Alpha Benji

♕Chapter Twenty-Four♕

"You're not coming inside?"

I pause, my fingers already curled around the knob of the door. I hadn't noticed Jeremiah's slowed pace until he was already behind me, ready to make his way back to his home. He stopped, turning on his heel to face me. 

"No," his response was curt, like it usually was. He wasn't a man of many words. "Benji's here. I already talked to him."

I furrow my eyebrows, still staring at him. "You did? When?" 

Jeremiah sighs. His expression is one similar to an older sibling being pestered by their siblings - he's irate. In a pointed manner, Jeremiah raises his pointer finger to tap on his forehand two times, waiting in silence for me to understand. 

"Oh," A blush creeps up my face immediately. I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to realize they had mindlinked. "well, alright. Goodnight."

He barely registers my pleasantries before he makes his escape. I huff, turning back to the door. Jeremiah is a confusing man. He certainly acts more like what I expected from this pack - standoffish, rude, and a tinge bit judgmental. But, it still is frustrating to deal with.

I'm consumed by my thoughts as I enter the house, letting the door close with a thud. The only thing that juts me from my mind is the awful smell wafting through the house. Immediately, my nerves pick up. My first assumption whenever I smell a foul smell is a rogue. But after sniffing the air, I let out a sigh of relief.

The scent smells like burnt, overcooked food. I quickly follow the scent to the kitchen, where it is the strongest. 

"Is everything alright?" I hesitantly ask. 

Benji lets out a frustrated growl that sounds a tinge bit too animalistic for my liking. In a quick blur of movements, the remnants of whatever is in his cooking pot is tossed in the trash. He catches my gaze as he looks up, "Yes, it's fine. We're ordering pizza."

♕♕♕

"Tell me more." Benji demands for the third time. Over the course of dinner, Benji has drilled me with questions on my day. It was surprising to see him so interested in how my day went, considering dinner was usually a silent event between the two of us. 

After coming home to Benji's failed attempt at pasta and shrimp, we ordered pizza from the pack kitchen. I had never seen Benji try to cook in the kitchen before, and now I know why. It makes sense that he was living off of pre-cooked meals before I came along. I had been under the impression that he always had me make dinner because of some misogynistic viewpoint, but I'm thinking now it was just out of necessity. 

"I don't know what else you want to know." I admit, putting a hand over my mouth so I could finish swallowing my food without him staring. "I had a really nice time. The kids were all sweet." 

He nodded, seemingly letting up on his questioning. 

"What about you? How was your day?" I quickly ask. It wasn't often that he wanted to sit here and talk like normal mates. I should take advantage of this while I can. 

"My day wouldn't interest you. It was boring." He is quick to shut down the conversation, letting a groan escape his lips. "Just a lot of pack work and training the warriors with Alaric." 

I grab a napkin, wiping the grease off my fingers. "What are they training for?"

"War." He blatantly responds as if it is the most obvious answer. 

I freeze out of habit, staring at him. Benji is clearly unbothered by the topic, continuing to eat his dinner in peace. It scares me how casually he discusses going to war. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, to completely uproot another pack and attack them for no reason.