Chapter 56 We need to talk

Chapter 56 We need to talk
Zoe's POV

Benjamin left me with a lot to think about.

And think I did.

Every single thing he said kept replaying in my head like a song I couldn't turn off. How he pulled me from that river. How he paid that traveler. How he had been watching me this whole time from a distance like a chess player waiting for the right moment to move his piece.

It all made sense now.

How I didn't die in that river that day. How I survived. How I ended up at Dawnmoon. Every piece I had been confused about for months. Benjamin had the answer to all of it.

And the worst part?

He had made me part of his plan without giving me a single chance to say no.

I had spent a whole month here. A whole month building a disguise. Earning trust. Getting close. Trying to make Jeremy fall. And Benjamin was going to do in two days what I couldn't do in thirty days.

His words were still sitting heavy on my chest.
"Just be beside me when the time comes. The task I need you to do... I'll let you know in two days. So prepare your mind. Because the game is about to be fun."

Fun. He called it fun.

I didn't even want to imagine what fun looked like to a man like Benjamin.

I pushed myself up from the bed. I needed air. I needed to think somewhere that wasn't these four walls closing in on me.

The Lakewood garden was quiet this afternoon.

Only a few people scattered around. Two she-wolves gossiping in a corner. A couple at the far end giggling at each other's jokes. You didn't need anyone to tell you they were in love. It was all over them. The way he leaned toward her. The way she laughed with her whole face.
That kind of love.

The kind I used to fantasize about as a little girl before life taught me that fantasies were expensive.

I found a far corner and sat down. Good choice. Everyone else was far enough away that they probably didn't even know I existed here.

I closed my eyes. Let the breeze touch my face.

Just breathe Zoe. Just breathe.

"Good weather."
The voice came from right behind my ear.
I startled so hard my hand flew to my chest.

I turned around.

Jeremy.

Standing there. Casual. Like he hadn't just appeared from nowhere and nearly stopped my heart.

Safe to say he had healed well. I hadn't seen him since the attack two days ago. But looking at him now you would barely know anything had happened. His wounds were almost completely gone. Even a child could tell those blade wounds had been poisoned. Normal wolves would still be in bed. But his wolf genes were something else entirely.

"Hello Alpha." I greeted. Dipped my head slightly.

"Margaret." He said my fake name quietly. Then. "We need to talk."

"Forgive me Alpha." I kept my voice light. Unbothered. "But I don't think I want to talk."
"We haven't resolved things between us." His voice was firm. Low. He sat down beside me without asking.

I looked around quickly. Nobody was paying attention. We were too far from everyone else.

"Listen Alpha." I turned to face him. Kept my expression polite. Distant. "I am just a stranger here. And you have a pregnant fiancée waiting for you in her chambers." I tilted my head. "Imagine the rumours. People seeing me sitting with the Alpha in the garden."

"Who cares? I am the Alpha."

"Exactly. You are the Alpha." I said. "And I am nobody. Just a girl. A stranger passing through." I lowered my voice. "Imagine your Luna getting upset. She might have me thrown in a river after being shot."

Something crossed his face.

Fast. Like lightning.

Guilt. Remembrance. Pain. All of it rushing through his eyes at once before he locked it back down. Jaw tight. Eyes steady again.
But I saw it.

I saw all of it.

"That would never happen Margaret." His voice came out rough. "No one dares touch you. Not while I'm here."

I looked at him for a moment. This big man. Seven feet of power and authority sitting beside me speaking like he meant every word.

"Okay your royal majesty." I couldn't help it. The sarcasm came out on its own. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Don't be like that." He said quietly. "We haven't spoken since the announcement. Since Mia. And then two days ago you saved my life and I won't stop thinking about how powerful you were out there...."

"Okay... so what is there to say?" I kept my voice even. "She is your fiancée. She is carrying your child. She has every right to. And about saving your life I already told you my reasons." I looked away from him. Back at the couple in the distance. Still laughing. Still happy. "So what exactly is left for us to talk about?"

He went completely silent for a moment.

"I have a condition." He said.

I said nothing.

"A condition I was told only one person in this world could help me cure." His voice dropped. Heavy. Like the words had weight he had been carrying for a long time. "And when that person finally showed up..." He stopped.
He paused so long I almost turned to look at him.

"When she showed up do you know what I did?"

"You killed her."

A third voice.

From behind us both.

We turned at the same time.

Benjamin.

Standing there. Hands loose at his sides. Eyes bright and burning with the fire of a man who had been waiting for exactly this moment. A small smile on his face. The kind that didn't mean anything good.

The garden suddenly felt very small.
Jeremy went completely still beside me.
The air between the three of us changed. Thickened. Like the moment before lightning hits.

Benjamin's eyes moved from Jeremy to me. Then back to Jeremy.

That smile widened.

"Hello brother." He said softly. "Did you miss me?"