Listen to me 126

Benedict Winslow, IV

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“Beatrice, explain to me why you continue to insult the Hartwell by not including their two oldest children in your invitations to events in our home,” I say. I’m so fucking tired of dealing with this, of dealing with my mate.

“We have a reputation to uphold, Benedict,” she begins, but I hold up my hand.

“Stop. Now! Benedict has warned you. He spent all day yesterday at the Hartwells making sure that we are still at peace with them. You are going to cause a war with your hatred. This ends NOW, Beatrice. I am done. Let the past die. If I had known that you were going to grow into such an insipid harpy, I never would have taken you as chosen mate.”

It’s harsh, I know. But honestly, she’s the reason I’m so tired. I thought, with time, she’d get over her hatred of Sawyer Clark and Althea Brenner. But once the truth of what happened came out, it was like it lit a fire of hatred and wrath inside my mate. That sickness has only festered over the years and has now been turned onto Althea’s children.

“You think Benedict was at the Hartwells pack making nice with Alpha Roman and Samara?”

“LUNA Samara. Do not forget who she is, Beatrice. She is the most powerful wolf in our time.”

“Your son is fucking that girl,” she snarls, slapping her hand down on my desk.

“So. What? What difference does it make who he is having sex with? And for the record, I may have smelled her scent on him, but not to the point that they’ve had sex. He respects her, Beatrice. You should take lessons from your son.”

“She is a menace

“YOU are becoming a menace,” I roar, standing up and facing her. “I am tired of your snide, nasty comments about Alpha Winslow Sloane and Alpha Slade. Sawyer didn’t want you. Too. Fucking. Bad! I would have thought that being mated to a would have felt like a step up. But clearly you are incapable of appreciating what you have and letting go of your resentment toward others. Those pups did nothing to you. Your bitterness is eating away at what little good there is left in you, Beatrice. If you aren’t careful, when Benedict takes over as Alpha next weekend, he’ll eject you from this pack …”

“He wouldn’t dare!”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You are pushing him too far, Beatrice. And now, you’re pushing ME too far.”

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I lean forward, getting in her face. “I’m tired of being put in the hiddle of your arguments with Benedict. HE is future Alpha. If he says he wants you to send a new invite including ALL of the Hartwells, YOU DO IT! Because believe me when I、 if he ejects you from this pack because of your continued slights against them, I won’t hesitate to reject you as my mate. I AM DONE, Beatrice. Hear me very clearly. I will not tolerate this behavior out of you any longer. ENOUGH!”

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“How can you say that to me, Benedict? I am the mother of your pups!”

“Barely. I’m still not even sure how I managed to get you pregnant in the very few times that we’ve ever had sex in our mate bond. You are a cold, bitter woman, Beatrice. I’ve tolerated your tool dismissiveness of me for years. But if you aren’t careful, the only thing that you will have to keep you company a night is your vengeful thoughts. Sawyer didn’t want you. Too fucking bad. Althea got what you wanted. Too fucking bad. That was nearly two decades ago, Beatrice! Let it go before you lose the only good things that you have in your life. Your stability, your children, your home, and my last name. Do not give Benedict another reason to come to me telling me to deal with you, Beatrice, or you will regret it,” I growl.

I watch as she turns on her heel and storms out of my office, slamming the door so hard it makes the walls shake.

I collapse into my chair, putting my head in my hands. Benedicts Alpha ceremony on Saturday can’t come soon enough.

Beatrice POV

I storm out of Benedict’s office. As if he would ever reject me! He may be angry, but the man doesn’t have the balls to reject

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Benedict thinks he knows the entire story, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t know that Sawyer promised to take me as his chosen mate if he didn’t find his fated mate. When he found Phoebe, I thought he would take her as his mate, like he’d told me. But it turns out, he was just using me for sex. He always planned to take Althea as his mate.

And yes, I hate Sloane and Slade because of who their parents a, but I hate the Hartwells too. Roman was there when I was with Sawyer. He knew Sawyer promised to take me as a chosen hate. But after the Brenners were murdered and Sawyer said he would take Althea as a mate, I went to Roman, begging him to help me. But did he? No. He told me that Althea needed someone she could trust to take over the pack. Since he was an heir, he couldn’t do it. He dismissed me as easily as Sawyer did.

Of course, goody two–shoes Roman was so devastated about little Samara, that he couldn’t be bothered with taking a mate. It wasn’t until Benedict’s mother approached me, wanting to maintain the Alpha lineage, that I finally got the mate I

deserved.

And now, I’M in a position of power. People look to ME to see what to wear, who to impress, where to be seen, how to dress, and when to act. Does Benedict really think that bitch Sloane would have been treated so poorly if I had accepted her? Of course she wouldn’t have. But I didn’t accept her any more than accepted her sniveling little brother. The youngest I’ve struggled to get to, but there’s still time to get to her. A few insinuations here, a few whispered comments there, and that’s all it took. Take THAT Althea. You think you’ve won. You won nothing but an early grave and children who are considered pariahs by the werewolf community.

I’ll never forget the day that Sawyer took his place as Alpha. Althea was such an adoring mate, so thankful in front of everyone, so loving and kind.

But when we were alone, she was a fucking snake, snide and arrogant.

“You didn’t really think Sawyer wanted you, did you? What could you possibly offer him, Beatrice? A Beta position in your brother’s pack? A warrior position? I made him an Alpha. I made him powerful. You may be an Alpha, but that’s just a title. What do you have to go with your title? Nothing. Nothing at all. I gave him a pack, a position. Power. Don’t think you’ll ever take him from me. You are nothing. I am everything.”

She was so fucking smug. But, karma has a way of biting you in the ass, doesn’t it, Althea?

Now, it’s my turn. And I don’t care what I have to do. Benedict will never, EVER, take Althea’s bitch of a daughter as his mate.

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.