The Fae life of Benson McKee

Chapter 3: Unraveling Fate

Benson’s POV

I hadn’t planned on staying the weekend, but something kept tugging at me, a quiet whisper that urged me not to leave just yet. Returning to the mansion had been like stepping into a stranger’s home, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that each familiar room held secrets I was only now beginning to see.

The sun filtered through the grand windows, casting sharp slants of light that did little to warm the cold, hollow silence in the house. I wandered through the corridors, rooms meticulously decorated but devoid of life. Axel had always run our home like a business—every detail planned, every person accounted for. But in all that careful planning, he’d left no room for warmth.

I eventually found my brother Jared in the lounge, hunched over the grand piano in the corner. His fingers rested idly on the keys, as though he wanted to play but didn’t have the heart to start. The sight of him like this—distant, contemplative—felt like a rare glimpse behind the mask he wore around Axel.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Jared said without looking up. “Figured you’d be back at school by now.”

I shrugged, trying to play it off casually. “Thought I’d stick around. It’s been a while.” It wasn’t a lie, though I didn’t mention the other reason I’d stayed: the conversation I’d overheard between Axel and someone on the phone, mentioning my mother.

Jared glanced at me, a flicker of something—maybe concern—crossing his face. He gestured for me to join him on the piano bench. “I guess Axel got under your skin again, huh?”

The question caught me off guard. Jared was the only one who seemed to see past my family’s façade, the only one who didn’t treat me like an outsider. But even he was a mystery sometimes, loyal yet detached, as though he was both part of the family and a witness to its dysfunction.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah. You know how it is.”

Jared gave a humorless chuckle, his gaze drifting back to the piano. “You’re not the only one he’s hard on, you know. Just the only one who doesn’t try to hide it.”

A silence fell between us, thick with unspoken words. I wanted to ask him about my mother, about why her name had been a forbidden topic since the day she’d disappeared. But the words stayed lodged in my throat.

After a few moments, I heard heavy footsteps in the hall, the distinct, measured gait of Axel MacKee. I instinctively stiffened, like a deer sensing a predator, and Jared shot me a look that said *stay calm*. Axel strode into the room, his face set in a mask of cold efficiency. His gaze swept over Jared and then landed on me, his eyes narrowing.

“Benson. Surprised you’re still here.” The words were laced with a disdain that barely needed hiding.

I met his gaze, forcing myself to keep my expression neutral. “Just visiting.”

Axel gave a short nod, as though my presence was nothing more than a minor inconvenience in his well-ordered world. “Remember why we keep you at Finley, Benson,” he said, his voice low. “The MacKee family doesn’t waste time on those who can’t meet expectations.”

The words hit like a punch, but I didn’t flinch. I was used to this by now—his cold indifference, the way he looked through me as if I was invisible, or worse, a mistake. I’d spent years chasing his approval, wondering what it would take to be acknowledged as something more than an obligation.

Axel turned to leave, but just before he stepped out, I heard him mutter, “A real MacKee would understand the necessity of sacrifice.”

I forced myself to stay calm, but my mind was whirling. Sacrifice. The word echoed, dark and weighty, conjuring up images of the pixies and fae servants who labored in our warehouses, their lives dictated by the whims of people like Axel. For years, I’d turned a blind eye to their suffering, pretending it wasn’t my problem. But now, as I watched my father disappear down the hall, I felt something shift inside me.

After Axel left, Jared gave me a long look. “You don’t have to listen to him, you know. Just because he’s our father doesn’t mean he’s right.”

I looked down, letting his words sink in. Jared had always been my only ally in this house, a quiet voice of reason amidst the chaos. But even he couldn’t understand the weight of my suspicions, the nagging feeling that Axel had something to do with my mother’s disappearance. I couldn’t shake the image of him on the phone, his voice low and tense as he spoke about her as if she were nothing more than a loose end to be tied up.

“Do you ever wonder why… why she left?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jared’s expression darkened, his jaw clenching. “I try not to. Some things are better left buried, Benson.”

But I couldn’t let it go. Not anymore. If Axel had been involved in my mother’s disappearance, if he’d taken her from me just as he’d taken everything else—my friends, my identity, my future—I had to know. I had to find the truth, no matter the cost.

Later that night, I wandered through the mansion’s empty halls, my mind racing with questions. My footsteps echoed off the marble floors, the silence pressing down on me like a weight. I passed the room where the pixies were kept, their small, fragile bodies huddled together in the shadows. They looked up as I approached, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resignation.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice soft.

One of them, a young pixie with silver hair and wide, frightened eyes, nodded hesitantly. “We’re fine, Master Benson. Thank you for asking.”

The words made my chest tighten. *Master*. I hated the way it sounded, the way it implied that I was complicit in their suffering. But they were kind to me, offering small smiles, whispers of encouragement on the rare days when I felt like I couldn’t breathe under the weight of my family’s expectations. They were the only ones who had shown me any kindness after my mother disappeared, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of responsibility toward them.

As I continued down the hall, a memory surfaced, unbidden—a flash of my mother’s face, her voice soft and pleading as she argued with Axel. I remembered sneaking down the stairs late at night, hiding behind the banister as their voices echoed through the house.

“You can’t keep me here, Axel,” she had said, her voice shaking with anger. “I won’t let you control my life. Or Benson’s.”

Axel’s response had been cold, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. “You don’t have a choice. This marriage was arranged for a reason, and you will play your part. Do you understand me?”

I had watched as my mother’s shoulders slumped, her spirit breaking right before my eyes. She had turned, catching sight of me, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and love. She had mouthed a single word, her lips forming the shape of it like a prayer. *Run*.

The memory faded, leaving me standing alone in the hallway, my heart pounding. I had never told anyone about that night, about the way my mother had looked at me as if I were her only hope. But now, as I stared down the empty corridor, I felt a surge of determination.

I would find her. I would uncover the truth, no matter how deeply Axel had buried it.

Meanwhile...

King Garlif’s POV



I sat at the head of the council table, fingers drumming a slow, deliberate rhythm on the armrest as I surveyed the room. The chamber, cloaked in the dim, flickering glow of enchanted lanterns, seemed to trap our words and secrets within its walls. Around me, members of the High Council shifted, their postures betraying a tension they dared not speak. The High Priestess sat with her eyes closed, lips moving in soundless prayer, while the Oracle stood with her usual vacant gaze, her glowing eyes attuned to sights beyond our understanding. They all knew why we’d gathered. And I, too, was bracing for it.

The prophecy.