Claimed

Chapter 46: Familiar

Ben's POV:

Sophia and I stood next to each other in Kane and Tess's office, but a firm wall separated us. Not a physical one, one that felt like... Like she put it there. I looked over at her as subtly as possible, reaching out to the new tether between us. She stiffened and tightened her arms around herself, her gaze fixed on Tess who sat at the desk, murmuring into her phone.

Sophie, I tried to speak to her through that tether, but the words echoed off the wall that crushed our braided rope so all I could see was part of it, pinched beneath a surface that didn't allow all our emotions to reach each other.

Whatever it was, it was powerful, and confusing. The feelings were identical to ones I experienced when I found Krystal. Sophia's scent took over every atom in me just like Krystal's had. My pull to be close to her, protect her, and give her everything she needed was the same. My skin itching to feel hers was the same. The desire to wrap my arms around her and hold her until I banished away everything bad in her life was the same I felt around Krystal.

An identical bond that was the same, and yet completely different. My bond with Krystal flowed rhythmically like a small stream. My tether with Sophie roared with flames and steam. My chest both ached and felt full. Full because I overflowed with everything Sophie. Each moment we'd spent together had a more prominent, vibrant place in my head where I could relive every second of our time together. Yet, my chest constricted. The presence of that tether was so similar, an echo back to a past life where I'd failed to keep that tether intact. The last time I felt something so intense was when I failed to keep Krystal safe and give her the life I promised. The pain of that connection being taken away was severe enough that Sophie's wall was making me panicky. I couldn't live through another sever.

Kane entered the room after having tracked down Darius. Darius flew to Sophie's side and I took a deep breath, flexing my hands as he set his hands on her shoulders and asked what was wrong. My hands shook so I tucked them behind my back, clasping them tightly together and fighting against the jealousy.

Sophie, I tried again. A caress down our tether allowed me to breathe normally. Why was she blocking me out? Her eyes drifted to me briefly while she shook her head at Darius's questions. He looked between us, his lips pulling down. "Why do you..." he faced me, tilting his head to the side. "Why do you feel different?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Sophia said quietly, nodding to Tess.

Darius's head whipped to Sophie, then back to me. His eyes widened. "Is that..."

"We don't know," Sophie snapped. "Just sit tight, for fuck's sake."

Darius pressed his lips together and stared Sophia down. She didn't return the look. His gaze shifted to me and he sighed, stepping back and putting space between them. Thank you.

"I see." Tess drummed her fingers against the desk. "Okay. Thanks. I'll look for the texts."

Tess lowered her phone and both Sophie and I stepped forward. She held her hand up and tapped on her phone a few times, then brought it closer to her face. Blowing out a breath, her eyebrows raised higher and higher with every sweep of her eyes across the screen. Eventually, she set the phone down and clasped her hands together, looking between Sophie and I. "There's something rare that happens between certain shifters who've lost their mates before they've had a chance to spend any real time with them. Thaddeus says he only personally knows of six other times in his entire lifetime that this has happened."

"What exactly is happening?" Darius asked.

"Uh, well..." Tess gestured to me, then Sophia. "Put simply, a second chance happened."