The Reluctant Cougar (Rise of the Alpha King's Heir)

Helper

Benji would never forget the day he met the woman that would be his wife. 

He was only six at the time, but the moment the pre-teen girl stepped out of the back of Widow O'Hara's rusty station wagon Benji was entranced. 

She was tall with the longest legs he'd ever seen on a girl. She had long dark hair and bright green eyes. It was her eyes that truly caught his attention. They were so expressive, at once soft, sweet, and yet indescribably sad. Why was she sad? 

As he watched her struggle to pull a bag from the trunk, the waist of her long-sleeved t-shirt rode up, revealing a wide swath of bruised skin. 

Her stomach muscles flexed underneath the bruise, and even from three houses away he could hear her gasp of pain. 

Oh, no! he thought. She's hurt. I've got to help her!

He dashed across the three neighboring yards without a second thought, shouting, "Wait! I'll get it for you!" 

She turned, seeing him running towards her, and stared at him in mute surprise. 

Widow O'Hara followed her gaze then smiled in welcome, "Hello, Benji! I was hoping we'd see you today." 

"Hi, Wid--I mean Mrs. O'Hara," he corrected, clambering up the back of the vehicle so he could reach the trunk. 

 Benji quickly grabbed the suitcase and hefted it over the lip of the trunk, balancing it on the bumper until he was able to jump to the ground. 

He turned to the girl, "Don't you worry. I'll get it for you." 

She looked perplexed, glancing between him and Widow O'Hara uncertainly. Up close he noticed fading bruises on her face and cuts on her hands. What had happened to her?  

Widow O'Hara smiled warmly at the girl and explained, "Benji's the best little helper around. I don't know what I'd do without him. He'll be a good leader someday. Maybe even an Alpha." 

Benji squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest, proud of the acknowledgement, especially in front of the new girl. 

 He glanced at her again, but the perplexed look had faded back into sadness. His eyebrows drew together, not liking that. Unable to help himself, he blurted, "Why are you so sad?" 

Her green eyes caught his, flashing with a look of surprise, "What?" 

Her voice was lyrical but sounded almost dry, as if she was really, really thirsty or hadn't talked in a long, long time. 

Benji pressed, "You're sad. Why?" 

"That's enough, Benji," Widow O'Hara admonished kindly. "She may not feel like talking about it yet." 

The girl looked away, and that made Benji frown more. He wanted to know why she was sad so he could fix it. Well, if she wouldn't tell him that, then--

"How'd you get hurt?" he wondered, pointing at her stomach.

Instead of answering, she ducked her head and stepped away from him, silently following Widow O'Hara into the house. 

Annoyed but used to being ignored, as children often were, Benji carried her suitcase and followed the two women into the house. 

He inhaled deeply as he walked through the door, picking up the faint smells of musky aged fabric, herbs, and candy. The combination was odd, but it was familiar, almost as familiar as the smells of his own house. Widow O'Hara was one of his favorite people in town, and he often went to her house to help in her garden and watch TV with her when his parents had to work. He and Widow O'Hara always had fun together, and she gave him popsicles and candies to thank him for his help.  

"Is Wid--Mrs. O'Hara your grandma?" he asked from behind the girl. "She'd be the best grandma. I wish she was mine. Mine are all dead." 

The girl paused, glanced at him briefly, then shook her head. 

He wanted to ask more questions, but he was beginning to think nobody would answer them today, so he decided to hold those in his head for another time. 

Benji followed the two females up the stairs to the part of the house he'd never been allowed in. It wasn't very large, holding just a single bedroom and bathroom. 

Widow O'Hara opened the door to the bedroom and walked through, motioning for them to follow. When all three of them were in, she turned to the girl, "Well, here we are, dear. Will this be okay?" 

The girl's eyes widened as she looked around. She nodded mutely, seemingly dazed by the room for some reason. 

Benji was practically dragging the heavy suitcase at that point, but he was determined to see his job through to the end. With a great heave and a grunt, he managed to throw it up onto her bed. Then he wiped the sweat out of his eyes and panted for a minute, waiting to see what would happen next; he really wasn't ready to say goodbye to the new girl yet. He wanted to help her not be sad. 

"My, you've gotten so strong," Widow O'Hara remarked. 

He grinned and stood up a little straighter, "Yup. I'm growing big and strong so I can help more people." 

He turned to see the girl looking at him, and a small hint of a smile tilted her mouth up as she whispered, "Thank you." 

He beamed at her and nodded furiously, "Anytime you need help, you call Benji Cougar." 

Her face softened, losing some of the nervousness it'd held until that point, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Benji." 

He stared at the girl, transfixed by how--"You're really pretty!" 

A slight blush covered her face, "Oh, um, thanks, little guy." 

He nodded then turned his attention to Widow O'Hara, "Can I help you with something else today?" 

The older woman shook her head, "No, Benji, I'm sorry. We're just trying to get Eileen settled in today." 

His face fell, "Oh. Okay." 

"But," Widow O'Hara said quickly, glancing between the two with a thoughtful expression, "I think it would be nice if you could come back tomorrow. Maybe you could go with me to introduce Eileen to the neighbors? Would you like that, Eileen?" 

Eileen, her name is Eileen. Eileen, Benji repeated to himself over and over, determined to memorize the name. It was such a pretty name. 

He and Widow O'Hara looked at Eileen expectantly. 

"Would you like Benji to go with us tomorrow?" Widow O'Hara prompted again. 

The girl--Eileen--glanced between them for a second before nodding uncertainly. 

Benji's eyes lit up with excitement, "Yay! I'll see you tomorrow, Eileen." 

Hesitantly she whispered, "See you tomorrow...Benji."