Arcadia

by CapuletAngel

Summary:

Rey had always been fearful of her cousin Ben, avoiding him at all costs because of his erratic temper and lingering stares. But, when her parents go away on a work trip and leave her in the hands of Leia and Ben, the truth seems to be much darker and twisted than she ever could have expected.

Notes:

This is currently a WIP.

Luke is an actor btw.

Chapter 1: Maybe Maine's Not So Bad

“But Ben creeps me out,” Rey whines to her mother, face falling into a deep frown as her eyebrows knit together. Her cousin Ben had always creeped her out, ever since she was a kid.

His lingering gazes which had enough power to knock the wind out of her, his touches — which seemed innocent enough, but she knew better than to assume that they were platonic.

“He isn’t creepy,” Luke huffs, shaking his head at the statement as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Her step-father, but he’d raised her since she was a year old, far more worthy of the title of dad than her biological father. “Am I saying he isn’t odd? No. Ben’s always been kind of... you know — strange, but innocent nonetheless. Slightly skittish, but he copes with it.”

Rey continues her whining, turning her sights on the snow that fell down onto the window, watching each flake with forced fascination. Analysing each pattern, watching their intricate designs melt wastefully as they met the heat of the car.

“He creeps me out. He always sits there and stares. His eyes freak me out — all hooded and... dark. I can’t help but feel threatened.”

Her mother now wore a sour expression, looking back at her with disappointment, lips pursed as she shook her head. Wondering how her daughter could say such things about a family member who had always favoured her. “If Ben knew how you felt, I think he’d feel really bad. You’re just his favourite cousin.”

She scoffs at that, her parents ignorance. She’d make Ben feel bad for feeling this way. Ben would be hurt that he makes her feel like that. Of course, she finds herself being blamed for his actions. How his actions made her feel were not indispensable. Rather, the opposite.

Ben, a fragile alpha, an oxymoron in her opinion, and Rey, a cruel omega turning the situation into something it wasn’t. But, of course, that wasn’t true. Wasn’t ethical, at least.

“His only cousin, that’s why I’m his favourite.”

“Exactly,” her dad huffs, staring at her from the rear-view mirror, talking with his hands like he always did when he was passionate about something. Palm shifting through the air as he tried to articulate his thoughts.

“You’re his only cousin, kid. I think you’ll find that he just doesn’t know how to act around you. He’s an only child, and he’s never been good with people—and yes, he is slightly emotional at times, but he’s dealt with that now. He’s... I think he’s twenty-eight now. Everything’s in the past. And he has his struggles. He’s an alpha without a father-figure around to guide him—Han’s always been travelling and leaving him with Leia for months on end—you can’t imagine how difficult that can be.”

“I don’t feel comfortable around him. Why isn’t that enough? I’m an Omega! It isn’t fair.” Her frustration was eating her up, making her feel small and desperate to be heard, throat tightening at the unrelenting agony to cry. Why wasn’t it enough that he made her feel uncomfortable?

Let alone that she found it predatory.

Let alone that he was an alpha.

“Don’t act like you’re not just acting up because you want to come with us.”

She balks at the comment made by her mom. Surprised that she’d turn it into a situation of her acting up like a child. That she would think she’d accuse her cousin of being a creep just so they wouldn’t leave.

Yes, she did want to go with them. Not because she was a spoiled brat or babied, but because she knew she’d miss them a lot. Even when they’d gone away for a few days, Rey would always feel it. Her emotions would sky rocket.

It hurt that they were going away for a month, just to ditch her with family she barely knew; he wasn’t the most talkative, and she had always expressed apprehension about him. But it hurt even more to get told it was all for attention. Her parents had always fought to be understanding, but now it felt like a façade.

It was practically deep routed in her make-up to crave home, being an omega. Though, her mother, a beta, could never understand.

“I have a right to act up. But, I’m not acting up!” She barked, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling the temptation to cry. But she held it in because that would only increase further accusations. Something about Ben had always made her stomach churn. His capability to melt into a room, to be so big yet look so soft.

He always lurked in the corners of family occasions, staring at only her.

She remembered how his rage could turn him into a completely different person in the blink of an eye, even when it was just a small family teasing from Han and Luke.

Even as a child. The fits of rage that he’d fallen into so easily, like a lion being tempted with a piece of tender meat on a stick.

“Yeah, okay, you do. I’m sorry that your mom and I are leaving for a while. But, it’s only for a few weeks. And, Rey, we really couldn’t take you with us. We would if we could, you know this. And it’s not like it’s just you and him, Leia’s there.”

“Okay,” she grunts. She knew they were right. Not about her acting up. God, no. About how a month wasn’t too long in the grand scheme of things and that they couldn’t take her with them. She’d only be a distraction for Luke. She’d get bored of watching rehearsals and watching her mother practice his lines with him.

And Leia had always been lovely, treating her like her own daughter instead of a step-niece. Rey had always felt nurtured — mothered — by Leia. There was an element of understanding between them. She assumed it was because they were both omegas. 

“And, we all know you love the snow, hon, look at it.” Her mother directed to the view of snow covered Maine.

Mountains stretched out over the horizon, reaching grand peaks — the sun reflecting the crystallised snow that settled on the rocks and treetops. Along the road were small stores which had faded signs and placards which informed each tourist or passerby about the discounts they currently had. Flocks of birds flew over the top, uttering squawks and cries.

“And, you know, Leia and Ben have a mountain view behind their cabin, much like this.” Yes, she thought, it would be lovely. Beautiful, in fact. If it weren’t for her pervy cousin, who sent shivers down her spine. But, instead of fighting, she backed down, nodding in agreement.

“I’ll miss you guys,” her voice wavered slightly as she spoke. She was grateful that they’d driven seven hours out of their way just to make sure she got there safely—Leia had offered to go through the trouble of picking her up, but she refused, pleading even.

Begging her parents to have one thing go her way, for once. An awkward car journey with Leia and Ben—he probably would’ve wormed his way in somehow—would’ve been an added torture. Enduring tense silence and unsolicited stares for however long would’ve insured her a painful trip.

The only thing she was truly happy about was the no school part, well, online school, that Luke had organised, meaning that she didn’t have to do any work over February. Well, not much. But she highly doubted that Leia would be strict, like her dad. A bit of online school would be a walk in the park, considering the circumstances.

Her stomach flipped as she saw the sign for Arcadia Falls, the little sector of Maine that the Solo’s called home. Chewing on her fingers nervously as Luke gradually slowed his speed for the ploughed private road, heart thumping as she noticed the lack of cabins. There actually weren’t any. No nearby lodges or anything. Just a thin road surrounded by spruce trees, no civilisation for miles. Her heart was practically in her throat as her mom patted her knee.

“Hon, it’s okay, we won’t be away that long.”

That was the least of her problems. Holding her own hand for support as dad pulled the car to a stop. “Do I have to?” Neither of her parents heard her as her voice was a faint murmur when Luke opened the door.

Instantly whimpering at the subzero temperature. Clutching her sweater closer to her hands to cover her shaking fingers. But she couldn’t help the expression of fear that overcame her. Only clicking her belt off when her mom came round to open the door, looking at her daughter with an impatient look.

Quivering as she raised out of the car, and it wasn’t because of the weather, but rather the apathetic expression the man in the doorway held. A loose grey knit sweater hung off of his broad frame, black pants around his legs.

He looked much bigger than she remembered. Frightening.

Next to him stood Leia, a calming smile on her face as she waved to Rey’s parents. She had a lilac cardigan on, which she tugged closer to her body, arms wrapped around her body in a self-warming hug.

Every step he made down the timber stairs sounded like a bullet going off in her head, she would’ve crawled back in the car if it weren’t for Luke who held a firm arm around her shoulders as he slammed the door shut — as if he knew her thoughts.

She could smell Ben from where she stood. The thick musk of sandalwood and amber clung to him like a thick smog, and she didn’t doubt he could smell her too. He even muted Leia’s scent, the calming scent of Lavender and Eucalyptus washed out by her son’s. 

“Ben,” Luke smiled, unhooking his arm from his daughter to wrap his nephew in a tight hug, Ben’s hands tensing around him in return. His eyes instantly locking onto Rey’s from over his shoulder.

If she weren’t so numb from the cold, she may have noticed the tears that ran down her flushed cheeks.

“Luke,” he sighed tensely, “is... is she okay?” His voice got quiet as he disconnected from the embrace, looking at the girl with concern whilst she stood in fear, wide eyes like a deer that was being hunted.

When Luke looked at her, she couldn’t quite make out the expression that flashed through him. Regret? Guilt? Perhaps understanding? But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced with the natural carefree expression he held. Damn his acting skills.

He turned back to Ben and Leia briskly. “She’s feeling quite homesick already, you know. We’ve kept her quite sheltered over the years.”

“Bless her,” Leia hummed, nodding understandingly, moving to comfort Rey with a gentle shoulder rub. The soft smile didn’t do much to calm her nerves. She had the instinct to run straight back into the car and lock the doors. Scream until her parents had no choice but to take her with them.

Albeit, she was frozen in place.

"Don't worry, honey, we'll have a great time, okay? Haven't had much time together over the years."

Her heart was being tugged both ways, trying to decide if she should listen to her gut, which trembled at the thought of staying another second, or if she should listen to Leia's gentle words and feel comfort in Leia's hold, which at that moment was the only thing grounding her nerves. 

Her mom had already gotten her suitcase out of the car, wheeling it towards the driveway, and if she thought that her dad's hug was awkward, it had nothing on theirs. It was so quick that she wondered if Ben and her mom had even touched.

She still stood pressed against the car door, not even realising how close she was clutched to it until her dad nudged his head towards Ben.

Ben's expression was unreadable as she raised a sleeve-covered hand to wave at him awkwardly, eyes running over her — dark, brow furrowed. "H-Hi Ben, nice... nice to see you...." She side eyed the car door once again, measuring her options out.

He nodded in response, lips twitching upwards. "Hello, Rey."

She looked anywhere but his eyes as she skulked towards the three other adults who were staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Are you going to stay for a bit?" She asked her parents, sending secret pleads as her eyebrows dipped. And whilst Luke looked like he was about to give in, her mother shook her head.

"We have to be at the airport as soon as possible, sweetheart. You understand, don't you Leia? I mean we really would love to, it looks so beautiful, but Luke's rehearsal starts tomorrow morning."

Leia waved her mother's' apology off, muttering understanding words and ensuring their daughter is in good hands. But she pouted at her parents, confused as to why they were so desperate to ditch her and leave. Her heart clenched, did they really want her gone that bad?

If she chewed on her lips any harder they were sure to bleed, skin chapped and sore as she kept in her whines. Not wanting to bring any attention to herself, but to her demise, Ben's attention was solely on her. His eyes didn't leave hers as he nodded to her mothers apology, only leaving when her eyes shifted to the ground.

"Of course... break... break a leg?"

If she weren't so anxious she would've had to bite back a laugh at his awkward attempt at conversation, but everything was making her heart thump against her chest and her eyes burn.

Fighting the urge to break down — cling to her father’s leg as if she were a child, begging and pleading for him not to leave her in the hands of his nephew.

Instead, she clung to her parents in a goodbye hug, as if they’d crumble into dust and blow away in the cold winds—like she’d find their wasted existence in a pile of snow. Like they would never come back for her. 

Her arms were wrapped tight around Luke’s waist, whose hands were rubbing soothing circles onto her back. “We won’t be that long, kid,” he repeated, letting her go as he ruffled her hair, trying to lift the mood.

The hug with her mom was even brisker, no soft words or back rubs, just a quick hug. As if they’d be back in an hour.

“Call me if there’s any trouble, Leia.”

“Of course,” Leia hummed, watching her parents get in their car, beginning to drive off, a small smile on her lips. “Let’s get you settled, shall we, Rey?”

Ben was picking up her suitcase and walking into the cabin before she could even force a smile. Quickly following him into the cabin.

The smell of firewood and cinnamon filled her senses, looking over the house she’d be calling home for the next month. Everything was made of wood. Perfectly designed, dainty engravings in the panelling that lined the walls, spruce countertops.

It was beautiful, which annoyed her even more. Cosy and homey. Littered with rugs and dim lamps that filled the room with ambient lighting.

“Now, Ben, why don’t you show her the room, hm?”

Her lips parted, eyebrows lowering as she raised her fingertips to her mouth, biting the skin for relief. Something she hadn’t done since she was much younger.

“Of course,” his voice was deep—raspy even, thick and heavy. He looked towards her once before continuing to walk up the stairs.

Rey slipped her shoes off, having to duck her head as she followed Ben up the stairs due to the low ceilings. He was hunched over, shoulders bent as he ducked his head to his chest.

The stairs were lined with a crimson rug, tattered at the edges. It continued to run down the hallway, which was small, making up just half of the cabin. Four doors. Two next to each other and two at the end of the hall.

“Here’s your room,” Ben said flatly, turning the doorknob and stepping aside so that she could go in. The door offered a squeak as it opened.

As soon as he opened the door, his scent began to flood out, clinging to her. The musk of him filling her senses; it was heavier and deeper than it had been outside, as if he’d been scenting the room. She could imagine him pacing and waiting for her, arranging blankets on the bed.

His scent, despite its intensity, was soft. Milky tones of sandalwood, warm sage, white amber and cedar. She thought it would have bothered her more, his smell. It should’ve. But it wasn’t sour or bitter like other alphas she’d met and disliked. It was soothing, and it made her feel guilty.

“It’s quite small, but it’s nice. I think so, anyway.”

“It’s cosy,” she nodded, now wringing her hands instead of biting.

It was a tiny room. Much like downstairs, panelled with wood, a small orange rug sprawled along the floor, meeting a bed. The bed was built up on a group of wooden cabinets, a stall to help her get in.

The bed was layered with soft blankets, one beige knitted one, a red plaid one, a blue one which had a constellation pattern, and beneath that one, a duvet. Pillows were piled high at the headboard, some matching the plaid and constellation blankets, others were mix-matched.

She’d never wanted to get into a bed so quickly.

Sat on top of all the pillows and blankets was a plush toy. A fluffy penguin that was laying down, propped up against a cushion.

“I know that you used to like penguins. When you were younger, you used to make me watch penguin videos every time we’d see each other. It’s stupid, I know, but I just thought it’d be nice.”

She took a few steps to reach it, feeling the soft material beneath her fingers, a synthetic fur — plastic eyes that were black and glossy, looking back at her. Sending Ben a weak smile, “Thank you. It’s cute.” But she couldn’t be swayed so easily. She refused to be. A deep, intuitive shiver rocked her body each time she looked at him. She accepted it as an omen.

“Um,” Ben began, a light flush on his cheeks as he pushed her suitcase into the room, “the cabinets below the bed have shelves that you can put all your things in, and there are more blankets in the cupboard downstairs if you need them... I’m sure you’re hungry from the drive up, so I’ll ask mom to make some food—and a hot chocolate, if you want, it’s getting late.”

She nodded, wheeling the suitcase towards the bed. “That’d be nice, thanks.”

Following Ben back downstairs, trailing her shaky fingers along the wood as she walked.

Two pale sofas surrounded the fireplace, picture frames lining the walls, some photos of mountains, nebulas and some family photos, ones of all the family in thick winter clothes, all standing close to each other one snowy Christmas. Two years ago, at Maz and Chewie’s. She’d presented as an omega a few weeks before.

She remembered how uncomfortable she was when it was taken, pressed against Ben’s side as his fingers coiled around her shoulder. He’d slotted himself against her when everyone began to pile together, pulling her into him. His breath tickled her scent gland, and she remembers her legs trembling. To the average eye, she just looked embarrassed, flushed as her older cousin dragged her into him with brotherly affection. But she feared it was more sinister.

The sofas were decked out with pillows, a stack of blankets resting on the arm of the couches. Bookcases crowded the walls as well as photographs, filled to the brim with novels and recipe books. The kitchen countertops also were cluttered with recipe books, Soups For Winter, The Green Roasting Tin, The Language Of Food.

Looked like they both really enjoyed cooking. Stoneware pots piled on the stovetops, wicker baskets underneath countertops with dishware, spices neatly organised on the wall.

“Are you okay with soup? If not, I can make something else, I don’t mind—anything,” Leia smiled. Ben stood awkwardly behind her, shoulders hunched as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Your home is so lovely, auntie Leia, I mean — it’s just so... warm — soup. Is fine. Good. Good with me,” she winced at her words, not meaning for them to be so awkward, but she was still on edge. Looking at anything but Ben.

Leia nodded with a smile, getting onions, carrots and potatoes from a box of produce, “Do you like cilantro?”

“Yeah.” She stood shifting from foot to foot as she watched Leia grab a cutting board. Ben’s eyes lifted to hers, letting out a small chuckle as he noticed her not knowing what to do with herself. Eyeing the stalls that lined the counter and the sofa.

“You can sit if you want, on one of the stalls or on the sofa.”

She reached for the stool that was pushed below the counter, but once she sat she wished that she’d sat at the sofa, realising this ensured small talk. But, she didn’t feel comfortable to go to the sofa instead, so she sat, squeezing her hands beneath the sleeves.

“So, you enjoy cooking?”

“I love it, it’s quite calming for me—do you?”

She nodded, reflecting on home, “I can cook... but I don’t think I’m very good at it, dad does all the cooking... likes to be in control, I mean even when I cook he finds a way to take charge, somehow.”

Leia shook her head with a stiff smile. “Yeah, Luke’s always been a control freak.”

The stool next to her made a god-awful squeak against the floorboards, echoing around the entire room. Her head shot up at the sound, connecting with Ben, whose own dark eyes stared back at her unblinking. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she murmurs, locking eyes onto the countertop as if she were looking at something interesting. His smell was even thicker as he sat next to her. It made her breath hitch.

A soft silence endured whilst Leia concentrated on cutting onions, leaving only the crackling of the fireplace. Her aunt was struggling to fight the tears which were fighting to escape, rubbing at her eyes, which seemingly only made it worse.

“You know, if you run your hands under cold water for a few seconds, it helps the burn.”

Leia lifted an eyebrow with a hum, dropping the knife and wandering to the sink, twisting the faucet that made a small squeak, resting her hands underneath the water before her face brightened, “Thank you, you’re my saviour. That actually worked... where’d you learn that?” Leia continued to rub her wet hands over her eyes.

“Big brain,” Rey hums, tapping the side of her head teasingly.

“Well, of course,” she beams, turning her attention back onto the onions, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Isn’t she clever, Ben?”

Ben blushed at his mother’s words, running a hand through his hair as he nodded in agreement, “Mhm.”

Her eyebrows furrow at the odd interaction, but an orange ball of fur jumped up on the stall next to her left, before hopping onto the counter, pacing towards Rey and cutting the tension.

A ginger British Shorthair, wide eyed as he angled his nose towards her, rubbing his face on her sweater—a heavy rumbling purr escaping his throat, which she took as a compliment.

“Oh—that’s Cumin, I’ve tried to train him to keep him off the counters, but he’s stubborn—you don’t mind cats, do you? You aren’t allergic or anything?” Leia panicked, eyes widening as she wondered if she’d have an allergy.

“No, no. Not at all. I love cats... does he like being stroked?”

“He loves it. He’s a big baby. Love's attention. Ben isn’t so keen, though.”

She noticed how Ben angled his body away from Cumin, a face edging on disgust.

“You don’t like cats?”

Ben shrugged in response, eyes not leaving the orange fur ball for a moment. “We’ve never... bonded.”

She coaxed a finger under the cat’s chin, rubbing back and forth, which resulted in Cumin giving her a low purr in return, pushing his head closer into her palm to persuade her not to stop. She was completely distracted from Ben, who couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she interacted with the family pet. Subtly watching her through the hair that fell in front of his face—pupils dilated.

She sat at the counter for half-an-hour, completely enamoured by the cat, whilst Leia finished cooking. Cumin had found himself at home in her lap instead of perching on the counter. She was pleased that there’d be another being in the house instead of just Ben and her. Listening to the sounds he made and the crackling of the fire had drifted her into another world, complete serenity.

Jumping slightly when a bowl was placed in front of her. A steaming bowl of orange, some cilantro placed delicately on top and a slice of warm bread next to the bowl on a small plate. “Sorry,” Leia smiles, chuckling slightly at the sight of Cumin bundled up on her niece’s legs.

Ben, however, was seemingly unimpressed.

Reaching forward, collecting the fluff ball, who released an unsatisfied whine, placing him on top of the sofa behind her. She gulped at the feeling of his fingers brushing against her thigh, suddenly stiffening again. Serenity lost.

Ben collected his own bowl and regained his seat next to her, peering up at her discreetly.

Placing the spoon into her mouth and fighting the urge to moan, she hadn’t expected a simple soup to taste so good. The amount of recipe books now made sense.

“This is really good... amazing.”

“Thank you,” Leia hummed, digging into her own bowl on the other side of the counter. She hadn’t sat down, instead staring at her son and niece from afar.

Rey hadn’t realised how late it had gotten, looking out into the window next to the sink to see a dark sky, silhouettes of tall spruce trees that moved harshly in the cold wind, skinny branches rattling against each other. It was beautiful here. She knew it was going to be—she’d briefly looked at some of the local sights online, but it was still surprising.

She shifted slightly, uncomfortable under Ben’s stare.

Even after the hour or so she’d been there, relaxing in the simple, cosy life, she was still reminded that Ben was her creepy cousin. The cousin who would always stare too intensely for too long. The cousin that was also a smidge too friendly. He could just be a nice guy. He could be. Her breath fell uneven, playing with her hands under the counter — trying to brush off the heavy feeling in her gut.

“Full?”

She nodded as he collected her bowl, offering him a small ‘thank you’, turning her attention back to the cat who now slept in a ball on the sofa, belly turned towards the fire. Her brain was running at full speed, mixed with the sleepiness of that meal. It only made her feel more uncomfortable.

“I’m just going to do the laundry. I always get too lazy in the evenings. Better if I do it now,” Leia says, beginning to excuse herself.

“I can help,” she rushes, not wanting to be left alone with Ben.

“Don’t be silly, honey,” Leia smooths a piece of her hair to tuck it behind her ear. “You and Ben have barely had any time together, can’t have your boring old auntie ruining the quality time.”

She finds herself gulping at the words, forcing a nod as she watches Leia walk out of the room, looking up at Ben who was standing by the sink.

“I’m pretty tired.” She yawns. “Do you have Wi-Fi here? I should probably connect to it for my online school, you know, for tomorrow.”

He froze slightly, back muscles tensing as he washed the dishes, turning his head to look at her. “Funnily enough, no. I mean, you’d expect it, considering what I do for work, but we’ve always revelled in the... quiet side of life. Besides, I don’t think it matters too much. You don’t want to be doing work, do you?”

“Oh.”

Part of her was happy, considering she wouldn’t have much work to do without the accessibility of Wi-Fi but, it still made her stomach drop. A cabin in the woods with no internet sounded like the plot line of a dozen horror films.

“What do you do for work again?”

“Oh, just boring technology stuff — I install security systems, cameras, but sometimes I do cyber security jobs,” he shook his head as he spoke, as if it were a boring job. Rey found herself intrigued, parting her lips to ask questions, but he cut her off.

“I can imagine you’ll want to get to bed. You still want hot chocolate?”

She nods shyly. She’d always been a sucker for hot drinks. And she was remarkably sleepy, her eyes hooded as she looked around. Head hazy and disoriented all of a sudden — must’ve been the drive and the hot meal.

Ben put some milk on the stove, turning around to face her as he rested against the sink, holding his signature intimidating gaze. Looming over her, but unlike all those other times, it was now just Ben and her, no relatives or friends of the family filling up the room and keeping her attention elsewhere. Her attention was forced onto the sink, counting each bump on the draining board. Over and over again.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Forty.

Forty-eight—

“Shit,” he mumbled as he heard the milk sizzle against the sides of the pan, quickly turning the flame off, placing some hot chocolate powder into a mug, stirring swiftly as he poured the milk in. Giving it to her with his signature small smile. Mumbling a short ‘thanks’ as she blew at it, not wanting to burn her mouth.

“What’s the time?”

He pulled on his sleeve to see his watch, reading it with a furrowed brow. “About eight.”

“Oh, I’m not normally tired this early.”

“The cold can do that, especially since it’s so warm in the house... a contrast of environments.”

Sipping on the hot drink when it was cool enough, one hand clasped around the cup and the other underneath her chin, stopping it from bobbing. Cherishing the comfort as she fought to keep her head up. Her body felt like it was rocking, pulled by a metaphysical wave. Pulling her in and out, back and forth. Like a grandmother cradling a child in a tottering rocking chair.

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder once she’d finished, amusement in his eyes. Eyes darker. Dilated. It confused her — but didn’t settle. Not with the foggy feeling in her head. Nothing seemed to be going in.

“Can you make it up the stairs?”

She hummed in response, stomach tensing as his fingers caressed her skin. Sliding out of the chair with hunched shoulders, “Yeah, I’m really sorry. I don’t know why I’m so tired.” She fumbled as she reached Cumin, giving him a final stroke before following Ben up the stairs to her room.

“Don’t apologise—the bathroom’s at the end of the hall. If you need me I’ll be downstairs, or if you wake up needing anything, my rooms right next to yours. Don’t be afraid to ask for anything. Of course, mom can help you too... Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded, watching him walk back down the stairs.

Unzipping her suitcase after shutting the bedroom door, taking off her clothes and slipping into some sleep shorts and a baggy t-shirt, grabbing the toiletry bag and heading to the bathroom, wobbling slightly as her legs felt like jelly. Much like the rest of the house, the bathroom was small and rustic. A bathtub pressed against the wall with a shower attachment. Lemongrass scented candles lined up neatly on a shelf.

Brushing her teeth quickly, rubbing her hands over tired eyes. Leaving the toiletry bag under the sink in the small cabinet.

When she walked back out, she could hear Ben humming downstairs, alongside the soft murmur of a television program. She headed into her room, sighing at the sight of the cosy bed. Placing the penguin onto the window sill before stepping onto the stool and tucking herself in. It was by far one of the comfiest beds she'd ever laid in, pulling the duvet up to her chin, relaxing.

Maybe Maine wasn't so bad.

Chapter 2: Like A Little Mouse

Rey woke up to a heavy sensation on the centre of her chest, her hand smoothed over her eyes to wake herself up and she propped herself up on her elbows to meet soft green eyes which stared right back at her. For a moment she forgot where she was, blinking at the cat.

"Oh, hello." The light drifting in through the curtains made her eyebrows knit together. Fingers connecting with the back of his ears, humming along with noises, appreciating the softness of his hair.

The alarm clock on the bedside table read 10:32. 

Rey noticed the door was ajar, caught on the rug which ran across the room. "How did you get in here?"

She could've sworn that she shut it.

She made sure she did. There was a thought of Ben lingering in the room while she slept, which made her feel sick to her stomach. It could've been Leia. Maybe.

She could see the shadows of trees against the wall as she contemplated getting up.

She had always hated mornings. The grogginess that filled her head, how puffy her eyes would get, leaving the warm comforting embrace of a warm bed and blankets.

Lifting her body into a sitting position, still peppering the lazy cat with affection. She needed to put all of her stuff into the cabinets.

Apologising as she removed herself from the bed, watching as Cumin rolled over, yowling as he watched her pick out another thick sweater and a pelmet skirt, which she paired with some tights and a pair of fluffy woollen socks.

Shutting the door before dressing.

The cabinets underneath the bed were spacious. She fit all her clothes in only one.

Heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, smelling some of the scented candles that sat on the shelf. Cumin was waiting outside the door for her, craning his head up to meow.

She hooked her arm around him, scooping him up so he rested on her shoulder. Subconsciously thanking him for hanging around with her, she was developing an emotional attachment to him.

The one thing that seemed to lift the tension.

Walking downstairs to be greeted with a strong smell of cinnamon, her stomach growled at the scent, reminding her of how hungry she was. Food had always been the entryway to Rey's heart.

Walking into the main room to see no Ben, or Leia, the pressure on her chest lifted as she relished in the idea of being alone, even if only for a few seconds.

Sitting on the sofa that sat behind the kitchen stools, crossing her legs so that Cumin could curl up, watching his eyes shut at the gesture. She was playing with the fabric on a cushion and the tassles which fell off of it.

The birds sang outside as they flew from tree to tree. She understood her mother's excitement over the views, mountains stretching out over the horizon, lined with hundreds of vast trees, glistening with snow.

She relished the moment.

Feeling the heat of the fire against her face with closed eyes, the warmth of Cumin on her lap, the smell of cinnamon and the heavy thumping — her attention on the pretty view was cut short when she sees the tall skulking man come into view, hair wet with snow as he held stacks of firewood.

It snowed quite a bit whilst she was sleeping.

A thick blue jacket covered his frame, dusted with white, heavy boots thumping against the wood. Smiling as he noticed her on the sofa. Rey shivered in her crushed comfort as he slid the door open.

"Sorry." He apologized, sliding the door shut again. "I was just cutting some firewood—" he lifted the pile in his hands, "—I made cinnamon rolls. Like when you used to come to ours at Christmas, I remember, you used to like them. I don't know. I thought it'd be nice." He placed the firewood in a wicker basket next to the door.

"Thank you," Rey hums. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to. Mom's at work. I don't know how long she'll be." Ben's eyes darkened into a bitter gaze as he viewed the cat heaped on her lap. "Cumin's not bothering you, is he?"

"Oh, no way, I love him." She continued to stroke the cat in her lap, though less confidently, and Ben came and picked him up. Deciding for her. Brushing his fingers against her legs as he did, triggering that heavy feeling in her chest again.

Pouting as he placed him on the other sofa, continuing to give her that tight smile.

She brushed it off, standing up and following him to the kitchen, placing herself on the same stool she sat at yesterday.

He pulled on some chicken shaped oven gloves, opening the oven, which made the cinnamon smell even more intense, placing the tin onto the work surface. Using a spoon to drizzle icing all over them.

"They look good." Her stomach rumbled again, and Ben grinned. "You bake?"

"Not as often as I would like to, but I can do it more now, since you're here. Mom taught me, of course."

He put some on a plate and slid it towards her, passing a fork along with it. "They're bound to be hot, so be careful."

Ben walked past her, collecting some of the cut wood and throwing it onto the fire while she dug in, relieving her sweet tooth and letting at a small sound of delight.

She could feel him standing behind her, feeling tiny under his gaze.

"Are there bears in Maine?" She asks, trying to distract herself from Ben. She knew the answer already.

"Yeah, Maine has one of the highest black bear populations."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"Plenty. They walk right past the patio—I'm sure you'll see one, eventually." His hands reached up to her shoulders, huge palms stretching across her upper back. "Why? Are you scared of bears?"

She almost choked on her food, feeling his fingers massage her muscles as if it were a normal thing to do. Maybe it was, she thought to herself. Maybe it was completely innocent. He was her cousin, after all.

"I-Isn't everyone?"

"Not around here," he mumbled, thumbs digging into the area between her shoulder blades. To her shame, it felt incredible. Her head hung as he worked on the area, fighting sounds of enjoyment. 

"Did you sleep okay? You're tense." Rey couldn't help but remark in her head that if he stopped touching her, perhaps she wouldn't be so tense.

"Um, I slept fine—great, even. Did you come into my room this morning? My door was open."

His fingers paused for a moment before starting again. "I let Cumin in because he was scratching the door like a lunatic. I thought I shut it, apologies."

"It's okay, I was just w-wondering, ouch—that kinda hurts Ben." She yelped as his hands got rougher, gripping onto the fork and the counter for support.

"Sorry, you yelp like a little mouse," he laughed, rubbing the spot before stepping away. She felt the blush creeping up the back of her neck, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Do you want a coffee or a tea?"

"A tea would be nice, thanks..." Her voice was much weaker than before. She could still feel his hands on her back as she watched him put the kettle on the stovetop.

"Is chamomile okay? We've got more — chamomile is my personal favourite, though."

"Yeah, I like chamomile. Thank you."

"So polite," he murmured, getting two mugs out of a cupboard. She continued to eat her food, trying to ignore the bitter taste in her mouth by acting like everything was okay.

Though her shaky hands said otherwise. Ignoring Ben's stare as she ate, or attempting to, at least. 

She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of the kettle whistling, the high pitch echoing around the house.

Of course, Ben laughed at her fright, shaking his head as he poured the steaming liquid into a light green mug.

"You act like a mouse too," he said as he passed over the mug, commenting on her nerves as if he didn't have any idea he was the one causing her jumpiness.

"Honey?"

She looks up to see him holding a honey jar, a dipper poking out of the rim.

"Thanks." She takes the mug once he's finished dropping the honey in, smelling the deep scent and shutting her eyes, blowing on the liquid whilst trying to take control of her anxiety.

She wishes that she had the guts to excuse herself and go back into the comfort of her bedroom, but the way Ben stares at her leaves no room for that.

Chewing on her lip between sips, pondering ways to get out of the situation.

"I thought we could watch all The Lord Of The Rings today—have a lazy day to get you settled. I know you used to have an obsession with Tolkien books when you were younger."

She smiled at the idea. "Yeah, that sounds nice—I haven't watched them in years."

She settled onto the sofa once she was finished with her tea. Cumin instantly curled up on her lap again, just like he had done earlier, before Ben moved him. She watched as Ben collected a blanket from the arm of the seat, sitting down next to her.

She gulped at the lack of personal space, playing with her fingers as he navigated the television, hand dwarfing the remote. She had never noticed how huge his hands were, like dinner plates, he could easily pin her down if he wanted to.

She scolds herself for even thinking about that, ripping her eyes away from him and towards the TV.

Ben threw the blanket over the top of both of them, drowning Cumin in the cosy fabric but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he seemed to have found it much more comfortable. Burying himself further into the girl's lap.

She wished to swap bodies with Cumin, wanting even a second of comfort. She couldn't manage a single ounce as Ben's side pressed into hers.

By the first half of the film, Ben was gradually closing any hint of space between the two of them. His left arm swung over her shoulder, caressing the skin, which was thankfully covered by her sweater.

She tried not to move, because maybe that way she'd become invisible. Figuring out a way that she could get out of his reach, but too scared to. It'd be too blunt to move to the other sofa, and she would rather avoid confrontation.

Ben began to play with her hair, running his fingers through the ends, and once again—just like with the massage—it felt embarrassingly nice.

Her eyes began to shut at the touch, head bobbing as she tried to keep herself awake and aware. If he noticed, he didn't seem to mind, and if anything, it led him to keep going. Each touch was like a gentle lullaby. Convincing her to shut her boundaries off for a little while.

It wasn't long until she was asleep, head dropping onto Ben's shoulder, nuzzling into him, unaware. 

She awoke to the opening scene of The Two Towers, the shot of Gandalf breaking the bridge bleating through the speakers. Breathing in musk and pine, shifting in her place. Jolting upright as she realised she was hugging Ben's chest, his hand still in her hair. 

"Sorry," she mumbled, directing her view to outside, sun now low in the sky casting a hazy light over the cabin, amber light basking every corner.

"Why are you apologising?"

Rey's head turned to meet Ben's eyes, pupils much more dilated than normal. "I-I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"Don't be silly. I'm happy when you're comfortable. But you did miss the majority of The Fellowship Of The Ring, but that one always made you cry as a kid, didn't it?"

She blushes, nodding and rubbing a hand over her eyes. Happy to see that Cumin was still burrowed in her lap, sleeping.

"Is he this friendly to everyone?"

"No, he's just a good judge of character."

She hums, continuing to stroke the lazy kitten. Ben reached his hand from her hair, stretching his arms up in a classic male fashion, before placing his left hand on her thigh instead of putting it back into her hair. She stiffened, looking down.

His fingers were half touching Cumin and half caressing her leg. The nerves in her legs ran wild as he ran up and down at a slow pace. She wanted to swat it off, and yet, she couldn't even move.

She was certain that he could tell.

Ben kept staring at the film as if he had never seen it before. As if putting his hand on his cousin's upper thigh was normal. Maybe it was. She was just being dramatic. He wouldn't be so confident if it wasn't normal.

Compared to the shoulder massage and the hair stroking, this felt like being burnt alive. Like she had put her hand on an exposed power circuit and was being forced not to move. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't relax. There was no way she'd be calm until he stopped.

"Do-Do you think you could... move your hand?"

She saw Ben's head turn to her in her peripheral vision, but she couldn't build up the confidence to look at him, keeping her focus anywhere else. His fingers stopped moving on her leg, but he still didn't move his hand, just letting it rest on her leg.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just doing it subconsciously. Didn't realise you were so sensitive, little mouse." His tone was viscous, yet remained soft at the same time.

She blinked at the statement, dropping her head to her chest. "It's-It's okay." Lie. "I didn't mind, I just... I wanted to lie down, and I couldn't if your hand was there." She scolds herself for lying. Wishing that she could just tell him, she found it creepy and morally grey, but she bit her lip.

She didn't want to make him angry.

"Oh, why didn't you just say so?"

Ben lifted the blanket, scooping Cumin up from his comfy position and placing him on the arm of the seat. Cumin sent Ben an angry stare, and she wanted to, too. The cat was the only thing that calmed her down, and now, yet again, Ben had moved him from her hold.

Ben twisted his body around so that he was laying instead of sitting up against the back of the sofa. Having no time to process what was going on, he moved her, opening his legs so that she could lie in between them. Her head resting on his chest, back resting between his groin.

She wanted to scream at how much worse this position was, how much she wished he was stroking her thigh or massaging her shoulders. They'd be less painful. Though her lips remained sealed at the gesture, laying her head on his chest like he wanted her to.

His scent was stronger now, thick musks of amber and sandalwood reinstating his presentation. Just who he was. An Alpha. An Alpha who could snap her in two if he so pleased, ask her to do something, and she'd have to. 

Her Omega would cower at any demand.

"Better?" She could see the amusement running off of him.

"Yep," she squeaked, and he began to play with her hair again, but now it sprawled along his chest. She didn't dare look away from the television. The position was comfortable. Ben was huge, submerging her frame on his own.

"That's good, little mouse."

With the combination of the position and the caressing of her hair, she fell asleep again, pushing her head deeper into his t-shirt, the scent and soft material acting like some sort of sedative.

She could feel an odd vibration rising from his chest, pulling her into the depths.

She woke up to the credits of The Two Towers, meaning that she had slept another four hours at least. The sky was dark, stars shining through some clouds. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen stars. The light pollution in New York usually forbade it.

The room was lit by just the fireplace and white rolling text. She lifted her head, taking in her surroundings.

"You two look cosy," Leia chimed, placing her car keys onto the countertop.

Cumin slept on the other sofa, and Ben was still laying behind her, his hands around her waist to keep her closer to him, face blank. Rey cocks her head and see's him blushing, it travels down to his neck. 

It was confusing, how intense he could be — dominating the room, and then he'd be quiet and embarrassed like a nerdy high schooler. She wasn't sure if it was less threatening or more. 

"You must be hungry," Leia says as she turns on the hob, reheating the same soup from yesterday. "I hope you still like soup."

Rey nods as she tries to rise from the couch, but Ben tightens his grip, keeping her on him. "Don't move, hmm," he coaxed, nose burying into her hair, hot breath on her neck. "Soup will take a few minutes to warm up. Stay comfy. We’ll watch the next film tomorrow. Just relax.”

Rey blinked at how he thought she was comfortable, perhaps when she was on the edge of consciousness but now she left as if she were laying on a bed of nails. 

"Didn't you find that boring? I mean, I slept through most of the movies and I don't remember you ever being a big fan of them, and you just spent the majority of your day watching them."

"I kept myself busy," he smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "And anyway, isn't that the responsibility of an older cousin? Entertaining your younger one?"

"I guess."

Unlike yesterday, instead of Rey, Ben and Leia sitting at the island, filling silence with awkward filler, Ben decided they'd eat on the sofa. Bodies pressed against each other, much like earlier.

The room was filled with sounds of cutlery scraping dinnerware. 

Leia hovered by the stove, leaving her and Ben to be alone, as if they hadn't already spent enough time together.

"What is it you do, Auntie Leia?" She turned to look at her, flinching when she felt Ben's fingers stroking her thigh. His touch was light, seemingly innocent, drawing soft lines on her skin. Wearing tights paid off. 

"I'm a pharmacist — in town." 

Rey's ears perked up at the mention of town, she already felt the yearning to get out of the house and she'd only been there for little over twenty-four-hours. "Really? Do you think I could go into town tomorrow?" 

Ben's touch got harsher and his body tensed against hers. Following Rey's previous movements and looking at his mother, his expression made Rey recoil into the cushions. 

Even Leia seemed to be taken a back, smile wilting into a frown. "Oh – I'm sure you can at some point. It's going to storm, o-over the next few days, so it's best to avoid that." 

"Okay then... No… worries." She placed her empty bowl onto the coffee table, shifting in her spot. 

Ben copied her motions and wrapped his arm around her, pressing her body into his chest, humming into her hair. 

A pang of fear waved over her, she wanted to leave. She wanted to go home and bury herself into her bed, watch The Office on repeat and FaceTime Rose to bitch about school. She wanted to curl into her mothers side like she used to and listen to Luke learn his lines in the kitchen. 

It was all too much. 

Pulling away from Ben's embrace and not daring to look at him as she began to speak. Ben was leaning in to grab her back. "I'm gonna — I'm gonna go to bed." She faked a yawn, wiping a hand over her eyes and looking up at her cousin to see a boyish pout on his lips. 

"Really?" 

She stood before she found herself coiled back to his chest, collecting their dishes and hovering by Leia, who took them from her and gave her a look filled with concern. "Are you okay, Rey?" 

Her heart clenched at the question and her eyes got glassy. "Yeah, just sleepy." 

Ben raised from his seat, heavy steps approaching her. "You don't want a hot chocolate?" Rey's gaze lifted up to him, looking at him through her eyelashes, shaking her head. 

"No — thank you though." She scurried up the stairs before they protested, grinding her teeth as she made her way into her room. She could already hear the murmur of voices downstairs. 

Slipping into sleep shorts and a baggy tee, and trying her best not to cry.

She still couldn't wrap her head around why her parents had wanted her to come to Auntie Leia's when she could've easily stayed with Rose for a month if she'd asked. 

Her face formed an ugly expression before the tears started blurring her vision — once the first tear dropped the rest followed in an unbroken stream. Head resting on the palm of her hand as she sniffled and sobbed, criticising herself for being so sensitive at the same time. 

She wasn't sure how long she was crying for before it faded into pathetic whimpers and hitched breaths. 

There was a knock at the door, and before she could compose herself Ben was walking in, holding a steaming mug. His face twisted with sympathy, eyes running over her flushed, wet face for a moment before rushing towards her. 

He placed the mug on the bedside table before taking a seat on the stool next to the bed. "Hey, hey," he ushered, brushing her hair out of her face so he could see her better. "What's wrong, sweet girl?" 

She attempted to speak but it came out as a sob instead of words. Ben's thumb stroked her cheek, she flinched back, taking a deep breath. 

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Chest rising and falling as a result of her fading panic attack. Ben didn't back away at her reaction, but instead cradled her head in his hands, making her look at him. 

"Are you going to tell me what the matter is?" His voice was softer than usual, making Rey's brain blur. Was he always this nice?

"I just — I miss home, m-my parents." Rey was not going to confess that he was the main factor in her feeling so homesick. He wiped a rogue tear off of her cheek and his signature pout returned before he shaped it into a faint smile. 

"That's okay. Luke said you might be unimpressed with staying here." 

Rey felt her stomach drop. "He did?"

"Mhm." Ben passed her the mug of hot chocolate before continuing. "He phoned this morning to see if you were okay after they left. He said you'd probably take sometime to get comfortable, that's all." 

A familiar pang echoed through her heart, blowing on her drink and sniffing. "He didn't want to... he didn't want to speak to me?" 

Ben shrugged, nonchalant. "He didn't ask, and I didn't want to wake you up." His eyes moved to her lips as she took a sip. "I understand, Rey. Omegas yearn for comfort and this situation must be hard. I don't think Luke, or your mother, were very attentive to your needs, little mouse." 

Rey frowned into her drink, she didn't think they considered her either. Before she could comment her head began to spin, like last night. Crying always made her fatigued but the mixture of stress in a new environment must have made it worse. 

Placing her empty cup back onto the table and shifting down into her bed, her nose was blocked but at least she wasn't crying anymore. Looking up at Ben and letting her eyes flutter shut. She was really, really tired all of a sudden. 

She could feel Ben's eyes on her, the sound of the stool scraping against the floor let her know that he was leaving. 

"Remember, if you need anything at night, don't be a stranger, okay, little mouse?"

She murmured an mhm in response, turning into a fetal position and burying her head into the pillows. Listening to Ben shut the door before falling asleep.

Notes:

Ben’s couldn’t possibly have bad intentions!

Thank you for all the nice comments on the first chapter! Means a lot (im a validation whore). I enjoyed reading your theories :)

Chapter 3: Something For The Pain

Notes:

This might be the last chapter I post for like two weeks or so, I'm leaving for university on the 10th so I am stressed and anxious atm! I hate adulting.

Hope you guys don’t mind this chapter being so long, I just couldn't help myself and love writing lengthy chapters.

Rey counts each constellation on her blanket, shifting the cover between her thumb and finger. Only when she reached one-hundred-and-thirty-three did she give in to Cumin’s longing stare and get out of bed. A blizzard had picked up, just like Leia mentioned it would. 

The windows rattled in their frames, thrashing against the heavy winds, snow flakes stuck to the frosted panes — the outside of the cabin tinted a pale white.

The emotions which Rey felt the night prior had bled into the present, turning her stomach and echoing the word abandoned repeatedly in her head. Of course, Rey knew she wasn’t — but it sure felt like it. Especially with the information that Ben shared last night; Luke had called but didn’t try to talk to her. 

Rey was being dramatic, whiny, like a child. She’d barely been gone for two days. He just wanted her to settle before they talked.

A shiver rocked her body as soon as she stepped out of the warm bed. The thin windows weren’t any good at insulating the house. Cumin kept weaving between her legs and nudging against her with his head whilst she fought to collect some warmer clothes.

The idea of a hot shower drifted through her barrier of intrusive thoughts and she could have sighed in delight, just from the thought. Taking a jumper and a pair of sweats, padding to the bathroom, she wasn’t in the mood to dress with effort, not with her mind buzzing like it was.

Getting into the bathroom and double — no triple — checking that the door was locked, before stripping off and turning the water up high. So hot it practically scalds her skin when she gets in. And yet, she accepts it. She let the water pound down onto her shoulders and neck, as if it’d somehow cast away Ben’s touch from yesterday.

The image of him consoling her as she cried flash through as a fleeting memory, and her chest tightened with guilt. Pulling away from the stream to lather her hair with shampoo. She repeated her mantra — she wouldn’t be swayed. Not so easily.

Still, the tightness in her chest didn’t fade, even as she scrubbed her skin and bathed in the calming scent of Jasmine and Vanilla.

By the time she’d finished washing the conditioner out of her hair, the bathroom was thick with steam.

She wiped the shower door down and brushed her teeth, stretching her arms with a satisfied moan. Throwing her old clothes into the laundry hamper and putting on the clothes she’d picked out. Rubbing her hair with a towel as she opened the door, passing through and jumping back when she almost collided with Ben’s chest.

“Jesus,” he beamed as she attempted to recover from the fright she’d just endured. “So jumpy.”

She paused, hand on her chest, looking up at him, gripping onto her towel for support. “W-Were you just standing outside?”

Ben frowned, eyes tracing over Rey, clearly confused by how guarded she seemed. “I wanted to know if you’d like to go on a walk? It’s cold and icy but we’ve got thick clothes if you haven’t brought any. Just thought it’d be nice for you to see Arcadia before the blizzard gets any worse.”

She swallows the lump in her throat. “Sure, that... that’ll be nice.” She couldn’t hold his stare, not with the amount of intensity swimming in them. Still, he followed her eyes, trying to catch them.

“Are you okay, Rey? You seem distant.”

Rey shifted her eyes back to his, chewing on the side of her cheek. “I just... I woke up feeling the same as last night... just anxious, I guess.”

“It’s okay, little mouse.” Without warning, he curled an arm around her shoulder and pressed her into his chest, forcing the right side of her face to be squished against him. Looking up to see his eyes darting over her face, his own expression blank. “The walk will make you feel better — fresh air and all... Go get changed into something warmer and we’ll go on that walk, okay?”

He let Rey pull away, watching as she scurried back down the hall and into her bedroom.

Truthfully, Rey didn’t know what to make of his new nickname for her, or how he kept finding a way to touch her. Surely Leia would intervene if she thought Ben’s intentions were warped. Leia would look after her.

She kept the same outfit on but put on a pair of thermal leggings underneath the sweats and a t-shirt underneath her sweater. The temperature must’ve been somewhere in the twenties — maybe even as low as fifteen — though it didn’t throw her off.

When Rey left her bedroom, the smell of bacon flooded the air, lingering through the hallways and leading her to the kitchen. Ben hunched over the stove in a tight black t-shirt, letting Rey see how the muscles in his back tensed as he moved the spatula around the stove. Rey tore her eyes away from him, sitting at the counter. 

Cumin came bounding down the stairs after her, meowing a greeting and ignoring Ben, hopping up next to her. 

“You’re good with bacon, right, Rey?” 

“Of course.” Something inside of Rey told her that even if she hated bacon with every fibre of her being, she still wouldn’t have been able to refuse. “I’m pretty easy.” 

Ben muttered something under his breath with a laugh, but Rey couldn’t make it out as well as she’d liked. It sounded like ‘ not easy enough ’. Weird. 

“Some sustenance,” Ben hummed, sliding a plate of eggs and bacon towards her, then running his eyes over her outfit and tutting. “You’re not going to be warm enough in that, little mouse.”

Rey hated how he talked down to her. “But… you’re only wearing a t-shirt and jeans?” 

Even his smile was patronising. “I’m an alpha, Rey. I run hot.” She huffed in response, filling her mouth with food so she didn’t have to respond. Rey may have been an omega, but she wasn’t weak. She could handle the cold. 

“I’ll get you something…” Ben left the kitchen before she could finish her mouthful and object, leaving her and Cumin to stare at each other. Which she certainly didn’t mind. He seemed just as confused by Ben as she was. 

Rey couldn’t fault the cabin, though. In an ideal world, she could see herself living in a similar one. Filled with old rugs, paintings, candles, lamps, endless books and soft blankets she could cuddle up to. Maybe even a cat, too. It’d be her own. Rey didn’t need a mate. 

“Here.” 

Ben passed her a navy sweater, placing it on the countertop next to her near empty plate. It looked huge. Stretching at least forty inches in width, the length — around sixty. Rey blinked at it. It didn’t look any thicker than what she was already wearing. 

“It’s fleeced on the inside.” He shuffled closer, so that his chest was against her back, leaning over her. Taking her wrist with a gentle hold and leading her hand inside the hem. “See?” 

Rey’s eyes widened as she ran her hand along the material, soft. Not like the cheap fleece that felt like cotton wool and made her teeth grind, but cloud-like. “Yeah — it’s really nice.” She attempted to ignore his breath against her scent gland, or his fingers pressed against the one on her wrist.

His fingers coaxed her skin, even as her hand laid limp in the fabric. Thumb brushing in a tentative circle, so gentle that it made her shiver. His scent thickened around her, claggy and murky. 

Rey coughed, pulling her hand away as if he’d burned her. “S-Should we go?” Her words came out so quiet that she wondered if Ben even heard her, but he did, pulling himself away and looking down at her with a crooked smile. 

“Well, put it on.” 

Ben’s command left no room for compromise, voice filled with authority. Rey cast her eyes down and started to pull her own sweater over her head, pulling on Ben’s and the scent of him was now like a thick cloak around her. 

There’s no way that all of his clothes smelled that strong. She would’ve noticed. It was potentially nauseating. Like when he led her to her room for the first time, and his smell came flooding out. Like he’d scented it. He wouldn’t have — would he? What would he gain from that?

Ben was washing her plate in the sink when she finally got all the material over her head. It drowned her out without effort. The sleeves draped over her hands and billowed around her frame. It was big, very big, and it only reinstated how big Ben was compared to her. She sat staring at the sleeves, worming her hands through and bunching up the fabric. 

It was ridiculously warm and snug despite how huge it was, shamefully nicer than her own sweater. 

She flinched at the sound of clattering cutlery, snapping out of her daze and looking up to see Ben running his eyes over her, taking in how his clothing drowned her. She must’ve looked ridiculous. 

He stalked over, taking her hands one by one and rolling the sleeves over her wrists. Rey was starting to hate the familiar feeling of heat on her face. Ben’s pupils were bigger than normal when he looked back at her, nostrils flaring until he cracked a smile. 

“Come on, then.” 

He tempted her out of her seat by placing a hand on her shoulder. The heat of it bled through her clothes and she wanted to rip it off. It made her skin itchy and claustrophobic. Too much.

She followed Ben out of the room and Cumin stayed in his seat, head tilted and wide eyed as if to ask where she was going. Ben stopped in the hall, getting a pair of walking boots out of a closet. “You’re a 7, right? These are moms — they’re an 8 but they should fit okay.”

Rey nodded and couldn’t question how he knew that in time before he pulled out two thick coats. By the looks of them they were both his. Did he want to drown her in clothes?

He tucked one under his arm before waving a hand to get her attention. “Spread your arms out, little mouse.” 

“I can do it myself,” Rey protests, reaching for the jacket only to get her hands swatted away. 

“Rey. Arms.” Once again, his voice edged on a harsher command, face stern, before he broke it and sent her a boyish grin. “Humour me, please.”

Rey did as he said, letting him put the coat on for her and she hated herself for it the entire time, especially when he did the zipper for her — as if she couldn’t manage that herself. She wasn’t a child. 

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Ben slipped on his coat, a thick blue canvas jacket that Rey doubted did anything to keep him warmer. Alpha’s run hot . She huffed in response to his comment, not willing to tell him that actually it felt as bad as a third-degree burn.

She wasn’t helpless. 

She pulled on Leia’s walking boots, fidgeting and finding that they were practically the perfect size for her. Maybe her feet had grown. 

Rey couldn’t help but notice how swift Ben was in everything he did, probably because of how tall he was. He took half the time Rey took to put his shoes on and Rey feared on the walk she might lose him because of how long his strides were. But, then again, losing him might do her a favour. 

“Ready?” He raked a hand through his hair, and Rey hated how soft and approachable he looked. His intentions were cloudy.

“Mhm.” 

He led her to the front door and opened it, letting the cold air into the cabin. Rey shivered at the gust of wind which breached the entrance. God, it was cold — and Rey loved it. A smile spread across her face at the sight. She didn’t take the time to look around when she first got out of the car, nor did she make a strong effort after. Restricted to window glazed views.

She took a step onto the porch, Ben following closely behind her as she looked at the sight in front of her, mouth agape. 

A thick blanket of snow covered the wide plain, small animal tracks were dotted into the snow, half buried into the ice. The smell of pine was unavoidable, thick just like Ben’s scent, but unlike Ben’s, Rey felt herself welcoming it. Fresh and clean, not claggy. And despite the subtle rattling of branches, the world was silent. Pulling her in. 

She moved down the porch stairs without waiting for Ben, humming as snow now dusted her hair and clothes. Holding her palm up to collect them. 

“Careful, Rey.” Ben’s voice snapped her from her reverie, bringing her back to the present. “It’s icy, you could slip.” 

Rey ignored him, looking out again. Spruce trees rushed along the path, along with shrubs of holly that danced along their roots, coated with snow. Rey certainly didn’t miss the city. 

“It’s so… beautiful,” Rey said, mostly to herself. Eyes still tracing over every detail. 

“You think so?” 

Rey nodded, looking up at Ben, who was staring back at her with a curious expression. “Where are we going?” 

Ben pointed to the left of the house, where there was a small break in the trees. Rey assumed that there would have been a path if it wasn’t covered with snow. “Through there, I want to show you something.” 

“That’s… quite ominous.”

Ben laughed, shaking his head. “I promise that you’ll like it.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder again, and like before, Rey didn’t shake him off. She supposed it was because he knew that she was quite a bit smaller than him. She could easily fall behind. Nevertheless, it still churned her stomach. 

The path was shallower than the area around the house, due to the coverage of trees above them, and it was louder, surrounded by birds which scavenged from tree to tree. A few chickadees scurried past Rey’s feet and she turned to watch them, bumping into Ben’s chest. 

 “Careful.” Ben repeated, clutching her shoulder tighter. 

“Sorry,” she squeaked, but got distracted once again when the sound of a woodpecker echoed across the woods. 

“We’re going up there.” Ben pointed to a hillier and rockier part of the track. “I’ll help you up, of course.” 

Her chest tightened at Ben’s comment and she tried her best not to scowl as she faced him again. “T-Thanks… But I think I can manage on my own.” 

Ben’s eyebrow quirked up, but he didn’t seem surprised by Rey’s comment, lip tugging into a smirk. “Are you sure?”

Rey nodded and Ben copied her, nodding along with her. Rey wondered if he knew how patronising he was. 

“I go hiking upstate a lot. A few rocks really aren’t that much trouble for me.”

That statement didn’t seem to make him happier. If anything, he looked pissed off. Eyes narrowing and jaw clenching, moving left to right. “Alone?” 

Rey blinked up at him, then shook her head. “I go with Rose…” Rey couldn’t figure out why he was getting so agitated about something as simple as her hiking. His face evened out and he took a few slow breaths. 

“I just… I wouldn’t want you getting hurt, little mouse.” His grip on her shoulder loosened, and he placed his hand on her cheek instead, which, to Rey’s chagrin, seemed to appease her hindbrain, wilting her thoughts down into mush. 

“I… I’m not made of glass.” Rey huffed, pulling herself away from him and beginning to make her way up the hill he pointed to. Ben was hot on her trail, and with his long limbs, he scaled the snow and rocks before she had even made it halfway.

“Are you sure you don’t need a hand?” Ben asked and Rey frowned up at him, remaining stubborn. 

“No.”

“You sure?” He asked again after half a minute, watching her clamber her way up with arrogance and that boyish smile. He didn’t wait for her response this time, taking her hand and pulling her up. 

The sight in front of her was truly astonishing. Past the hill they stood on stretched a wide lake and mountains, just like her mother had mentioned in the car. The mountains were fogged over with a blue tint and the lake was iced over. Silhouettes of birds swooped overhead, and the sun shone down in a way that made it look even more heavenly than it already did. 

Even though she was shivering, she felt warm. She stared at each detail and listened to each sound, eyes widening each time a bird would flee the branches.

Ben’s hands came upon her shoulders, rubbing her through the coat. Rey sucked in a breath, fidgeting and trying to get her focus back on the wildlife. She couldn’t. 

“What if a bear comes?” She muttered in an attempt to break the ice, feigning a light laugh. 

“Well, bear attacks are extremely rare, Rey, even in Maine… You’re more likely to get killed by a bee. But, as a hiker yourself you should know this… If you don’t, you really shouldn’t be hiking.” 

“I’m…” Rey wrung her fingers. “I’m just anxious, is all.” Not about the bears though, the bears were the least of her worries — Rey really needed to stop bringing up bears when she was anxious. 

“S’ okay, but maybe I should’ve given you something to wear on your face — you’re far more red than usual.” 

If it were possible to get more flushed than she already was, she would’ve. 

“Is it nice in summer?”

She felt Ben shrug behind her. “I guess so, but I’ve always been more attracted to the cold. You know — for the past two years we’ve lived in Arcadia we’ve invited you guys to come visit. In summer and in winter.” 

Rey stiffened at the remark, bowing her head a touch. Of course she knew that, she’d been the one who pleaded to her parents, begging them, not to make her go. Telling them she’d be much happier in New York or venturing upstate than being anywhere near Ben. She wanted nothing to do with him, especially after she presented.

The memory brought nothing but confusion once again. Her parents had always known that she had disliked Ben and yet they still made her stay with him for a month. 

“Oh, really? I-I didn’t know that.” Ben’s fingers dug into her skin a bit more before they relented, dropping to his sides. 

“That’s weird… We always used to get along when you were a kid, didn’t we Rey?” Rey nodded, offering no response because she knew the only words that would come out would be more lies. It’s true, they did, but then Ben presented and something inside of him shifted. Something feral and raw. Something alpha. 

“But then you got distant. I… Rey, I really missed you. After I presented — with Han gone, on and off — I’d always look forward to seeing you and you wouldn’t… you weren’t the same. But that’s okay because you’re here now, right?” 

Ben’s voice became so gentle that it was barely familiar at all, bearing a resemblance to a lost child and it hurt. It stung in her chest, like ice. Rey felt bad. Luke’s words rung in her head; you’re his favourite cousin . 

She turned to look at him and felt even worse. His eyes were soft and glazed over, watery. Looking at her for support. 

“I’m sorry Ben, really. I… yeah. I’m here now.” 

Ben clutched her in a hug, pulling her into a strong embrace. Rey found herself relaxing into it, but only because of the warmth of his chest. Alpha’s really did run hot . 

 

When they got back to the cabin, Ben left her so she could have a long bath. She’d always hated that tingly feeling after getting in from the cold. It’d flood up her legs and make her feel all squirmy. Uncomfortable in her own skin. 

Sighing as she let herself relax in the water, steam poured off of the bath and covered the room with condensation, fogging up the mirror and faucets. She almost fell asleep, head twitching to the side a few times before she decided that she better get out instead of accidentally drowning. 

She felt a lot better than she had in the morning. Her head was clearer and the anxiety which ran circles in her head had dissipated. The feeling of abandonment was a distant memory.  

Slipping on her Ben’s jumper and her sweats to make her way back downstairs. She found herself alone with Cumin, Ben nowhere in sight, though she could hear murmuring in one of the rooms along the downstairs hallway. Maybe Ben was doing laundry. 

She wasted no time in getting comfortable on the couch, fanning a blanket over herself and listening to the world outside. But, just like Cumin, Ben never strayed far. 

She turned her head at the sound of a door shutting and watched him come out of the room at the end of the hall. It had a lock on it. His face was a bit pink, hair ruffled more than usual. 

“You look comfortable.”

Rey forced a tight smile, the conciliation from the walk long forgotten about as he lingered over her, moving slow and precise. 

“Why don’t we watch Return Of The King, like we were meant to yesterday?” 

“Sure, I don’t mind.” As long as he didn’t move her again . He sat next to her, leaving her a few inches of space — which she was grateful for — and reclined against the back of the sofa. He stretched his arm out behind her, like yesterday, yet he didn’t let his fingers touch. 

He fiddled with the remote, turning on the movie and Rey tried her best to focus on the film, yet couldn’t ignore how his eyes kept lingering back to her. She shifted in her spot, trying not to let her breathing get out of control. 

This is exactly why she didn’t feel comfortable with Ben. 

One minute he’d be soft and vulnerable, telling her how he felt and looking at her with soft puppy eyes, and then in the blink of an eye he’d be predatory and unfeeling. It gave her whiplash. 

She could feel it, the change in approach. His body language would turn stiff and his scent would wrap around her like rope. Unwilling to let her go. 

“Why don’t we lay down, like yesterday?” He suggested an hour in, letting his fingers finally drape along her shoulder, playing with the ends of her hair. Rey blinked at the screen and let her eyes drift to him, chewing on her lip. 

His eyes were softer than they should’ve been and his lips were jutting out into subtle pout. 

Before she could utter a pathetic response Cumin hopped down from his spot next to the door, swaying over to the both of them and placed himself between them, offering Ben an oblivious expression before burying his head into Rey’s legs, pushing his head from side to side and meowing. 

Ben let out a huff and Rey couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “I don’t think Cumin wants me to move.” 

Ben turned back to the screen without another word, expression twisted into an apathetic stare. He definitely didn’t look happy, but Rey was. 

So happy and comfortable, in fact, that she ended up falling asleep again, just like yesterday, head tilted at an uncomfortable angle. Fingers draped over Cumin’s stomach as she let out small puffs of air. 

She woke up submerged underneath a blanket, position shifted so that she was sprawled out on the sofa, Cumin now laying on her stomach instead of on her legs. The cabin was lit with amber light and the flickering of a flame spurting in the fireplace. 

A muffled conversation was going on in the kitchen, but she was far too groggy to pay attention, lifting her head to look over the back cushions and finding Leia talking to Ben with a stern, unfamiliar expression. 

Both of her relatives turned to look at her at the same time, and Rey wanted to duck her head back down. Leia’s face shifted from stern, to concerned and then to a delighted expression, all in a few seconds. 

“Rey, I must say, you really do sleep like a log,” Leia laughed, coming to give her niece a light kiss on the temple. 

Rey blushed at the comment. She’d always been a heavy sleeper. “I don’t snore, do I?” 

Leia shook her head with a laugh and she heard Ben do the same. He was hunched over the stove again, cooking. 

It was dusk, the sky was a mix of deep blues and orange. She’d slept for too long again. “How was work? Busy?” 

“Well, as busy as it can be in a town as small as ours,” Leia sighed, perching herself onto the other sofa as Rey lifted her body up, trying her best not to disturb the cat who laid peacefully on her abdomen. “I doubt I’ll be going to work tomorrow with the blizzard getting heavier.”

Sure enough, the snow had become more rapid and incessant with its pace since Rey fell asleep. The snow must’ve been at her ankles. 

“Cumin’s very smitten with you Rey. I don’t think he’ll let you leave when the month is up.” The stirring at the stove stilled for a bit before Ben continued his movements.

“He might smuggle his way into my suitcase,” Rey joked, and it evoked another throaty laugh from her aunt. 

They sat chatting about nothing in particular until Ben came with three plates, two on his left and one on the right. He passed the one on the right to Rey, before giving the other to Leia and sitting down next to Rey. 

He’d cooked carbonara. Her eyes widened as she took her first mouthful, and Ben smiled knowingly. “Ben — I didn’t know you were such a good cook.” 

“Learned from the best, of course.” Leia hummed.

Conversation ran dry now Ben was there, hovering over the three of them. He seemed to do that, dominate the room. Rey wondered if he realised. 

After they were done, Leia took the plates and scurried off with the excuse of hitting the hay early , leaving Rey and Ben alone again. 

He slapped his hands on his thighs, getting up and stretching his body out. “Hot chocolate?” 

Rey accepted, slipping Cumin off of her lap and following Ben to sit on one of the stools. 

“I can give you your sweater back if you want?” Rey had honestly forgotten that she was still wearing it, but Ben waved her off. 

“It’s okay, little mouse. You can keep it. I never wear it.” The scent of it said otherwise, but she shrugged and thanked him. 

Like the other night, she drank the hot chocolate, with Ben staring over her like a bird looking for prey. She tried to ignore him, looking around the cabin to ignore his gaze. 

She placed the mug down on the table after around five minutes or so, with a much heavier hand than intended. The cup almost rolled off of the table, but Ben caught it, his face inches from her face.

He grinned down at her. 

The room was spinning. The lights around the cabin swirled and twisted. When she stood up, she fell over onto her knees. She felt as if she was on a boat.

“Ben, I don’t feel too good.”

His arms reached under her armpits, picking her up as if she weighed nothing. Tilting her head up to look at him. His face, much like the lights, was morphing into odd patterns, his eyes dark and hungry. “I think the little mouse needs to go to bed, hm?”

She nods in response, clinging onto his shoulders as he carries her up the stairs. Despite her drowsy state, she still wanted to paw his hands off. 

“Can you dress yourself?”

“Yes,” she blurts, the idea of Ben dressing her instantly making her head a smidge clearer. His expression was unreadable, setting her on the floor like a doll. Her body slumped against the wall, fighting for her eyes to stay open.

“You sure?”

She whines softly, frustrated with herself for not being able to move without her limbs going limp. Looking back up at Ben with a frown, not willing to answer his question. But, he didn’t need an answer.

Lips twitching into a crooked smile, revealing his gapped teeth. Smoothing a thumb over her cheek, before helping her up again. Leading her into her room.

“Please don’t... Please don’t look.”

Ben eyed her hungrily, wrapping a hand around her jaw as he nodded, stroking gently at her skin. He pushed her onto the bed without another word, and she hummed in response.

Stroking the soft blankets that laid under her, forcing her eyes to stay open — they began to sting at the temptation. Listening to Ben rifle through the cabinet she’d filled up the previous morning.

He held her pyjama shorts in his right hand and a baggy shirt in his left. Fabric crinkled from the restless nights she’d spent in them.

“Arms up,” she obeyed, lifting her hands over her head for him to pull her sweater off — which he did. And he shut his eyes, just like she’d asked him to.

But despite his lack of sight, he took his time, running his hands up along the area a few inches away from her bras wire. As if he were trying to remember how her skin felt beneath his fingers.

“Can you stand? Need to get these shorts on you, little mouse.”

She clutched at his forearm as she stood up, raising and shivering as his fingers brushed down from her ribs to her waist, hooking his fingers into the material.

He slowly slid down her skirt and tights at the same time. He pried them off of her legs, lightly pulling her legs up, one at a time, to slip them off.

Her skirt, tights and socks became a bundle of fabric. Just like with the t-shirt, he pulled the shorts on tentatively. Letting his fingers wander over her flesh, from her calves to her thighs. Chills ran up her spine as she felt his breath fanning over her pelvis.

She took the opportunity to fall back on the bed, acting as if she had no effect on his actions. He ran a hand over her hair. Signalling for her to shimmy up the bed, collecting the blankets into two fists and putting them over her.

His face was uncomfortably close to hers as he leaned closer, grabbing the pillows before she laid back and fluffing them.

“Can’t have a little mouse be uncomfortable, can we?”

She stared up at him, offering him no response and watching as he placed them back behind her head, pushing on her shoulders — gently — which had her hair sprawled out against the pillow.

He pressed a light kiss onto her forehead, but she didn’t even notice.

Her body felt numb, like she was living inside the shell of a body. Nothing felt real. Her head was spinning just as much as her vision was, and every word Ben spoke sounded like it was spoken a hundred metres away from her.

“My room’s right next door if you need anything. Goodnight, little mouse.”

She hummed, falling into a dreamless sleep.

Notes:

Ben 1 Rey 0... guys I think Ben might be an absolute creep!

Chapter 4: Among Other Things

Notes:

I've finally left uni for Christmas and it's snowing in the uk so I've finally had some inspo in the last week to finish this chapter — consider this a (early) christmas present, sorry it took so long :)

Get ready for unstable Ben Solo and some creepy fluff...

The sun sat low in the sky, dropping a deep amber haze over the garden and reflecting off of the pond like flecks of gold, shimmering and glaring back at the sky above. A soft breeze swept through the plain, rattling the leaves on the red maple tree which stood proudly in Leia’s back yard. 

The adults sat around a bench, a pitcher of lemonade in the centre, watching the scene in front of them with amusement. 

Long blades of grass scurried against Rey’s legs, brushing against her new sundress and tickling her shins. She giggled and shrieked, sprinting through the lawn, running from her cousin as fast as she could; As fast as a six-year-old could. 

“Rey.” Her mother warned, the only adult on the bench who looked on edge. “Don’t go spoiling your new dress.”

Luke rolled his eyes dramatically, beaming at his step-daughter and inspiring her to push her mother’s buttons. 

Rey followed Luke’s signals and ignored her mother, just like usual, grinning wide and rounding the corner, almost tripping over her own feet as she continued her rapid pace. 

Her feet were covered in dirt and she knew she’d get an earful from her mother later on. But the little mouse wouldn’t let that bother her, forcing her body to go as fast as it could to get away from the beast behind her. 

The beast whose feet she could feel shake the earth beneath her, whose arms rushed and broke the air to grab her, trying to scoop her up and hold her until she’d stop trying to get away. 

To Rey, it felt like having a giant on her heels. Cousin Ben was a mammoth compared to her small stature, he was even taller than Han — even though he was just sixteen.

“Reybee,” Ben sang, a warning that he was catching up with her. “I’m gonna get you, Reybee.”

“Be gentle with her, Ben,” Leia commanded, smirking along with her niece. “She’s only a pup, remember?” 

That was the sentence that had Rey’s speed halting. Her head whirled round to look at her aunt, face twisted with defiance, which only had the family more amused. 

Rey had always been stubborn. 

“I am not a pup! M’ six and a—” 

Big arms wrapped around Rey’s waist, a squeal fell out of her mouth, eyes shooting down to see that she was far, far off of the ground; two feet higher than she was used to. She wailed, but it drifted into another giggle as Ben spun them both around, the world twirling and fluttering. 

Ben couldn’t wait to play again. 

---

The winter sun filtered through a crease in the curtain, fluttering in tone as snow interrupted its glare. It pierced into Rey’s half-open eyes. She rolled to face the wall. 

She shut her eyes, rubbing at them so hard she saw stars, patterns swirling and clouding the darkness. An awful headache had set in, and the forgotten memory she’d dreamt of was only making things worse for her. 

The last summer she had with Ben before he presented. 

The last time she encountered gentle Ben, who laughed and played with her, before his scent changed into an intense smog that filled every room. Back when he had self-awareness and didn’t bare his teeth if someone said something he didn’t agree with. 

She rose on her forearms, brushing off the memory as just that, a memory, and focusing on the matter at hand. 

Last night.

Her recollection of events was blurred and nonsensical. She remembered waking up on the sofa, chatting with Leia before Ben brought them both food — then she drank a hot chocolate and then there was black. 

Blinking as she tried to remember how on earth she had got to bed last night. Rey saw the pile of clothes on the floor out of the corner of her eye and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. 

Panic sank in. An emotion she recognised as dread. Rey ripped the blankets off of her body and stood with shaky legs, heart racing. Her clothes laid on the floor, in a messy pile. 

Head pulsing, trying to gain back any sort of memory of getting changed into her pyjamas and getting into bed. She remembered feeling drowsy — ill even — falling over in the kitchen and Ben helping her up. 

She wouldn’t have been able to change, which meant that... no. Ben wouldn’t… he wouldn’t have undressed her. Surely not. He could’ve — but he wouldn’t. 

He might have. 

Rey couldn’t remember.  

Harmless cousin Ben. Who makes her food and watches films with her, but whose intentions she sure aren’t plain and sweet. He isn’t even her real cousin. The thought makes her shiver, and she has the urge to scrub her skin until it’s red raw. 

Rey’s lip trembled at the thought of Ben helping her into her pyjamas, at the thought of him touching her skin, seeing her... She pressed her palm over her lips, fighting off the urge to gag. 

Heart dropping as she looked over to see the door resting ajar, unlike the previous two mornings when Cumin perched on her bed, he was nowhere to be seen. Rey even double checked under the pile of clothes on the floor to make sure he wasn’t hiding away somewhere. 

Rey stayed in her sleep shorts and baggy top, slipping on her slippers and taking a deep breath.

 

A heavy pressure settled down onto Rey’s chest, a tight sensation as she reached for the door handle.

She took hesitant steps down the hall, flinching at each creak of the floorboards, fingertips brushing the bannister as she made her way downstairs. 

The silence didn’t last long. A yelp fell from her lips as Ben rounded the corner, coming out of the kitchen at a speed that had her falling into his chest, cheek pressing against his itchy knit sweater. 

“Woah,” Ben said, gripping her arms as she calmed her breathing. “Twitchy little thing.” He wrapped his hands around her biceps, big enough for his fingers to smother her skin.

She looked up at him, pressing her hand to her chest as she pulled away. “God. Why were you walking so fast?” 

Ben frowned at her tone, eyes tracing over her, confused by how bitter she sounded. His eye twitched before he swallowed. “Everything okay, little mouse?”

“Oh... yeah—I mean, no... maybe. I-I need to talk to you.” He waited, a smirk forming on his lips as she tried to gain confidence. 

His scent flooded over her and reminded her of who he was and who she was. Alpha and Omega. Inherently threatening. 

“Okay.” Ben stepped back, walking over to the couch and sitting down, spreading his legs in that way which would have Rose, and other feminists, criticising him, and somehow, him sitting down was far worse than him towering over her.

Rey felt like she was a pathetic show for him to watch.  

Rey twiddled her thumbs, her face a bright shade of pink, bordering on fuschia. 

“I-I think that you’re drugging me—I mean... The past two nights I have been here, I have been sleepy — drowsy, even. I can’t even r-remember getting changed last night. You didn’t—you didn’t undress me, did you?” 

Admittedly, the words didn’t flow out of her mouth as smoothly as she intended them to.

She found herself cowering the longer she went on. His eyes narrowed as she threw out accusations, and his scent got spicier. Hinting at either anger or impatience.

“You think I’d drug you?” Despite his scent and body language hinting at anger, his voice came out confused, hurt. He stood up again, chest puffed out, taller than before, and Rey backed away. 

“I’m not drugging you. I’d-I’d never do that—and—undressing you? You’re my cousin. Do you think I’m some sick freak?”

Yes, I do. “No!” She lied. “Of course not... I-I’m sorry—but it doesn’t make sense... How come I’m so drowsy after dinner? I don’t remember... things.”

Ben’s lips pursed, eyes scanning over her as if in thought. “Valerian Root—it’s in the hot chocolate powder.”

“Valerian Root?”

“It’s a plant. Helps with sleep and relaxation... Mom buys some hippie brand. Drowsiness is a rare side effect. You can google it if you don’t believe me.”

Rey held her face in her hands, cheeks flushed. 

“God, I’m really sorry Ben—I must sound like I’m insane. I’m...” She couldn’t bear to look at him. “I just woke up confused today. I saw my clothes on the floor and I couldn’t remember going to bed. Sorry.”

The sound of his laughter caught her off guard, lifting her head to see him grinning, revealing his crooked teeth. His eyes were creased, and he rubbed a hand over his mouth. 

“God, little mouse. Jumpy and an over thinker. It’s okay.” He curled a hand around her shoulders, drawing her into his chest for a hug, and she tried her absolute hardest not to recoil.

His chin nudged against her hair. She felt that rumble in his chest again. “I forgive you. But, no more hot chocolate, for now. Seems like you’re sensitive to Valerian, among other things.”

He took a step back, but his hand moved to her cheek and he hunched his head to look at her directly. 

“I do hope you don’t seriously think I’m capable of what you just accused me of, Rey.” Something dark shimmered under his calm expression that had Rey’s lizard brain wanting to bolt out of the cabin. “It upsets me.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, Rey too scared to break away from him. It was only when she nodded with a tight smile he let her go. 

He moved away, face unusually calm. 

“Are — Are you going to work?” Rey asked, staring at his attire. He had a blue knit sweater on. Underneath it was a white shirt, the end was poking out and the collar was laid out neatly on top of the sweater. Instead of his usual jeans, he wore brown corduroy pants — no shoes, just socks. 

He looked smart — nerdy. Rey thought his job was rather fitting, seeing him dressed like that. 

Ben shook his head. “I had an online meeting in my office. The snow’s far too heavy to drive, little mouse.” He pointed towards the window with his index finger, which shifted Rey’s attention to the immense snowfall which had occurred overnight. 

Rey gasped, scurrying over to the patio doors to get a closer look — there must have been ten inches of snow. She’d never seen anything like it. A film of white covered the world outside of the cabin. She was so distracted by Ben she hadn’t even realised.

“It’s so pretty,” she muttered to herself, gazing at the animal tracks that were cast into the snow. She cocked her head, looking over at Ben who stood watching her against the counter, “Is Leia in?” 

A frown flicked across his face for a second before he replaced it with a kind smile and nodded. “She’s in the bath — you’ll see her later.” 

An awkward silence followed and Rey shifted her feet to try to ignore it. Truthfully, she felt bad for accusing Ben. He was weird but she didn’t really have any reason to say he was drugging her or doing something heinous like that.

He was her cousin, after all. He’d known her all his life, it didn’t matter if he wasn’t blood related. It wasn’t his fault he was weird. Not his fault that Rey jumped to conclusions. 

The memory from the dream kept repeating in her mind how excited Ben would be to see her — how he’d play with her non-stop. 

“I really am sorry about saying all of that stuff. You would never do anything like that. I think it’s to do with missing home. I’ve got my defences up and it’s not fair on you.” 

The words came out quiet and quick, though Ben didn’t seem to mind. Of course he didn’t; Alpha’s liked having the power, Rey knew that for sure, at least.

He said nothing, just sent her a small smile as he turned to the kettle, filling it and placing it on the stove. “Tea?” After Ben asked, a teasing smile came to his face. “I promise it’s not Valerian.” 

“I–” Rey searched for words and gave up, giving in with a small “Okay.” 

“You haven’t heard anything from my parents, have you?” 

Ben tilted his head, observing her for a moment. He reminded her of some sort of bird of prey. 

“No. Nothing since the other night, at least.” He reached out and clasped the hand Rey had lying limp on the table. “Are you feeling homesick?” 

Rey blinked up at him. She nodded and he nodded back. Her stomach bubbled anxiously and his thumb smoothed over the back of her palm. 

“Only a bit,” Rey lied, shuffling in her seat. 

The whistle of the kettle interrupted Ben before he could pry anymore, and Rey felt like she could’ve fallen out of her seat due to surprise. 

Ben sent her a kind smile, rubbing her hand one last time before moving away and pouring the boiled water into two mugs. “You can always talk to me about how you’re feeling, Rey. I hope you know that.” 

Rey nodded in response, feeling too uncomfortable to say anything meaningful in response.

“Red clover.” He passed her a mug as he blew steam off of his own. “It’s good for you.”

Rey could hear her blood pounding in her ears.

Rey peered down at it, unconvinced, but scared to reject it. She feigned a smile and took a sip once she was confident it was cold enough, taking in its warm, earthy taste. There was a hint of sweetness buried underneath. 

“S’ nice.” 

Rey licked her lips for the liquid which had dripped down from the rim of the mug, missing the way Ben’s eyes dropped, tracking her movements. 

She wondered about the flush on his cheeks when she looked back at him, though. 

“I got you something.” Ben announced out of the blue, tapping his thick fingers on the countertop. “Well, I made it for you in December. It’s a late Christmas present.” 

“Oh?” Rey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She thought the penguin was enough of a Christmas present, let alone him making her something. She hadn’t gotten Ben a gift. 

“It’s upstairs, I’ll go get it.” He left saying nothing else, leaving Rey to sit with her mug of tea. She watched after him, swinging her legs off of the stool. 

Realising that she hadn’t explored the bottom floor of the cabin yet — there weren’t many rooms, granted, but the amount didn’t make her any less curious. 

After listening to Ben rummage around in his room, she made her way down the hall.

Three doors stood in the corridor, tempting her to take a peek. 

The first room stood on the left, just off of the kitchen — a pantry, Rey found out after nudging it open. She huffed a sigh, not knowing why she expected to find something more exciting.

Next was the laundry room. It surprised her to see how many blankets were stored on the shelves, and a soft smell of Ben seemed to linger. 

The notes of him were buried in each corner. Oddly, she didn’t think that Ben did much laundry — Leia had seemed to be the only person to do it since she arrived. Rather insistently too. 

The room at the end of the hall was the most intriguing, though. Ben’s scent flooded out from under the door. 

His office, she realised. 

Her hand wrapped around the cold handle, the other pressing into the wood and preparing to open it gently, aiming to do it without a sound. 

She imagined it to be full of the fancy equipment he probably needed for his job, maybe expensive software or nice cameras — and books; manuals and such, perhaps. 

The hinges creaked, the door cracked open just so and she could just about see inside. 

She could make out the dark blue wallpaper, the fancy monitors that decorated his desk, the desk lamp which glowed a warm light — the blinds were drawn — and the picture frames that smothered the walls, she stepped closer to make out the images but was interrupted as a hand shut around her own and pulled the door closed with a loud bang. 

Rey gasped in surprise, swallowing as the body behind her pressed closer, hard chest pressed against her back. It wasn't necessary for her to turn around to know it was Ben. She could smell him. 

His hair tickled against the scent gland on her neck, and he tutted under his breath, breath brushing against her ear. 

She turned her head to look at him, and his expression was severe. Her face grew hot. 

“Snooping?” His voice was deeper than usual, bordering on a growl. She could feel his chest vibrating on her back. 

“I’m — I just wanted to look around since I haven’t seen much... much of the cabin yet. Am I not allowed—”

Ben cut her off, jaw grinding. “No.” His hand hadn’t moved off of hers yet, still clasped around her and the handle, like she’d open it, anyway. Like he wasn’t scary enough. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.” Rey wishes that the ground would open up and swallow her whole, now more than ever.

She shouldn’t of pried, she should’ve realised Ben would have caught her. 

“It’s okay, Rey,” Ben said through gritted teeth.

It only made Rey more curious to look inside — to see what made him so on edge. Surely it was just filled with things related to his job, surveillance stuff. 

“Just don’t do it again. Okay?” 

The tone of Ben's voice made compromise impossible. No room for questions or curiosities. 

She turned around completely now, but willed that she hadn’t, because she had to crane her neck up to look at him. He towered over her, not inching away until she affirmed his command with a weak, “Yeah.” 

He backed off, no longer cornering her against the door and letting Rey stalk back into the kitchen, with him hot on her trail. 

Cumin now sat on the counter, tail swishing off of the island and observed her and Ben — she was tempted to dart over to him and smother him with affection, but feared that wouldn’t go too well for her either. 

She turned around again to look at her cousin, playing with her fingers and watching him approach. 

He held a neatly wrapped present in his hand, decorated with brown wrapping paper and red ribbon. His expression was blank as he passed it over to her, and Rey took it with a cautious hand. 

The paper crinkled and creased under her hold. She could see the dents on it from Ben’s touch. 

“Open it,” Ben hummed, soft as ever. His eyes looked watery. Rey couldn’t keep up with him. 

Rey sat down on the sofa and began to tease the ribbon off. Ben sat down next to her — he seemed fidgety. She tried not to damage the paper as she unpacked the item, even though she knew Ben probably wouldn’t blink an eye if she ripped the paper. 

A quilt. 

A beautiful quilt at that — it was blue and had red maple leaves stitched into it which stretched across the length of the blanket, dainty yellow stars littered the background. 

She felt herself tearing up. 

“Leia helped me make it, of course, I couldn’t have done it myself but I did try — do you remember the red maple tree in our back garden, when we were younger? I’d help you climb it and you used to beg your mom to let you star gaze under it with me. She let you once.” 

“Yeah,” she whispered back, “I remember.” 

“Do you like it?” Ben asked, shifting in his seat next to her. She hadn’t looked at him yet, too focused on running her fingers along the pattern. 

“I love it.” 

A large, warm hand squeezed her thigh and Rey was too distracted to find it disconcerting. She shifted her fingers over the soft cotton, cherishing how comfortable it was. 

And, just like the sweater Ben gave her yesterday and the laundry room, it smelt of him. She supposed it wasn’t odd that it did — he had made it — his wrists had probably been rubbing against the fabric whilst he was stitching it together, but there wasn’t a hint of Leia. Not even a subtle hint of lavender. 

“I should’ve gotten you something...” Rey pondered out loud, rubbing a hand over her face as the other gripped the quilt. 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ben’s hand left her thigh and it was only then that it set in that he was touching her in the first place. Her eyes left the quilt to look at her bare leg, glaring at how her sleep shorts had ridden up into the crease between her hip and thigh. 

Before she could think about it anymore, firm arms wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her in to Ben’s chest. 

“You’re enough on your own,” Ben murmured into her hair, though Rey didn’t think much about his words as he covered them up with more words, “I’m just glad you like it.” 

She nodded, hand leaving her face and awkwardly patting Ben’s arm, not comfortable with the position. 

“Why don’t we watch something together, hm?” His breath tickled her scalp. “Not much else to do in this weather.” 

Rey agreed, picking at her nails as Ben went to get the remote. 

Ben put The Office on once he sat down again and sat back down even closer to Rey, pressing his body against hers — but apparently this wasn’t enough for him. 

Without another word, he wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled her onto his lap. 

Rey’s eyes grew wide, and she struggled to get off, scrambling to sit back where she was before, though it only encouraged Ben to hold on to her hips tighter, fingertips digging into her skin. 

“Shh, shh.” 

Rey shook her head. “Ben — I’m not —” She squirmed as she spoke, “ — I don’t want to sit on your lap. It’s not comfortable, for you or for me—”

“Calm down, little mouse. Just relax and you’ll be comfortable. It’s fine. I’m comfortable.” 

Rey wanted to continue insisting that she wasn’t comfortable sitting on his lap but the arm that wrapped around her waist, locking her in, ensured that he wouldn’t listen to her. 

His arm pressed her back into his torso and he moved her legs so that they were on one side, her ass resting on his groin. It was truly painful. 

Ben grabbed the quilt and stretched it over the top of them both, hooking his head over the top of her shoulder. 

“See, isn’t this nice? Cosy?” 

It was comfortable in concept. The warmth from Ben’s body was merging with her own, his grip was tight, but gentle — supportive. But the reality of it being Ben, of it being her cousin, was making it incredibly hard to get comfortable. 

“Yeah,” Rey supplied through clenched teeth. It was impossible to act relaxed. 

She could’ve sworn that Ben chuckled underneath his breath, but then he just pulled her tighter into him, so that his nose rested above her scent gland, just millimetres away from touching it. 

“See, I told you so.” 

By the end of the episode, Rey’s Red Clover tea was cold on the countertop, and she was trying not to think about what the persistent bulge beneath her was.

Notes:

ben solo is not very nice…

also lmao the way i said i’d update in two weeks on september 1st and it’s been FOUR MONTHS… i did an oopsie

Chapter 5: Woman In Chains

Notes:

sorry this took so long lmao <\3 suffered a big writers block but it’s easter break and the sun is back, hooray!

the chaos is near… hehe

It had been a week since Rey had first arrived in Arcadia. Things were okay — she'd stopped feeling drowsy after not drinking the hot chocolate, like Ben said, and she felt a twinge of guilt.

She'd overreacted. Just like her parents said she had been from the start. Nevertheless, no word from them. She'd sent text after text and none of them had gotten a response, not even from Rose, which was upsetting. 

Rey started to wonder if she'd done something wrong.

She'd texted them whenever she had a slim amount of service, but got no response. It was frustrating. She supposed it could just be the service. It was constantly in and out. But the feeling of being ignored made her heart clench.

It was all the 'what if's?' that really got to her. What if she'd done something? What if her family and friends had realised what a luxury it was to not have the pathetic doting omega around? 

What if that was the plan all along — abandon Rey in Maine and then move on?

How long would it be until Ben and Leia felt the same?

She rubbed her face before throwing her phone on the bed. Cumin yowled for attention and she rubbed a half-assed hand through his fur. 

Whatever. She'd be fine.

She slipped on Ben's jumper and tied her hair into three loose buns and headed downstairs with Cumin following in her stride.

The stairs groaned with each step, but she paused halfway at the sound of talking from Ben's office. Rey craned forward, shaky hand on the wall, trying to be as quiet as possible, and she could hear him speaking in a harsh tone.

Though, when Cumin bounded down the stairs, he stopped, pausing and changed his voice to a whisper. He muffled his voice and spoke incoherently. She couldn't make out what he was saying.

There was a thick scent in the hall which flowed up the stairs. Ben's scent... but it was spiked — turning his usual woodsy smell into a mix of spice and wet dog and she couldn't help but scowl at the smell.

They exchanged a few more muffled sentences before Ben walked out of his office, clutching his phone in his hand as he rubs his face with the back of his hand. 

Ben clenched his teeth and the veins in his neck were visible. An icy feeling shivered up Rey's spine.

He looked up at her, and Rey could only stare back at him like a deer caught in headlights, but he didn't stop to talk, instead he slammed the office door shut without looking at it and ignored her, continuing into the kitchen.

Rey chews her lip and debates going back to her room and pondering the situation over on her own, but she follows him. 

She plays with the hem of the sweater, watching him lean over the sink and begin scrubbing up mugs, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Rey bites the bullet. "Who were you talking to?"

Ben doesn't look back at her. "A colleague."

Rey tenses at the response, her stomach dropping. He wasn't happy. She could tell he was lying, but she's not sure why. There was something about him that was off. Something not quite right. 

She bites her lip, debating whether to push it. 

"Are you sure? You don't seem okay."

Ben's jaw clenches, and he turns to face her, his expression hard. "I said it was a colleague, Rey. That's all that matters. Now drop it."

Rey flinches, surprised by his harsh tone. "I'm sorry... How do you work — without Wi-Fi, I mean... don't you need it to do work calls or whatever?"

"I connect my computer to an ethernet cable which is connected to the internet. There's just no Wi-Fi outside the grounds of my computer. Mom and I like to avoid it."

Ben cocked his head to look at her, eyes sharp and judging, arms slick with soapy water. "It's not polite to eavesdrop, Rey. Did you wake up and decide to be nosey, hm?"

Rey recoiled further into the couch pillows, shaking her head. The phone call must have rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'm sorry."

She turned and leaned her body on the back of the sofa, looking out the patio doors. Snow was still falling, but the blizzard had calmed down a bit compared to a few days ago. The snow hadn't gotten any taller.

"Can I go outside?"

"No." Ben answered, without even turning around to look at her.

"Not even if I put layers on? We went out the other day and—"

"It's too cold, Rey. It was barely even four inches of snow when we went out last time." His shoulders tensed.

"Please?" Rey tried again, beginning to get up as if getting closer to him would help her cause. "I promise that I'll—"

His hand slammed down onto the counter and he turned to look at her, teeth clenched together. "I said no, Rey." Rey backed down onto the couch again, eyes wide.

That's fine. She'd just stay locked inside all day.

She glanced out of the window again, staring at the trees and bushes which were balancing piles of snow.

Ben huffed a breath through his nose, wiping his hands on a tartan tea towel before stalking towards her.

"No, no. I'm sorry, little mouse. I'm taking my anger out on you." He sat beside her and smoothed a hand over her shoulder before returning his hands to his lap.

"Why are you so angry, anyway?"

Ben picked on his fingers, a soft pout on his face. 

Weird.

"I lied." Ben said, scratching the back of his neck. Rey raised her eyebrows and went to speak, but he waved a hand to cut her off. "About the colleague. It wasn't — That wasn't true, and I'm sorry."

Rey didn't understand what he was trying to say, or why he wasn't just saying it. "What do you mean? Who were -"

"I was talking to Luke and your mom."

Rey's heart dropped at the mention of her parents, clenching both her hands together so hard that there were sure to be half-moon cuts on her palms.

"What did they say?" Why was he so angry about it?

"Luke's rehearsals aren't going as expected, and the production is going to take longer, so they've extended their stay for a month."

Rey's heart dropped into her stomach. What does he mean?

Why wouldn't Luke call her and tell her that — or even respond to her texts? Anything. "He didn't want to — to talk to me about it? Please let me talk to him."

She couldn't stay in Maine for another month — they knew that? 

Ben's face was twisted in guilt as he talked to her.

"He didn't want to talk to you, Rey. I'm sorry. I tried to get him to talk to you and change his schedule, but... he was insistent."

Rey shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Luke would do that and not tell her. Ben reached out to place a hand on her knee, his eyes softening. 

"I know it's hard, Rey."

Rey couldn't find comfort in his words. She'd been left out of the loop. Once again. It was one thing for her parents to decide to stay longer, but to not even tell her? That stung.

"I just can't believe he wouldn't talk to me." Rey's voice was above a whisper, her eyes watering.

"Hey, hey." Ben's hand moved from her knee to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be okay. Leia and I aren't that bad, are we?"

That wasn't the point — but she ignored him, leaning into him instead. Feeling the warmth of his body and taking solace in the physical contact.

She was supposed to stay for another month, when it had barely been a week and she'd had no contact with her family, not even Rose.

Rey stared at her lap, fingers still digging into her skin. She didn't understand it — what were her parents thinking? They didn't want to bother with her. Too emotional. Too omega.

"I don't understand," Rey babbled, repeatedly. Tears fell before she could stop them.

Ben shushed her, pulling her so that she was cradled against his side as she sobbed into his chest. He didn't speak, just whispered small things to get her to calm down.

His chest made that weird rumbling sound.

Rey could feel her heart racing, a prickling sensation on the back of her neck and an overwhelming urge to flee. But despite her gut telling her to run, she leaned into his touch without even realising it.

"Why doesn't he want to talk to me?" Rey sniffled into his top.

"Luke thought you should hear it from me — he was in a rush."

"In a rush?" Rey repeated, furrowing her eyebrows. "He's avoided my texts all week."

"I know, little one." He stroked a hand through her hair. "It's not fair on you."

Rey let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "That's an understatement."

Ben held her tighter, fingers running soothing circles over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Rey."

Rey shook her head. "It's not your fault."

"Still," Ben replied, guilt in his voice. "I hate seeing you upset."

Rey fell asleep like that, held against Ben's chest as he stroked her hair. She dreamt about her parents never coming back to Maine, and living with Ben and Leia until she was grey and withered, chained to the cabin for her whole life. 

 

---

 

Rey awoke with a shallow gasp, still held in Ben's lap, though his arms were limp, and soft snores came from his mouth. Leia sat on the other sofa, clasping a book and curled up with Cumin.

Their eyes met, and Leia sent her a meek smile. 

"Try not to wake him, sweetie. He never sleeps well. You both looked so peaceful." 

Rey wanted to correct her, tell her she'd been in the midst of a terrifying nightmare which didn't feel too far from her real life, but kept her mouth shut and shuffled out of Ben's arms.

"Why don't you get a book and join me? It'd be nice to spend some time with you, Reybee."

Rey got up, nodding as she looked back at Ben, who seemed to be in a deep sleep. It was weird to see him sleeping, to see him not looming over her like a shark stalking their prey.

She stretched her arms up, twisting her spine until it echoed a small crack. "Sure, I'd like that. I'll just be a second."

Rey had bought a few books with her which she'd shoved in the back of her clothes cupboard, so she trudged upstairs and headed towards her room. Digging through her clothes to find her ratty copy of 'The Old Man and The Sea'.

She looked down at the sound of something clattering to the floor to see her pack of suppressants laying on the wood.

There was only one left in the packet — but Rey had bought another one with her.

Panic set in as Rey frantically searched through the rest of her belongings, but the pack was nowhere to be found. She didn't understand how she could have lost them. She'd been so careful.

Could this day go from bad to worse? It seemed so.

She shook out her clothes, again and again, before giving up and shoving them back in haphazardly. She moved to her suitcase, unzipping it and checking every nook and cranny it could have got stuck in.

This could not be happening. Her heart pounded against her chest as she went as far as to look under her blankets and even under the mattress. She was sure she bought them. 

She couldn't have forgotten something as important as suppressants. Could she?

Rey sat down on the edge of her bed. Without her suppressants, her heat would come on and she'd attract unwanted attention from alphas nearby. Meaning Ben could... no. Rey wouldn't think about that. She couldn't.

She ran a shaky hand through her hair, trying to think of a solution. Maybe she could ask Leia if they had any suppressants in the house.

The sound of footsteps outside her door brought her back to reality. Rey quickly wiped away her tears and took a deep breath.

The door opened and Leia stepped inside, a concerned look on her face.

"Rey, are you okay?" Leia asked, taking in her dishevelled appearance.

Rey shook her head. "I can't find my suppressants. I don't know what to do."

Leia's expression softened as she walked over to sit next to her on the bed. A gentle hand laid on her back. "You've looked everywhere?" 

Rey nodded and a small whine slipped out as she stared at all her stuff sprawled along the floor. She must've left them at home. How could she have been so stupid. 

"Do — Do you have any spare?" 

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I stopped cycling almost two decades ago now."

Leia's smell was a comforting blanket around Rey as she wrapped her in a hug, a milky blend of lavender and patchouli that had her heart beat slowing down from its incessant pounding. 

"What am I going to do? Can we get some tomorrow? Please."

"It'll have to be in a few days — we can't drive in this snow, Reybee." 

Feet pounded up the stairs and Ben flung into the room, hair swept in each direction from his nap on the couch. He looked at Rey, who was cradled against Leia. "What's wrong?" 

"It seems Reybee has forgotten her suppressants." 

Ben and Leia shared a strange look. Excitement flashed in his eyes for a split second before it was replaced with concern. He came towards her on his knees, smoothing a supportive hand over her knee. 

Rey needed to leave. Fuck her life.

Notes:

seems that everything is going to plan for ben

i have a twitter now - twitter.com/capulettangel - i dont tweet as of yet cause im awkward and overthink but follow me if you want :)

Chapter 6: Just For Loving You I Pay The Price

Notes:

poor poor rey

check out my twitter - twitter.com/capulettangel <3

A tall Christmas tree sits in Maz and Chewie’s living room. The golden lights twinkle against the baubles hanging on the tree, and Rey sees Ben standing behind her in the reflection. Looming. Waiting for something — but Rey’s not sure what that something is. 

She twists, craning her neck to look up at him. His vacant eyes stare back into hers and she makes a break for it, darting into the safety of family and friends that are scattered around the kitchen. 

Ben is hot on her heels. 

Her heart ticks in her throat like a thrumming bee.

“I like your sweater.” Ben’s hands are twitching at his sides as he cocks his head to look at her. 

Leia bought it for her. It’s a deep green colour with cream snowflakes. Ben’s wearing one of his own with a big reindeer planted in the middle of it. It’s nerdy, Rey thinks. 

“Thanks.” She pulls the sleeves down to cover her hands. 

There’s a look in his eyes that turns her stomach. 

She doesn’t remember seeing it last year — but then she hadn’t presented last year. His eyes are dark and heavy, and he can’t stop looking at her. Can’t stop following her. He’s like a lost puppy — but Rey knows he’s far from it. 

She chews on her lip as an uncomfortable silence follows. Rey looks down at the floor, staring at her grubby converse and wondering when they’d gotten so distressed. 

“I helped mom pick it out for you, you know. Thought it’d suit you.” 

She peers up at him through her lashes and offers a faint smile. That explains why his scent is all over it. “Thank you.” 

Rey’s still getting used to all the scents she’d never noticed on family members the years prior — like how Maz smells like almonds and honey, and how Chewie smells like maple syrup and how Padme smells like cherries and limes. 

And Ben smells — just how she’d imagine an Alpha would if you’d asked her before she presented. Both dark and fresh simultaneously.

It coats her mouth and prickles against her nape. Rey can’t get away from it. It coats everything she drinks and everything she eats. It’s excruciating. 

Ben visibly gulps and his cheeks flush pink.

It stirs an anxious pit in her stomach and she prays for an excuse to leave, but she knows she won’t get one. 

“Hey, kiddos,” Luke calls, grabbing their attention to the adults waiting for them, and Rey rolls her eyes.

Ben’s twenty-six, not a kid.

He holds a camera up and waves it. “Photo time.” 

Rey takes a deep breath. Perhaps someone answered her prayers, even if it's just for a short time.

They all slip on their coats and shoes, following Luke outside into the sharp winter air and form into a rather chaotic line. Rey tries to slip next to her mother, or next to Maz, but a hand squeezing her shoulder stops her in her tracks. 

Ben smiles down at her and pulls her into his side, so that he is standing between the group and her. Separating her from comfort. 

His hand slithers down from her shoulder blades to the small of her back. Stilling for a long second before it curls around the small of her waist. A shiver rises from her spine and it takes Rey all of her might not to pull away and make a scene. 

Ben pulls her into him more tightly, pulling a tight smile for the camera as Rey stares at the shutter in awe of Ben’s confidence. It doesn’t seem like she’ll ever get away from him. 

 

 

---

 

 

Rey blinked at the photo on the wall as she sat on the sofa. She couldn’t sleep, which wasn’t like her. It was seven thirty in the morning and the sun hadn’t even risen yet. 

She’d been tossing and turning all night, thinking about her suppressants. About her idiocy to leave them behind. It seemed impossible to forget them, but somehow she had. 

Whatever. Nothing she could do about it now. 

She scrolled through numerous TV channels, biting her fingernails to distract herself from her incoming heat, which was bound to occur at any point.

She’d never experienced a heat.

Her mother took her to the doctors as soon as the raised glands appeared on her neck and she’d been on suppressants ever since, so she was clueless when it came to the beginning symptoms. 

Rey settled on watching The Simpsons. It was the only show on, other than those weird teleshopping channels. It played at a quiet hum, to avoid waking Ben or Leia up.

Draped across her was the quilt Ben made for her. She picked at the edges, shifting in her spot. 

She couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Her mind was too loud. What would happen when her heat came? Would she just have to stay locked away in the bathroom or something?

Her bedroom door didn’t have a lock, so she supposed that would be the best idea. Ben would have to stay far away, that was for sure. 

There was movement upstairs, and a warmth buzzed in her chest. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. She could cook breakfast for them all. That’d be nice. She’s an alright cook. 

Rey raised from the couch, leaving the television playing. She scratched her gland, opening the fridge and pulling out some milk and eggs.

She searched the cupboards for flour and mixed the ingredients in a bowl, brow furrowed as she made the batter a smooth consistency. Crepes — Luke and her made them all the time at home. 

The warmth in her chest fizzled colder at the thought. Remembering the simple moments on weekends when they’d laugh and make a mess that her mother would scold them for.

She’d be home soon enough… and they’ll apologise for not answering her messages and it’d be back to normal — and she wouldn’t see Ben until next winter. 

She cocked her head, looking out of the window for a moment. The sun was rising, and the birds flew past the porch, settling on bird feeders which hung from thin branches.

Maybe she should wake up early every day. 

The batter sizzled against the frying pan and Rey smoothed it out so it was a thin circle, and repeated that eleven more times. 

A chair scraped across the kitchen floor and Rey gasped, flinching and turning to see Ben eyeing up the food she’d made. Her heart leaped in her throat. Of course it was Ben. Who else would it be? 

“Busy little mouse, hm?” 

“I’ve made crepes,” Rey stated, clasping the ladle to her chest. 

Ben’s dressed in a white shirt and jersey shorts. How isn’t he cold? The corner of his mouth lifts into a smile and Rey just blinks at him. “Yeah?” 

“Luke and I make them all the time at home. I thought it’d be nice.” Rey shrugged, placing the ladle on the countertop. 

“I’ll help you serve them up. Leia’s just getting out of the shower.”

He stood before she could refuse and came round the tight kitchen space. He stretched his arms up and Rey saw the hairs that trail down from his belly button and into the waistband of his shorts.

She turned, dragging open the drawer next to the stove and collecting cutlery for them, and freezed as Ben approached. 

His chest pressed against hers as he reached past her, opening up a cabinet to pull out three plates. His hand rested on her shoulder, thumb near her neck, and he squeezed.

“They look good, Rey. Very thoughtful of you. 

Rey nodded, her hands trembling as she held the cutlery. He stood still for a bit longer, even though he’d gotten what he needed, and his thumb smoothed over her skin just below her gland.

It’s so sensitive that she can feel his breath tickle it. 

Leia walked in and Ben stepped back, to Rey’s relief, and began to place four on each plate.

It took Rey a second to move, but she did. Shaking her hands out as if that’d stop them from shaking and placing the knives and forks down next to Ben. 

“Rey made breakfast,” Ben told Leia without turning, getting a jar of strawberry jam out of the pantry. 

“Oh! How nice of you! You’re not normally up this early.” 

Her aunt approached and wrapped her in a comforting hug, and Rey sucked in her scent. Maybe she wouldn’t have felt so pathetic if she had an omega for a mother, like Leia. 

“You okay, sweetie?” Leia smooths a hand over Rey’s cheek and drops it when Ben turns to look at the both of them. 

Rey chewed her lip and shrugged. “Just nervous about my — about my suppressants. I’ve never…” Rey blushed and looked down at her feet.

“I’ve never gone through a heat before,” Rey mumbled, twisting her hands together. 

She hears Ben shift behind her. 

“You’ll be alright, baby.” Leia handed her a plate that Ben made for her. “Don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

Rey smiled and tried to avoid Ben’s stare, moving to the island to eat her food. 

Ben sat next to her, and Leia sat on the couch like usual — she’d switched off The Simpsons and put Grey’s Anatomy on instead. 

They sat and ate in silence, and Rey tried to seem focused on the sights outside. “You’re a wonderful cook, little mouse. I’m very impressed.” 

Her face grew warm at his compliment. She felt the gland on her neck throb and frowned at herself. What in the world? 

“Thanks.”

She ate her remaining food and placed the cutlery in the middle of the plate. 

“You shouldn’t have been on suppressants without a break, Rey.”

Ben took both of their plates and brought them next to the sink, and then leaned against the opposite side of the island so that they’re opposite each other, linking his fingers together.

“It’s not healthy.” 

Her stomach tightened with shame and she gave a weak shrug. It’s her body. Why should he care? 

He shook his head at her when she didn't respond. 

“I know.” 

Ben ran a hand through his hair. He walked past her and went into his office, leaving Rey to sit and stare at the countertop. She itched her gland again. 

He walked back out a second later and stopped at the stairs. “I’m gonna have a shower.” 

Rey nods and stares at the office door as he ascends upstairs. He hadn’t shut it completely.

She could make out the dark blue walls from the slither between the doorframe and the door. 

She looked back down at her hands. It’d be rude to snoop, and Ben would probably be able to smell that she’d been in there. 

She could hear the shower going from upstairs and the thought wouldn’t leave her mind. It was just filled with boring work stuff. Probably.

Leia rose from the sofa and smiled. “That was a lovely breakfast. Thank you, Reybee.” Rey smiled in response and watched her clean the dishes. 

A little peek couldn’t hurt. 

Rey stood from the stool she was sitting on and wiped her clammy hands on her pyjama shorts. She’d just peek her head in and have a quick look. That’s all. 

She tracked down the hall, trying not to make a sound as if Ben would come bounding down the stairs and scream at her for even walking in the direction of his office.

He seemed pretty pissed off the last time. 

Rey pushed on the door and winced when it creaked, stepping in and turning to shut the door in the same position before she took the chance to look. 

There was a lamp in the corner of the room, a sofa next to the door, and a desk pushed in the corner at the far end of the room.

It was nice and calm, at first glance.

There were about fifty pictures that line the walls in thick silver frames and she can’t help but gasp when she realises what they’re all of. They’re all of her. Every single one. 

Some of them are from family photos, but they’re zoomed into Rey’s face and enlarged. The others Rey wasn’t even aware of being taken. There are numerous photos of her at family events when she wasn’t paying attention. 

Like at Maz and Chewie’s Christmas Party when she was sixteen, sat on the sofa and zoning out on her hands.

There were photos of her in Ben’s old house, when she was only fourteen, texting someone — probably Rose. And there were photos of her in her own living room, of the rare times Ben visited them in the summer. 

She could hear her blood thumping in her ears and she regretted ever going into the office. She gulped as she moved to look at the smaller frames.

They were photos that perplexed Rey. She couldn't understand how he took them. 

Photographs of her sitting on her bed at home in her underwear, when Ben certainly wasn’t in her room, taken at a high angle.

Her chin wobbled as she took it all in. 

Between the walls and the desk is a large bookcase which holds tons of essay based books on Omega theory and mating. Though they were the least concerning.

There were right winged, conservative books about omega rights and the importance of there being a lack of them. 

They were all written by notorious authors, like Serkis Snoke and Sheev Palpatine, who were politicians campaigning for the removal of omega’s rights to work and for alphas to have full control over their lives.

They didn’t even want omegas to go to college. Insisting that the world went back to the old ways. The primitive ways.

A cold sweat broke over Rey’s body and tears slipped from her eyes when she looked at the monitors on his desk.

It was a dual monitor system and the right one is switched off, but the left one had Rey’s stomach recoiling with nausea. 

A CCTV software on the screen and it’s split between four panels.

There was one showing her bedroom upstairs — where the penguin is placed on her windowsill, there was one in the kitchen and there was one showing her bedroom back in New York, and she assumed it was hidden in the light fixture. The fourth panel was black. 

There was a murmuring of voices from the kitchen, but Rey couldn’t hear it. All she could hear was the high-pitched noise ringing in her ears.

Her knees buckled as she took a quick look around the room to make sure her head wasn’t making this up to fit with the delusions her parents always scolded her for. 

There was a freshly printed photograph next to the keyboard. And Rey’s terrified. It’s a photo of Ben undressing her, a screenshot from the footage the penguin filmed. 

It must have been the night before Rey confronted him. The night she remembered barely anything about and woke up in fresh pyjamas. He’d seen her undressed. 

A pained chirp left her mouth. A sound she’d never heard herself make before. 

She needed to tell Leia and leave. She needed to call the cops. She needed her parents. 

Although Rey had her qualms about Ben, thinking perhaps his alpha brain might’ve controlled him too much, she never expected this.

She didn’t expect him to be a crazy stalker who had a third person perspective to her life, even when he wasn’t around. He was deranged. 

And the books he owned too — they just made his dark intentions seem even darker. 

Rey took several steps backwards and a shrill scream left her mouth when she bumped into a hard chest. She jolted forward and turned around.

She had never been so scared in her life.

“Rey,” he tutted, shaking his head with a faint smile. His hair was soaking wet, water dripped off of his hair and onto his t-shirt, and Rey hadn’t remembered him being so tall before — he was giant, and god she could smell the anger on him despite his smile. 

“I thought I told you not to go in here?”

Small sobs left her mouth, and she shook her head at him. He mimicked her, shaking his head and tilting it as he looked down at her. 

“I don’t understand.” She backed up until her thighs met his desk and he followed her. 

“You don’t?” 

Rey shook her head again, bringing her hand up to her mouth to try to contain her distressed sounds. 

“It’s just nature, Rey.” He was hiding something behind his back, and Rey didn’t want to find out what it was. “You’re made for me. It’s my right.” 

“Your right?” Rey scowls in disgust. “You’re my cousin.”

“Oh, Rey.” He reached forward and ignored her flinch, caressing her cheek in his hand and wiping her tears away with his thumb. “We both know that’s not true.” 

Her gut had always known. She’d known his intentions and her parents had left her there to fend for herself like a lamb being left with a wolf. 

She eyed the door past his shoulders and he shook his head. 

“Don’t think about it, little mouse. You aren’t going anywhere.” She saw him lift his arm, and a syringe glistened in the light. 

She gritted her teeth and kneed him between the legs. 

He backed away with a curse and a groan, bending over as he recovered and Rey wasted no time in running out of the room and darting towards Leia in the kitchen.

She was still washing dishes — but she was trembling. 

“Leia, please help! Ben’s insane, you’ve got to—” An iron grip wrapped around her waist and she could hear Ben’s heavy pants behind her. Leia didn’t turn around. 

Rey yelped when there was a sharp pinch on her arm and cried harder when she looked down and saw a needle buried deep in her arm and Ben’s thumb plunging an unknown drug into her bloodstream. 

“Bad move, little mouse.” 

She flopped in his hold, muscles weak and unsteady. She blinked, tears dropping onto the hardwood, and she looked at Leia, who was standing over the sink with her shoulders shaking.

Rey realised that she was crying.

Ben threw the syringe to the floor and hoisted her up over his shoulder.

“This could’ve gone so much easier, Rey. You could’ve just followed my instructions and we could’ve avoided these theatrics.” 

Her arms swung as he carried her, and she tried her best to stay awake as he brought her upstairs. She tried to stop him by scraping her nails along the wallpaper, but it did nothing to help.

Cumin hissed at him with his back curved at the end of the hall, hackles  raised, and Ben only laughed, holding her tight as Rey succumbed to whatever he’d put into her body.

Notes:

hehehehe

love you all, thanks for reading and being patient.

Chapter 7: The First Taste

Notes:

Umm... hello again, it's been a while lol - just made my deadline so here's a chapter! ... im always m.i.a

read the tags xoxo

Rey awoke with a pounding headache. She groaned, nuzzling into a pillow beneath her and pawed at the sheets that were piled around her. Peeling her eyes open to blink at the fabric surrounding her. 

Random blankets and pieces of clothing melded into her form, shifting as she moved. 

She was stifling. 

Rey couldn't help herself from itching her gland. It felt like it was on fire. And her limbs were heavy and sore.

Sweat coated her skin, and she wiped it with the back of her hand, grimacing at the sheen left over on her palm. 

A light buzzed overhead. Rey turned to avoid the glare. 

A duck feather duvet was draped over her, and Rey had seemed to have gotten her limbs wrapped up in it during her slumber. 

She realised she was in a closet.

Cabinets and shelves surrounded her. It wasn't a big space, though not so tight that she felt claustrophobic. A whine escaped her lips as panic flooded through her body, and she went wide-eyed at the sound.

She pawed at the door handle without standing up and caught herself on her elbows as it opened from the outside. Bulky boots stood in front of her face as she stared out in front of her, eyes trailing up to see long legs and a large torso, until she stared at Ben's face. 

The memory of him injecting her with whatever drug he'd put in that syringe flooded back to her, and she scurried back against one of the shelves. 

Rey watched as he got down on his knees to form a crouch and he tilted his head, hands clasped over his knees. His nostrils flared.

"Does your head hurt?" 

He came closer as Rey nodded, and she pushed herself further against the wood, her voice warbling out quiet pleads.

"You're insane," she whispered back to him. Her voice came out raspy due to her dry throat. 

Ben tuts, his mouth twisting into a smile. "I am?" 

Rey couldn't help but pout back at him. 

Ben approached, so that he was only a few inches from her, and he slipped a large, calloused hand down her leg. She pulled it away, clasping it to her body.

"This is natural, Rey. You're so shut off from reality. You think your beta friends understand you? You think Rose doesn't think omega's and alpha's need to fuck for survival if they aren't pumped with medication?" Ben asked, baring his teeth at her.

 "They don't care. They never will — they don't care about you. They want you to have some so-called rights to rip you of your identity."

She could taste the saltiness of her tears drop onto her lips, sniffling and shaking her head. 

"What's natural, Ben? I need to speak to my parents!" Rey sobbed, sucking in breaths to calm her sobs. "I want my mom."

He huffed, rolling his eyes at her. "You're a fucking omega, Rey. No amount of omega-rights nonsense is going to change that." 

"I don't need a mate. I get to choose." Ben was the definition of delusional — dangerous. She swallowed the urge to vomit as she thought back to what she saw in his office. "It's my choice." 

"How's that working out for Leia? Hm?" 

Rey paled at the question. She hadn't seen Han in years — Luke didn't talk about him much. He'd just shrug his shoulders when Rey would ask and talk about how hard it was for Leia and Ben. 

"Han's at casinos, getting his hands dirty in god knows what with no regard to how his wife and son are doing, you know why? Because they didn't follow their instincts. The instincts that you and I have. Han respected Leia's dream of being independent and not getting mated, and that worked out just swell, didn't it?" 

"It's my choice."

Ben ignored her. "You wanna know what you smell like, Rey?" He inched closer and there was nowhere Rey could go. "Like fresh peaches and honey. You smell like heat. Like the goddamn sun." 

He raised his hand to pet her hair, and Rey shuddered as the tips of his nails gently scraped against her scalp, sending a shamefully delightful shiver through her spine. 

Rey felt her stomach clench. This was bad. Like, really bad. 

While Rey had never experienced a heat, she'd learned plenty about the symptoms in sex education classes. Lines of text from the pamphlets they'd handed out in those lessons flooded through her memory all at once: rising temperatures, nests, cramps, slick.

Rey's worst nightmare.

Her breathing quickened as she stared back at Ben. This couldn't happen, it wouldn't happen. With a quick decision, Rey darted past Ben while still on her knees, crawling at a rapid pace to exit the closet.

Ben didn't move to chase her. He just turned his head to watch as she stood up and reached for the door handle. 

"Where are you going, Rey?" Ben chimed in a sing-song voice that sent goosebumps prickling across her body.

The truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do when she got out of the room. She had no game plan or scheme buried away in her brain. She just needed to get out of here, out of the room, the cabin, and Arcadia — if she could.

The door opened with a creak, and Rey looked back at Ben before darting out the door and running down the hallway to the stairs. However, she lost her footing and tumbled down to the foyer.

A god awful click sounded in her right ankle, and before she could think to move, a searing pain flooded through her foot. Not good. She bit down on her lip and crawled to the front door.

Rey tried to be careful as she stood up, doing her best to avoid her foot making contact with the floor. However, she couldn't help but yelp out in pain. What sort of horror film had she found herself in?

Reaching a hand to the front door handle, Rey shivered with the gust of wind that flowed past the door.

"Rey."

She turned to see him leaning against the wall. 

"Don't you want me to be sweet?" 

Something in the back of her mind pleaded for her to stay. A foreign side of her personality that she'd never met before, and it scared the shit out of her. She scrambled up and darted out of the door, paying no mind to her ankle.

She grasped the fence on her way down the steps to stop herself from slipping on ice, taking a sharp breath as her sock covered feet met the snow-covered ground. 

Her breath was visible in the air, puffing out in quick succession as she darted towards the tree line. She turned her head to see Ben giving chase, his breaths forming white clouds. He wouldn't let her go easily, that was for sure. 

He looked scarily calm, cheeks flushed a light pink from the weather. 

Her socks were soaked through — wet from the snow. She wouldn't be surprised if she got frostbite. 

"Rey!" Ben's voice bellowed from behind her, reverberating through her bones. Still, she pushed on. Her legs ached and throbbed from the speed she was forcing them through. 

She couldn't shake him — she'd never get away from him. 

Beneath a deceptive layer of frozen leaves, a treacherous patch of ice lay in wait. Rey's foot lost traction, and she slipped. Her ankle buckled and her legs followed beneath her. She found herself sprawled on the ground.

She gripped her ankle with trembling hands, taking long breaths.  

Sobs flooded out before she could help it, wailing as she heard Ben close in, his pace slowing down. There was no escape now.  

Ben tutted under his breath, head cocked as he looked down at her. "That was a little stupid, don't you think, Omega?" 

He let out a hollow laugh, pulling a hand through his hair before reaching for her. 

Rey attempted to flinch away, but to no avail. Ben hooked a hand around her arm, pulling her up and pushing her against a nearby tree. His forearm was pressed against her chest. 

"You think you can just leave me, Rey?" His arm tightened, a warning. "Think after all this time waiting for you to be ready I'd just let you go? So easily?"  

He tutted at her and Rey folded her lips to stop them wobbling. 

"What did you think would happen if you had? That you wouldn't freeze to death, or get torn apart by a bear?" 

Rey cried, wriggling weakly as an attempt to get away but didn't get any give. 

"I could claim you right here." His breath was cold on her face, nose almost touching hers. "Would you like that?" 

Rey shook her head, face wet with tears as she shivered from the glacial temperature. "Please. I don't - I don't want to." 

"No?" He leant in, nose touching her gland, and took a deep breath. "Your body tells me something different, Rey." 

She heard him take a deep breath before he moved so his lips were a centimeter away from it. 

"That - That doesn't mean anything."

He hummed in disagreement, lips locking onto his prize and suckling on the sensitive spot. 

Rey gasped at the feeling. Her body softened in response, leaning on him for support. A warmth spread over her and made her paper weight. Ben's scent flooded her senses and glazed over her consciousness. 

Pure pleasure. As if all her nerves had suddenly awakened. She felt something trickle down her thigh, and a throbbing sensation clenched her cunt. 

Rey didn't even realise she was whimpering until Ben stopped sucking. His lips were wet, and he licked them, as if savouring her taste. 

In a blur, she was hoisted over his shoulder, back towards the house.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

Once back in Ben's closet, he dropped her onto the pile of fabrics. Rey's skin felt itchy and numb from the cold, and her feet were like ice. She sniffled as she quietly cried, looking up at Ben as he loomed over her. 

It was now clear to Rey that the calm expression he had earlier was a facade — his jaw clenched, and the veins in his neck and forehead stood out prominently.

He took her calf and lifted it. Rey winced as he peeled the sock off. Her ankle was swollen. He placed it back down and clenched his jaw, rolling his neck.

"I really wanted your first heat to be gentle. But you just don't know your place, Omega." He pulled his shirt off and threw it behind him. 

Rey shook her head, shrinking back into the blankets surrounding her. 

He peeled off the pair of pyjama shorts she was wearing in record time, before she could even respond, and straddled her hips so she couldn't get away. Not like she'd have anywhere to go — he locked his bedroom door this time. But, still, she tried to escape his grip. 

She thrashed, trying to slap his hands away from her body, and screamed as loudly as she could. A sharp slap blew across her cheek, stopping her in her tracks. 

"Be good," he warned, and she stilled, screams turning into sobs again. And, Ben took off the loose sweater she had on, leaving her in just her bra and panties. 

Rey moved, and he reached out to hold her neck in his hand, gentle but threatening. 

"I watch you, you know." Ben sighed wetly into her hair and she squirmed. "It's like you know I'm watching sometimes. At home. The way you spread your legs and look at the door — like someone could walk in any minute." 

"And all the sounds you make—" he broke away, and the only emotion Rey could think of to describe his expression was hunger. Pure hunger. "I've got you now. You're all mine. All of you."

He shifted, perched between her legs, so that his erection was pressing against her crotch.

He leaned in closer to look at her and his large pupils revealed her reflection. She looked petrified. Was petrified. "I'm never gonna let you go."

Rey's chin quivered and Ben smiled down at her, coaxing her cheek with the pad of his thumb before pressing his lips to hers. 

He squeezed her hip when she didn't respond. His fingers, still loosely wrapped around her throat, began to massage her gland, bringing that weird, fuzzy pleasure back. 

Ben pulled back, cocking his head so that his hair dangled in front of his eyes. "Don't you want to please your alpha, Rey?" 

Rey's eyes watered. She didn't have any control over biology. Her own mind and body were betraying her. 

He leant back in, placing his lips back onto hers, kissing her deeply. He held her neck with a firmer grip and licked at her bottom lip, wanting to be let in, and she let him. 

He kissed her, pressing his hips harder onto her crotch and grinding into her.

To Rey's despair, it felt good. Like he was fine tuned to her needs, hitting every note. 

She turned her head away, disconnecting from him. 

"Stop. Please, Ben. I need—" She was cut off by her hips bucking and a soft, unexpected moan escaping her throat. 

Ben made no comment, instead he started kissing her neck. Delicately placing them around her gland as if to tease her. Rey felt pressure building in her abdomen. God, this wasn't happening. Not with him. 

His hands moved further down her chest, meeting the lace of her bra. Fingers drifting over the material, and pausing when they met her nipples through the thin material. 

He was mumbling words into her neck, but Rey could only hear the beating of her own heart, and the rapid fire thoughts that didn't belong to her. 

He leaned away, taking in the sight of her, and Rey took in his flushed face through blurred vision. He ripped her bralette in half.

She flinched as he palmed both of her breasts, warmth spreading over her chest.

"So pretty." In a flash, he was on her, suckling on her like an infant, and lighting her body on fire. His hair was draped over his face, sprawled along her chest. 

She tried not to think of the hand trailing down into her underwear, biting her lip as his fingers burrowed their way in. 

"You'll be okay. I'll look after you," he muttered, before moving onto the other breast. All she could hear was suckling. 

His fingers connected with her cunt and gathered slick. They went further, and he hummed onto her skin before worming two thick fingers inside of her. 

He pumped in quick succession, curling them so that they massaged that bundle of nerves. He pulled away from her tit, looking at her with wet lips. 

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. No — fuck no. This isn't happening, Rey repeated in her head. She tried to dismiss the fire in her loins. The twitching in her fingers. The burning pleasure ripping through her. 

But she wasn't in control anymore. It felt like she never had been. 

Her whole body shook with the feeling. For a moment she thought she might be seizing. Then, it felt like her entire life force had been sucked out of her body and given to the man bowing over her. 

Ben's lips crashed back onto hers, not even letting her recover before flipping her on her front, pulling her hips towards him. The zipper sounded, and she laid limp, panting.

He slid her underwear down to the bottom of her thighs, and Rey heard him groan. 

He lined himself up with her, tapping his tip against her to gather slick, before pushing his way in. 

Rey couldn't help but yelp, trying to pull away, but Ben had already gripped her hips with strength similar to a vice. Her skin stretched around him, pulling and tearing. She was being ripped apart. 

"Shit — god you're so wet." 

"You're hurting me! Stop!" 

He catches his breath before bottoming out. He's all the way inside her now, and Rey throbs around him. 

"Such a tight little pussy." He thrusts, and Rey's body begins to accept him, the sharp pains from before fading away and turning to ecstasy. 

Unlike Rey, Ben isn't attempting to hide his sounds. He's bent over her, face in her neck and she tries to crane her neck so that she can't hear him, but she can't get away from him. 

He growled into her neck and hit that spot again. 

"Please — ohmygod," Rey practically squeaked into the blanket, fingers twitching as he continued to drive into her. 

She'd never felt anything like it. Her fingers didn't compare, not even close. 

Ben's hands tightened around her hips, pulling her into him and drawing her back, again and again. He panted behind her, hot breaths stroking the nape of her neck. 

"Please what, Rey? What d'you want?" 

Slick continued to pour out of her, soaking Ben's lower abdomen and the top of his thighs. 

"I can't —" Tears dropped down her cheeks and onto the blanket below. 

"Say it, Rey." 

She shook her head, eyes drooping shut. 

His thrusts slowed before he picked the speed up again. She clenched around him. God, she needed it, and what made it worse is he knew that she did. 

"You wanna come? Is that it, Omega?" There was a dull ache in her hips from how deep his fingers were gripping her skin. There'd be bruises. "God — I'm gonna come too. Fuck." 

"No..." Rey muttered, laying limp. 

"Gonna knot you and fill you up, omega. Never gonna leave you."

His mouth came closer to her swollen gland, readying himself, and she wriggled with all the strength she had left. 

She clenched around him in an instant and he buried himself deeper than she thought was even possible, growing inside her as his come flooded inside her. 

Rey whimpers and moans with her orgasm, the feeling of coming done and his knot making room for itself being too much at once. 

And then there was the bite. His teeth were in her neck. Clamped tight around her gland, claiming her as his. Forever. 

A deafening scream floods out of her. She feels his mind in hers, his sick, primitive thoughts blend with hers. He's ecstatic, delighted. This is all he's ever wanted. 

He sucks the blood off, releasing it with a pop, and pushes her down and onto her side before laying beside her, carefully, to make sure they don't separate. 

"Go to sleep, Rey," he whispers in her ear as she cries, quietly this time. "Gonna, go into rut soon."

She’s just prey — that’s all she is. All she ever was.

Notes:

bens got daddy issues teehee <3

hope you enjoyed, might change the chapter count but we'll see :)

Notes:

Please don’t be shy about commenting, I’d love to read your opinions and theories <3