Listen to me 160

Benedict

After the best shower of my life, where my mate decided it was her turn to taste me, I got Bethany and headed to our pack Normally, I would have stayed for breakfast and spent more time with my mate, but i want to check in with the pack, then make my way to Alpha Roman’s pack for Sloane’s birthday.

So, you two are mates like you thought? Bethany asks as we drive

“Yes. Does that bother you?” I ask, glancing over at her. She’s staring out the window.

“Only because of everything mother did to her. What if it had worked, Bene? What if mom had convinced you that Sloane wasn’t worthy?”

“She didn’t, Beth. Mom has serious issues, I don’t know why she can’t let go of the past, but it ruined her life. She lost everything she had because she kept holding on to something that was never hers. And it’s a good reminder that Karma always comes back around. We need to learn from our mother’sinistakes, not hold on to them. That’s what she did,” I say seriously.

She stares out the window a moment longer, then turns and gives me a half grin.

“You’re pretty smart… for an Alpha,” she says.

I laugh. “Yeah, well, you’re pretty smart too… for an Alpha.”

“What do you think dad is going to do now?” she asks.

“I don’t know. I doubt he knows yet. I’m just glad he’s out of the pack hospital and still alive?

“Me too. Are you going to tell the pack about Sloane?” she asks.

“Which part? The Alpha part or the mate part?” I ask.

“Both”

“Yes, I’m going to make an announcement before we leave for her party,” I say as we pull up to the guard gate.

“Welcome home, Alphas,” the guard says.

“Thank you.”

As we drive up to the packhouse, Bethany looks at me. “Have you figured out how to make it work, with having two packs and both of you being Alphas?”

“Luna Samara gave Sloane some ideas and we talked about them last night. How do you think the pack would feel about creating a combined pack between the two?” I ask her. I know my sister is young, but she’s always been very intelligent and intuitive.

She looks thoughtful as we pull up to the packhouse.

“It would be an adjustment. But I think, in the end, it would be good. It could potentially make your pack stronger than Alpha Roman’s,” she says.

I hadn’t considered that, but our combined pack would be larger than Alpha Roman’s and once Sloane’s warriors were in top shape, we might possibly become the strongest pack in the country.

“The north would still have the strongest packs,” I say, grinning I step out of the car. The grin falls off my face when I hear

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arguing coming from inside the packhouse.

“For fuck’s sake. It hasn’t even been twenty–four hours,” I murmur, jogging into the packhouse.

“You are not in charge here!” Ellis yells at a pack member.

“Apparently, neither are you!” one of my warriors yells back.

“What the fuck is going on?” I bellow, letting my Alpha aura spill out over the room. I’m even more aggravated when I see my father trying to make his way downstairs to step into whatever mess this is.

The entire room, except for my father and Bethany raise their necks in submission.

“Are we going to be threatened with banishment any time we don’t agree with you or our Beta, Alpha?” the warrior growl.

“That depends, Eric. What don’t you agree with?”

“Beta Ellis has me running double patrols for the rest of the week. We have plenty of warriors to help run patrols. He’s doing it to punish me because I caught him trying to sleep with my daughter.”

“Ellis?”

“This has nothing to do with his daughter,” he growls, obviously not happy that I’m making him submit too.

“Where’s the schedule?” I ask.

Eric holds it out to me. I take it and look it over. Bethany comes to look over my shoulder at it and grunts. It’s obvious that Eric is being targeted.

I slap the schedule against Ellis‘ chest. “Redo it and do it properly. I left you in charge for two days and this how you manage the pack in my absence? When I get back tomorrow, you and I will be having a long conversation about this.”

I look around, pulling back my aura.

“Listen up. Yesterday, Bethany and I went to Alpha Waylon’s pack to witness him handing his pack to his successor.”

That has everyone murmuring, since it’s well known that Alpha Waylon is past his prime.

“His successor is his heir, something that only a few people, Bethany and I included, knew about. Alpha Sloane Hartwell, Alpha Waylon’s granddaughter by his deceased son Derrick, is now Alpha of her own pack.”

The murmurs get louder, but I raise my hand to quiet them.

“In addition, Sloane is my fated mate.”

Now the pack becomes deathly quiet.

“I know some of you agreed with my mother’s rantings about the Hartwells. That ends now. If you cannot accept that Sloane Hartwell is an Alpha and leader of her own pack or that she is my Goddess–given mate and I intend to mark her and make her mine, then you can pack your things and leave this pack before I return from Alpha Roman’s tomorrow.”

“Excuse me, Alpha. How will that work? If Alpha Sloane has her own pack, how will she become our Luna?” someone asks.

“Sloane and I obviously have some things that we need to work out, which is why we haven’t marked each other yet. After today, which is her birthday, she and I will begin spending alternating nights in each other’s packs. Plan to get to know her, spend time with her, and have her in your lives. Again, if you cannot accept Sloane Hartwell, you are not welcome in this pack. That goes for everyone,” I say, looking at Ellis.

“Is there anything else I need to address before I leave?” I ask, looking around the room.

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“Alpha, if you let us know when Alpha Sloane will be visiting, we can make her a cake for her birthday,” one of my omegas

says.

“She would like that,” I say, smiling at the omegas. “She prefers chocolate cake.”

When no one else has any questions, I turn and look at my father

“Dad, can I have a word before I leave?”

“Of course.”

We walk to my office and I follow him in, closing the door behind him.

“How are you? How are you recovering?” I ask.

“I’m getting stronger every day. I’m not ready for warrior training yet, but maybe next week.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

“You’re a better a man than I am,” he says quietly.

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t accept my fated mate, thinking I needed someone from a family that was more well–to–do or esteemed, and look what it got me. Besides you and Bethany, all got was heartache. Sloane Hartwell has carried the weight of what her parents did, or I guess for her it’s just her mother, for the last nine years, and you couldn’t care less about her past. You accept her the way I should have accepted Natalie. If I had…” His voice trails off as he lets regret take over.

“I’ll tell you what I told Bethany on the way home today. If you live like mom, if you live in the past and let it rule your life, you’ll lose everything. You need to look forward, Dad. You need to decide how you’re going to make your future better than your past.”

He nods, like I’ve just confirmed something.

“I’m glad you think so, because I’ve decided something.”

“What’s that?”

“When you return tomorrow, I’m going to leave for a while.”

“And go where?” I ask, worried that he’s going to do something drastic.

“I’m going to go find Natalie and apologize to her, tell her what an arrogant cad I was back then and ask for her forgiveness.”

“Do you know where she is?” I ask.

“No. But I’m sure I can find her. I’ll start in her old pack and go from there.”

I look at my father for a long time. “Will you return back here after that?”

“I don’t know yet. But I’ll stay in touch. It would be better for Bethany to stay here with you …”

“I’ve already told her she would. She was worried you were going to die after the rejection and I told her that her place is here with me until she’s an adult and can decide where she wants to go,” I say.

He smiles again. “See, you’re a much better man that I ever was. I would have felt like having a teenage sister to take care of was a burden. You take it on as if it’s nothing.”

“Bethany is pretty easy, Dad. It’s not a hardship to keep her here with me. Plus … I’m not very pleased with Ellis these days

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and Bethany is helping me run the pack.”

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“No. The situation with Ellis is getting out of hand. It sounds like you have a lot of things to figure out, son. But you’re smart and you’re already a great Alpha. I have no doubt that you’ll figure them out.”

“Why do I feel like this is goodbye?” I ask.

He looks around the office, his face a mask of sadness. “There’s nothing left for me here. I need to go figure out who I am and what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.”

“This is your home, Dad. You will always be welcome here.”

“Thank you, Benedict.”

“You need to talk to Bethany before you leave. She needs to know your plans and to be able to say goodbye. She’s already lost one parent. Losing another is going to be hard for her.”

He nods. “I won’t leave until after you return tomorrow. Besides, I want to congratulate your mate on being gifted the most amazing Alpha alive,” he says, with a ghost of a smile.

“Well then, you should congratulate me because Sloane is the most amazing Alpha alive.”

He nods. “You should get going. You don’t want to be late for your own mate’s eighteenth birthday party.”

“Call me if there are any more problems,” I tell him.

“I’m still an Alpha, son. If Ellis gets too high and mighty again, I’ll knock him down a peg, or have his father do it.”

I walk over to my father and wrap my arms around him. In the week that he’s been recovering from his rejection of my mother, he’s lost weight. My father, a man who I always thought of as larger than life, sudden feels very small and frail in my

arms.

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, son.”

When I step out of the office, Bethany is waiting, watching both of us.

“I just need to get an overnight bag and I’ll be ready to go,” I tell her.

She nods, watching our father. Knowing my sister, she’s figuring out Dad’s plan already.

I rush upstairs, quickly pack an overnight bag and get Sloane’s birthday present before jogging back down the stairs.

“Ellis, I don’t want any more issues before I return tomorrow,” I say to him as I walk to the front door.

“Yes, Alpha.”

When Bethany joins me, we walk out to the car. I feel the weight of so many responsibilities, so many decisions, and so many choices weighing on me.

For now, I push them all aside. It’s time for me to go celebrate my mate on her birthday.

Cedella

Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.