Ben (9 page)

"I have absolutely no idea about that, but if not, can you ask other Alphas if they have anyone that would be interested? I mean obviously they have to be a wolf and you'll have to interview just like any other position to find the person that's going to suit you the best. You will be spending most of your day in close proximity to them." Tommy paused. He hadn't even considered this fact. What if whomever Ben hired got the hots for his mate—the man was stunning after all—and tried to take his mate away from him? No, Tommy couldn't risk it, he didn't think Ben would ever cheat on him, but he supposed it was better to just remove all temptation just in case. "You know what? I think I was mistaken after all, you don't need an assistant. You'll be fine continuing as you have been."

Ben threw his head back and laughed, the sound filled with joy and love. Tommy sat stunned on the couch just watching the pure happiness exuding from his mate. When Ben had finished laughing, he stalked back to the couch and gripped Tommy's face then pulled him into a hard, demanding kiss that stole the breath right out of his lungs.

When Ben finally pulled back, he looked Tommy clear in the eyes. "You're it for me, pup. You never have to worry that someone will steal me away. You're all I'll want for the rest of my life. I love you."

Tommy felt a lump lodge in his throat as he choked up at Ben's words. He didn't realise his mate could read him so easily, but he was kind of glad he could. Love was something he hadn't expected to hear from his mate's lips though. The man was a big tough Alpha; his soft gooey side really had come as a nice surprise. As for him, Tommy had slowly been falling in love with his mate for the last several months.

The way Ben had treated him when he'd been hurt, never leaving his side in those initial days, always there when Tommy had needed him. Ben had never pushed Tommy to take their relationship further than he was ready for. This all proved to Tommy the kind of man his mate really was and allowed his heart to be given to the one man he knew without a shadow of a doubt would never hurt it.

"I love you too," he whispered.

Ben walked around the couch and scooped Tommy up in his arms and headed towards their bedroom, kissing him the entire way. It looked like Tommy would have to wait to get his hands on some soup but he was more than happy with the reason for the delay.

CHAPTER 8

Ben sat at his desk a week later and cursed as he opened his e-mail. It contained another threat from the same person. This made four in total, each one getting more and more threatening. Corey had managed to trace the e-mail address back to one Sonja Kroger who had been a member of the Cairns pack until a couple of months ago when she had gone missing.

Ben had spoken with Frank Schmidt, the Alpha he had appointed to take over the pack after he had killed Kegan Wallis. Frank had done some digging and had found out that Sonja had set her sights on Kegan as her way of being Alpha bitch. The pair had been dating, and according to pack members, if Wallis hadn't been killed, they would have expected the pair to be mated by now.

Well, it seemed Sonja now held a grudge against Ben for killing her golden ticket. Ben couldn't give a shit how she felt about the death of that piece of crap. He would more than happily put her out of her misery as well if that's what it came down to. Ben wasn't worried about himself. Hell, the entire thing would be nothing more than a mere annoyance if it wasn't for the fact that he was now mated and expecting a cub of his own.

There was no way in the known universe he would let any harm come to his mate or unborn babe all because some bitch had a hard-on for power and was denied.

Unfortunately, it looked like the woman had gone to ground. No one had seen or heard from Sonja in two months. She'd quit her job, left the apartment she'd rented, putting all her furniture in storage, and her credit cards or bank accounts hadn't been accessed in all that time. Wherever the hell she was, she had to have a large stash of cash to survive so long without leaving any trace of her movements behind. There wasn't even a mobile phone that they could trace back to her. The entire thing was frustrating Ben to no end.

Ben had ordered patrols around the grounds surrounding his house starting the previous week, when the third e-mail had arrived. He hated the thought of Tommy being in any type of danger and would do whatever was necessary to keep him safe.

Tommy had understood when Ben had explained the situation to him. He wasn't going to be one of those guys who hid things from his mate under the guise of keeping him safe. He truly believed when it came to the ones you loved that honesty was always the best policy. The hint of fear that flashed in Tommy's eyes made him want to gut this Sonja person for ever putting that look on his mate's face.

Ben didn't give a crap that she was a woman. That ceased to matter the second she put his mate in harm's way. He picked up the phone and called Rhys, one of the three wolves currently patrolling the grounds. Ben's house sat apart from the majority in the area and backed up against one of the many forested patches. The small amount of seclusion allowed for him to run when the urge overtook him without having to worry about being caught or having to drive to the pack lands. But right then Ben hated the fact he was nestled against the trees as it provided the perfect cover for his enemies.

Rhys picked up on the third ring. "Anything?" Ben wasn't known for his small talk lately.

"Nothing so far, Alpha, all seems clear."

"Thanks, check in with the other two and get back to me."

"Will do." Ben hung up the phone and leant back in his comfortable leather desk chair. He closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. This bitch was really starting to annoy him.

Ben smiled as the faint traces of his mate's scent wafted to him. He kept his eyes closed for the time being and waited. He didn't have to wait for too long as Tommy came over to him and settled in his lap, Tommy's thighs pinning Ben's between them. His mate's hands went up into Ben's hair and Tommy tugged lightly as he pressed close and their lips met in a soft whisper of a kiss.

"Mmm. You always taste so good." Ben opened his eyes in time to see Tommy's tongue swipe across his bottom lip, almost as if he was trying to gather every last drop of his taste.

"Glad you approve." Tommy's colour had returned to normal the day after he started taking the medicine Doc Carter had prescribed. Ben had never been so worried or at a loss as to what to do when Tommy had gotten ill. The sight of his mate so obviously sick and nothing Ben could do left him feeling helpless and that was something Ben never wanted to feel again.

His mate was still taking things slowly, resting a great deal and eating small amounts but at least things were mostly staying down.

Ben placed his large palms against Tommy's flat stomach and just rested them there. He knew his cub was probably the size of a peanut or something similar but he wanted his child to know that he was loved. Tommy's hands came down to cover his and they sat that way in silence for several minutes, just letting the warmth of their combined hands seep into Tommy's belly.

Tommy sighed and laid his head down against Ben's shoulder. Not two seconds later the sound of glass shattering and a bullet smashing into the wall directly behind where Tommy's head had been caused Ben to grab his mate and launch them both from the chair to the ground. More glass shattered above them as Ben heard a steady rain of bullets rip through his house.

They took cover under Ben's desk for a moment as he pulled out his phone and called Rhys. He wanted to know where the hell the men were that should be patrolling his grounds. Tommy clung to the front of him as he listened to the damn phone ring and ring in his ear. No answer. Ben tried Max and Celia, the other two on patrol, and neither of them answered either.

Ben swore up a blue streak as he dialled Liam. He hated the thought of members of his pack being out there hurt but he couldn't do anything at the moment with a stream of bullets pinning his ass down.

Liam finally answered his call.

"Hey, Alpha, what do you need?" Liam asked, his tone light and happy.

"Get your ass over here now." Ben paused and more bullets flew overhead and smashed into the wall opposite. His house was being torn to shreds. "And bring backup, we're under fire and the three on patrol aren't answering."

"Shit." Ben didn't wait to hear anything else; he hung up the phone and shoved it in his pocket.

Tommy shook violently in front of him and Ben swore that bitch was going to pay for causing his mate to fear. "Come on, pup. Let's get you somewhere safe so I can go hunt this bitch down."

The small nod against his chest was agreement enough for Ben. Tommy got himself together and let go of where he'd clung to Ben before cautiously crawling out from under the table. They kept low to the ground and slowly made their way towards the door. Tommy whimpered occasionally when he got cut by the glass that currently littered the floor of Ben's office but the man never stopped or cried out. Ben was so proud of his mate.

Luckily the door Tommy had come through to see him remained open, and as soon as they passed the doorjamb they were able to move faster. Ben took Tommy to the ground floor bathroom where he pulled out the first aid kit and attempted to get his mate cleaned up but Tommy wasn't having any of it.

"Go, Ben."

"No, you're hurt."

Tommy sighed like he was talking to the most difficult person alive. "I'm fine, I've got this. Go and find that crazy bitch and take out the cost of the damage she's caused on her ass."

Ben stopped and stared at his mate for a moment, a little shocked at what he'd just heard.

"A little bloodthirsty, maybe?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"That psycho just shot up our house and put our unborn child in danger. I don't think I was hard enough. Now would you please go, the sound of gunfire really is not something I wish to listen to ever again."

Ben leant down and took his mate's mouth in a fierce kiss before he broke away and headed for the entrance. "Lock the door behind me."

"If you get killed, I'm going to find someone who can bring you back from the dead so I can kill you myself. I'm not raising this child alone. You understand me, Benjamin Justin Taylor?"

"Loud and clear, pup." Ben knew he had the biggest smile on face as he closed the door behind him and went to find the psycho who was doing a piss poor job of redecorating his house.

Ben made his way down the passage to the front door. He looked through the small slivers of clear glass in the design in his door and couldn't see anyone out front. Opening the door slowly, Ben waited to see if shots would be fired. He hoped that Sonja was acting alone, and since the other shots had come from the back of the house, the front would be clear. When all was quiet, Ben made his way outside to the opposite end of the house from where his study was located.

He looked around the side of the house but once again couldn't see anyone or anything but the trees in the distance. He really wasn't looking forward to crossing the stretch of open grass to the cover of trees but knew it had to be done in order for him to make his way around to wherever Sonja was currently hiding.

As soon as Ben heard yet another spray of bullets hitting his house in the distance, he made a run for it, hoping she would be too busy concentrating on where she thought he was in the house to realise his actual position.

Even for his size, Ben knew he was fast. Whether he was in his human or wolf form, Ben was often the fastest one around. The only person he had ever met that was faster than him was Declan, Tommy's brother.

It seemed like it took forever to finally reach the edge of the small forest bordering his property but was probably only seconds. Ben slowed considerably when he reached the cover of trees and carefully started to make his way around to the other side, stopping often to listen to the sounds around him and inhale deeply, looking for scents that didn't belong.

It wasn't long before Ben came across the prone form of Max Roberts, one of the three wolves who were supposed to be patrolling the grounds. Ben checked him over thoroughly, finding a small red feathered dart sticking out of his neck. The bitch had tranquilized his guards. Ben growled as he removed the dart and tried to make Max as comfortable as possible. He should be thankful that she hadn't killed him. Ben had no idea why she would come after him with guns blazing but seemed to have a conscience when it came to killing others.

Another round of shots went off; Ben could easily tell he was getting closer to Sonja's location. He wondered just how much ammunition the bitch had brought with her. It was going to cost him a fortune to repair all the bullet holes in his house. He supposed it was a bloody good thing that one of his Betas owned his own construction company then.

Ben finally came within sight of the woman who had decided to take up a personal vendetta against him. Jesus, the small thing couldn't stand more than five foot even. Her fiery red hair had been messily tied up against the back of her head, small wisps escaping and blowing in the soft breeze. The woman wore camouflage clothing. Not the real kind you get when you're military but the fake kind you can buy in a store for cheap. What was not fake though was the way she was leant over a large boulder aiming what Ben knew to be a M16 assault rifle at his house.

He noticed the many empty cartridges littering the ground at her feet and the total concentration she had on the house. The gun moved left to right with her as she tried to see into his home through the windows. There was movement beyond her and Ben was relieved to distinguish Liam, Corey, and Bradley all break apart to circle around the crazy woman.

He nodded at everyone and they all poised to move when they got the opportunity. As soon as the gun clicked empty and Sonja ejected the magazine, Ben shifted on the spot and raced forward. The others who had all been closer managed to reach her before Ben could. The noise they made rushing forward must have warned her someone was coming as she whirled around while still reaching for a new mag.