Broken and betrayed, p.1
Broken & Betrayed, page 1
Broken & Betrayed
Bennett Clan
J. S. Striker
Copyright 2022 by J. S. Striker - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher.
All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 1
“You’re glowing.”
Rowena Bennett twirled before stopping to peer at the woman who had offered the compliment. That her fellow clan member, Alice Bennett, didn’t offer compliments often was a plus point, but Rowena tried to play it cool.
“Of course, I’m glowing. This expensive boutique has the best lighting and mirror system, and I have been pampering myself in the best salons to prepare for the big day.”
“Or maybe you’re just giddy because you’re about to get married to the sexiest man on the planet.”
Rowena smiled, then twirled once more. Alice was right. She was glowing, the sequined waterfall dress highlighting her slim curves and showing off her creamy ivory skin. Luca Charles was also one of the sexiest men she had ever met, but it wasn’t that that appealed to her the most.
“He’s more than just sexy. He’s a sweetheart, too, and a man who knows what he wants. Otherwise, his business wouldn’t be as successful as it is. It’s all because of hard work and perseverance.”
Alice waved a hand dismissively. “I bet the sex is off the charts.”
Rowena eyed the hem of the dress, a hint of annoyance flaring. “It’s good. But it’s not the reason why I’m with him. He has…”
“A big cock?”
“My cousin was going for big heart, but I see how that could easily confuse you, Alice. You always interchange cock and heart when it comes to the men you chase around.” The playful male voice had both women glancing as Angelo Bennett strode inside the large dressing room with a smirk, his face lighting up when he zoned in on her. “Look at you. Pretty as hell and happy to boot. It’s insulting to call this just lust, Alice.”
The woman looked chagrined but didn’t comment on it, shrugging and turning to pay attention to the dress instead. There were some oohs and more praises while Angelo watched from the background, his smirk transforming into a fond smile.
“We already know the dress is perfect and you’re going to buy it. What are the rest of the plans?”
“Fitting’s done, and this dress is just for after the main event. I was thinking lunch?”
“Lunch sounds good but I have to run,” Alice mused, then glared at Angelo. He bared his teeth, glinting sharply before they returned to human size. “This has been lovely company up until the last part.”
“Gee, Alice, I’m flattered. Have a good day.”
“Have a bad one.”
Rowena bit back her laughter, then shook her head in exasperation when the woman was gone, leaving the two alone in the room. “You shouldn’t bully her.”
“As opposed to her manipulating half of our relatives and stealing the boyfriends of the other half?”
“If they allowed themselves to be stolen, then they weren’t worth it for our kin.” She hesitated. “She hasn’t tried anything with Luca.”
Angelo scoffed. “Luca? Do you mean the guy who’s smitten with you and would do anything to make you happy? As if he would ever look at another woman.”
This time, she did laugh. “To be fair, she’s been very nice to me, too.”
“You’re the clan leader’s daughter,” he pointed out. “It’s no big leap that Alice is nice to you.”
She shook her head, refusing to believe someone in their clan would be as terrible as Angelo had described. Maybe it was just a bad mood as Angelo was often a ball of energy. Her mind wandered as she contemplated her dress once more, loving the lines and excited at the prospect of wearing it after the event—after the ritual, after the mating, after she and Luca were officially hitched. Her smile dropped.
“We’re engaged.”
“I know, sweetheart. Why the long face?”
Silence.
“He has been very…distant lately. Something feels off.”
“Off as in he’s distracted off or preoccupied with a third party off?”
“What do you think?”
A sigh, then a hand was patting her shoulder. “You already know what I think—that Luca’s madly in love with you and I was just kidding. Maybe it’s nerves. Maybe it’s work.”
“Maybe.”
“Didn’t he say he had meetings the whole day?”
“Hmm.”
“But he didn’t mention night meetings.” Her cousin’s eyes sparked an unholy gleam she knew all too well.
“Angelo…”
“I’m just saying an easygoing person like that wouldn’t mind a few surprises thrown his way just before your mating ritual.”
She gave him a stern look. “When did you become this devious?”
“You used to be once. You just had to grow up and take all the responsibilities Dan handed you,” he mused. A dark shadow flashed over his features, gone instantly. She felt it all too well. “But anyway, I was just kidding again—”
“You’re right.”
Angelo paused, speculative. “You’re doing this?”
“I’m doing this.”
“Which this?”
She grinned. “Mating with the man I love. Etcetera. Like—”
“I don’t want to hear the etcetera,” he protested, grinning back. “Let’s leave that to the imagination.”
“Fine.”
“Is everything okay in here?” a female voice cut in before a head peeked around, the clerk’s expression cheerful. “You look great, Miss Bennett.”
“Yes. It’s perfect and I’ll take it.”
“Great! Anything else? We have pieces of jewelry and shoes just brought in from Paris.”
“Can I check your lingerie options instead?”
“How are you doing, babe?”
“I’m good,” Luca replied. “The meetings went well.”
“Good. Do you still have meetings tonight?”
“One or two. Just phone meetings but long ones. Then it’s time to rest and prepare for the meetings tomorrow.”
She waited for the absent tone to fade, for her fiancé to ask how she was doing like he often did. How are you? I’ve missed you, baby. I can’t wait to be with you. You’re the best thing that happened to me.
Nothing came. She bit her lip and maintained her calm façade. “Well, just make sure you get some rest after your meetings tomorrow, too. We don’t want you too tired for when you officially meet the whole clan and face my father.”
“I will,” he promised, voice softening. “It’s going to be a great ritual, baby.”
“Yes.”
“I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He hung up, had her eyeing the phone as her decision solidified. An hour later, the lingerie hidden beneath her coat gave Rowena the confidence as she drove towards Luca’s house located in a private neighborhood. She spotted an elderly man as she parked the car a block away.
“Good evening,” she greeted, nodding politely.
“Good evening. Aren’t you with Luca?”
“Yes. I’m his fiancé.” The man glanced at the car, but Rowena was ready as she offered a brilliant smile. The man blinked. “I was just going to visit him. A quick run, so if this is your parking spot…”
“I’m too old to drive, lady. I was just curious. Anyway, I’m glad to see that young fellow has a nice lady by his side. He always keeps to himself. He rarely mingles but has always been nice. Did you know he climbed a tree when my wife’s cat got stuck? It’s the craziest thing. Impressive, too.”
Her heart swelled as excitement pumped in. “I didn’t know. That was nice of him.”
“It was. Well, I won’t keep you. Have a good night.”
“You, too, sir.”
She hurried off, then turned a corner when she spotted a family spilling out of a car ahead. Her heels barely made a noise as she hopped a fence and snuck in between some bushes, training kicking in along with instincts honed from nights of hunting. A squirrel crossed her path, stopped, and had her dropping her polite veneer as she grinned down at it.
Luca would be tired from work, perhaps too stiff from all the meetings he had—and he needed the right pick-me-up, starting with the hot, sensual night she had denied him the past few days out of a need to focus on preparing herself for the ritual.
Soon, they would be living a life they were always destined to live: side-by-side, in love, and taking over her father’s powerful clan as they maintained its integrity and honorable ways…
The excitement took a halt when she finally glimpsed Luca’s house ahead—or what should have been his house, except it was pitch-black. Puzzle d, she dialed his number.
You have reached the voicemail of Luca Charles. Please leave a message after the beep. For emergencies, please leave a hundred messages and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Remember, business isn’t an emergency unless you’re losing a shit ton of money. Stay calm.
Oh, this man.
“You always see the best of everything, huh?” she muttered. “Even me.”
Particularly her and her ice-cold reputation. She tucked the phone in her pocket, snuck into his backyard, and circled the house until she found a window slightly ajar. The silence threw her off, but she dismissed it and crept around inside, then stood still in a corner to assess her dark surroundings.
Nothing moved. Nothing breathed, and the puzzlement turned to worry until faint movement inside an open room caught her attention. A second later, she was squeezing under Luca’s office table, stiffening at the groaning sounds and Angelo’s words coming to mind.
Off as in he’s distracted off or preoccupied with a third party off?
Was he…beating himself off? Her heart jumped in her throat, had her sprinting the dark steps leading to a basement without thinking. A confrontation was the last thing she wanted, but the groans turned into growls the deeper she descended…then, a horrific belch and inhuman howl. Wolf? No. It was darker. Creepier.
Her nails turned to claws. Her body braced, instinct thudding that something was wrong. Intruder. One in the form of a dark creature looming inside a cage, spitting saliva and baring yellowish teeth at her. Caught intruder? Its claws scraped the cage bars, a form raring to go at her before pausing, and then—
“Luca?”
Red eyes turned an unmistakable chocolate brown. Guilt and remorse melded together before the creature reared backward, horror matching hers. Then it was slamming on the cage as if its life depended on it, words flying out of its mouth in jagged growls.
“Rowena. Rowena.” Then, “Rowena.”
She took a step back, her name pounding in her blood, his state coming in full form. The wolf stared at her, wordlessly screaming malice and promising pain, cajoling her to come closer.
“Let me tear your flesh. Let me have your blood. Come here so I can kill you. Rowena…I can explain.”
The last part was pleading. But it might as well have been a slap as her world came crashing down on her, the fantasies she built about the kindest bear shifter she had met crumbling into the nightmare she was looking at now.
“You’re a monster.” The words spilled out of her without contemplation.
“Rowena—”
“You’re a monster. Oh, God. You’re an ugly monster and liar.”
Then she was running as if her life depended on it.
“Are you sure about what you saw, my dear?”
The days spent crying didn’t dull the image of what she had confronted. She nodded, brushing the red eyes from her mind, the pleading in that malicious tone—as if he couldn’t wait to pounce on her the moment she fell into his trap.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“We saw him in his bear form before. Which makes him a hybrid.”
“I suppose.”
“A wolf, you say?”
“Yes.” A pause. “No. I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was different. Bigger but struggling. Wounded. Gaping holes all over his form.” Her chest squeezed. “He was in pain. I could feel it. But a part of him reveled in the pain. It’s hard to explain.”
“I see. He’s dangerous, then.”
“He was in a cage. He was…” A monster. “He wasn’t the man he showed us. He’s not like us.”
“Hmm.”
Dan Bennett remained silent, silver hair gleaming in the forest’s light as he contemplated. The urge to lean on him came, but he had never been one for outward displays of support. Remembering what he had taught her, she straightened her shoulders, a show of confidence she didn’t feel anymore.
Her father knew what to do. Always. Her father was the most reliable man in her life, always thinking about the benefit of the clan, never once wavering in his dedication to their family’s legacy: to protect what was theirs.
“Tell me what to do. Help me, Father.”
“Do you stand by him or your clan?”
“Don’t hurt him, Father.”
“You haven’t answered my question.”
“The clan, of course,” was her firm reply. “I’m the clan’s future. I’m the clan’s protector.”
“Good. But for now, that’s my role. I’ll deal with Luca.”
“How?”
Dan smiled. “Don’t worry about it, my dear. Your role now is to be my daughter, the woman who stands by the clan and is fazed by nothing—including a lying fiancé. Can you manage that for me?”
Blue eyes met hers, a mirror to hers—the kind of steadiness she needed to encompass. She inhaled deeply, then let it all out: her worries, fears, and emotions, leaving behind her solid wall of impenetrable ice.
“Yes, Father. Do your thing.”
“Dan, we have Luca on the premises.”
The words had her head jerking up, but Dan was already rising from his stone seat and muttering instructions in low tones. A hand wrapped around her wrist when she stepped forward, leaving her peering at the now-running clan member before she glanced at her father.
“You’re to stay with me no matter what happens.”
“Father?”
“You said you choose the clan. Show it. Show your loyalty. You also need to make it clear for your clan members because what they hear now will shock them and make them question your judgement. You need to maintain their trust.”
She only had seconds to absorb his implication before a commotion had risen somewhere ahead, Angelo breaking through the forest to stand beside her in the lawn expanse of their mansion’s backyard. Anger blazed in her cousin’s features, a scowl forming as they turned to form a united front against the approaching figure.
A part of her expected the wolf to show up but only found Luca, the remorse the same but clearer, his human features tugging at her insides. But Dan was already speaking, sharp tones hitting her with their intensity, the words spilling out of him with command.
“Why would you come here? You’re no longer welcome. You’re banished from speaking to anyone in my clan and definitely from my daughter. And you will be punished for having the audacity to touch her, let alone attempt to infiltrate our ranks.”
She expected this. But what she didn’t expect was Luca brought to his knees by an electric force so strong, she heard its vibration crystal clear. Instinct drove her forward, but the warning pinch behind her stilled her. Dan wasn’t looking at her, but the frown on his lips was no longer directed at Luca.
You’re to stay with me no matter what happens.
You said you choose the clan. Show it.
Her spine stiffened. The conflict rose, but she inwardly pounded at it with all of her might as her knees locked in place, her chin lifted, and she stayed where her father wanted her—where her family needed her. She looked at the man she had trusted with her love, reminded herself of his betrayal.
Do this. For your clan.
She sauntered forward. She became aware of the eyes around her, hers pausing at Alice, who watched with the gathered members and appeared devastated and betrayed. But there was no missing the smirk on the woman’s lips, the judgment already directed at her. Blood roaring, she leaned over.
“Go home.”
Luca’s look of betrayal shouldn’t have hurt. “What—”
“Go back to where you came from. You’re not my fiancé.”
“Rowena...”
“The man I was going to marry was a strong, competent bear who would have been a perfect addition to our clan. A purebred, someone we would be proud of. You fooled all of us, Luca.”
“Rowena—”
“You’re a filthy mutt. I never want to see you again.”
She wished she could take it back, wished she could erase the pain in his eyes. But it was too late, and she could only turn around and walk away, the hurt making it hard to take in air. A snarl pierced the air, but Dan was already moving to meet it. Stricken, she heard her father’s words but couldn’t bear to face the scene and the clan. She looked at Angelo instead, whose unreadable expression offered a semblance of calm she could hang on to.
