Claimed

Chapter 49: Fresh Start

Ben's POV:

Quiet wasn't a word I'd use to describe Sophia. Which was why it was unsettling how silent she was the entire three-hour drive. If not for our hands locked together, I would've been more worried. Her wall was still in place, but not aggressive. Parts of her slipped through and traveled down the bond, and those parts told me she was anxious, scared and remorseful.

I squeezed her hand and her chest rose with a steep inhale, her fingers curling tighter around mine. Whatever the problem was, it was the first time I'd seen her so vulnerable.

I couldn't be mad at her. The crack in her walls before she ran off reminded me of what I felt when Kane marked Tess without her permission. While the actions were wrong, the intentions behind them weren't so black and white. I wouldn't defend their reactions, but none of it was pre-meditated, and none of it was done with the intent to hurt. Their moments of panic were mirrors of each other. Doubt, fear, self-loathing, hopelessness, and desperation.

I didn't blame Tess for being hurt and upset with Kane when that happened, but having been tied to him when it happened and the following weeks he was a mess because of it, I couldn't be upset with Sophia. She'd been through a lot, and while I wanted her to know I wasn't okay with how she handled it, I also wanted her to know I was still a safe place to come to afterwards.

Of all the years I'd spent in this broken, haunted pack, there was one thing I knew to be true. When around people who've been hurt, who don't know how to accept good without expecting bad, the most powerful tool a person could have was patience. Patience to understand what the problem was, what triggered it, and what to work on in the future. From what I gathered, Sophia hadn't grown up with patience. Every time her and I had a misunderstanding, it's like she expected that to be it. One incident was all it took for her to believe everything was over.

That kind of response didn't come from nowhere. It came from experience, and I wouldn't hold a past she had no control of against her.

I pulled off on a gravel road, passing by a wooden sign that read 'Stephen C Foster State Park'. With the weather getting colder and night approaching, the park was almost empty. Sophia peered out the window with furrowed brows. I waited for her to ask where we were or what we were doing, but when her mouth opened, it shut again a few minutes later. Stop being on good behavior and just be yourself, dammit.

We drove along the gravel road, passing several campsites before pulling into one farther away from everyone else. I slow the car to a stop in front of an outdoor grill and picnic table. The silence that'd already been deafening got even louder when I killed the engine.

Reaching for my door, I noticed Sophia's doing the same. Leaning over, I circled my hand around her wrist. "Don't open it."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

Her lips twitched up in a small smile but her eyes reflected like she was holding back tears. She nodded and I got out of the car, circled to her side and opened the door. When her hand landed in mine to help her out, both our heartrates spiked and the bond thrummed.

I actually don't need the reminder of how beautiful she is, bond, but thanks.

Her hand fell away from mine as she gazed around the campsite. Normally, it'd be all green but the grass under us was mostly browned and the leaves on the trees already started changing to yellows, oranges and reds. The colors might've been more vibrant in sunlight but the sun was almost set, the clouds above us tinted in a pale pink.

"Did you bring me in the middle of nowhere to kill me?" Sophia asked.

I opened the back door and pulled out the picnic basket. "Really?"