Reborn

Chapter Thirty Four

Every story has a villain, but every villain has a story. So how could I judge the villain without knowing his story? No one is ever born a psychopath; they're created.

Benjamin was just a victim of circumstance.

Maybe I was absolutely crazy for even trying to help him process his grief when I had heard about wolves going crazy when their mate was gone, but he wasn't just a wolf. He was a vampire too and that meant he didn't have to go crazy. He could process his grief and move on, just like everyone else had to when they lost someone they love. It didn't have to mean he would never love anyone again.

I just had to get him to see that.

How? I had absolutely no idea.

Benjamin's friends had arrived last night, and I didn't like a single one of them. Benjamin had them all wrapped around his finger so I knew I couldn't rely on them to help me get out of here, but more than that, I just didn't like the way they looked at me. It was as though they'd rather see me dead than as Benjamin's mate, which was a huge problem in itself.

I'd only met four of them, though I knew there was more. They'd made sure to tell me I'd pissed off a lot of Benjamin's friends. That didn't surprise me though; they had been friends with Georgia and she was dead because of me. It would have been strange if they didn't want me dead after that.

Surprisingly though, it was Benjamin that defended me against his friends when I was convinced he would be on their side with this.

I no longer understood his motives. I'd assumed he wanted me as his as a punishment, but the more I observed him, the more I realised he truly was worried about losing his sanity because he couldn't cope without a mate. He'd clearly been living all these years preferring his wolf side, but he couldn't do that anymore. He had to accept his vampire side too if he had a hope of ever being his normal self.

Though, the more I think about it, him being his normal self probably wasn't any better for me. I was stuck either way, but I refused to just sit back and accept my fate.

I had a boyfriend and friends to get back to.

"What are you thinking about?" Benjamin asked, breaking me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at him with a blank stare.

"Do you really care?"

He stared back at me flatly, though I thought I saw a twinge of hurt flash through his eyes but it was gone as quick as it had arrived.

I sighed, glancing back out the window. I wish I was with Shadow. I missed him so much. It actually hurt to be away from him because I wasn't sure I'd ever see him again if I couldn't make my escape. Now that Benjamin's friends were here, an escape might not actually be possible. I'd waited too long and now I wasn't sure I'd ever get out.

"You might as well forget about him," Benjamin's voice hardened as his footsteps approached, coming to a stop behind me. He was so close his chest was pressed against my back and I instantly shuffled forward a step, hating the thought of him touching me. "You are mine now."

"I will never be yours in the way it counts." I felt like I was pretty much repeating myself at this point because I knew he didn't listen to a word I said. I kept trying though, in the vain hope that maybe, just maybe, he would realise I was right.

In an instant, I was pressed against him, his arms circling around my waist as he lowered his head, lips brushing my ear. "But I need you."

"No, you don't." I tensed. "You're a hybrid, not just a wolf."

"What are you saying?" The feel of his breath on my neck made me tense, not liking the closeness.

"You're a vampire too. You can process your grief like a human would. It'll hurt, and it'll never stop hurting, but you won't go crazy and you'll learn to live with her absence."