I let out a cry of rage as they held me back. Maricella had disappeared into the trees, the image of her tear filled, scared, grey eyes as she reached for me was seared onto the inside of my mind. I couldn't let her go, not again. There were growls as I shoved forwards again. Numerous hands held me back and three or four people pushed me backwards. I could hear their grunts of exertion and my wolf howled for release. I needed to have her back in my arms. I needed her more than I needed air, more than I needed anything in my life and if they insisted upon holding me back I couldn't be held accountable for the deaths there would be.

"Fucking chill! Do you understand what just happened? This pack is falling apart! Its best they are gone." Lucas grunted and I ripped free from the hands holding my arm and I used all my weight behind the punch that slammed into him. He let out a surprised yelp and I snarled, feeling the shift want to push up on me. I could feel my jaw shifting, the joints aching and popping and several people shouted, trying to force me to the ground.

"Where the fuck is Alpha Lawrence?" Someone grunted it out as I yanked against their grip. They managed to get me to my knees and I tried to rip my arms free, my eyes focused on where Maricella had been carried. I would not let her disappear again. I would rather go rogue and have a bounty on my head than never see her again. Her uncle had been furious and the thought of how roughly had had treated her made my wolf snarl with anger. She had been shaking, her eyes on the gory scene in front of her and he hadn't told her it was okay. He hadn't done anything to help her through the trauma of walking in on that.

I felt my arm bones shift under my skin and there was more shouting before I managed to force myself back to my feet. I was breathing heavily through my elongated mouth, a growl rumbled through my chest menacingly as I swung my arm out, hitting one of the pack members. My arm was grabbed by several hands and I swung with my other one but it had already been restrained. I let out a deafening growl. She had been gone for nearly ten minutes. The longer they held me the further away she got.

"Bennett, that is enough." Alpha Lawrence's command made it through the red haze in my vision but my wolf was able to shake it off. "I said enough." The command was intense and I immediately stood still. My face shifting back to normal as my wolf submitted under his command. I was breathing heavily and I could still feel hands on me as they pulled me backwards. "Get over here." His voice was sharp and I turned. My burning gaze on him as I walked towards the porch. His face was stony and I refused to lower my gaze from his and as soon as I was by his side he yanked on my wrist holding it tightly.

"Of all the stupid, heartless, and pointless things." His voice was icy as he spat it out. "He can take the Omega, she's better off there. He can take my mate. She made it clear she wants nothing to do with me." His voice was chilling as he tied something around my wrist. I broke our gaze to look down. A red ribbon was now tied around my wrist. A hand grabbed the back of my neck in a tight grip before he yanked me down slightly, his mouth by my ear. "But I will not allow my daughter to be without you. I cannot bear her to feel the pain I do now. Go." The words were a cold whisper as he tugged on the ribbon once more. I looked at it before looking up at my Alpha. His brown eyes were hard but they held a pain and I reached out and grabbed his shoulder tightly, squeezing it slightly in acknowledgement.

"What is his crime?" Someone called it out from the crowd. Most of the pack members were in front of the steps, much like how it had been for Maricella's banishment.

"For the crime of claiming my daughter as his own, for choosing her over his duties, Bennett Aldridge is hereby banished from our pack and our lands." Alpha Lawrence's voice was icy as he addressed the crowd, I could hear Celine's sobs as she grasped at her dead mate. Silence fell as I made my way down the stairs. No one parted for me to pass through and I pushed forward regardless.

"Your daughter?" Another voice sounded tentative in the pack, they packed together tighter and I shoved them out of the way. There were answering murmurs rippling through the crowd.

"Maricella Charlotte Lawrence, who resides in the care of my brother, your former Alpha, Jace. As Bennett Aldridge has chosen her over his duties to this pack, he is banished. Let this serve as a reminder to everyone to do your duties or his fate shall be yours." A deathly silence fell over the crowd before I heard someone cough. I shoved more people out of the way as I pushed forward, my only thought on reaching Maricella.

"That isn't worthy of banishment. She should be brought here, where she belongs." An indignant voice sounded from the left side of the crowd and there were murmurs of agreement. "Bennett is our top warrior and with our Beta gone-"

"I will not have my daughter brought back into a pack that mistreated her! What had been done is done! Anyone against the decision will be punished by me." There was a snarl at the end of his word and I finally broke free of the pack. Snow lay between me and my destination and I moved forward quickly. My strides eating up the land between me and the forest quickly. "Warn my brother that I will come and claim what is mine, Bennett, and I will not come alone." The warning sent a shiver down my spine as I moved further and further away from the pack that I hated and the house that had once trapped me.

I could still smell her scent and I let it draw me closer to the forest. My heart pounded in my chest. I had been banished. Alpha Lawrence had given me the escape I needed to get away from the pack, to be with Maricella. I needed to have her in my arms. I needed to make sure she was safe. Not just me but my wolf was pacing restlessly in the back of my mind at her absence. I moved quicker, trying not to panic as I reached the trees and weaved in between them as I pushed further into the forest.

A faint voice reached my ears from between the trees. "It's okay. Uncle Andrew won't force him to stay. He's not that heartless." I quickly shifted direction towards it. I could hear a faint murmur of a reply that had my heart suddenly racing. "Amber made her decision. Dad didn't give you a choice like an ass hat. Stop worrying so much." The man's voice sounded slightly amused and I could finally see their figures. A man who looked kind of like Alpha Lawrence was sitting on the snowy ground, his jacket was wrapped around the small form of my mate. I watched as he grasped her toes in a hand before burying his face into her curls. It was a tender embrace that made my wolf tense.

"Your feet are freezing. You really need to get into the habit of wearing shoes, Mari." He chuckled before kissing the top of her head, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. There was a haggard look to him, as if the amusement was a facade for something else entirely.

"I hate anything on my feet. What if he doesn't though?" Her voice was small and it tugged on my heart. I took another step forward, breathing her scent in. I resisted the urge to rush over and take her from his arms.

"Then he is a jackass. Both of them. I would risk a fucking bounty to be with my mate. If he's smart he would risk death just to be able to kiss one of your toes. If he's not then he's kind of a stupid dipshit and you didn't need him anyway." At his words I realized where Maricella had gotten the rather colourful language from. Hearing the curse words spill from her mouth had been amusing, shocking, and mildly appealing. I would have appreciated it more if I hadn't been the one to cause her the pain she needed to say them. I couldn't hold it back anymore and I moved closer, my strides purposeful as I walked towards them.

I watched as Maricella's head snapped into my direction. Her grey eyes were watery and it looked like she had been crying but relief shined brightly in them before she was immediately on her feet and bolting for me. I held out my arms and she slammed into my chest, the force of it knocking some air from my lungs. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, relishing the feeling of the rightness of her being in my arms.

"I thought you weren't coming. I thought-" Her words were trembling and the urge to protect her grew in my chest. I shushed her softly as she held me tightly. I smoothed down her curls gently. My heart rate slowing down as I held her, my wolf growing calm at her touch.

"So you are the mighty Bennett." The male sauntered towards us with a lazy grin. "Had me worried I might need to break into the pack house and drag you out by your tail." He was so similar to Alpha Lawrence in his appearance that it was almost alarming. He looked at me with a slightly judging expression, as if he were assessing my worth. "Angie said you weren't much of a talker and I can tell but we need to get going." He looked up to the canopy, as if judging the time of day.

"It's getting late and the patrols will start up again soon." He turned around and started walking away, as if expecting I would follow. "We forgot our cloaks in the excitement so its going to be harder to lose them." He said it rather lazily and I released Maricella but she clung to me tightly. I reached around my back and grabbed her wrists gently. Her grey eyes hit me like a punch to the gut as she let out a small whimper of hurt but I simply moved her arms from around my waist to my neck before I picked her up, cradling her to my chest. She gave a low sigh of contentment before pressing her slightly cold face into my neck. I leaned my head slightly against hers as I followed after the male.

"I guess I should mention my name. I'm Davin, Maricella's cousin. Just so you don't get the wrong idea or anything." He didn't look back and I felt my wolf relax at the information. I wasn't sure why he had been tense to begin with, maybe the fact we had lost her once and seeing her taking comfort in another's arms was irritating for him. "You seem like you would have a pretty powerful wolf. You are big too. Angie did warn me about that but she thinks any shifter slightly bigger than her is large." He didn't seem like he was expecting an answer and I wasn't sure how to carry a conversation with him. I had a feeling I would probably say something to offend him because that is what I was best at. I didn't do social interactions well.

"So, mated to my cousin. The infamous blue eyed male. Got to say I expected something else. You are kind of feral looking. No offense or anything but it's the truth. Bigger than Victor too, so it makes you kind of intimidating." He walked aimlessly through the trees, looking incredibly relaxed for someone who was trespassing on another pack's territory. A pack who just had their Beta killed by his friends and would have vengeance on their mind. "So, how many females have you fucked since Maricella was banished?" The question was blunt and I felt a growl build in my throat.

"He is testing you." Maricella's voice was low and her breath brushed my neck. I shivered slightly and the growl backed off. My wolf wasn't sure if we liked the male walking in front of us so casually.

"If you tell him what I'm doing then it defeats the whole purpose of me doing it, Maricella." His voice was chiding but had an edge of amusement. "We need to get this stuff figured out." He gave a flourish with his hand. "I'm going to be easy on him. Jay too but Collin? Oh, he's going to be in for a rough time. He will be taking Collin's sugar after all and that just won't do without a full scale investigation." Davin laughed and I felt Maricella stiffen slightly.

"I'm too tired to deal with that, Davin. Please, just stop." Her voice was almost meek and I shifted her in my arms, holding her a bit tighter. I didn't like how Davin made her sound like that.

"Okay." He conceded so quickly that I was almost surprised. One plea from my mate and he was instantly done with his questioning. He looked over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. "But I am just warning you, Maricella has a very big family. A lot of big brothers and a lot of father figures. You are going to have to go through them before you can get to her. So enjoy holding her while it lasts because the next time might not come so easy." He laughed once more and I could hear the jingle of keys as he pulled them from his pocket.

"Ignore him, Bennett. He's just trying to rile you up." Her soft voice brushed over my skin before she nuzzled her face closer, her arms tightening around my neck. I couldn't help but notice the slight trembling rolling through her body. She was cold and it didn't sit right with me.

"Maricella, stop taking away all the fun." He almost sounded petulant and I could feel Maricella stiffen once more in my arms. I resisted the urge to growl at him for making her feel that way.

"Davin, please." She pulled her face away from my neck, the word a small plea for silence and I watched as he stiffened before his shoulder slumped.

He let out a heavy sigh. "I can't say no to you." His voice was soft and he moved forward in silence. I glanced down at my mate. How could she command obedience in others with just a soft string of words? When she had demanded the apology from me, I had wanted to tell her no but the look on her face made me falter. I wanted Linnette to hurt. I wanted her to feel pain but that one look from Maricella had made my beliefs fold faster than a house of cards. Now she was commanding what appeared to be a son of an Alpha with a soft but hesitant please. "I can practically hear the gears in your head turning. No one ever says no to Maricella. One look of those eyes and even the most hardened warriors crack." He let out a bark of laughter and I felt, more than heard, Maricella let out a sigh.

"Davin, this story is embarrassing." Her voice was a squeak and I could feel the heat of a blush cover her cheeks.

Davin threw a grin over his shoulder, his teeth gleaming in the dimming light. "Oh no, Mari. I'm telling it." He coughed lightly as if to clear his throat. "You should have seen it. It was just perfect and hilarious. There was this one Alpha who came to try and take the territory. He wanted to absorb our pack because it was so small and make my dad give up his position as Alpha because he felt threatened by him."

He gave a flourishing gesture with his hand. "We are a small pack but we have a reputation of being tenacious and strong." He chuckled to himself for a second at the thought. "Anyway, this Alpha comes to the pack house with his goons and bangs on the door. Well, Maricella was the only one at the house so she opens the door and this Alpha just starts yelling and demanding all of this shit. Like full on screaming right in her face." Maricella groaned slightly, it was an embarrassed noise that I wanted to smile at it. It was an adorable sound coming from her throat.

Davin was smiling, I didn't need to see it to know that he was. It coated his voice thickly with humour and amusement. "Now Mari is quite sensitive with shouting especially with large people doing it in her face. So she does the only thing she knows how and freezes." He gives a scoff of laughter. "Tears fill those wide grey eyes of hers and she sniffles and starts to cry. This Alpha stops mid rant, his face red and veins bulging and he looks at her in fucking terror and freaks out." Davin let out a loud bellow of laughter and it shook his shoulders. I felt a small smile curl up the corners of my mouth at the picture he was painting.

"His mouth drops open and he starts fucking apologizing to her about causing her to cry and he's standing there telling her not to cry and that is when we walked in." He threw a wide grin back at us and Maricella scowled, pressing her cold face to my neck. "There is this large Alpha practically crouching in front of Maricella begging her to stop crying and apologizing. He's frantic and he's waving his hands like an idiot and his goons are staring at him like he's lost damn his mind." He laughed again and I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me at the image. Maricella groaned again.

"Not you too." She muttered it against my neck and I shivered at the motion, the smile still on my face.

"So of course my dad gets right pissed at the intrusion and the fact this Alpha is close to Maricella and the fact he made her cry. He damn near challenges him and things start getting heated between the two of them and she fucking starts crying again. She's not a fan of violence, as you can rightly tell." He gestured to her in a rather lazy manner. "Fight is instantly over and now she has two large Alphas crouching near her begging her not to cry and apologizing." Laughter was threaded through his words and I watched him lift a hand to his face, as if he is wiping away tears.

"So this Alpha, his name is Bruce by the way. Not that it matters .He starts freaking out and starts promising all of this shit to Maricella. Anyway Bruce left the pack house allied with us where our alliance is basically his pack will always have our back and will provide help whenever we need it. It's a pretty sweet alliance but the only thing they get out of this alliance is that Maricella cannot cry near Bruce because every time he caves and gives her us something to make the tears go away." Davin laughed loudly once more, his entire form shaking and I felt the small smile turn into a smirk as I glanced down at Maricella whose face was bright red with embarrassment.

"I didn't mean to. He came to the door ranting and yelling and he scared me. I didn't mean to cry." Embarrassment coated her tone and I felt my heart thump slightly in my chest, warming me up. She was the sweetest, most innocent person I had ever met. I held her a bit tighter and turned to look at Davin who turned around, walking backwards. My face immediately went emotionless, the familiar mask settling over my features.

"Oh I know. Taught him a lesson on that one. Uncle Bruce is quite fond of our little Mari. Comes out to visit every so often with the goons that were there with him the first day. They are all very protective of her. She inspires devotion, a very deep devotion, in those she comes into contact with. She has the power to bring an Alpha to her knees with just a look." Davin smirked, his green eyes narrowing slightly. "Or a very strong pack warrior. She would have numerous people bring down the world if she asked it of them." The thought was almost alarming, just who was the shifter named Maricella Charlotte Lawrence? I never knew of anyone inspiring that much devotion but Davin seemed to be speaking the truth.

"He's just talking me up. Don't put any thought into his words." Her voice seemed strained and Davin's face hardened slightly as he looked at her. He didn't approve of her words and I resisted the urge to hide her from his gaze.

"Maricella has brought two non-familial Alphas to their knees without lifting a finger." His words were even and I stopped walking and he followed suit. "The reason she inspires such devotion is because of what is inside of her. She has suffered much in her time on this earth but nothing has tainted her innocent kindness. Just look at her. She has this fragility to her that begs to be protected." He jerked his hand in our direction a frown on his face.