It was foolish to believe that ones mate had all the answers, but it didn’t take much for Ben to believe it. That was the thing about a mate bond, it made you do things or say things that seemed crazy to others, but would be perfectly reasonable to the to of them. Perhaps it was the bodies way of making you feel as if you were truly bonded to your one and only. Benjamin didn’t really care what caused it, he loved Roxie for who’s he was. He’d grown up with her, and though they had problems, they’d deal with them eventually. The moment her hand touched his face, he instantly lost whatever thoughts he had and only focused on the woman next to him. Without a word, the Beta gently nuzzles the hand pressed against his cheek. He’d asked so many questions, revealed so many fears, it was nice just to worry about a single person and not a pack for once. “Even If I claimed to hate you..” his hand moved to gently wrap around Roxie, if only to hold her closer as he reveled his truth “I never did. Maybe I was angry, but you meant to much to me. I hoped you’d just forget about me, find a mate who could treat you right and love you.” A sigh passed his lips, but it was one of relief “But I realized I couldn’t bare to see you with someone else.”<br/><br/>The entire world seemed to melt away when they were together, and Ben couldn’t even imagine a time when they weren’t together. Yet he knew he had duties to his Mate and his Pack, and he had to carefully balance the two. “We were always stronger together. We need each other to survive in this fucked up world.” As her head resented against his chest, Ben could feel the true toll his nights without sleep were taking on him. He didn’t need much, but the warmth and peace Roxie brought him were more then enough to push him over the edge. Before he succumbed, he takes a moment to lean down and press a kiss to the very top<br/>of his mates head, before wrapping his arms around her to keep her close even as he slept. If he was overprotective over anyone, It was definitely her. “Wake me up if you need me... I love you.” His words lost strength as sleep took him, and soon he was lightly snoring as he got the much needed rest that his body needed.<br/><br/>It was a few hours into this sleep that someone else came to knock at the door, though it was a man both of the pair would know. In fact, it was the very same man that destroyed the relationship between them years ago. “Roxie..” he spoke quietly, his voice a near whisper “I know your in there... Please, I need to talk to you.” His scent was undetectable, even if it was no one had seen him in years. Alexander lost all hope and faith in the world when the Council ripped him away from the woman he loved so many years ago. It broke him, and yet here he was, attempting to speak to the only woman who’d defended his right to love the woman he felt was meant to be his mate. Even to that day, he still felt it, though it was weak after years apart. “Please, old friend...”