I thought we were destined for each other. And of course, everyone else in Blackwoods also believed we would-be mates; his parents, my parents, even Carson and Ronan joked about it for a while. 

Then our eighteenth birthday arrived, and we spent the day together, away from everyone, waiting, hoping, and praying for a mate bond that would never come. And when the sun went down, though I still loved Sam, we had to accept the truth; the Moon Goddess probably had other plans for us.

The blow was crushing, and we were hurt like hell, but we decided to stay close until we met our true mates. But, I didn't expect to find mine in Carson the very next day. 

I saw him, and my heart sang like never before. From then on, I knew that Carson and I would be together forever, although he wasn't so sure. He had turned eighteen before me and had known we were mates for years, but he thought I'd be happier with his brother. How stupid of him? He was my mate, and I was his. How could we have been happy without each other? 

I told Sam the truth about Carson a week later, and his poor heart broke. He saw us both as cheats and never forgave us for betraying him. His anger festered over the years, bubbling over with sickness from watching us mate and start a family until, one day, it drove him completely crazy.

One morning, Carson was away, and you and Roxy were still babies, but Sam walked into the house drunk and tried to…" my mom suddenly choked up, tears streaming down her face.

"He tried to hurt me," she managed to whisper. "His father- *your* grandfather, heard my cries and saved me. He had him imprisoned until Carson came back and…."