Rose petals in the ashes

Chapter twenty three:

~Bennett's point of view~

I'd come to far to stop now but Jeremy was wounded, he fell into a hunters trap and his leg got trapped in the blades of it. He lay in his wolf form whimpering and yelping. Every time I tried to pry the mechanical trap open he'd growl in pain. I nudged him with my nuzzle. I suppresed the urge to whimper.

'Are you okay?' I asked through the pack telepathy. He whimpered and shook his head, writhing in pain as he tried to pry himself from the blades, making the dig into him further. I grimaced and hid my face with one of my paws. 'Dude we don't have time for this. Go! Go to her side. I may not live through this but you shouldn't have to lose her because of me, this things soaked in wolfspane and silver, I ain't got long.' I whimpered and nudged him again. 'No man let behind' I said my voice full of alpha authority 'Jeremy... You'll die if I leave...' he laughed through the bond.

'She's your woman, now get out of my sights, you can have a million versions of me but Rose... She's one of a kind' I chuckled through the bond. 'That's true... But I can't leave you Jeremy. I've known you since we were two' he rested his head on his front paws in defeat. 'Go get your princess Bennett' I shook my head 'This isn't the way a fairytale is supposed to end Jeremy' he snorted and grimaced in pain. 'It's been an honour to serve with you alpha. But my days are numbered and you've got a child who needs you. Go!'

I whined, gave him one last sparing glance and ran with all I was worth. I arrived at the place I was looking for and shifted back. Thankfully my clothes were intact, how I didn't know. I shrugged it off. I banged the door and felt it shudder. "Rosemarie! I know your in there, open this door! Now!" she opened the door, her hands trembling and she didn't dare spare me a glance, she couldn't meet my eyes. They remained focused on the floor. She looked no different than the last time I'd seen her but the bump now on her stomach was recognisably bigger. "Rose, I can't live without you, please don't make me suffer another moment without you. I don't think my life has a purpose without you" she gave me a weak smile. "If I come out there you'll drag me back to the pack house and I'll be expected to just stand aside and watch that child flirt with you. I can't do that Bennett" I sighed. "No! No! No! Get that rubbish out of your head right now! You're kidding right? She's flirting with me?! Gross. She knows I have a mate, she's seen you in fact" she begrudgingly came onto the porch with me.

I lead her to the porch swing where we sat, her on one side me at the very over. She couldn't even stand to touch me, never mind look at me or speak to me. It was as though I was dead to her, she looked as though she hadn't slept much in days and her usual cheery manner had long since vanished. She wasn't the same any longer, her bright air had left replaced by a much more somber one.

"Rose... You have to know I never wanted this. For you to leave, upset over something I wasn't aware bothered you. But Leah is a different subject entirely..." her head snapped round so she was facing me. "Really?! How so?" I sighed. "I love you, she's just... a girl, she wouldn't understand anything. She's nothing compared to you. She may be cute but I don't love her. Not the way I love you" she still wouldn't look at me. Not eye to eye. "Rose I'd go to the ends of the earth for you. I'd walk a thousand miles. Feel all the pain of the world. Kill millions. Just to wake up next to you, to feel your lips on mine, to know you are mine, if you say no that might just be the end of me. Rose I can't live without you. Please! Forgive me. I'll never love anyone more than I love you now. I still feel our love kindling in my heart and the way I feel when I'm with you makes me feel as though my heart skips a beat, my breath catches and my mind races. You are my world. You are my one and only. You are my mate" deciding she could listen no longer she turned to face me, edging towards me ever so slightly during that conversation until our lips were just millimetres from each others.

"You're cute when you ramble" I laughed. "You put me to shame though, your always cute" I retorted. She rolled her eyes. "Shut up!" she smashed her lips onto mine and I cupped her face with my hands, pulling her closer to me with every passing second.