Listen to me 172

Chapter 172

Benedict Winslow IV

ཆ0་་

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After speaking to Alpha Roman and letting him know my plan, he called his pack to make sure they let me in to see Beatrice. Then I got in my car and made my way to his pack.

‘How did we get to this place, Resno?‘ I ask my wolf as I drive.

‘We were young and foolish. Foolish to reject our fated mate and foolish to fall for Beatrice’s lies.‘

‘She and Jennete never loved us, did they?‘ I ask sadly. I had loved Beatrice once, or at least, I loved her as much as anyone can love a chosen mate who is cold and wants no intimacy.

‘I think Jennete did, but I could still be fooling myself. They both fooled us for years.’

‘Are you okay with what I’m planning to do?‘ I ask him.

‘Our pup is lying in a hospital bed partly because of her. Even if she didn’t mean to hurt him directly, she didn’t listen to you or to him, even after she was rejected and banished. She won’t stop. I don’t think she knows how,‘ he says sadly.

When I arrive at the guard gate, I give my name and I’m told that Beta Adrian will meet me at the packhouse. I follow the road and when I pull up, he’s waiting for me.

“Alpha Benedict?” he asks as I step out of the car.

“Beta Adrian, thank you for taking time for this today.”

“I’m sorry this is how things have to be, Alpha. I’m sure it’s not easy for you,” he says, turning to guide me to the cells.

“It’s easier when I remember that my son is lying in a hospital bed unable to speak because his throat was nearly ripped out,” I growl.

He looks at me and nods.

“Has she said anything?” I ask, wondering if she’s shown any remorse for what she’s done.

“She keeps yelling that she’s Luna Beatrice Winslow and that we’ll pay for this,” he says, then glances at me again when I sigh.

I should have known that even her son nearly dying wouldn’t have made her a better person.

“Is there anything you need from me, Alpha?”

“Just access to Beatrice and a little privacy.”

When we get to the door of the cells, he hands me a set of keys. “This is the key to her cell, Alpha. I’ll wait here for you. If you need anything, just holler.”

“Thank you,” I say, taking the key and making my way downstairs.

When I step into her line of vision, Beatrice rushes to the front of her cell.

“Oh, Benedict! I knew you would come for me! I keep telling them that they can’t keep me down here! Get me out of here so we can go home,” she says.

I stop, staring at her.

6:36 pm DMW

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“How interesting that the first words out of your mouth are about you, not you asking how your son is doing, or if he’s even alive.”

She blinks, almost as if Benedict’s situation hadn’t even occurred to her.

“Well, you wouldn’t be here if Benedict wasn’t okay,” she says as if that explains everything.

“Mmm,” I say, looking down at the keys in my hand. “Did you ever love me, Beatrice?” I ask, looking back up at her.

“What kind of a question is that, Benedict. You’re my mate, of course I love you.”

“I WAS your mate, Beatrice. I rejected you, remember. What about you, Jenette? Did you ever love Resno?”

“Of course I love my mate,” she says, pushing forward. But her words sound as hollow as Beatrice’s. They never loved us.

“That’s all water under the bridge, Benedict. Now that you’re here, we can reconnect and it will be like none of this ever happened,” she says.

I stare at her. “How did I never see this side of you before? Were you always like this, or has something inside you snapped recently?” I murmur, more to myself than her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Benedict but open the door. Let’s get out of here,” she insists.

“Yes, Beatrice, it’s time to go,” I say sadly, inserting the key into the lock and opening the door.

Before she can push past me, I step into the cell, pushing her back.

“Benedict, what are you doing? Let’s go.”

“In a moment, Bea,” I say, using the pet name I gave her so many years ago.

“What has gotten into you?”

“I’d like a kiss, Beatrice.”

She frowns. “Fine, I’ll give you a kiss once we’re out of this hellhole.”

‘No. Right here, right now,” I say.

She frowns again, and I slide a hand across her cheek. “Kiss me like you would have kissed Sawyer if he had accepted you as his mate. Kiss me the way you would have if you had ever truly loved me, Beatrice.”

‘Benedict, what are you …”

‘One kiss, Beatrice. One last kiss.”

lean forward and press my lips to hers. I hold her gaze until she closes her eyes and begins to kiss me. I slide my other hand over her cheek, then slowly down to her neck, caressing her skin as I go. I feel her body shiver in a way I used to desperately crave and now just makes me terribly sad. We could have been good together if she’d just given us a chance.

I slide my hand over her throat, as I pull away from the kiss, running my thumb over the pulse in her neck. Then, I press my forehead against hers.

‘Goodbye, Beatrice,” I whisper, then quickly extend my claws and rip out her throat.

She steps back, her eyes going wide as her hands fly to the gaping hole in her throat.

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6:36 pm

“You put my pups at risk, and for that, I can never forgive you. Hopefully, the Moon Goddess will.”

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I watch as she crumples to the floor, then I turn and walk upstairs. When I step back into the packhouse, Peta Adrian is standing there waiting for me.

“I have a bathroom and a change of clothes waiting for you, Alpha,” he says.

I shower, scrubbing her blood from my hands, neck, and face. When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel like a ghout, like a man who just killed his mate.

‘We had no choice, Benedict. She didn’t even ask about our pup. She doesn’t care about them any more than she cared about us, Resno says sadly.

‘Maybe this is the penance we had to pay for rejecting the mate the Moon Goddess gave us, Res

‘If so, it was a heavy price to pay,‘ he says.

‘Yes‘

‘Where to now, Benedict?‘ Resno asks as we pull away from the packhouse, although he must know. He’s always in my mind, my constant companion.

‘Now we try to find Natalie, and we see if there’s any possible way to rectify the wrongs of the past.

Scarlet POV

“I love my mate and you are one hell of a force to be reckoned with. You’ve also got energy in spades, so when you tell me you’re still feeling tired, I know you’ve overextended yourself,” Daniel says, stroking my cheek.

My mate, being the amazing man he is, scoops me into his arms and carries me to our bedroom. We’ve barely had time to move in and get settled, but the bed is at least here and made. He pulls down the blanket and lays me in our bed.

“I can’t sleep, Danny. Sloane’s still over at Benedict’s pack and our pack is still grieving.”

After we’d told Gabriel and Jack that they were going to die for their treachery and I had the opportunity to gleefully smile at Gabriel who snarled like he thought he still mattered, Sloane had gone to Benedict’s pack. She’s still there and I’ve been running non–stop to make sure our pack is feeling safe and calm after the attack.

“I’m a Beta too, Scarlet, and I say you need some rest. Neither of us slept as long as Sloane did. You’re not a robot. Your father is still here, so now is the best time for you to sleep. I love you,” he says, pulling the blanket over me.

“If I’m needed…”

“I’ll come get you,” he says, kissing my lips softly.

I close my eyes and feel him kiss my forehead. I’m asleep almost before he’s out the door.

When I wake, the room is dark and I’m disoriented. I have no idea if it’s late at night or the next morning I reach out and the bed beside me is empty and cold. I look at the clock and see that it’s nine o’clock. It’s nighttime. I slept for three hours. I never do that.

I get up and go to the bathroom. ‘Davina, are we okay? Is this just fatigue?‘ I ask her, worried that something might be wrong with me.

I think it’s time you took that test,” she says as I sit on the toilet.

‘What test?” I ask, still feeling groggy

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6:36 pm

“The pregnancy test.

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That jolts me awake. I picked one up about a week ago, thinking that I’d make sure that Danny and I hadn’t accidentally gotten pregnant. I never got on birth control after we mated and we’ve had times where we were so caught up with things that we didn’t use a condom.

I reach into the cabinet and pull out the stick, quickly reading the directions as I hold my urine. Then, I follow the instructions and set the stick aside while I wash my hands and my face.

After the first ‘accident‘, I asked Danny how he felt about having a pup so soon after being mated.

“You’re my mate. I love you. I want pups with you. Whether that’s tomorrow, next year, or three years from now, I want them.”

He’s so perfect.

I dry my face and look at the stick.

“Scarlet, are you okay?” Danny asks, walking into our bedroom.

“Just a minute,” I say, checking the box and looking at the stick.

“Scarlet, what…” he begins, walking into the bathroom. He stops, looking at me and the stick in my hand.

I grin at my mate. “Congratulations, Daddy,” I say, handing it to him.

“It’s positive? You’re having a pup? We’re having a pup?” he asks excitedly.

I nod, then squeal and laugh as he spins me around.

“Oh goddess, Scarlet. I love you. I love you so much. You’ve made me very, very happy.”

After making sure that Sloane had returned and everything was fine with the pack, I let my mate show me just how happy he

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.