“BEN!” I shout rushing to his side of the truck. He''s conscious, but disoriented.


    “Shadow Markers! Everyone else stay in the trucks until we can find them. Someone let the witches know. They can help us search.”


    Ben''s eyes try to focus on me, but his pupils keep dting and constricting. I hold his face close to mine so I am the only thing he should see when he can refocus. "Hey!" My voice is sharp. I know he has hallucinations with the effects of the markers. I want him to feel the tingles of the mate bond on his skin so he knows I am touching him, no matter what Eliza is forcing him to see. "Come back to me. I need you in this.” His trembling body has me worried. It could be so many things going on inside his mind. I look up to see Brianna with Jax. I assume Marietta is with Dev on the other side.


    As long as my friends are taken care of, I can focus on Ben. Eliza brought the fight to us to keep us away from the Rift. She can''t get in, or it is fighting back. That makes me smile vindictively.


    “Benjamin Simons, wake your ass up right now! Eliza is at a disadvantage, the magic is fighting her. With all the bullsh*t she has put us through in thest year, you are NOT going to be taken down now!" I shake him a little, he needs to blink or react or something.


    "Over there!” I hear someone shout, but I can''t pull my focus from my mate.


    The mate I didn''t want, thought I didn''t need. The one everyone in my pack thought would take over for me once I found him. Ben has been none of those things. He''s as stubborn as me, but that is almost a requirement to put up with me. He has shown me how to work together to make the pack better and protect it. He has never once tried to take any control from me. In fact, he seems to prefer to defer decisions to me. He likes his Beta role and is good at it. He''s good at getting me to see other points of view, calming me when my temper just wants to re. He does know how and when I need him to dominate me too. He makes me feel safe giving up control. That thought sends a jolt through my body. Not the best time, but what can I do?


    I touch my forehead to his. He inhales sharply, like he''s been holding his breath and grabs my wrist. "Hey." I say more gently. "We need to figure out something to protect you from those Shadow Markers. Having you catatonic is kind of scary." I whisper.


    He pulls me in for a bruising kiss and for the first time, out in public, I let him. We let all the unsaid feelings flow into that kiss. I can feel the tingles everywhere in my body, stronger than before.


    "I''m sorry to interrupt, but we have several of the markers down." One of the witches approaches us. I sigh and look up. I see Jax and Dev in a simr embrace. I wonder what they saw under the influence.


    "I hear a "buting." I roll my eyes and stand, pulling Ben with me. He''s stable, but wraps an arm around my waist and leans in like he needs the Support. Copyright O 2025 Miss Writes and Ember Mantel


    Productions


    "We should assume, there are more along the way. We''ve been doing this long enough that they have be rtively easy to discover." The witch takes a breath and continues like he doesn''t want to give this information. “If it was me, I would ce the wolves that are under her control near the markers. She knows it affects..some but not all of your warriers if you have warriors down, and witches distracted with dismantling these markers to get through, she will have a better chance of picking us off before we even reach her."


    "What''s your name?" Ben asks.


    "Felix, Sir."


    "We need to pair a witch who can track and dismantle these markers with wolves who are immune and wolves who are not. Hy not leaving ra'' side, but I am a liability. The faster we can destroy them, the better. Can you help us with that?”


    "Yes, sir."


    Everyone in our vicinity heard themand and gets to work. We have a witch to


    kill.