Cruel Alpha

Chapter 25

“Robin! Gods and Goddesses, I was worried.” Robin’s mother exclaimed as Robin walked into the house. Finding her way back from the middle of the forest took longer than Robin would have liked, but she managed to do it all on her own. “You were supposed to be back an hour ago.” She continued as Robin took off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen. She was hungry. “I am sorry, mom. But Lucien was annoying and then we fought and then I told him I would find my way back on my own.” Robin spoke in a random jumble of words and her mother sighed at the mention of Lucien and a fight. 

Robin jumped to reach the barstools they had in the kitchen and the cook smiled as she went to get food for Robin. The mother waited until the cook placed the dish in front of Robin and then nodded, dismissing her from the kitchen. She closed the door and turned to her daughter who was making a mess of herself and the kitchen as she tried to eat. 

“Robin,” she said softly and Robin stopped eating, she just noticed how troubled her mother looked. “Is everything okay, mom?” The mother sat next to her daughter, they had the same curly hair, same facial features, apart from her eyes. Her eyes were from her father and they both had anger in them. “You fight with Lucien nearly every day.” Robin looked angry at the mention of him, “he keeps cheating on games and gets angry whenever I point it out. He is not fair.” Mother chuckled, “There is nothing that’s fair, Robin. If you try to fight for what’s fair, you will lose soon enough. Especially in here.” 

Robin looked at her mother with interest. “You don’t like it here?” All she has ever known was Oak Tails and it was beautiful; how could someone not like it. “This place is beautiful.” Robin continued. “Wolves in here are anything but beautiful, Robin. They aren’t kind, they aren’t friendly. All they know is fear.” Robin nodded. “Father says fear means that they respect us,” At the mention of her husband, the mother’s expression darkened. “Of course, your father would think so.” 

Robin was losing interest in their conversation when mother held her hands. “Listen to me, Robin, and remember. People in here especially people like your father are guided by power. The longer they keep the pureblood line going. The more power they will have. But that’s the thing with power, it’s never enough and you always crave more. I see it in you too, every time you fight with someone your eyes get the exact same shine Lucien’s do.” Robin looked at her mother in surprise, she never knew that her eyes also changed. “My eyes change too?” 

The mother nodded patiently. “Yes, darling. You have more of Oak Tails in you than I would like. You have their temper, their eye shining, and worst of all, you have their thirst for power. But you also have compassion and always look for fairness. Don’t let your thirst for power take that away from you. Don’t let the Oak Tails change you, don’t become like them, Robin.” She spoke with such urgency, but Robin could only make sense of the small amount of her mother’s speech. She didn’t understand half of it and her mother knew it. “I was naïve to accept your father's offer for marriage. I thought I would have a better life in a pack that’s so determined to build its own path, to make its own choices. I was wrong, I wish I could make you see that the ability to choose doesn’t always come at the price of losing your soul or bending your knee to people like Lucien. You can choose to step away. You can choose to have a fresh start.” She stopped abruptly, Robin heard the footsteps fill the house. Her father was home. 

The mother hugged her tightly, Robin was surprised by this but her little arms wrapped around her mother’s neck nonetheless. “I love you, Robin.” She kissed Robin’s head. “I don’t think I have a lot of time left here. Remember my words, do not ever let them change you.” She whispered to Robin and pulled away. 

Her father entered the kitchen not a second later, “how is my fighter doing? I heard you punched someone so bad their teeth flew out!” he spoke excitedly and Robin jumped down from her chair. “Yes! There was so much blood!” Robin moved her hands around trying to portray the gush of blood coming out of 9-year-old Billy’s mouth. He told her she was stupid and couldn’t play with boys. The father chuckled and looked at his wife. “What were you two doing going on about here?” The mother briefly looked at him before turning to her daughter. “Just a piece of motherly advice. She fought with Lucien again.” The father shook his head and shot Robin a disappointed look. “I hope you told her that it’s pointless and she needs to learn to accept him, not fight him. She wouldn’t be good Beta if she keeps making fights with the future Alpha.” The mother nodded and winked at Robin. “Don’t worry, I told her what exactly she needs to do to become good.”

Robin didn’t correct her mother because she didn’t want to be scolded about fighting with Lucien, she was tired of receiving the same talk over and over again. Though she also hoped to have more similar talks with her mother. They never did have a similar talk. A few days later, when she entered her parents’ bedroom, she found it empty. Her father always left early but mother was always in bed when Robin woke up.

Robin run downstairs and looked for their maids. “Have you seen my mom?” she asked the girl that always gave her breakfast. She had a sad smile on her face and suddenly hugged Robin. “Miss, I am so sorry, your mother…your mother...” she couldn’t finish the sentence, Robin felt the presence of her father behind her. Robin pulled away and looked from the girl who was now bowing to the Beta to her father who looked angrier than usual. “Dad?” she asked. He dismissed the girl and leaned down towards Robin. 

“Your mother has fallen ill. She had to be taken away where people can treat her disease.” He spoke without any remorse, Robin felt scared but her father was looking at her so she just nodded. “Taken where? Can we visit her?” She asked full of hope but the father shook his head. “No, Robin. We can’t see her again.” Robin felt bad, her stomach was hurting and she felt tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She wanted to see her mother. She needed to hug her and hear her tell a story. 

Seeing the incoming burst of emotions from her daughter, he sighed and picked her up. “You know, before leaving, she told me to tell you that she loves you and wants you to be on your best behavior.” Robin nodded and leaned her head on her father’s shoulder. She started crying, not because she missed her mother, but because she understood that her father was lying. Mother would never ask Robin to be on her best behavior, she always wanted her to be free. She wasn’t ill. 

She was gone.