Claimed

Chapter 30: Hiding

Ben's POV:

The only time I'd hidden things from an Alpha or anyone else was when Bryce was that Alpha. After Kane took over, I'd never snuck around or got into trouble or did anything other than try to be the best role model I could for the rest of the ranked wolves that would eventually join and have to learn a new way of doing things with Kane and I.

Which was why it was unlike me to steal from our brew inventory. I didn't even have to steal. If I'd asked for the scent masking brew, I could've easily gotten approval. The problem was I'd have to explain why I wanted it. Why I was sneaking into the infirmary in the middle of the night after everyone was asleep. How do you explain something you can't understand yourself?

I just needed to see her. After we transported Sophie back to Blood Moon, I needed to see her or it wouldn't matter how many people told me she was okay. I wouldn't believe I until I saw it for myself.

I took very little of the brew, enough it probably wouldn't be noticed it was missing at all but the amount I took would only give me a few minutes. A few minutes was all I needed, anyway.

I went in the infirmary and wasn't surprised she was surrounded by her guys. They were snoring as close to her bed as possible. Ezra was asleep with his head on the bed and his hand around hers. I moved around all of them and went to her other side. It wasn't easy to squeeze between her and the small space Darius left.

I stared, listening to her steady breathing and heart. Alejandro said they were able to heal the wounds but she wouldn't get away scar-free. My heart was pounding and the only way it would stop was if I could make sure he was right so I lifted the blanket and was thankful her shirt was already ridden up over her stomach.

Jagged, rough scars went across her normally smooth skin in raised claw marks crossing over each other. It both hurt to see and relieved the tension in me. Scarred, but still here. Still breathing. No more bleeding.

I set the blanket down and stared down at her. My hand was on her face before I made a decision to put it there. My lips were on her forehead and I didn't remember even considering it. My thumb dragged across her cheek and I let out a long breath, resting my forehead against hers.

She was okay.

I left before I wanted to because the brew would wear off and how the hell could I explain that I needed to see her but couldn't handle anyone talking to me? I was so on edge and out of control with my own mind, I was worried one question would set me off. I couldn't remember the last time I was so agitated, ready to explode in some kind of outburst. I didn't even know what the outburst would be about, I just knew it was right on the edge of my sanity.

Returning to the pack house and going to bed, I ached being so far away from her. I could see the infirmary from my window but it wasn't enough. She almost died. I would've lost my biggest motivator in training because Goddess help me, I was going to find a move she wasn't ready for at some point.

I would've lost the only person that naturally stayed up in the middle of the night. I would've lost one of the few people that could just sit in silence with me free of tension or expectation to fill the silence. I would've lost the first person I'd been able to talk about Krystal with, the one that was there when I broke down but never made me feel bad about it, the one that gave me a connection to my mate through the stars, the one that made me laugh more than anyone had in a long time. I would've lost...

My best friend. When she became my best friend, I didn't know. But she was. I spent most my time with her, I trained the most with her, we had our own hours in the middle of the night that no one interrupted or was a part of. It was like time stopped in the moments we got lost under the stars or on a run, finding peace in pasts riddled with agony. For those few hours when it was just her and I, she was only mine. She wasn't Darius's partner, or Ezra's sister, or Levi and Noah's Luna. She was just mine.