Cruel Alpha

Chapter 30

Robin run in the forest, wind ruffling her rust coloured fur. The wolf finally felt like she was free and howled in happiness. Robin let the wolf take over and allowed herself to rest for a bit. Lucien was coming up with new duties for her nearly every hour. Robin guessed that this was his way of punishing her; making sure that Robin doesn’t have a free minute to think of disobeying him. 

However, it wasn’t working. She went to Armoury to check the weapons, she thought of River Banes, pack members averted their eyes at the sight of Robin, she hated every single bit of the power that her being craved so badly. The urge to just let her guards down and assert her power over the weak was becoming stronger by the day. Lucien taunted her, calling her too kind as if it was meant to be an insult. Robin nodded and let his words go through her, not letting the words take hold. 

Robin was forced to focus back on the reality as her wolf growled, she felt another scent in the forest. Lucien. The wolf retreated to the background forcing Robin to be the one to lead herself towards Lucien’s scent. Thanks for that. Robin scowled at the wolf and followed the scent. “Do not make me force the words out of you.” Lucien’s growl filled the forest. Robin stopped in her tracks, the wolf covering behind the large bush. 

“Alpha, I... I apologize.”  The second voice filled the silence, Robin peaked her head out of the bush. Lucien was talking with a boy Robin didn’t recognize. She could recognize the boy’s scent as one of the pack members, though all she could feel apart from that was fear. Robin closed her eyes and tried to focus on the birds and the wind, not allowing herself to feel the fear, that sweet fear that let her take advantage of anyone. 

“Your main duty was to report to me about Derek. You have failed to warn me about his unplanned departure. Where was he planning to go?” Lucien spoke, and Robin witnessed his Alpha Tone working wonders. The guy looked down and spoke in a monotone way. “Gamma didn’t specify, said he would be coming back late and I shouldn’t wait up.” Lucien groaned and turned away from the boy. Robin’s heart leapt out of her chest, she didn’t want to get caught when Lucien was angry. It wouldn’t end well. 

Robin kept staring at the boy, he was dressed in a uniform and Robin recognized it. The butler. He was the butler of the Gamma house. Did Lucien use pack members to spy on Derek and her? The sudden action of Lucien’s fist landing on the boy’s face made Robin focus back on reality. The boy stumbled back, Robin smelled the blood way before he removed his hand from, his nose. She wanted to puke. He whimpered and looked down, a voice in her wanted to make him kneel and beg for forgiveness. 

Lucien grabbed the boy by the shirt and wiped his hand on it; the white shirt filled with the un-washable colour of blood. “You have disappointed me,” Lucien spoke calm, way too calm. Robin knew his anger like the back of her hand, but his calm demeanor was something new. 

Something worse. Robin realized as Lucien punched the guy again. And again. He dropped to his knees. Lucien kicked him in the stomach. Robin wanted to go and stop him but she was glued to her spot. The sound of fists colliding with the body made her want to cover away, she was no fighter. She was no soldier. Robin remembered her promise to not be a soldier, to not join a side, to not become like the sides of the war that destroyed her home. 

But life was never that easy, not all promises could be kept. She was destined to be the Beta, to be as cruel as the Alpha she was supposed to obey. She was going to lead the soldiers to a fight, she wasn’t a soldier, she was the general and somehow it felt way worse. She wouldn’t be personally killing people, but she would be ordering the death of thousands. 

No, you won’t, Robin. We won’t fight River Banes. Her wolf growled, Robin felt her anger. We won’t fight. Robin echoed her words. But it didn’t change the reality that she had the thirst for blood. She had the desire to prove herself superior, to prove herself to all the weakling wolves in the pack. To prove her power to herself and, even to Lucien. 

Robin shifted back and made her way to the Beta House. Her eyes landed on the butler and the maids, she remembered the way Lucien treated them and wanted to puke. They were his tools; his eyes and ears in her house. The maid’s eyes followed her as Robin made her way to the kitchen. “Let me guess, Lucien wants to see me?” Robin said with a chuckle as she drank water. The maid looked down but Robin caught the hint of a smile on her face as she spoke. “Yes, Beta.” Robin cringed at her title. She kept reliving the moment Lucien spoke of her future as Beta, manipulating her into obeying his every word. 

Robin took her time getting to Lucien’s office, giving him time to wipe away the blood from his fist and herself the time to mentally prepare. After Derek’s unscheduled visit out of the pack, Robin expected to be tasked with finding him or even worse, punishing him. What Robin didn’t expect was to see Lucien smile and call her over to his table. “Come over Robs, take a look at this.” He spread papers on his table. 

Robin leaned her hands on the table as she took a look at the papers, trying to make sense of what they meant. “Attack plans,” Robin said as she looked through them. Lists of soldiers and their ranks. Grouped from strongest to the weakest all with their leaders. Robin found her name on one of the teams. She was leading the second team, right behind Lucien. Her eyes widened and she turned to Lucien who mistook her shock for excitement. “We are ready, Robin. We are a step away from, proving them all wrong.” Robin nodded, trying to match his enthusiasm. In her head there was one thought, she needed to get away. Away from Oak Tails and her duty of leading soldiers. Away from River Banes who expected her help. Robin wanted, no, needed to get away. 

"What’s the last step?” She asked, hoping to focus on delaying that step for as long as she could. Lucien smiled and took her by the shoulders. “You are the last step, Robin. The last piece of our plan. You will get Wren. Bring her to us and then River Banes will know the wrath of Oak Tails.”