Marked

Chapter 20: Unexpected Visitor

Kane's POV:

"Alpha?"

Ben's voice snapped me out of the moment I was stuck in. The moment I acted impulsively and marked my mate without asking for her permission first. I couldn't stop replaying that moment of weakness. Especially not since I saw how hurt she was. I thought I knew, but seeing her breakdown and go to Xander as her safe place made it even more painfully obvious.

"What?" I asked, flipping the fork over and over in my hands. It was the strongest thing that had her scent on it. I'd take anything at this point.

"Are you all right?" Ben asked, taking a seat across from me at the table.

"Fine."

"Can you just talk to me for once?" He sighed. "I've been your Beta for three years. I'm supposed to be someone you can trust."

"I trust you," I said, flipping the fork over again. It had to be a good sign she at least ate with other people in the pack, even if it wasn't me.

"It doesn't seem like it," Ben said.

"I do," I said, lifting my eyes to him. "Just because I don't talk, doesn't mean I don't trust you."

"I can help you," he said, leaning over the table. "With Tess, I can help you."

"How?" I asked doubtfully. "Can you turn back time? That's the only fucking way we win out in this."

"Then why are we here?" He asked. "We can't turn back time. So if you really believe that's the only way, then why are we still here?"

I looked away, unsure what to say. I was still in this territory because I was still hoping Tess would talk to me. She was busy, I knew that. I knew how packs worked. If both her Alpha and Luna had been out of commission for months, there was a shit ton of things to work through. I stayed because I wanted her to finish that shit and talk to me.

"She might talk to me," I finally said. "We just have to be patient."

"I'm patient," he said. "I didn't say that because I want you to give up, I was just making a point. You're here because you have hope, at least a little bit."

I shrugged in response, not sure what to say. Ben sighed and leaned forward, clasping his hands together. I hated when he did that. It was something he did when he was about to have a serious talk with me.

"How do you expect to win her over after this?" He asked. "Marking her without asking her is a huge deal. There's not a single person that would fault her for not accepting you after that. She could have it undone, at least enough to not feel a draw to you as intensely. But we're here, hoping she'll talk to you."

"Do you not want your fated Luna?" I asked in irritation.

"Of course I do," he frowned. "Of course I do. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm telling you I can help but it's going to mean fixing it and I'm not sure you can fix it on your own. I know you don't like depending on anyone else but clearly you trying on your own isn't getting us very far. All I'm saying is that I know what that mate bond is like, I can help you."

"How?" I asked, rising from the chair. "Did you mark Krystal without asking her? Of course you fucking didn't because you didn't fuck up like I did," I said, throwing my arms up. "So tell me, Ben, what the fuck can you do to help me right now?"

"I can tell you how mates act around each other," he said, not breaking eye contact. "I can tell you what it's like to interact with someone you care about in a normal way instead of a desperate way. Goddess, do you think I got anywhere with Krystal by pushing my way through? Of course I didn't. I had to be patient, I had to be understanding. How would you have reacted if I had marked Krystal without her permission, without her understanding what it meant?"