The Healer’s Mate

Fatherly Advice

Ben POV

I opened my mouth to explain but the alphas hands were around my neck slamming me against the wall. 

“What did I tell you?” He demanded through gritted teeth. His rage would only increase if I tried to talk so silence was my best option. I averted my eyes and barely flinched when he punched through the dry wall next to my head. Years of being in the house with my father taught me how to handle outbursts like this. 

“Ethan, let’s go for a run,” Jacob said from a few feet back. With one more growl in my face he was gone with Jacob out the door. 

Sighing, I bent down to clean up the mess I’d made. Droplets of Jane’s blood splattered the floor and I scrubbed the red away. I couldn’t believe this is where I was, with my mate at her pack. If I could go back in time I would never have met her- or would I? Everything about her invited me in to be close to her. Her scent drove me wild. The way her jeans hugged her hips when she walked away from me. I wanted to keep her locked away so no one else could see what I saw. Instead, I broke her down and ignored her. It drove me crazy to, but I couldn’t bring her into my world. The way my father had treated my mother, his mate. I wouldn’t do that to her. Putting the towels in the sink I headed back to my room, determined more than ever to forget my mate.   

I laid in bed willing myself to sleep but the thought of Jane, drunkenly giving me a piece of her mind played over and over in my head. Sighing, I threw my blanket off and sat up trying to calm my restless wolf. “Alright, alright” I relent to him and make my way to the door to go out into the night. The air is chilly as I slip out of my clothes and place them to the side before I shift into my wolf and let him take over. He leaps into the wooded area next to the packhouse and I sit idly by as he explores his surroundings. Noticing a large house hidden away, he approaches it slowly, looking into the large sliding glass door at the back. “Mate,” he said.

“Let’s leave her alone, I think we’ve done enough for today,” I reason.

“You.” 

“What?”

“You. You’ve done enough for today. I haven’t done anything,” he shot back. 

I shut up at this and let him have this moment. He sat back on his hind legs and laid his head forward on his front paws. I study Jane through his eyes. She was sitting on her couch with her knees tucked up under her, a book lay open on her lap and a coffee mug in her hand. She wasn’t, however, reading it. She was staring just beyond it, her eyes were fixed on nothing as she was lost in her own thoughts. My stomach churned when I realized that her red nose and puffy eyes meant that she’d been crying. I knew rejecting her was the best thing for us both, but I couldn’t make myself do it. Admittedly, it was selfish, but every time I saw her I just couldn’t muster up the courage and this was the result. She was awake in the middle of the night, crying because of me. My wolf whined, bringing me back to reality. 

Jane stood from her couch and her blanket fell from her lap showing off her long legs. A brown wrap covered her foot where she had stepped on the glass earlier. She ambled over to the counter and placed her mug on it. Turning to face the sliding glass door she held her hand up to flip the lock but instead lifted her eyes to peer right into mine. I willed my wolf to leave into the darkness but he shifted to stand on all four feet. She let out a deep breath and finished locking the door before turning to head back down the hallway out of sight. My wolf whined and I shifted back into my human self silently wondering if she would even forgive me if I tried. 

Jane POV

I couldn’t tell why it bothered me so much that he was outside my door. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the opportunity to talk to me. I couldn’t keep ahold of my senses much longer. I decided it would be best to take the day off and walk to my father’s house. The fresh air stung my lungs as I walked the road to the familiar cottage on the outskirts of the pack lands. 

“Hi daddy,” I said as I opened the door.

The man who once stood tall, the leader of so many, sat slumped over in his chair over a book. 

“Hi Janie, I wasn’t expecting you today. Everything ok?” He said softly.

“Just came by to see how you were doing. I brought you some coffee from Wethersfield.” I handed him a bag of coffee grounds I had bought on our trip.

“Thank you, honey. But Wethersfield... what on earth were you doing there? Nasty place...” 

“Why do you say that?” I asked maybe a little too quickly.

“That man, the alpha, tortured his own mate- the mother of his kids. He said he didn’t like the weakness the mate bond brought. She killed herself because of it.” 

“That’s absolutely disgusting,” I managed. My heart ached for Ben who was probably an innocent child caught up in his own fathers cruelty.  “Daddy, what was it like with mom?” 

His eyes flashed to me and I can see that he’s struggling. 

“It was like all my life I was lost, and then I found her and everything fell into place. It was like we could communicate without even talking. When she was gone... it was like I couldn’t breathe. No one knew me like she did and it hurt to function. It lessened over time, but never went away. Why do you ask?” 

“Just curious,” I said quietly. “I better get back so I can clean up before dinner,” I kissed his scruffy cheek. 

“Okay, thanks for coming to see me,” he smiled. I looked at the shell of a man in front of me. Losing his mate had sent him off the deep end. When he had visitors he put on a brave face but otherwise he was barely functioning. I wondered what it would be like to join him here after my mate rejected me. The thought stayed with me all the way back to my house.