The month following Rey's first presentation sped along much faster than she anticipated. True to Dr. Kanata's word, once her suppressants really kicked in, many things returned to normal. She turned a few more heads than she was used to, and of course there was now the matter of her new incredible sense of smell, but overall, things didn't really change.
Except with Ben.
Because nothing with Ben Solo was ever easy.
Rey lived in a bubble. A shrinking pressure cooker of an apartment that grew closer and closer to blowing its lid as more time flew by.
His scent was everywhere.
A daunting masculine brew of honey and sandalwood and Alpha that kept her in a perpetual state of wet panties and sweaty palms.
Rey was starting to buy underwear in bulk from Costco. She had no other way to keep up with how intensely her body was reacting to Ben.
And that was with her suppressants.
Truthfully, she was starting to get concerned with how any of this would work. Could she continue to live with him, knowing that every night she had to fuck her hand just to get even a wink of sleep? Could she continue to push through the anxiety that he would smell her essence every time she walked into the room and looked at him?
But most importantly, could their friendship survive yet another twist of fate?
Rey never doubted their relationship, but she was seriously beginning to question her self-control.
So, it was a rather pleasant surprise on a Friday afternoon when her co-worker Dryden stopped by her desk, complimenting her array of succulents with a kind smile and more swagger than anyone who sat in front of a computer all day needed.
Dryden was an Alpha, and although he was always polite to Rey, she had never paid much attention to the man before that afternoon. Betas paid attention to betas.
It was simple. There were more of them, and no matter how hard they tried, they'd never understand Alphas and omegas.
It was precisely why Rey still had no idea what was happening with her own body and life.
But as she packed up, ready for the weekend, Dryden had decided to chat, a charming smile to match his kind blue eyes. And for the first time, an Alpha besides Ben smelled…
Well, good.
Sure, it wasn't to the suffocating intensity of Ben's scent. It didn't fill her lungs with a delicious essence that made her weak in the knees and paralyzed with want.
But, he still smelled nice.
"—but it's a must try, really," Dryden explained, his fingers fiddling with the leaf of one of her succulents, "Assuming you're a fan of Mexican food."
Rey smiled and nodded. "Huge fan. I could eat burritos everyday of my life If that was an option."
"Well, maybe you'd join me then? Tonight, around say, 8?" He followed up with, a smooth smile across his lips, "Their burritos are to die for."
His words momentarily stunned her. She hadn't…
Well, she hadn't been asked on a date in what seemed like years.
And now, an Alpha was interested in her.
An Alpha she thought smelled good.
Rey blushed and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Dryden grinned and bit his lip. "Great. Just text me your address," Leaning over her desk, he grabbed a pad of pink sticky notes and scribbled down his number, handing Rey the tiny slip of paper, "I'll swing by in a few hours."
Unsure of what else to say or do, Rey nodded like an enthusiastic idiot.
And thankfully, before she could embarrass herself any further, Dryden wished her a goodnight and left the office, equipped with just as much swagger as he entered with.
Rey gulped and grabbed her work bag.
She had a date.
With an Alpha.
But for some reason…
Her inner Omega didn't seem happy.
-x-x-x-
When Rey got home, she felt like she was walking on air, unsure of how she was moving or who was doing the navigating. Because for some reason, she was suffering from intense inner turmoil, precisely between Rey, a 25-year-old single adult female looking for an attractive man to call her own, and her bitch of an inner omega.
Who, despite Rey's pleading, would not shut up.
He isn't as big as Alpha. He doesn't smell as nice as Alpha. Alpha would make healthier pups. He'd provide better for Omega and pups.
She wanted to be excited for her date, excited for the man who's due to pick her up in approximately two hours, but instead she's fighting with this new voice inside her head.
And to make matters worse, she arrived home to the smell of greasy pizza and Ben's delicious scent.
He was comfortably seated on a stool by their island, looking through the mail, still dressed in his work clothes. Because of his massive size, the sleeves of his button-down shirts always strained against his arms, making him look even more delicious.
When he heard Rey's arrival, he set the mail down and offered her a smile, looking in happy spirits on that Friday evening. "Hey," He started, nodding towards the pizza, "I hope you're hungry. I passed Luigi's on the way home and thought I'd surprise you."
ALPHA IS PROVIDING. BEG FOR HIS KNOT.
Even though her stomach growled, she was forced to reject his offer. "I uh, I actually have plans tonight," She forced out, her cheeks tinging pink, "I'm sorry. I should have texted you."
Ben frowned and shut the pizza box, nodding slowly. "Right. Uh… Were you grabbing dinner with Rose or something?"
Rey cleared her throat and shook her head. "Um. No. Just grabbing dinner with a friend."
He glanced away, his jaw twitching noticeably. He pulled at his tie, loosening the red fabric from his neck, before looking back to her. "Poe? Finn? Jess? Kaydel? That new woman at your office—what was her name—Qi'ra?"
She swallowed again, not allowing herself to consider why her hands were beginning to shake at his inquiry. "No," She choked out, before meeting his gaze, "Um. His name is Dryden."
Ben stared at her for a few moments, a thick silence surrounding them. Rey was still getting the hang of the whole smell-emotions-feelings-thing but she thought he smelled…
Angry?
Whatever it was, the smell was pungent. Rancid.
Not the normal, delicious scent of Ben she was used to.
After a few further moments of painful silence, his voice caught her attention. "You're going on a date?" He asked, his voice clipped, "With Dryden? He's one of your staff attorneys, isn't he?"
Rey swallowed and nodded. "Yes. That Dryden."
His eyes narrowed. He jumped to his feet and quickly began to gather the dinner he set out. Rey glanced at the island, realizing it wasn't just pizza he had picked up. Apparently, her best friend had also supplied her favorite appetizers of chicken wings and garlic knots, as well as tiramisu.
He even picked up a bottle of her favorite red wine.
As she willed herself to speak, desperate to apologize to him, he beat her to the chase.
"Is it really the best thing for you to be doing right now?" He asked, his voice laced with contempt, "Going out on dates? With Alphas? You've practically just presented yourself."
She cleared her throat and crossed her arms. "I wasn't exactly planning on it. But then he asked me and well… I don't know. He's one of the first Alphas that hasn't stunk to me."
She wasn't sure what exactly she said, but apparently it was the wrong thing. Ben tensed, quickly setting down the pizza box, before turning to face her.
His normally soft chocolate eyes were furious.
ALPHA IS ANGRY. CALM ALPHA. OFFER HIM GLAND.
"Oh, he smells nice, does he?" Ben hissed, stepping forward to meet her confused gaze, "That's all he wants, Omega. He just wants to scent you and put his disgusting stench all over you," He glanced at her clothes, his face twisting in disgust, "I smell him on you now."
Rey thought about the pink sticky note in her front pocket, knowing that Dryden's scent clung to the sheet of paper. She cleared her throat and met his angry gaze. "Yes. He does smell nice. And you know what? If I don't go out with Alphas, how am I ever going to learn about my designation? How am I ever going to find my mate?"
Suddenly, that rancid scent was downright unbearable. Her palms began to shake, her body having a negative reaction to his worsening scent. And her new smelling abilities aside, she could see his anger.
It was like a dark cloud had enveloped her best friend, reddening his cheeks and coloring his eyes.
"Find your mate?" He repeated, his voice at practically a hiss, "You barely know the difference between a mating gland and a scent gland, and you think you're ready to find your mate?"
She met his furious gaze and stood up straight, willing her beating heart to calm down. But, even with that desperate attempt at restraint, she still found her palms shaking, his scent leaving her on edge.
"Funny!" She cried back, bringing her arms around herself to calm her anxiety, "I recall your parents saying the same to you as a teenager!" She shook her head and took a deep breath, before adding, "You're not my bloody father. I can see who I want and very well fuck who I please!"
Ben surged forward, stopping only when he hovered over her. Soft pants of frustration escaped his quivering lips, his eyes locked on her wide ones. A deep growl rumbled in his throat.
"You're a newly presented Omega," He growled out, his eyes frantically surveying her face and the puffy gland on her neck, "You're like fucking honey to bees and water to a parched man. You are a child in this."
Rey glared back, her lips pursing at his words. "I have a lot to learn, but I'm a twenty-five-year-old woman. Don't call me a bloody child!"
"Well what else am I fucking supposed to think when you go out with the first guy to ask you out? Huh?" He shook his head angrily, the veins in his neck throbbing with his tense breaths, "This isn't third grade, Rey. You can't have a new boyfriend every week."
Her mouth dropped open, stunned by his rude words. "How dare you!" She screeched, her body continuing to shake with both frustration and from his proximity, "How dare you fucking act like an asshole over one bloody date!"
Ben laughed, but the usual deep rumbling that made Rey smile was replaced with something far more sinister. Her blood ran cold.
"It's not one date, Omega," He spat out, his eyes locked on her gland, "He's going to rub his scent all over you and try to claim you."
Rey let out a growl of her own. "Fine. That works for me. Let him."
What happened next was a bit of a blur, if not at least fulfilling a deep-seeded fantasy of Rey's since she was approximately ten years young. Because with another bone-chilling growl, Ben charged forward, practically slamming his lips onto hers.
The kiss was not sweet. It was brutal, the way he ate at her mouth, attacking her lips with a sort of ferocity and intensity that Rey didn't believe existed before that very moment. And apparently, her body knew exactly how to respond.
Because it only took her a single second before she was kissing him back roughly, enjoying the push of his tongue and the way their teeth clanked together.
Nothing felt as good as his lips did on hers. Not the shifting of his scent from anger to something deeper, thicker, stronger. Not the migration of his hands to her cheeks, where he kept her face tight against his own. Not the feeling of his massive and equally hard body pressed flush against her.
It was heaven.
Her omega purred.
Screamed.
But as his lips dropped from her lips to her jaw, and slowly descended to her neck with an Alpha-like tunnel vision, Rey felt her stomach drop.
Her worst fears were solidified as his tongue poked out of his mouth, gently grazing her engorged gland.
With lightening reflexes, she shoved him away, surprised by how easily Ben stumbled backwards, staring at her like a lost puppy.
She forced herself to meet his gaze and purposely took deep breaths out of her mouth, afraid to inhale anymore of his delicious scent.
Especially when he had such dastardly methods for getting his point across.
"Rey—" He choked out, his voice shaking with emotion, "We need to—"
She held up her hands, mentally trying to talk herself down, desperate to remind herself that he let hormones take over.
That maybe his stupid choices were the product of his designation, not her best friend.
It was everything she feared.
Designations ruined lives.
Relationships.
"No!" She cried out, weary of the tears growing in her eyes, "I don't want to hear it. How could you do that?" She sniffled and shook her head, staring at the dark hardwood of their apartment instead of Ben, "You don't get to control my life!"
Ben swallowed and shook his head, his eyes confused. "Rey, look, we need to talk about—"
She grabbed her purse, desperate to leave the apartment and his intoxicating smell. "You just had to ruin this for me, didn't you?" She choked out, ignoring the hot tears streaming down her cheeks, "You had to go all alpha and rub your fucking scent all over me!"
He froze, apparently digesting her words. "Wait, Rey, that's not what that was about—"
"Save it!" She cried out, zipping up her jacket with too much force, "You win, ok? Now during my date Dryden is going to smell you all over me. Probably won't even be able to look at me without picturing another Alpha having his merry way."
Ben reached for her, his hand shaking. "Rey, come on, please. We need to talk about this before—"
Rey practically threw herself against the door, refusing to let him touch her. "No," She whispered, her voice stuck in her throat, "You've done enough to sabotage this date. Thank you for becoming the sort of Alpha prick I've loathed for my entire life."
And before she let her best friend say another word, she stormed out the apartment, approximately an hour and twenty minutes until her date was meant to start. Her hair was a mess, her mascara had run, and truthfully, now the last thing she wanted was to sit over burritos and small talk with Dryden.
But she simply had to.
How could Ben do that?
Rey had spent years, literal years, imagining what it would feel like to feel Ben's lips against her own. She used to hug her old teddy bear Bebe, kissing the soft fur with vigor as she desperately tried to picture what Ben's plush lips would feel like.
And throughout her life, every kiss she had was exactly the same as kissing that old teddy bear. Some guys were better than others. Some had less fur than her old toy.
But in the end, the kisses just brought images of Ben to mind.
Now she knew. How would she ever be able to forget his plush lips against hers? How would she ever be able to forget the delicious notes of sandalwood and spice that erupted in his scent when he kissed her?
How would she ever forget the soft noises he made deep in his throat as he held her close?
Time, she supposed, would be the balm to her wounds.
Because Ben hadn't kissed her to kiss her.
He simply needed to rub his scent all over her.
Prove to another Alpha that she was his. And not in a romantic sense. Never in a romantic sense. In the same way a parent scented a child, or a dog to a toy that was theirs.
Rey was just a commodity.
Ben didn't want her. Not the way an Alpha wanted an Omega.
He simply didn't want another Alpha to have her.
Because he had never wanted her before.
Why would that change now?
She cried all the way to Rose's place. She cried over hormones getting the best of both she and Ben. She cried over her appearance as she readied for her date.
But, most of all, she cried knowing that she would never be able to forget what kissing Ben felt like. Because before, kissing him was just a mere pipedream. A fantasy.
Not anymore, Omega. Return to Alpha NOW.
-x-x-x-
It was probably a good thing that when they moved into their apartment years ago, Ben appeased Rey by purchasing many of their odds and ends from Ikea. Growing up with his mother, he was perfectly content to stroll into a William Sonoma or another haughty home store to purchase overpriced glassware and plates.
But Rey never wanted to spend more money than necessary. It was precisely why whatever Leia hadn't gifted them, they purchased from the Swedish home good store.
Six glasses for six dollars was a steal.
Especially when Ben had just picked up twelve of them and systemically threw them to the ground, watching as they shattered against the wood floor and the expensive leather of his shoes.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how awful the cleanup of the tiny glass particles was going to be.
But he didn't care.
Right now, he simply had to break.
He moved his way through the glassware, stopping when he reached the mugs.
Scooby-Doo met his gaze, feasting on Scooby snacks and snuggled into his pal, Shaggy. It was a gift to Rey. His fingers twitched.
He shut the cabinet and backed away, his heartbeat slowing down.
Ben took a moment to survey the damage. Shards of glass scattered across the floor, as well as room temperature garlic knots and that day's mail. Thankfully, the pizza had escaped his rampage.
He forced himself to walk away from the mess and collapsed to the couch, dropping his face to his hands.
His Alpha was livid.
He roared within Ben, screaming for him to chase after his omega, to show her who she belonged to, to remind her that he was the stronger Alpha, the one meant for her.
But instead of maturely communicating his concerns to Rey, instead of handling his jealousy better, everything simply went to shit.
How could he not kiss her? How could he not finally claim those perfect lips for himself, especially as she taunted him with the possibility of another Alpha claiming her?
His heart clenched as he recalled her words. How could she think he would kiss her only to rub his scent on her? How low of him did she think? Sure, he was thrilled that his scent would cling to her for her date, but that wasn't why he finally kissed her.
Ben kissed her because he simply had to.
His body demanded it.
His Alpha demanded it.
And now, nothing mattered. Not when she stormed out, crying and intent on going on her date. Not when she thought he was a manipulative prick who let his Alpha brain take over.
She was his best friend.
His everything.
How could he possibly communicate that now?
But most importantly, could he handle the possibility of her finding a mate in the future?
His stomach flipped uncomfortably. With a deep breath, he laid across the sofa and glanced at his phone. He didn't know when her date was or when she'd return. So, until she reentered their home, he laid on that sofa, staring at the ceiling.
He had to fix this.
Somehow.
-x-x-x-
After her explosive fight with Ben, Rey called an uber and ended up at Rose's place, knowing a woman's touch was needed. Ben aside, her closest friend was definitely Finn, but she wasn't in the mood for that discussion about what was going on between her and Ben.
Rose was subtle. She'd hug Rey and distract her with shitty movies. That was usually enough for Rey.
Unfortunately, Rey couldn't enjoy her evening watching a shitty Netflix movie and eating pizza. She could have. In fact, had she simply said no to a certain blue-eyed Alpha, she'd be doing that right now, snuggled into a different Alphas side, probably already falling asleep.
But enough of her own self-loathing. She said yes because she wanted to go on a date. She hadn't in forever. And her last date had been with an associate professor at her grandfather's university, and while Qui was nice, he bored Rey to tears.
Maybe she hadn't felt anything because he was a Beta.
Maybe a part of her knew deep down. Maybe it was why the only man in her life she had ever felt an intense longing for was well…
Ben.
She had to stop, really. That evening had been exhausting enough. When she showed up to Rose's, the sweet girl ushered her inside and made her look semi-presentable. She let Rey borrow a cute sun dress, so she didn't show up for burritos in khakis and a cardigan, and also helped Rey fix her makeup.
Rose had even taken a flat iron to Rey's messy hair. With her friend's help, Rey looked presentable when Dryden stopped in front of Rose's building at approximately 8:02.
The date how gone well, all things considered. Dryden drove a nice car. It smelled like him, and since he generally smelled pretty nice, sitting in his scent was enjoyable.
Except he kept looking over at her, studying her with confused eyes.
The way his scent shifted indicated that he smelled Ben on her. When she explained that she had an Alpha roommate, he seemed to relax slightly, but Rey knew it would be difficult for him to get over.
She certainly wouldn't like the idea of her Alpha boyfriend bunking with an Omega, no matter how platonic the relationship was.
Except, was her relationship with Ben platonic? Because hours ago, his tongue was shoved down her throat.
But the scenting aside, the date was fine. They had burritos and Mexican Coke, chatted about work, a few HBO shows, and Dryden's Russian grandfather who had shortened their last name from Voskosky to Vos after immigrating to America.
Dryden was smart, sweet, and handsome. He had some snark, which Rey appreciated, and generally appeared to be a gentleman.
Them together would be easy. Natural.
So, it pained her to leave the date, the feel of his lips lingering on her cheek, wondering why she didn't immediately want more. She hoped that by the time he called (assuming he called), she'd be more enthusiastic about another date.
The possibility of more dates with Dryden and more conflict with Ben consumed her thoughts when she returned home, only disappearing when she unlocked the front door and found Ben asleep on the couch, still in his work clothes and shoes.
His phone rested on his chest as if he fell asleep waiting for a call.
Her heart ached.
She should have cared more about the shattered glass in the kitchen, or the perfectly good food that was either on the floor or still sitting out at almost 10, or even where she and Ben left off before she stormed out.
But she didn't. She simply walked into the living room, grabbed one of the fleece blankets Leia had given them last Christmas, and covered his massive form.
She stared at his face, knowing Ben only looked truly at peace when he was asleep, and couldn't help the few tears that fell down her face.
That evening introduced problems she wasn't ready to face.
Both as an omega and a woman.
She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his head, before returning to her own bedroom.
Sleep did not come easily.
-x-x-x-
The following morning, Rey secluded herself in her bedroom for as long as she could. Despite normally being able to sleep until 2 on a weekend, her body woke her up at 9 and refused to let her sleep any longer. She could smell coffee coming from the kitchen too, so she knew Ben was awake, but she really wasn't ready for that follow-up.
Not that early in the morning.
So, she busied herself. She took a bath, hung up all the clothes that had been tossed around her room, gathered what she borrowed from Rose that would need to be returned, and even made her bed.
At 11, she still couldn't get herself to leave her room. She managed a brief phone call with Rose to discuss her date, and even watched two episodes of Stranger Things on her laptop.
Eventually, and she had dreaded that moment, her stomach growled. Even through her closed door, she heard the soft murmur of the television. Clearly Ben was waiting in the living room.
Presumably to talk.
At that moment, she finally put her big girl pants on and stood up, ready to face what would likely be one of the scariest conversations of her life.
But then her phone rang. She grabbed her cell, not recognizing the number, but intrigued by the "Scarif" flashing across her screen. Mainly, however, she looked forward to yet another way to procrastinate her conversation with Ben.
"Hello?" She asked, accepting the call while plopping down onto her bed.
A deep voice, a man, Rey presumed, cleared his throat. "Uh. Hello. Is this Rey Kenobi?"
Rey sighed, knowing that even as desperately as she didn't want to face her fears and talk to Ben, she wouldn't be able to string along an insurance salesman. "Yes, it is. Who may I say is calling?"
"My name is Cassian Andor," The man began, his voice soft and oddly calming to Rey's frayed nerves. "Your grandfather gave me your number."
She bit her lip, surprised to hear her grandfather mentioned. "Oh, erm, alright. Well hi Cassian, how can I help you?"
The man let out a terse breath. "Rey, look, I don't know how to say this but I…." His pause sent her heart to her throat, her head suddenly filling with thoughts of her grandfather sick or injured.
"What?" She croaked out, suddenly scared to death that something bad had happened, "What's going on? Is my grandfather okay?"
Cassian cleared his throat. "He's fine, Rey. I should just say it," He blew out another choked breath, "I'm your father. Or uh, I think I am."
Whatever Rey thought the man was going to say was well…
Not that.
She cleared her throat, staring at the Corgi-themed calendar hanging on her wall that Kaydel had gotten her for Christmas.
"Excuse me?" She choked out, surprised by her own voice, "You're… my father?"
The sound of shuffling filled Rey's ears, as if the man was moving around. "I believe so," He explained, his voice nervous, "Of course we can't be entirely sure unless we run a DNA test but… I'm very certain."
Rey swallowed, her palms shaking. "Is this some sort of prank? How do you know my grandfather? Why are you calling me?"
"I'm a professor, like your grandfather," He explained, "And about twenty-seven years ago, I held a temporary position at your grandfather's University. I taught Latin, and since he was the head of the Classics Department, we worked closely together. In fact, he opened the doors to his home to me."
She continued to shake, unsure of what to say or how to respond. "Ok?"
Cassian sighed. "I really don't want to do this over the phone, Rey but—" He cursed, "I had a relationship with your mother, Jyn. I didn't know of your existence until this week and well, it all makes sense."
Rey couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could this man really be her father?
Her father was never discussed. Of her limited memories of her mother, she recalled the woman telling her that not all girls had daddies. It never made any sense to her since her mother had a father, and little Ben Solo lived across the street and his daddy was always building swing sets for him and taking their dog Chewie out for walks.
When she was older, more information was presented, but still limited. She learned her father, whoever he was, was an Alpha, and supposedly left when he discovered her mother was pregnant.
That certainly didn't sound like the story this man was presenting to her.
"They told me you left when you found out my mother was pregnant," She choked out, "So how can I believe any of this?"
Cassian cleared his throat. "Rey, look, I just want to meet you. I want to do a test because I saw the photos your grandfather showed me and god, you look so much like the women in my family."
"Does my grandfather know about this?" Rey choked out, suddenly wondering how her dear old Grandpa was handling this potential news.
Silence greeted her. "No," Cassian finally explained, his voice ashamed, "He doesn't. He gave me your number because I told him I needed some restaurant recommendations for Coruscant."
Rey swallowed the lump in her throat. "Why are you calling me? What do you want?"
He sighed. "Look, I'm going to be in Chandrila next week for a conference. It's midway between us. I'd love for you to swing by. Meet me. We could do a test and put this all to rest."
"Yeah? And what happens if I am your daughter?" She forced out, hating how angry her voice sounded, "Then what? You buy yourself an "It's a Girl" Balloon and never see me again?"
More shifting. "Of course, not. Rey, if you're mine, this changes everything. I want to be a part of your life."
Somehow, Rey doubted that. Her mother barely wanted to be a part of her life, and since the moment she was born, she was told the exact same of her father. How could she believe anything this man said?
But then again, her grandfather apparently knew him and trusted him to some extent, even if her number was passed along to share the best burger in Coruscant.
What did she have to lose? Worst case scenario was a weekend trip to Chandrila and the pain of meeting a man who she thought was her father, only to have those hopes dashed.
But the best-case scenario?
That seemed to make everything worth it.
"Okay," She began, trying to keep her voice calm, "I'll meet you in Chandrila this weekend."
Cassian let out a breath of relief. "Perfect. I already contacted a lab. They have a location in Coruscant. If you drop by tomorrow, I'll swing by my own. We can have results on Saturday."
"Great. Maybe if they're done by Friday, I won't even need to swing by if they turn out to be negative," She explained, hating how sad her voice sounded.
But Cassian remained in good spirits. "Very well, Rey. But I look forward to meeting you on Saturday. I'll send along some information."
Rey cleared her throat. "Right. I'll uh, see you in a week. Maybe. Assuming you're actually my father."
He merely chuckled. "Of course. Have a good Saturday, Rey."
When the call ended, Rey dropped her phone, her eyes on the ceiling.
This couldn't be real.
-x-x-x-
When Rey finally left her bedroom around 2pm, Ben practically sprained his ankle from how quickly he popped off the couch. He'd been sitting there since practically 7pm the previous evening, too worried to lose their shared space. He was already angry at himself for falling asleep and missing her return home, and now, it seemed like she was doing everything in her power to avoid him.
Which was fine, he guessed. He understood that tensions were high. And with her hidden away in her room, it gave him the opportunity to clean up the mess he made, as well as do some other straightening up.
But now, with the kitchen clean and his heart in his throat, he just had to talk to her. So, the moment he heard her door creak open, he knew it was time.
"Rey!" He exclaimed, rushing into the hallway to meet her gaze, "Look, I really think we need to talk about last night. I'm so sorry—" But his words died in his throat when he noticed her dazed face. "Rey? Are you okay?"
She swallowed and shrugged. "Um. I just got a call from a man who claims he's my father. Or, rather he thinks he is."
Ben blinked a few times, registering her words. Rey's father? In all his years of knowing her, the most he had been told about the mystery man was that he was an Alpha and left as soon as he discovered Rey's mother was pregnant.
A man like that had no business getting involved in Rey's life, especially not now with all the changes taking place.
"What?" was all he said, instead of voicing those concerns.
She cleared her throat. "He knows my grandpa. Used to work with him. Anyways, he just found out I existed and says I look like his family and the timing matches up. He's going to be in Chandrila this weekend so I'm going to meet him."
Ben couldn't help the way his jaw twitched. "You can't be serious. Some random guy calls and claims to be your father and you're just going to run and meet him? Even after you know what your father did?"
Rey looked away. "He said he didn't know about me."
"Well, maybe he's lying! Maybe he did and now he needs money. It's convenient to want to be involved now," Ben explained, "This guy doesn't deserve to meet you if—"
She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "No. Stop it, okay? I know what you're thinking and maybe it's valid, but I have to know. You get to selectively decide if and when you spend time with your dad but he's still your dad. But me?" She sniffled and looked down, "I didn't have one. Don't I deserve to know if this is him? Even if all he wants is a fucking check, at least I'll know where the other half of me came from."
Ben frowned and nodded. He hated seeing her upset. He knew how sensitive Rey got when it came to family matters. The few times they fought over the years almost always linked back to his rocky relationship with his own parents, especially his father.
"I'm coming," Ben announced, stepping forward to grab her hand, "You're not going alone. You need someone there with you."
Rey sniffled and looked at their hands, before meeting his gaze. She simply nodded.
"Okay."
Ben cleared his throat. "About last night—"
She shook her head. "It's fine, ok? We both let emotions get the best of us. Let's forget it happened. I have more important things to worry about now."
Part of him wanted to argue that no, it wasn't fine, and yes, potentially finding her father was important, but so too was mending their relationship.
But she held his hand, and while she had tears in her eyes, she wasn't sad. She seemed hopeful.
So, he let it go.
"Okay. We'll leave Friday night."
Rey nodded and squeezed his hand.
Ben led her to the kitchen and had her sit down. In no time at all, he had lunch in front of her, including a steaming hot cup of tea in her favorite Scooby mug.
As she took a sip and smiled at him, holding the garish cartoon mug, he thanked the heavens he hadn't shattered it the night before.