Chapter 84: Chapter Thirty-One (some explicit content)

**Amina’s POV**

“Dude! Come on, man! The men are waiting at the border. Let’s get this show on the road!” The pumped-up Anderson yelled out, throwing the last of Benjamin’s bags inside the trunk of his gray coupe.

But the Alpha’s focus on me never faltered. Even as his friend’s screams were prompting him to hurry, he stood over me coldly, his dark gaze intensely fixed on mine, never betraying his true feelings. 

He was leaving, and yet I saw nothing.

Deep down, I knew this was only his protective and temporary reaction to all of the madness going on around him, but his indifference to me still hurt. I felt a little bit mistreated, and it seemed unfair. I never intended to hurt him or add to his grief like I never asked to be a mate, a Luna, a Lycan, or even a fucking human. Those were choices I never got to make, choices that were way beyond me and, on most days, choices that brought with them guilt almost too heavy to bear.

But I knew that Benjamin’s cross was no less of a burden than mine. Parting with the life he always imagined leading and saying goodbye to the family he would never meet had taken a toll on my mate. He was lost, confused, and afraid. 

Accepting that your deepest and most cherished dreams are a thing of the past tended to come at a horrible price; losing sight of you was, and with Benjamin, that couldn’t have been truer.

Our relationship had forced him to adopt a version of himself he couldn’t understand. He was no longer the man in charge of his destiny, the one in control, and the more he fought against that, the more I noticed the great Alpha Miller of Blackwoods Pack coming undone.  

Benjamin’s closed and unreadable face was matched only by his stoic and icy demeanor these past two days. He kept our conversations short and physical contact limited to practically nothing. Instead, he spent all of his time locked in his office putting together various teams. He formed one to track Gisele and the rogues, another to monitor his company, and a third to oversee the pack in his absence. 

He was leaving nothing to luck, and yet, luck was all he really had. Gisele wouldn’t be easy to catch, and no matter how many times Benjamin had me tell when and where I last sensed her, I knew the odds of ever finding her were slim to none.

“The keys to the truck are on the kitchen counter should you need them.” Benjamin said in a low voice before his eyes fell on my mouth.

Drawing my lower lip between my teeth, I was doing everything in my power to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. I did not want him to see me cry, partly because I was angry at his inconsideration, but mostly because I refused to add to his already grueling stress. When I finally nodded in response, I watched Benjamin silently turn around and walk toward Anderson’s car. 

As the short-haired Gamma revved up his engine, I wondered if I should see them off or not. But before I could make up my mind, my body had already started to move away from them. Of their own accord, my legs and feet dragged me up the short steps and through the front door of the house.

The door closed behind me, and tears started to roll down my face as I could feel a slight panic settling in. Oddly enough, I wasn’t so much worried about Benjamin as I was about our relationship. I should have done something, said something before he left. I should have held him in my arms and told him how I felt because life was too short, and with the constant dangers we faced, ours could only be drastically shorter.

“God, what is wrong with you?” I thought aloud as I headed for the main stairs.

I had barely climbed the first steps when the front door bust wide open, and Benjamin appeared in front of me. In shock, I murmured his name under my breath and hesitated to go to him, for I could have sworn a few minutes ago I heard their car roll away.

Benjamin ran a slow hand through his thick, messy black hair, and I could see for the first time in days a shadow of emotion. He looked nervous. His cheeks were red, his pupils dilated, and his breathing shuddered.

“Benji?" I called his name again, my eyes narrowing in concern.

In less than two seconds, Benjamin walked over to me and, with a hand firmly planted behind my neck, pulled my face towards his. He was so fast I barely saw him coming, and before I could react in any way, he had entirely and forcefully pressed my lips against his. Soft moans and lewd growls echoed around us as his tongue sank deep into the confines of my mouth, nudging us both to the brink of drunkenness.

I could feel the urgency behind his kiss, and as his hands slid over my ass, my own need for him grew wild. A small gasp escaped my lips as Benjamin effortlessly lifted me up and down the stairs until he had pushed my back against a wall. My feet were on the ground for all of two minutes before they found themselves back around his waist, now stripped of their pants.

"Benji!" I struggled to say, my voice cut off by my constant moans. "Anderson- Fuck! Outside! God!"

“Fuck, Anderson!” Benjamin groaned back, his face buried in my neck while he slid a hand to my core and two fingers past the thin barrier of my underwear.

"Shit!" He grunted, bringing his lips back to mine. "So wet, baby. So perfect."

I couldn’t say a word. The extreme lust that had suddenly taken hold of me overcame every inch of my body, mind, and soul. I was too far gone. I wanted and needed him. My anger no longer mattered, and apparently, neither did his. He was about to embark on a dangerous mission to save us, and because of that, at this moment, nothing else seemed more important than to love him one last time.  

“Please, Benji! Please!” I begged, unashamed of my needfulness as he put me down to lower his pants and free his large, bulging manhood.

At the mere sight of his erection, my mind churned out the dirtiest thoughts it could project, and without fail, the pressure within my core built a thousandfold. My breathing hitched, and my hands trembled as Benjamin led us to the floor and pulling my tank top down with us. He sat me on top of him, and his eyes ran over on my chest before his warm mouth plunged over my hardened nipples.

I loved his hands on me, hungered for his mouth on my skin. Every sensation so generously offered by his skillful body was driving me crazy. And while, admittedly, I never thought we would end up both half-naked on the floor today, I could have never wished for a better way to say goodbye. I honestly couldn’t get enough of this man. The good, the bad, I craved it all. 

“Oh, yes! The fucking good!” I cried out, losing complete control of my thoughts as Benjamin repeatedly pushed his cock deep inside me.

“The what?” He asked between two grunts, his fingers digging into my ass.

“Nevermind. Nevermind!” I moaned back as I felt the greatest orgasm creep up over me. “Oh, fuck! I love you, Benji.” I screamed, riding my high to the very end.

Benjamin held on for a few more seconds until he could no longer contain his own, and with two final thrusts, he emptied into me to the last drop. 

Exhausted both physically and emotionally, I let my body collapse on his and laid my head on his shoulder. The warmth of his touch and the soothing effect of his earthy scent were starting to slowly lull me to sleep until Benjamin's voice forced my attention back.

“I have to go.” He whispered into my ear.

“No. Stay.”

Benjamin let out a small chuckle before pulling me off his lap and placing me next to him. “I have to go, baby. I got a rogue to catch.” He said, getting up to fix his clothes. “Plus, Andy must be pretty pissed off by now.” 

“What if you don’t find her?” I asked, standing up in turn. 

“I will.”

 “But-”

“I must.” He cut me off with a sigh as he pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. “The only other option we have is to put your life and the lives of everyone in my pack in danger. That's what Lycans are, Mina; a certain death for every soul in Blackwoods. I cannot let that happen. Please, don’t ask me to.” 

Benjamin's last words before he left weighed heavily, drifting through my mind for hours. As I ate, took a shower, and wandered inside the house, I couldn't help but obsess over them. For once, Benjamin was clear. I knew he would never consider finding the witch or letting me turn. But could I blame him? Of course not. We all depended on and trusted him to protect our lives. He was the Alpha, and such was his job.

I understood, yet I was still angry. Why?

He and my mother were the same, both fulfilling the duties their titles demanded of them, but I couldn't help but think that at some point, their selflessness turned into selfishness. For years I cried for the truth, but she refused to give it up, denying me my healing, and now Benjamin was doing the same.

“Argh!" I sighed, smashing the cup in my hand.

Years of frustration piled up inside of me begged to be released. I mean, the answers were laying before me like flowers ready to be picked, but, as always, I couldn't bend down and reach them. Instead, I had to face the facts. My quest was officially over, and the truth would forever be inaccessible.

"What happened here?" Roxanne's voice startled me as I picked up the pieces of glass on the floor.

“God! Roxy! You scared the shit out of me.” 

“What happened?”  

“Nothing. I just tripped.”

“On what?” She asked unconvinced, scanning the living room with an eyebrow raised. “Thin air?” 

“Ha.Ha.” I mocked, clearing my throat. “What are you even doing here?”

"Hi, Mina!” Ophelia appeared behind Roxanne with a smile on her lips and a large duffel bag in her hand.

“Sorry for the intrusion, babe.” Roxanne said with a smirk noticing my confusion. “I didn’t want to be alone, and with Benji gone too, I figured you might not want to be alone either.” She explained, slowly sitting down. “I picked up Ophelia from my parents and thought the three of us could have a week-long sleepover. It's cool, right?” 

"Hmm ..." I hummed, glancing between the two girls. "Benjamin asked you to do this, didn't he?" "

"I don't know what you're talking about." Roxanne feigned innocence, unaware that Ophelia was nodding.

“Alright, well, maybe I could use the company.”

**Travis’s POV**

"What have I done?" I whispered again and again under my beard.

I couldn't believe how far my blind love for Mina had taken me. Betraying my mate and dishonoring my pack was one thing, but this was beyond comprehension and forgiveness.

"What have I done? What have I done?" I mumbled again, tugging at the silver chains cuffed around my bloody wrists.

“Oh shut up, Delta!" Gisele shouted from her own cage, disdain written all over her pale face.

“Screw you!” I yelled back, rage overwhelming me. “I’ll kill you, I swear!”

Gisele's shrill laughter bounced off the brick walls all around us and taunted me more than any insult had ever done before. “How? You couldn’t even shift when the Lycans attacked us. Look at you! You’re dying! You’re finished!” She screamed and laughing again. “What an amazing plan, Delta! We may die, but at least I know Benjamin and your precious Mina will die too. Hell, everyone will die.”

I found myself short of breath as I had thrown up all of my stomach contents, and when there was nothing left to throw up, bile rushed into my throat for a second round. I was worse than a traitor. I was a killer. Because of me, the Lycans were on their way to decimate all of Blackwoods Pack. 

How could I have thought this would go any other way?

Innocent people were going to suffer and I couldn’t even warn them of what would happen because I was locked in this cell, beaten and wolfless. Orin abandoned me the second I set foot in Colevan, and I couldn’t blame him. Wolves were gifts, and I didn’t deserve mine.

“What do I do?” I cried, images of Mina racing into my head.

“Stop whining, idiot! You finally get what you wanted. In three days, Benjamin and Mina won’t be together anymore. Sure, they’ll be dead, but you’ll have won. More importantly, Micheal and I will have won too.”