58 - Ben


    Don''t let your eyes follow her as she walks away. Don''t watch her go. Don''t watch her leave. The phrase echoed relentlessly in my mind, a desperate attempt to silence the wolf inside me, who was stubbornly twisting it into a plea: “Walk away with her." That conversation we just had—it was the longest, most meaningful exchange between us in what felt like forever. Usually, she gives me nothing but clipped, one-word answers, her gaze fixed firmly on anything but me. My wolf insists I should be patient, give her space and time. But my rational mind suspects she''s trying to figure out how to reject me without hurting either her wolf or mine once all this is over. I don''t think she harbors any real resentment toward me-besides the fact that I''m a man. She''s still hung up on that whole female alpha thing, but I''m pretty sure I''ve shown her I''m not interested in iming that title. I don''t want it; the warriors know it too. It''s her birthright, not mine. I''d stand by her side willingly, but someone maybe a whisper of magic-has nted the idea in her head that if we''re connected, I''ll somehow steal the pack and the alpha status from her. Maybe I''m not the only one affected by this magic after all.


    We agreed to take vehicles instead of running, just in case we need to transport more than just ourselves. Yesterday, I reached out to Junior but got no response. I tried again before we left, then contacted Luna Sam. I left messages for both, but decided we''d head their way regardless of whether they were expecting us or not.


    The entire drive I''m on edge, anxiety gnawing at me. I wish I could just run, let my wolf loose, and burn off the restless energy twisting in my gut. Why aren''t they answering? Neither of them is the type to gopletely silent without a reason. I also called Jason. I''m still adjusting to this new pack, but it''ll be good to see a familiar face.


    Everything outside looks normal as we drive the forests are quiet, the roads empty. Nothing seems out of ce to exin the unease settling in my chest. But that feeling doesn''t fade. I''m also trying to process the magic we''re dealing with, so I fill Damon and Owen in on my strange reaction to the magic used against us-though I''m sure they''ve already been briefed by their leaders. It''sforting that they don''t interrupt or dismiss my exnation; instead, they listen carefully and ask thoughtful questions about what I''m experiencing.


    As we cross from the neutralnds that separate Red Fang and ck w into the Red Fang forest, a sharp headache hits me, followed by nausea.


    "Yeah, there''s magic here too," I groan, pressing my fingers to my temples to ease the pounding and taking deep, slow breaths just like Brianna taught me. She warned me not to fight the magic but to use the pressure as a guide, apass to find the source of the pain. “We''re close. If you want, we can stop and check if these markers are the same as the shadow markers we''ve been finding back home," I say, voice rough.


    “Let''s stop,” Damon agrees. “It''ll give us more information to present to the Alpha of this pack when we meet." The formal tone the witches use used to throw me off, but now it feels natural—even when ites from coven members closer in age to ra and me. "Brianna''s told us what to look for. This will help us understand the simrities or differences in the magic casting here," Damon adds, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.


    I nod and direct him toward the source of the difort. When my head starts to spin and my vision blurs at the edges, I signal him to stop. "I can''t go any further, or I''ll just be a burden instead of a help. You go ahead and see what you find. I''ll stay here." I draw a deep breath, fighting the queasy feeling in my stomach that threatens to spill out onto the forest floor.


    "Don''t be ashamed of your connection to the threat," Owen says with a reassuring smile. "You''ve saved many lives because of it. We all have our roles to y. Not everyone can be the hero all the time."


    "Did you just crack a joke?” I mutter, leaning back against the seat and closing my eyes, focusing on steadying my breath. “Go on, take my phone,” I wave it at them. "Send me what you find, and I''ll be your go-between. I''m going to try Junior and Sam again too."


    "Yes, Beta," they reply in unison. There it is the shift into formal titles the moment we start talking about pack or coven business. I''ve noticed they do this mid- conversation sometimes, switching from casual talk to official terms. It''s fascinating. They only explore for about five minutes before my phone buzzes nonstop with texts -pictures, detailed exnations of the elements and cements, and descriptions of the magic they detect. They don''t hide a single detail from me, and I appreciate their honesty. Like ra, I wasn''t trained in magic, but I''m genuinely eager to learn. They even let me pass information along to ra, Brianna, and Marietta, instead of sending it all at once. I''m not sure if that''s by instruction or because they think it''ll help me absorb it better-maybe both. Either way, I respect how seriously they take my role as Beta.


    Either this shadow marker is particrly stubborn, or they''re both new to dispelling its magic, because they end up spending a full hour out in the forest.