Cruel Alpha

Chapter 16

Lucien’s house proved to be one of the places Robin spent most of her day. It was either this or the Pack House where the pack members referred to her as Beta Robin and asked for guidance. Robin spent her day trying to make sure that Pack House was functioning as it should; everyone fit into the first floor and the second-floor renovation was going as planned. 

Robin only noticed that it was Friday when Lucien sent an order for the first pack dinner on Saturday. One more week has gone and she even forgot to keep in touch with her friends, Robin felt like a shitty friend but she was busy, Busier than she has ever been and the prospects of Oak Tails getting its glory back kept her working as hard as she could. Every time she felt like taking a break Lucien would tell something from the past or talk about his new idea and Robin was hooked back in, recharged by the prospect of a brighter future. 

The Pack dinner was just like that but for the whole pack. Robin noticed how everyone seemed tired but Lucien had a speech prepared, she could tell from the glint in his eye that he had a plan for it. It seemed like he had a plan for everything.

“We will work hard, and we will rise again. Oak Tails will rise again and it will do so with your work. Keep working hard and we shall have our comeback.” Robin looked along the long table of pack members. She noted how most of them were young and had strong complexion. A strong pack.

“So, how was the first week of work?” Lucien joked as they walked back towards their houses. Derek was back in the Gamma House, but Beta House was further away. Robin chuckled. “Tiring and exciting all the same.” Lucien let the silence settle in, and as they reached the Beta House he spoke again. “All this time and I don’t think you ever told me your side of things.” Robin shot him a look. “My side of what?” Lucien sighed and stopped in front of her house. 

“Your side of life, how did you get to that pack. I even heard a rumor of you having some sort of fight with the Goddess??” Robin chuckled at the bafflement on Lucien’s face, he rarely looks like this. Most of the time his face is hard and angry, much like Robin’s. She didn’t know which one of them started it first but both of them had similar anger written on their faces. 

Robin sighed and checked the time, it was already past midnight, she was planning on making a day trip to River Banes to see her friends and catch up. “We could talk about it tomorrow, we do deserve a day of vacation,” Lucien said with a chuckle and Robin agreed even before she thought about it. River Banes would have to wait, she was getting a vacation and her friend wanted to hear a story about her life. 

Around noon on Sunday, Robin made her way to the forest, she was planning on having a run and exercising routine before she would go over to Lucien’s to talk. Robin run around the vast forest, these parts were unfamiliar to her. The wolf was used to running across the River Banes area and everything in here was different. She missed the familiar paths that were beaten down by the years and years of wolves running along. 

When the wolf shifted back, Robin realized that she has been here for 3 hours. Her wolf was running for most of it and she felt more energized than before. This is new. She noted as she went back to shower. 

When Robin tried to open the usually open door to the Alpha House, it was locked. She rang the bell, which made a very unfamiliar noise. The door was opened by someone unfamiliar as well. Robin could tell that this boy was part of the pack, but she couldn’t figure out why he was in Alpha House. “Beta Robin, Alpha is waiting for you in the second-floor living room.” Robin nodded and with a jolt realized that the boy was the butler. He was dressed in black and white and as she passed the kitchen she noticed a cook preparing food in there as well. 

Apart from the new people. House was as same as always, robin entered the living room and saw Lucien sitting on the couch, legs stretched across the coffee table. “hey there, you are running late,” Robin rolled her eyes and sat on his left and tucked her legs in the couch as well. “I don’t remember actually saying a time, so technically, I am not late.” Silver in his eye sparked but Lucien only smiled. “There are new people in the house,” Robin stated, with Lucien she never needed to ask the question, like the majority of the male population he liked explaining things.  

Lucien nodded, “yeah, the help, I asked them to start working from today, Yours and Derek’s will arrive tomorrow.” Robin scrunched her face, “no, thank you, I like living alone. No extra people.” Lucien eyed her and spoke, “All those years among pack members have made you go basic. Come on Robin, you are the Beta. It’s the pack member’s honour to serve the higher ranks. We have so much to do, you can’t possibly expect the house to stay clean and food to cook itself.” 

Robin wanted to protest saying she doesn’t even eat that much anyways and she liked cooking. But Lucien’s words about her rank made her stop. She is the Beta, time to start acting like one. She nodded. “Fine, but if I get annoyed, I am firing them.” Lucien smiled, “You have every right to do so, Beta. Fire them, employ them, it’s your call.” 

Silence settled among them again, Robin found it hard to come up with a starting point for her life. When did she change and settle among the average wolves? Did it start when the war ended or when she shifted and joining their ranks for training?  Did it start when her parents died or when she made friends who became her family? Her friends. 

“You look so stressed, if it causes that much pain, we could move past it,” Lucien said with a dismissive wave of hand and Robin shook her head. “No, it’s just I don’t know what to say. So many things have happened. 11 years, Luc, I can’t find a place to start from.” Lucien nodded and he thought about it as well. “Alright, let’s work our way backwards, then. Tell me something from your recent past.” He leaned his head on the couch, looking at the ceiling, giving Robin enough time to collect her thoughts. “We used to talk a lot. Remember when father kicked us out of the meeting room because we kept laughing.” Lucien said and turned to Robin and she nodded, she remembered it. “It was only because you kept making faces at me from across there, my father kept trying to make me focus. You were so distracting.” Robin said and they both laughed. 

“I thought of you. Quite a lot. I thought you died. And then I thought maybe you survived. When I got enough funds and started getting the Oak Tails back, I kept thinking ‘damn, Robs would love this.’” Robin chuckled at her childhood nickname, she even forgot it existed. Lucien coined it and made a fuss when anyone but him used it to address her. 

Robin looked at him then, he was still starring at the ceiling. He was just as alone as she was all those years. At least he thought of coming back, he made a plan. At least he thought of you. Robin thought, she didn’t do that. All she did was move forward. She made new memories, new friends and regarded her past as something that should stay in past. She struggled with fitting in, didn’t think she belonged in any place, she had no home. But never once she thought of coming back or looking for anyone. 

Lucien spend all his time and money working towards getting Oak Tails back together, he got machinery, he found her. Lucien told her everything of his past, of his hopes for the future. 

“You alright?” Lucien’s voice bought her back to reality, Robin nodded with a sigh. “Look, if it’s troubling you, we could just leave it alone.” He said and turned towards her. “I think food should be ready by now, wanna go?” Robin shook her head, he was doing everything he could to assist her, why couldn’t she just do this one small thing? 

“Let’s get the food here, I have stories to tell, don’t I?” Robin said with a chuckle and got up.