Claimed

Chapter 1: Haunted

Ben's POV:

I woke up sweating and shaking, gasping for air like there wasn't enough of it to take in. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and tried to erase the image stuck in my mind. The one that would never stop haunting me. The one giving me nightmares that wouldn't go away.

Krystal. My mate. Her throat sliced in front of me.

I brought my knees up and rested my head between them, trying to breathe, trying not to see her choke on her own blood, trying not to watch her body collapse to the floor, her eyes wide open but her soul gone. It wouldn't go away, even though it'd been years. That image was never going away. Neither was the feeling of part of myself dying with her that day.

I'd never be complete again.

Throwing the sheet off me, I swung my legs to the side and got off the bed. I wouldn't be sleeping again after that, there was no point in trying. It wasn't even dawn yet but I was used to not sleeping. I hadn't been able to really sleep since I lost her.

Krystal.

A crazy part of me somehow hoped thinking her name through the bond that wasn't even there anymore would somehow bring her back, or at least give me something, some sort of connection to her soul. There was nothing. It was quiet and empty. Gone.

I set my head in my hands and pictured the few good moments I had with her. I never intended to be a higher-ranking wolf but once I caught her scent in those dungeons, I knew my only way in was to make my previous Alpha trust me enough to guard the cell. It felt like forever before I finally worked my way up and was given a shift alone with her. I could still see her light brown, honey hair, her jade green eyes, her delicate features...

My hand moved from my head to my neck where she'd marked me. It was supposed to stay forever but after I lost her, it started to fade. It was no longer a bright, white and silver mark. It was faded to the point there was no beautiful sheen like there used to be, just a faint white mark that could only be seen when the light hit just right.

I shook my head and fought back against the tightening in my chest, the stinging in my eyes. I worked so hard to build up my strength so I could get to her, help her escape those dungeons. If only you'd been strong enough to keep her from dying. My nails dug into my scalp and I stood up, not bothering to get dressed or even go down the stairs. I tugged my boxers off and opened up my window . I jumped down from the second floor of the pack-house, rolling when I landed before finding my footing and shifting to my wolf form, running for the trees.

I joined the patrols and they didn't bother asking why I was up. They stopped asking a long time ago why I'd randomly join the patrols in the middle of the night when I'd already run others earlier in the day. Being one of the Betas did give me the benefit of not having to answer a lot of questions I didn't feel like answering.

I ran for hours and widened the patrol just to be alone for a bit, checking past the borders and paying attention for any unfamiliar scents. Everything was out of hand since our world meshed with the human world. The hound issue was out of hand. So were rogues. We were either scenting them or seeing them growing closer to our borders over the last few weeks and it meant everyone was on edge even more than usual. Patrols were running longer and more frequent, and I was pushing out farther every time to see if I could find a track that would tell me where they were holing up. I guessed it had to be close but hadn't found anything yet.

I got back to the pack house a little past dawn and there were some clothes sitting on the porch. I already knew who put them there and mentally prepared myself for an intervention once I got inside. Sighing, I shifted back to my human form and rolled my shoulder to work out the kinks of the shift before putting the clothes on and heading inside.