Chapter 95
My father looked as though he were about to protest however Leo kept speaking, ignoring his movement.
“…However, this is not an ordinary circumstance, is it? So, I think we should stop playing this game, Winona, and finally be realistic. Obviously, you’ve forfeited any future of becoming Beta and you will be stripped of that title accordingly. This shouldn’t be a surprise.”
Even though I knew that would be the case, it still hurt to hear it. I’d worked so hard for that, broken traditions and trained every day. It felt as though a piece of me was being taken
away.
“However,” Leo continued, “our pack’s prophecy does state that your union with Benjamin will bring success to the Lock Heart, something that even I cannot disregard with our pack’s best interest in mind… So I believe it’s time we acknowledge that you’re old enough now to discuss matters such as potential partners… It’s time for you to prepare yourself to become Luna one day and accept your fate with Benjamin.”
No.
I thought they were going to throw me in a cell and occasionally show me off to other packs from time to time. But making me Luna one day was illogical, not to mention risky. What was to stop me from running away?
“That being said, it’s clear that you can’t be trusted and your alliance is easily broken when it suits you,” Leo said. “You’re
too much of a liability with this authority of yours. So the punishment for your crimes will be in the form of insurance. Insurance that this pack will not need to be concerned about where your loyalties lie.”
Leo leaned forward. I knew whatever he was about to say couldn’t be anything good.
“Winona, to ensure the prosperity of this pack now, and in the future, I hereby order that you will become tied to Benjamin under the eyes of our Goddess, forever joining your fates together.”
My breath hitched in my throat, forgetting how to
momentarily function as the realisation of his words dawned
on me.
“Winona… you will willingly offer yourself up to be marked by Benjamin. This has gone on long
In the past timeline, I was sixteen when I first realised I had feelings for Benjamin, eighteen when I knew I was in love with him.
All my life I’d grown up believing that he would be mine one day, hoping I would make him proud. I was groomed, controlled, and moulded to become the perfect Luna from the moment I was born.
I remembered my first shift, how it felt once I saw him with the mate bond connecting us. It was like the air around him shimmered, beckoning me forward, demanding that I gravitate around him. If I focused enough, I could even still recall how his skin felt on mine; like tiny sparks of pleasure wherever it touched. So strong, an incredible leader, and capable of feats in battle no one else had accomplished.
Those were the good memories of Benjamin I’d buried.
So why was my mind surfacing this now? Maybe I was trying to justify to myself that at one point in my life I’d wanted this. That the old Winona would have revelled in this moment. To wear an Alpha’s mark was regarded as the highest point of honour any female could achieve in a pack. So what did I want
now?
…Did my wants even matter anymore? What choice was there if it was this or war?
Though, if there was anyone else in the room whose desires should have been taken into consideration, they were standing by Leo’s side… looking furious.
Benjamin’s eyes held that same glint in them that I’d seen right before he’d killed people in the past. The look of cold fury you didn’t want to find yourself the subject of.
“No,” was all he said to Leo, his voice like ice.
Several people around me flinched and I couldn’t blame them for feeling that way. If you weren’t used to seeing Benjamin like this, it could be a scary sight to behold the first time. And from what I’d seen of him in this life, it was rare to see him like
this now.
But rather than flinch, a combination of mixed feelings swelled inside me instead. I didn’t want him to mark me, sure, but a small remnant inside me stung at hearing the same rejection from him again that I’d repeatedly heard in the past.
“No, I’m not doing that,” Benjamin continued.
“Alec, I’m not asking you,” Leo replied flatly.
“I should have a choice-.”
“You did have a choice,” Leo interrupted. “You chose to help Winona cover this up for the last few months. You didn’t think I realised that already?”
The two stared at each other with such silent hostility that the lower ranks in the room shifted uncomfortably under the pressure. It was like a tangible air of enmity filled the room around us.
Finally, Benjamin broke first, turning his face to the side in frustration, his teeth gritted.
It was submission.
Without further argument, I watched as he then walked towards me, eyes cast down, every step making uncertainty churn inside me the closer he came.
What was he feeling right now? Anger? Frustration? No… this felt like something else.
He finally met my eyes when he stood only a few feet away and I saw something unexpected as I searched for my answers. His face softened immediately from the ice that had been there only moments earlier… and instead he looked ashamed, embarrassed… guilty even.
And as he halted in place, I looked back as stoically as I could. It wasn’t going to make it easier for either of us if I betrayed how I felt at that moment. How terrified I was of tying myself to the future of uncertainty I’d tried so hard to avoid. But, without a word, I silently gathered my loose hair up in my hand and brushed it to the side, giving him clear access to the area he’d need.
If this was the price of saving thousands of lives, of saving Bash, then so be it.
I’d always imagined growing up that this moment would be special, more intimate. I guess all of that could have been disregarded and I would have just settled for someone who actually wanted to mark me. Maybe I should have found someone from the Lock Heart to do it months ago. After all, it wasn’t like Leo could un-mark me and a person from this pack wouldn’t cause a war like Bash would have.
But, deep down, I had to believe that Benjamin had changed, that we had changed. Perhaps he still didn’t want me in that way this time around, but maybe the friendship we’d forged over the last few years would prevail enough to ensure it wasn’t a repeat of tragedy.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered when he finally stood next to me.
He rubbed at his face uncomfortably before sighing. I wished the Goddess had given me an ability to read minds rather than the cursed vision atrocity she’d bestowed instead. How h so badly wanted to know what he was thinking.
Benjamin shifted before hesitantly placing one hand on my shoulder, the other supporting the side of my head, and slowly, he moved in. I could feel his warm breath along my neck and my body reacted, tensing up in anticipation of what was about to happen next.
“Breathe,” he reminded me softly and I nodded my head ever so slightly. He must have realised I’d been holding my breath since before he leaned in.
Could he feel my body trembling? Hear my heart racing? Surely he’d have to since he was so close, courtesy of his
enhanced senses. Or maybe he was too preoccupied with the task at hand, focusing on bringing his wolf forward enough to complete the job.
His grip suddenly tightened on me and I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing what was about to happen next.
…But nothing came.
“Do you trust me?” he whispered, barely audible even to myself.
My eyes immediately flew open in surprise but I didn’t know how to reply.
