Cruel Alpha

Chapter 21

“You are cheating, I can literally see it from here.” Robin’s voice boomed over the playground. Lucien was the only one who dared to look her in the eyes. The other children have already received their fair share of punching from Robin because of looking at her the wrong way. “And what are you going to do about it?” Lucien spoke with a smile. He liked taunting the young Beta. She was 7 and he was 11 but she seemed to have no regard for that as she furrowed her brows and marched towards him. I can easily overpower her. Lucien thought, she should be afraid. 

However, Robin was anything but afraid. Lucien was cheating in the game of marbles, Robin wasn’t exactly sure how, but she saw that shine his eyes get whenever he is doing something he isn’t supposed to do. So, Robin was confronting him, though most of the kids he was playing with were as bad as him. They were mean and were boys. That was all the reasoning she needed to hate them. 

“I saw you! You were cheating, check his pockets and look around him.” She eyed one of the boys who got up and reluctantly approached Lucien. Lucien growled which made the boy quickly step away. Players of the game looked from Lucien to Robin and all collectively decided to not get involved and take their game elsewhere. Higher ranks kids always fought and yelled, and then immediately made up. It wasn’t for the other kids to get involved.  

Robin approached Lucien and sat down. “Why do you keep cheating?” she asked, her grey eyes filled with interest. “Because I can.” He pushed her away and Robin sighed before sat down few feet away from him. “Cheating is bad, you shouldn’t do it.” Robin tried again. Lucien chuckled and got up, his height towering over Robin. “And why should I listen to you?” He leaned down, Robin noticed the glint in his eyes again. He was up to no good. “You are just a beta kid, Robs. I am Alpha, I will always be the one you listen to.” Robin furrowed her brows, she hated his tone and hated the way he acted. “You are really mean right now.” She said and Lucien chuckled. “That was the whole point.” He pushed her making Robin fall on her back and hit her head on the pavement. 

Robin’s alarm made her jump awake and grab onto bedsheets. She checked the time; 8 am on Friday. She laid back down again, trying to catch her breath and make sense of the dream/ memory she saw just seconds ago. 

Yesterday as she walked from Armoury towards Beta House she only had one thought in her head: Lucien wasn’t who she thought he was. She had majorly overestimated his character. Robin broke her own rule; she trusted Lucien without a reason. He didn’t earn her trust, she just gave it to him. But he is Luc, he is family. Well, at least he was family. 

But judging from Robin’s slowly restoring memory, he wasn’t always nice and she wasn’t always agreeing with him. Robin got up and stared at herself in her bathroom mirror. 7-year-old-Robin would definitely kick her a*s for trusting Lucien. And she would be right. 

Robin showered and tried to pinpoint the exact moment Lucien’s behavior switched, the exact moment his ‘glorious comeback’ started to mean attacking nearby packs, especially River Banes. She also tried to think of the reason her memory was failing, why couldn’t she recall some parts of her childhood and they only showed themselves from time to time. Robin always thought that, maybe, it was the PTSD from the attacks on the pack. But now that she thought of it, she couldn’t really remember stuff before the attack as well. 

What the f**k happened to her memory? What the f**k happened to Lucien? And what the f**k was she supposed to do now? Robin groaned and exited the shower with even more questions. She got ready for the meeting with Lucien, her main plan was to learn more from him. Somehow. Try not to get charmed by his tone, then. her wolf said angrily. Since Robin’s attention drifted to the fact that Lucien was trying to control her with his Alpha Tone, her wolf was constantly on edge. Robin, however, kept falling into the same trap. 

She sat in her usual chair in Lucien’s office, he acted like he didn’t corner her and act all big bad Alpha on her yesterday. Robin just kept the act going, she needed him to believe that she was under his control. The meeting progressed smoothly, and Robin went on to do her daily duties. 

She was half distracted by everything that was on her mind. She noticed the way pack members stared at her. Some fully avoided her eye and it reminded her of the memory from the playground, those children had the same reaction to her. They were afraid. 

“Remember, Robin. Respect is born from fear.” Her father’s stern voice spoke as Robin sat in the chair, cross-legged. Impatiently listening to him. “And fear gives you the power over those who feel it.” He leaned closer towards her, his eyes were the same color as hers. “Always be feared. Never fear.”

Robin was bought out of her thoughts by the loud whistle. The training was starting and all the pack members were piling outside. She followed them, eager to see the training in action. She was training on her own most of the time or sometimes accompanied by Lucien. Robin shook her head to stop thinking about it, but it didn’t help. “You don’t need them, they need you.” She remembered him saying one-morning training, “This is your home, Robin. Your parents would be so proud of you for getting the pack back together.” She remembered him saying once again. 

Just how much of my thoughts were put there by him? Robin felt her panic rise. How much of me did he control? She felt someone walk behind her and turned around. Derek was approaching her, great. “Enjoying the training?” he said with a chuckle. Robin nodded and turned back towards the wolves who were doing push-ups. “Why aren’t you joining them?” Robin asked, she hasn’t seen Derek train with anyone. He shrugged and leaned on the wall right in front of her. “I could ask you the same question. You look like you need training.” Derek’s eyes scanned over Robin and she growled. “Keep your eyes to yourself, Gamma.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Gamma this and Gamma that, what have you done to earn that title, Beta?” he paused. “Other than being born into it.” Robin stood taller and approached him. “Do you dare to doubt me?” Derek shrugged. “Yes, I think you are just entitled and used your good graces with Lucien to get the Beta rank. I was here for longer than you. I deserve to be the Beta.” Robin was surprised by how much this angered her. He dared to insult her title, he dared to speak against her. He dared and that was his mistake. 

Robin grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him outside. Derek laughed as he assumed the fighting stance, people training on the other side of the field looked at them. Robin smirked and charged at him, not giving Derek the opportunity to strike first. She punched him, being caught unprepared he got pushed few feet away. 

Derek growled and charged at Robin, she caught his fist halfway and twisted his hand behind. He swung his head backward, hitting Robin in the nose and making her loosen up. He got free and kicked her in the stomach, Robin groaned in pain. “All talk, no power.” He taunted. Robin growled, her eyes switching between fully black and grey. “I will show you power.” Her voice had the wolf’s echo to it. 

Her punch got blocked, but Derek didn’t expect a kick so he doubled down. Robin grabbed his shoulder and lifted him from the ground. “You will pay for your words.” She said and threw him away. Derek collided with the ground, as he tried to get up Robin was over him. Her hands were around his neck within seconds. She was tired of him underestimating her, she was going to show him her strength. Fight him like a pure-blooded Beta you are, Robin. Lucien’s voice echoed in her head. 

This made her snap back and she looked at her nails that were digging into Derek’s neck. There were first signs of the blood. “I yield… I yield.” He coughed out and Robin looked at him. He looked afraid. Fear gives you power.

She let go of him and moved away, Derek immediately started coughing, trying to breathe as much as he could. I nearly killed him. She thought and looked around. All of the pack members were looking at her, Robin expected them to protest, Beta’s weren’t supposed to kill their own pack members in the middle of the day. 

But as Robin looked at them, they all shrunk back and one by one bowed to her. She looked at Derek, he was bowing as well. Respect is born from fear. She looked at all the bowed heads.  And fear gives you power. But as she looked at Derek and remembered the look on his face, she doubted whether she wanted that power at all.