Chapter Nineteen: Another Letter

We swim back to the shore quickly. As we emerge from the water, we try to ring out our clothes as much as possible. I try my best to not ogle at the bare chested man that is angrily twisting his shirt. The last thing I want to do is work him up again and frustrate him even more.

Ben starts picking everything up, and I silently walk over to help him. Once we reach the truck, he spreads an extra towel he had on the seat for me to sit on while he places the blanket on his. Before long, everything is packed up and we are hopping in to leave.

The drive back is eerily quiet. I keep glancing at him worriedly. His hands are griping hard on the top of the steering wheel, turning his fingers white. His eyes are fixed on the road, constantly flashing as he fights to keep himself and Felix calm. Anger and fear is rolling off of him in waves.

I fight to keep myself calm, pushing back the nervousness and fear. My stomach starts rolling, and I try to focus and take deep breaths. Surprisingly, Leah seems to be the calmest out of the four of us.

“Touch him,” she says, watching through my eyes with concern.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make him more angry…” I ask skeptically.

She nods, “Yes. The bond will help you both calm down.”

Silently, I reach over and place my left hand on top of his right. Sparks instantly shoot down my arm, making me shutter. Ben’s eyes snap to my hand, then to my face. I offer a soft smile, even though I know my eyes are filled with worry.

His body instantly relaxes as he sighs, looking back at the road. Gently rolling his hand over, he intertwines our fingers together and brings our hands up to his mouth to place several kisses on mine.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he sets them on the center console.

“It’s okay,” I reassure him.

He shakes his head, “I can feel your emotions. You are just as worried and scared as me, and instead of being a comfort for you, I’m feeding into my anger.”

“Benjamin-” I start to say when he cuts me off.

“Am I ever going to do anything right?” he practically growls.

We sit in silence for a moment before I decide I can’t handle his self-loathing anymore.

“Move your arm,” I order, removing my hand from his.

I take note of the flash of hurt in his eyes as he glances at me, “Why?”

“Just do it,” I say, poking his arm.

Ben slowly pulls it back, allowing me to push the center console up and revealing the seat beneath. Without a word, I unbuckle, sliding myself and the towel over. My dress is still a little damp, but I don’t care. I just want to feel him right now.

I curl up to his side as his arm instinctively wraps around me and holds me close. The bond flares, and I immediately feel better. I rest my head and hand on his bare chest, breathing in his scent and listening to his pounding heartbeat. I can’t help the content smile that appears on my face as he places a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

“Better?” I ask.

“Much,” he mumbles against my hair.

He focuses back on the road as I continue to lay there, tracing shapes lightly on his chest. We enjoy the feeling of the other and don’t speak the rest of the way.

Ben breaks the silence once he pulls up to my house, “Dad is here with the letter and some clothes for me. Let’s warm up and change, then we can handle whatever this is.”

“Okay,” I agree as I start pulling away.

“Annie, wait,” he stops me, his arm around my waist pulling me back.

“What is it?” I question, meeting his eyes.

His other hand moves up to cup my cheek, “Did you have a good time?"

I smile, “I had a wonderful time.”

“Good,” he says as his thumb rubs against my cheek. I watch as his eyebrows furrow before he sighs, “About what happened at the waterfall…”

My heart pounds against my chest as I try desperately not to think about the way we were pressed against each other.

“I-I’m sorry,” I stutter out.

He looks at me in concern, “Sorry for what?”

“For how my body reacted. I mean, I caused the situation,” I whisper, trying to look away.

His hand stays firmly on my cheek to hold me in pace, “Sweetheart, don’t apologize for finding me attractive and uh, desirable. In fact, it makes me happy that you can even look at me that way. I mean, it’s no secret about how I see you.”

“Really?” I question.

“Really. To know that you want me just as much as I want you, Goddess, I don’t think I could be any happier,” he reassures. “However, I was wanting to apologize for reacting how I did. I hope I didn’t hurt you or make you nervous.”

I quickly shake my head, “No! You didn’t! I…”

“You what?” he asks.

My face blushes bright red as I bury my face in my hands, “This is so embarrassing!”

“Tell me,” he gently presses.

The blush deepens as I look up at him, “I…actually liked it. I didn’t want you…to stop…touching me.”

His eyes flash as his arm tightens around my waist, pushing us chest to chest, “I can touch you WHENEVER you want, darling. Just say the word.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I whisper, my body trembling at his words. Desire fills the air as we stare at each other.

His eyes go pitch black, and his mouth attacks my neck. I know anyone could walk by and see us, but I can’t bring myself to care. My fingers gravitate to his hair and tangle themselves in it. His excitement begins surrounding me, and I bite my lip to stop the moans trying to escape.

After a moment, he groans as he forces himself away, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opens them, they are back to emerald. His thumb moves down and releases my lip from my teeth.

“Annabeth, you are killing me. We need to get out of this truck,” he says, voice strained.

“Why?” I ask stupidly, my head fuzzy.

“Because this is an enclosed space and your scent is driving me crazy. I know you can smell it, so you know I’m about to lose control. Unless you want to be taken and marked right here and now, we should get out,” he growls, eyes full of lust.

The statement causes shivers throughout my entire body as I choke out, “O-oh…okay.”

We untangle from around each other and open our doors. The fresh air pulls us back to reality and clears our heads. I turn to get out the truck, my feet hanging out. Before I can jump down, Ben appears in front of me.

“Here," he whispers as he wraps a jacket around my shoulders.

I softly smile, “Thank you.”

He gives me a smile back, “You’re welcome.”

His hands move up and slowly undo my damp braid. My eyes flutter close as I enjoy the sensation of feeling his fingers run through the strains. He moves my hair so that it settles to the front. When my eyes open, he is smirking at me.

“What?” I ask.

I see the glint in his eyes when he answers, “Nothing. Just like watching you react to my touch. And, uh, I thought I should hide my handy work from our folks. I know how easily embarrassed you get.”

My hand unconsciously goes to my neck before reaching for my phone. I turn on the front-facing camera and pull some hair to the side.

I gasp, “BENJAMIN!”

“I’m sorry, darling. I couldn’t help it,” he says, not sounding apologetic at all.

“How the hell am I supposed to hide this?! Even with Leah’s healing, it’ll take days for this to go away!” I hiss, my finger gliding over a particularly large bruise midway down my neck.

“Make-up?” he offers.

I scoff, “Yeah, sure. Let me just plaster my neck like I’m frosting a damn cake.”

“Nobody is going to say anything. Everyone knows we are together, and couples display their marks all the time,” he tries to reason.

“First of all, that’s because it’s THE mark. Second, they aren’t showing off love bites like a bunch of horny teenagers!” I argue, covering the bruise with my hair.

“Well, we didn’t get to, so I’m doing it now. Can you blame a man for wanting to make up for lost time?” he pouts.

I roll my eyes, “Whatever. Let’s just get inside.”

He helps me down, not bothering to hide the pride in his eyes at the marks that are peeking from behind the strands.

We walk through the front door to find my parents, Alpha Xavier, and Luna Enora sitting together on the couch in silence.

“Ah, there you are,” the Alpha remarks, standing.

“You found another letter?” I ask.

He glances down at the coffee table where I see an unopened envelope with my name written on the outside, “Yes.”

I nod, “I will be right back. Mom? Can you come help me?”

“Of course, baby,” she stands and follows me up the stairs.

“Here, son. Here’s some clothes,” I hear Alpha Xavier tell Ben as we enter my room.

“Are you okay?” Mom asks, shutting the door.

I sigh, heading to my closet, “No, but that’s not why I asked you to come up here.”

She tilts her head curiously, “Okay?”

I walk back out with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, throwing them on my bed, “I need help after I get out of the shower to prevent Dad from having a heart attack.”

Her brows furrow, “You’ve lost me.”

Taking a deep breath, I pull Ben’s jacket off and push my hair to the side. Her eyes widen, and I think she might start fussing until I realize she’s trying not to laugh.

“Mom!” I exclaim.

“I’m sorry, Annie, but what was he trying to do?! He does know we are werewolves, not vampires, right?” she chuckles, walking up to check my neck.

I groan, “He got carried away, obviously.”

“And you let it happen?” she teases, causing me to blush.

“Can you cover it or teach me? Just until it heals?” I ask.

She nods, “I’ll go grab my makeup case while you hop in the shower.”

One shower and makeup tutorial later, I’m finally presentable. Mom and I make our way back downstairs where we find the men in hushed conversation. They break apart as the Alpha gestures for us to sit. Mom, Dad, the Luna, and the Alpha take their original spots on the couch while Ben and I sit across on the loveseat.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for the envelope, “Let’s do this.”

Ben rests his hand on my knee, giving it a slight squeeze as I open the letter.

Annabeth,

Apologies. This letter will be short and sweet, but it will get the point across. It seems I have underestimated the cleverness of the Alphas. You were moved early, much to the annoyance of my men waiting in the shadows. I should have anticipated it as soon as it was revealed that I had spies among you. No matter. I will just have to change my tactics.

When you read this letter, be sure to let the Alphas know that no matter what type of defenses they put in place, they cannot keep you from me. One way or another, I will find you. Unless, of course, Alpha Blake decides to have a brain and hand over his pack. An untraceable number has been provided at the bottom of the page should he wish to surrender.

But then again, I know his stubbornness. I know his people have been training very hard to protect the pack and you, but so have we. I dare say even Damen is itching for a rematch against you. Don’t tell him this, but I would love to see you best him yet again. He may be strong, but he is lacking in the intelligence department.

I shall see you very soon, my dear.

The Boss.

I raise my head up after I finish. The anger radiates off of the Alpha and my mate as they process what I just read while Luna Enora looks at me worriedly. My eyes move over to my parents. Mom is trying very hard to not get upset while my Dad starts pacing.

My heart races in panic, “He’s not going to stop until he gets me.”

“He won’t lay a hand on you,” Ben growls before looking at his Dad. “We need to do something.”

“I don’t know what else I can do, son. She has guards, patrols have been increased, and the borders have been bolstered. We’ve been training everyone to the max,” Alpha Xavier sighs.

I take a deep breath, looking at Dad, “I think we need to up my training.”

Dad stops and looks at me, “I’ve taught you everything, baby girl.”

“Not everything…” I trail off.

Everyone looks at me.

“You want to do Elite fighter training?” he asks.

I nod, “It’s the next logical step, and I need to be prepared. Besides, Michael and I always talked about doing it so we could be Elites like you, so why not now?”

“But you aren’t a fighter,” the Luna interjects.

I sigh, “Technically, no. I’m not, but I’ve been trained as one. If tradition is a concern, then I’ll go through the gauntlet first to be given fighter status. Then, I can do the Elite training.”

“Do you understand what you are asking? You know how dangerous and treacherous that path is. You will be pushed beyond your limits. You will cry. You will bleed. Werewolves only put themselves through this to be either front line warriors like myself and Beta Andrew or to work protection detail like Beta Vincent, which you fall into neither,” Dad questions, concern in his tone.

Ben is staring at me, but I don’t look at him. I know he is not happy.

“I know and I understand the risks to myself, but I don’t have much of a choice,” I say confidently.

“What about your studies?” Mom asks, rubbing her hands nervously.

I sigh, “I’ll have to put them on hold. At least until this rogue is dealt with.”

Alpha Xavier looks at my Dad, “What do you think?”

“If anyone is capable, it’s Annabeth,” Dad sighs reluctantly before looking back at me, “but you better be a hundred percent sure. Maybe you should sleep on it.”

“No, she’s not sleeping on it because this is madness. She is not doing Elite training. She is my Luna for goodness sake, and I will not watch her destroy herself,” Ben interrupts, anger rolling off of him.

I turn away from Dad and finally look at him, trying to remain calm, “Ben-”

“No, Annie!” he exclaims, eyes flashing.

I sigh, trying again, “They are coming, and I need to be able to properly defend myself.”

He shakes his head, “I can protect you, Annie. I’m not going to let you do this to yourself.”

“You won’t always be there to protect me! I have to do this,” I argue, standing up.

“You know that the Alpha has to be there, and since I’m going to take over, I do too. I’m suppose to just stand there and watch you suffer?” he growls, standing up as well.

My anger starts rising and I snap, “Would you rather watch me be dragged away by the rogues? The tactics I used at Crescent Moon aren’t going to work a second time. They know how I fight now. I have to have an ace up my sleeve for when they come again, because they WILL come again.”

“She has a point, son,” Alpha Xavier admits, Luna Enora nodding in agreement.

“No! She is not doing Elite training. I will not allow it!” he seethes.

I throw the letter down on the table, “Excuse me? ALLOW me? This is about my safety. I am doing it, whether you like it or not.”

“Your safety is why I am fighting this. This training is brutal. You will have broken bones, bruises, gashes, and Goddess knows what else!” he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I have supernatural healing,” I quip back.

I can practically see the steam coming out of his ears, “I will not let you.”

I let out an unamused laugh, “You don’t have a say.”

“I do have a say. I am your mate!” he yells.

“And I am yours! You should want me to be safe and protect myself. You are acting ridiculous right now,” I scream back.

He growls, voice distorting as his eyes flash, “DAMMIT ANNABETH. YOU ARE NOT DOING IT, AND THAT’S FINAL!”

Luna Enora gasps and scolds him, “Benjamin Alexander Blake!”

I stare at him in anger and shock.

Did…did he just try to use his Alpha voice on me?

“THEY did. Who the hell do they think they are?! Commanding us like that?!” Leah snarls in my head, pissed that Felix would let this happen and maybe even encourage it.

Ben may not be the Alpha yet, but the authority in his voice is not easily ignored. Being his mate makes the effect almost nonexistent since we are equals, but if it didn't, I would have had no choice but to obey him.

“Benjamin…” Alpha Xavier sighs, disappointment in his tone.

His face quickly changes from anger to despair, realizing what he did and staring at me like a deer in the headlights.

“How dare you?” I choke out after a moment of silence.

His regret slams into me once he senses my anguish, “Annie, I...”

I feel tears of hurt and frustration gather in my eyes, “You said you would never force me into things.”

“I know-” he starts, but I interrupt.

“Yet the first time we argue, you try to?” I ask, voice shaking.

“Sweetheart, I…” he whispers as he reaches for me.

I pull away and turn on my heels, heading for the stairs.

“Annie, wait,” he calls out, but I don’t.

Heavy footsteps follow behind me, but I ignore him. I slam my bedroom door and lock it before he can reach the threshold. The doorknob jiggles as I curl up in my bed, hugging a pillow to my chest.

He pounds on the door and begs for me to answer, “Baby, please. Open the door.”

I don’t respond as I sniffle into the fabric. After a few minutes, he gives up and leaves. I hear his Dad approach him as he reaches the bottom of the stairs.

“Son-” the Alpha starts, but Ben interrupts him.

“I know, Dad. Alphas never command their Lunas. We are equals. I screwed up,” he whispers.

I hear footsteps approach them and then Luna Enora’s voice, “Yes, you did. That’s a major violation of trust, especially to someone like Annie who values her independence and control. You have to make this up to her.”

“And you can’t get angry like that every time you guys argue, because believe me, you are going to fight. A lot,” Alpha Xavier sighs.

“I know,” he simply says before walking out the front door.

They call after him, but he doesn’t stop. I can feel the shame rolling off of him in waves. The thought of him in pain, even if it is his own fault, hurts me.

The bond begins to flare. It pulls me to my feet and to the window, in hopes of catching a glimpse of him. I pull the curtain back a little only to see him disappear into the tree line. Shortly after, I hear a loud howl and heavy paws running in the opposite direction.

Felix.

I can feel Leah’s concern for her mate despite her anger. For a moment, I think about letting her chase after them, but she stops me.

“No. I don’t want to see them right now,” she huffs before whispering, “nor do I want this to be how Felix and I meet for the first time.”

I’m not an idiot. I knew we would disagree and fight at some point. The honeymoon phase only lasts so long, but I thought it would be over something stupid and cliché. Never did I imagine the first fight would be over him trying to force my submission.

Is it really such a big deal that I want to be able to better protect myself and those around me? I know no normal Luna would even humor the idea, but I am no normal Luna. If normal is what he wants, then maybe I’m not the one for him.

Maybe the Moon Goddess was wrong.