The Human in The Wolf's Den

Chapter 7: Scary Humans, Nice Mr. wolf

The mall was a terrifying place for Cassian who was inside and Xander who hadn't left the parking lot. Every person that passed had him jumping in his seat and growling. Some looked at him weirdly others not taking notice. Xander hated the place. His five- year-old self replayed in his head over and over. Anyone of these humans could take him. And his mate. His tiny little mate. He left him to fend for himself, too scared to go in. 

Titus is with him, he'll be fine. Xander stubbornly thought as another human passed to close to the car making him whimper out loud. 

Our mate is not safe. His wolf argued. No one was safe around this many humans in his opinion. 

He's not safe... Xander was out of the car and into the mall in record time. As soon as he passed through the doors however he regretted it. Outside there was at least some fresh air. Here not so much. The air was thick with the sticky human smell. Xander couldn't breathe, he gagged several times and tried his best to take in air but nothing was working. He had to find Cassian quick. Xander’s mind raced. The human scent blurring all the faces that passed together into one generic human blob. 

Cassian was just walking out of one of the small stores that sold watches when Titus heard the commotion by the front entrance. 

"Is that man alright? Someone help him!" 

"I think he's having a panic attack! He needs to calm down. Does anyone have a paper bag?" 

Titus looked over and saw a crowd gathering. It was hard to see with all the people in the way but a gasp from Cassian caught his attention. 

"Master!" Cassian ran towards the crowd ripping his hand from Titus' to get to his master. He pushed and shoved the body's out of the way until he reached the center of the semi-circle that had formed around the entrance doors. His master was now panicked and on a rampage. 

"Don't touch me!" Xander growled as a middle-aged man tried to lend him a hand. In a blink, the man was shoved into three other people. 

"M- Xander stop!" Cassian shouted almost forgetting not to say master in front of everyone. 

Xander was in his own panic induced world and didn't hear a word. He continued clawing at his neck to breathe and attacking any human who came too close. 

"Xander calm down brother!" Titus' attempt also fell on deaf ears. Cassian could see the humans turning less concerned and more fearful as one elderly man was kicked down. 

Cassian. Had to do something! But what could possibly break through to his master now? 

"Mr. Wolf! Stay!" Cassian was going to be sick. He did not just do that. 

To everyone's surprise, including Cassian's, Xander froze. He looked Cassian in the eye finally registering he was there. Xander whimpered like a puppy and backed himself against the doors. He 

looked afraid. Of Cassian? Did Cassian do that? Now he was really going to be sick. Titus quickly ran over to the now docile Xander and lifted him like a sack of flower since Xander didn't seem to want to move. His owner had told him to stay after all. After hefting his alpha up Titus turned to the crowd. 

"I do apologize for our friend he has a mental condition. We will be taking him home now." Titus quickly apologized and motioned for Cassian to follow. 

Cassian ran after his master and looked back at the now sorry faces of the humans. Xander would be pissed. Not only did Cassian use that name he also ordered him around. Cassian wouldn't be surprised if he rejected him after this stunt. He didn't mean to use the name but it was the only thing Cassian could think of that would shock Xander out of his enraged state. It had worked almost too well. Titus carried the man to the back of his car and sat him in the back seat. Cassian went for the front door but a high pitched whine from Xander had him stopping to look back. Tears were streaming down his face and Xander was looking at Cassian pleadingly. 

Cassian had no clue what Xander could have wanted and the man wouldn't speak up. He went for the passenger seat once more but was met with another whine. 

"I think he wants you to stay with him... I... This is so weird. What did you do to him? It's like he's a puppy again. We have to get home and have the doc check on him." Titus seemed to be shocked by his alpha's behavior. Never before had he seen the man so docile and needy. 

As soon as Cassian hopped into the back Xander buried his head into Cassian's lap and just stayed there breathing him in. 

"Who is Mr. Wolf?" Titus asked remembering the strange nickname. 

"I shouldn't say." Cassian didn't want to make Titus mad but his master would hate him even more if he told him his secret. Currently, Cassian was in awe of his master. The man hadn't left the comfort of Cassian's lap and was practically curled up against him. Cassina settled his hand on Xander's' hair and stroked it softly. Xander was being so cute, just as Titus had described, a puppy. 

"Please Master Titus, don't tell the pack about it either. He would kill me. I shouldn't have used that name but I didn't know what else to do! The humans were going to turn on him. Please believe me, master! I didn't mean to." The enormity of the situation had just kicked into Cassian’s brain. He was a dead man. 

"Shhhh... Cassian, I'm sure Xander will understand. He's not all bad. Why can't you tell me about the name?" Titus was curious. Was it Cassian's nickname for Xander? It was obviously his mate that snapped him out of his rampage earlier. 

"I just can't. Don't mention it, please. Xander is already gonna be pissed when he snaps out of whatever this is I don't want to trigger him anymore. The damage I have just caused is monumental. I'm sure to be hung. I love you, master. I'm so sorry. I deserve any punishment you give me." Cassian sobbed into his master's hair as the puppy like man continued to cuddle him. At the sound of Cassian's sobs, Xander pulled back slightly and began to lick at the boy's tears. 

Titus smiled at the sweet picture in the back seat. Cassian seemed to be terrified but Titus saw nothing wrong with the man finally treating him right. If Titus were Cassian he would do anything to keep the alpha like this. And although Cassian was mostly scared for the future at the moment he couldn't help but smile at his master's sweet comfort. 

It felt like forever when they finally made it home. Cassian and Xander were quickly escorted to the doctor. 

"Whats wrong Titus? When you called you sounded panicked. Did Xander do something? Is Cassian hurt?" Aemilia asked immediately checking Cassian for injury. 

"No doc, its this guy that's the problem. He's messed up in the head. We were hoping you could fix him." Titus explained putting the heavy alpha down on the hospital bed. 

"Xander! Whats wrong with him? Was he attacked?" 

"No... Master Titus, can you please excuse us. This matter is rather personal. Master will be angry..." Cassian didn't like the taste on his tongue after ordering Titus away. Titus and Aemilia only looked impressed. Cassian was taking charge. 

"Of course luna. I'm at your service if you need anything else." Titus promised before swiftly exiting the room. 

"Ok Cassian what happened?" Aemilia asked looking down at the alpha. 

"He was having a huge panic attack in the mall. I didn't know what else to do so I shouted out his error... Other name? I didn't mean for this to happen but people were getting hurt." Cassian wanted to cry at his own audacity. How could he have done this to his master? 

"Calm down Cassian. We will figure this out together. I'm sure it will be ok. I won't let the alpha punish you for this so calm down. Now, what seems to be the problem?" Aemilia assured 

"He started acting like a puppy. After I said it, he started whining and whimpering and cuddling up to me. He even licked my tears away..." 

"Wow. And you want the old alpha back? Why not just keep him this way?" Aemilia joked but instantly regretted it when she saw Cassian's stricken face and his eyes brimming with tears. "It was a joke! We'll get him back, I promise." 

"How?" Cassian looked over at his master who was now itching behind his ears with his foot. Cassian wasn't in a laughing mood but Aemillia couldn't help herself. 

"Oookay, this is hilarious. Come on alpha, come back to us. Your safe now. You're not the puppy you used to be. Look at me alpha." Aemilia spoke to her alpha firmly making eye contact the entire time. Slowly the glazed look in his eye faded and he blinked rapidly. 

"M-master...?" 

"Whats going on?" Xander grumbled rubbing his head. 

"Thank god that worked! I had nothing else if it didn't." Aemilia confessed. 

Cassian was so happy he ran and leapt to hug his master. Xander’s knee-jerk reaction was to knock him back almost immediately. Cassian didn't care he was just happy Xander was back. 

"What happened?" Xander repeated. 

"What do you remember?" Aemilia asked just as Cassian had tried to explain. Aemilia sent him a glare to silence him. 

"I don't know. I was at the mall parking lot and I waited in the car? I don't...I think I ran into the mall for Cassian?" Xander’s 

memory was so fuzzy and he couldn't seem to remember anything after opening the mall door. 

"Well alpha, you actually went into the mall and had a major panic attack injuring several humans. Cassian was able to calm you enough to allow Titus to carry you to the car and get you home." Aemilia explained quickly not allowing for any questions. 

"Really? Wow. I knew I shouldn't have gone inside. My wolf was driving me crazy saying Cassian wasn't safe." Xander didn't like not remembering but the events seemed right. 

"Go back to your room and get some rest. Doctors orders." Aemilia finally ordered them away. 

Cassian was taken aback by all the lies. He wanted to speak but Mistress Aemilia just glared again. He didn't know what to do. Once back in the alpha suit things were worse. The items he had bought were in the bedroom now. Xander looked through the bags one at a time. 

"Wow, you guys got a lot of shopping done. How long was I spaced out in the car?" Xander wondered. 

"We were in there for a really long time. We had just finished with the last store when we heard the noise at the door." Cassian told him biting his lip. His stomach turned with the untold part of the story. 

Xander saw this. "Whats wrong, you look sick. Still sick from the car ride?" 

Cassian was stuck now. Would he have to directly lie? That he couldn't do! 

"I'm sorry!" Cassian instantly broke down sobbing. "I-I didn't know w-what to do!" 

Cassian sobbed and spoke incoherently. Xander couldn't keep up. "Slow down and speak up! What happened at the mall?" 

"I used your pet name." Cassian finally admitted between deep breaths. 

Xanders' eyes blazed. He was going to kill his mate. The first wolf in history to murder his mate. "You. Did. What?" 

"I'm so sorry master. I didn't mean to I swear! You were panicking and couldn't hear anything. We tried our best." Cassian was now curled up on the floor sobbing. 

"'We' Titus... He knows?" Xander was getting more pissed by the minute. 

Cassian was too incapacitated to even answer. 

Calm down. His wolf ordered. He was just doing what he needed to do to save us from all those angry humans. You can't blame him. 

"Get up and go to your cage," Xander ordered. 

Cassian crawled over to his cage and threw himself in, apologizing for his wrongdoing the entire time. Xander did not leave the cage unlocked this time making Cassian cry harder if possible. He lost his masters trust. 

"If you ever use that name against me I won't hesitate to attack. Are we clear?" Xander growled. 

"Y-yes master! Thank you for being so understanding. I would never intentionally hurt you. I l-love you, master. Please... I don't want to hurt you." Cassian had calmed down some at the realization he wouldn't be getting punished but was still bitter about the lost trust. He could only pray Xander would forgive him.