It was two days after that when Ben sent a message. And, as I'd feared, he used my former boss's number to text it to me.
I know you've been sworn against your will, it read. I can come and rescue you from your prison, and you can live out the rest of your days as a free woman. You will answer to no one but yourself, and I will ensure Sarah does not touch you.
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"Who the bloody hell does that twat think he is?" Harry demanded later that day.
"Delusional," I said flatly. "And a liar. Sarah will rip me and my cub to shreds."
Brody shook his head. "Not on my watch," he said, his voice fiercer than usual. I knew he was fighting to keep from being overprotective, and I loved him for his determination not to wrap me in cotton wool, despite his - pardon the pun - inner papa wolf coming to the surface. He did, however, wrap me in his arms, holding me close as I struggled to make sense of the mess my life had become, stroking my hair as I clung to him, letting me know without words he had my back. "Benjamin has really crossed the line," he added. "I think it's time he was reminded of the fact."
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Ben was not pleased when he was "reminded" of just how far he had crossed the line, and he retaliated in the one way he knew would get under my skin; my mum. She and I hadn't spoken since Sarah's sixteenth party, but I'd been reassured she was safe, and that she missed me. So when I got a text supposedly from her, I smelt a rat, but was also deeply hurt that Ben would stoop so low as to attack me in the one weak spot I had almost no defence against. And he also knew how much I truly longed to see Mum again. It took a great deal of self-control to not get the first bus, tram, or train out of Blackpool back to Bath; it was the reminder that I'd never leave again which kept me from the edge. But it was tough, especially when I knew he'd mimicked Mum's style so well.
Barry and GiGi were equally displeased, and Brody was, in a word, ropeable. But he knew better than to go roaring after Ben; Ben would be expecting such a result, and he'd have a legal team ready and waiting to take his side in the resulting court case. Harry had legal connections, so we weren't terribly worried in that quarter, but we all knew how manipulative Ben could truly be; he'd stop at nothing to get me back under his thumb, and if that meant abusing the legal system, so be it.
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And abuse it he did once he realised I was refusing to rise to his bait. Countless welfare checks were conducted, but I answered all their questions honestly, holding nothing back. I produced all my medical records for them to see, and I was happy to state, completely unprompted, that I had no intentions of returning to Bath, and that I had willingly joined the Saltwater pack of my own free will. Two of the investigators - who happened to be werewolves themselves - looked a bit embarrassed once the record of my swearing had been checked, and it wasn't long after that before the welfare checks finally stopped, more than a week after they had begun. That didn't stop Ben; despite all the evidence to the contrary, he still claimed I'd been sworn against my will. Barry and Brody were called before the courts to give testimony, as was GiGi, but even though each case was dropped after it was, once more, proven I'd sworn to the Saltwaters of my own free will, Ben still refused to take the word of several judges that I hadn't been coerced.
Harry finally decided it was time to fight fire with fire, and before long, I had the most ruthless, shark-like attorney on side. And it wasn't long before Ben, Sarah, and all of my former pack were facing the courts themselves. And I had more than enough damning evidence to make sure they got the bloody book thrown at them.
And thrown was that book. More than two months later, Ben and Sarah were finally committed to stand trial. And this time, they wouldn't be able to wriggle their way out of it. In fact, the judge was, rightfully so, quite angry at them, not only for the way they'd treated me, but also for the countless lies they'd told, and the various uses they'd put the legal system to in order to continue harrassing me. I didn't waste time in telling the court that I wanted nothing to do with them, or the remaining members of the Keystone pack. I wanted them all to just piss off and leave me the hell alone.
Needless to say, it got sorted very quickly after that. Ben and Sarah were sentenced to jail for a good while, and they wouldn't be allowed to use the legal system to harrass me again, both of them having been declared vexatious litigants, meaning they could no longer undertake any legal action. It was a huge weight off my shoulders to know the harrassment was finally going to stop.
But despite all this, Ben was still determined to have the last word. And have it he did. "You;re going to pay for what you've done to me," he snarled, as he was being led away. "You and your miserable pack are all on my watchlist."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" I said. "You're resorting to threats? In a court?"
That got Ben some rather unwanted attention, with several very twitchy people giving him the hairy eyeball. I had the feeling he was going to be stuck with a few more years in jail for that little outburst, and served him right.
Sarah kept her mouth shut as she was led away, but her glare said it all; she and I weren't finished. I shivered. She was still determined to get me back under her control, and I knew if that horrible day ever happened, she'd never let me go.
"We're going to need to watch out for her," Harry commented soberly.
"Her more than Ben?" Brody asked, frowning.
Harry nodded. "She wants Charlie," he said. "It's pissing her off something fierce Charlie is free, while she's stuck behind bars for the next several years with no clear way of getting out. If she can get her revenge without getting her hands dirty, she will."
I shivered again. "War," I said.
"No," Harry said bluntly. "Kidnapping. Hostage taking. The works."
Brody's face was like thunder. "Over my dead body," he growled, his eyes gleaming fiercely as he put a protective arm around my waist.
Harry nodded, his face equally grim as he did the same for Ashley, who'd gone pale. I felt my heart go out to her; having only just reunited with him, it was clear losing him again would tear her apart. I knew where she was coming from; if I lost Brody, my world would collapse in on itself. And there'd be no protection for our unborn cub; Sarah would somehow see to that.
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