Forsaken by the Moon Goddess novel Chapter 64

Benedict

How could we not have known? Because my mother was very good at keeping her secrets. Even conceiving me was a manipulation to try and force another man to accept her as his mate, a secret that she kept for over eighteen years.

All the positive feelings that I was getting from the pack last night have turned to trepidation. In less than twelve hours after becoming their Alpha, I banished their Luna, and now, they don’t know what to expect from me.

“You go make phone calls, Bene. I’ll deal with the pack,” Bethany says.

“Thank you. We need to check on dad, too.”

“I’ve got you covered, Big Bro,” she says. She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes that are still red-rimmed from crying.

“Sloane,” I say, reaching my hand out to her. She’s been the steady presence at my side all morning.

She takes my hand and we walk off the stage, heading inside.

“I want to call your aunt and uncle first…” I begin, just as Ellis steps up on my other side.

“Alpha, why didn’t you tell me?” he asks.”Did you know?” I stop, turning to look at him. “Did you know what my mother told the others about Sloane and her family?”

He looks at Sloane and I don’t need his answer to know that he did.

“You didn’t think that was important information for your future Alpha to have?” I growl at him.

“How would I know that you didn’t know?” he asks.

“In all the years that we’ve watched Sloane get bullied, in all the times that I stepped in, in the last several months when I started showing an interest in her and dating her, never once in all that time did it occur to you to say something, anything about what my mother had done?”

He stands there, looking stunned, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.

“Right,” I growl, then begin walking again.

By the time we get to my office, I realize that Sloane hasn’t said anything.

I close the door and look at her. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“I’ve gotten a lot of information this morning and none of it was good,” she says.

“I am so sorry,” I begin.

“Stop, Benedict. You didn’t know. Bethany didn’t know.

Your father probably didn’t know. Your mother was very good at directing her venom where she knew it would be most effective, to the people who would listen and wanted to be in her good graces.”

“How are you being so calm about this? Everything that happened to you is her fault,” say, pulling her into my arms.

“Oh, I’m not at all calm on the inside. But the reality is, if it hadn’t been your mother, it would have been someone else. Althea and Sawyer ARE murderers. I am Althea’s daughter. Slade and Aria are Althea and Sawyer’s children. I can’t escape who my mother was any more than you can.”

I close my eyes and press my forehead to hers. “I want to speak to our allies that are here, but I thought it was important to talk to your aunt and uncle first, before they hear it from someone else.”

“I agree. It would be better if Uncle Roman didn’t come storming back to your pack ready for revenge.”

I take her hand and lead her to the desk, sitting and pulling her into my lap.

“Let’s call on my phone. It will make the call more official,”

I say

“Whatever you prefer,” she says, leaning back against me.

I set my phone on the desk, put it on speakerphone, thenpress the number that I put on speed dial once Sloane and I started dating.

“Alpha Roman,” he answers on the third ring.

“Alpha Roman, this is Alpha Benedict.”

“Alpha, I’m surprised to hear from you this morning. I thought you’d be busy sleeping off the festivities of last night or getting settled into your new role,” he says congenially. I’m sure that tone will change momentarily.

*I’m calling to let you know some disturbing information,”

I begin.

“Did something happen to my niece?” he growls.

“I’m right here, Uncle Roman. I’m fine,” she says, rolling her eyes at her uncle’s concern. Personally, I’m glad to know that he cares about Sloane just as much as he cares about his own pups.

“Then what’s this about? What disturbing information?”

“I banished my mother from the pack this morning. I wanted you to hear it from me before you heard it from anyone else.”

I hear him sit back in his chair and I can picture the assessing look on his face.

“And why would you banish your mother on your first day as Alpha?” he asks.I look at Sloane, then sigh.

“My mother has been trying to come between me and Sloane. Twas hoping that she would have listened when I told her to back off, but she didn’t. Apparently, her anger at Sloane, Slade, and Aria goes back to a relationship she had with Sawyer Clark years ago. She blames Althea for taking Sawyer away from her and therefore, she hates Althea’s children. She’s been taking out her anger and frustration at Sawyer and Althea on their children.”

“You’re telling me that your mother held a grudge about being rejected by Sawyer for all these years?” Alpha Roman asks.

“Yes, and there’s more. I found out after I banished her that she’s the reason that Sloane and Slade have been bullied for so many years.”

He snarls. “Where is your mother now?”

“She’s on her way to a train station. I told the warriors to put her on a train and send her across the country. I didn’t specify where, and I don’t care as long as she’s gone.”

It’s quiet for a long time.

“What about your father?”

“Is the son like his father?” she asks.

“Very much so. Will is one of my best friends. And since l have so few friends, that probably tells you everything you need to know about him. He’s a bit older, twenty-two,but he’s a good Alpha. I think you’d like him.”

I’m intrigued. I would love to come. Should I expect an invitation?”

“No, just come. I’ll let the guards know to expect you. I don’t think I have to tell you that your step-sister is not invited,” Sloane says.

“No, you do not. I’m so glad we had a chance to meet and, hopefully, I’m now included in that very small friend circle of yours,” Stephanie says.

“You absolutely are,” Sloane says.

Im even more surprised when the two women hug. I guess they really did bond last night. I’m glad. Bethany Likes Stephanie and if Sloane likes her too, that tells me everything I need to know about the kind of women and Alpha Stephanie is. And secretly, I hope that she’s mated to Alpha Will. He, more than anyone, is my biggest competition when it comes to Sloane. Besides Will, I would assume that Sloane would reject any man who is her mate besides me. But if she’s mated to Will …

I set that thought aside. I have bigger issues to deal with between now and Sloane’s birthday next weekend. I’ll deal with the mate bond once Sloane turns eighteen.

Kaelin POV

“Mother, guess what | just heard,” I say, walking into her room. She hasn’t spoken to me since we fought the otherday. I was a shit to her, I admit it, but she needs to understand that she’s not in charge. Once I take over my sperm donor’s pack, I will be the Alpha, not her.

So, I come with an olive branch that I know she won’t be able to ignore.

“I have no idea what you hear, Kaelin,” she says, not bothering to look at me.

I expect this, so I don’t get annoyed.

“Bitchy Beatrice got banished from her pack less than twelve hours after young Alpha Benedict took over as Alpha.”

She stops what she’s doing, slowly turning to look at me.

“Where did you hear this?”

“I heard it first from Gabriel, then I just overheard Alpha telling Beta and Gamma. Apparently, her attempts to separate Sloane Hartwell from her son backfired on her.” I say, grinning. “And there’s more.”

Her eyes flash. “Tell me.”

“Her mate rejected her.”

She falls into a chair and claps her hands together. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she says, a wicked, vengeful look on her face.

When she looks up at me, it’s with a smugness I haven’tseen since we were banished from our own pack.

“Perhaps I should call Beatrice, see how she’s doing,” she says with mock concern.

“I definitely think you should. And while you’re at it, find out everything you can about my future mate.”

“I definitely will.”