She was regarding the dish before her in earnest curiosity, hands folded neatly on her lap as she sat quietly in what seemed to be a dining area, a very large dining area at that. Alpha… Titus had led her here just a few moments ago from the room with the comfy bed and lone window.

From what she was able to tell, she was in a fairly large building, most likely the Infierno pack house. It was large, yes, though definitely homey, and she saw many potted plants dotted around with blooming flowers. Titus patiently waited for her, hands dug into the pockets of his shorts, as she curiously glanced at them. More than anything, she most likely stopped every 5 seconds to examine many things she only had faint memories of like picture frames, wooden posts, and high ceilings with lights that hung down from them which enraptured her dearly. She would blush, catching herself each time and mumble her apologies for stalling him, but he only shook his head and told her he didn’t mind.

What made her flush, even more, was seeing him from the corner of her eye stare intently at her as she looked around, a dark emotion hiding within his gaze that melted her insides more than she would care to admit to him in embarrassment. But since they had emerged from the room, he had not touched her and had kept his hands firmly in those pockets, which both disappointed and relieved her. She would faintly admit she missed his warm hands and whispers, but those were dangerous and made her mind go blank.

For now, she needed to be cautious especially in a foreign place within a pack that was notorious for their… barbarity. While their Alpha may be nice to her as for the moment, she could not be guaranteed that the other members would be as well nor could she be sure that their Alpha’s kindness towards her, mate or not, will last for long.

Despite her expectations, the place was weirdly empty and they did not once encounter anyone else on the way here. Even so, she still observed recent signs of life in the place with rooms that looked lived in, and it seemed like the place had been cleared out just recently.

So now, there she was, sitting quite timidly at a table that was much too large and stretched much too far with chairs neatly arranged about it. She was able to count at least 15 chairs, including the one she had been sitting on at the right side of the said large table. The large window on the wall to her front gave her a view of the forest beyond, allowing the light to filter into the room, though she could tell that it would be night soon as the sky turned into a pinkish orange color. She felt comfortable, really, and would have relaxed if only she was not left alone.

“Are you hungry?” he had asked her as they entered the dining area, but she was not even able to answer before he had started moving, his look almost preoccupied.

The Alpha had seated her and rummaged through a big rectangular box that had lights inside and what seemed to be tons of food(?) before grabbing something and setting it on a plate. He placed it neatly in front of her with a tiny fork, though what it was she could not even begin to know. It was a dark brown and cut triangular in shape with dark crumbs littered about it on the plate.

She looked up at him shyly as he stood beside her, a small scowling look on his face. “It’s what I can give for now. I’ll have the cook make something more hearty for our dinner, but this would fill your stomach up for a bit.”

With that, he had taken off before she could even ask anything, disappearing into a nearby door in a hurried rush. She stared at his disappearing form then at the thing on the plate quietly, debating if it would be best to eat it.

She was honestly quite hungry, and she had not eaten well when they had first entered the Infierno pack this morning, she hoped that was this morning. Deciding that it would not hurt to try, she hoped, she took a small bite. Her eyes had widened then as the flavor hit her mouth, a rich and dark sweet taste that was starting to become familiar to her. She could remember a faint memory now of eating cake… much like this one. It was chocolate! But when was that?

Not wanting to dwell on the saddening thought too much, she started to devour the chocolate cake most likely looking quite rabid and starved though not minding anymore. It tasted very very good, not like what she had been fed while in the cage. She knew this had to be a favorite of hers now, and she hoped that the Alpha would allow her to have some more.

She had long since finished the cake with a disappointed look on her face when the Alpha had returned, carrying with him two more plates with steaming food. He glanced at her now empty plate and at her face and thought he cracked a dashing smile, though she was not sure before it was gone in a flash.

“I take it you liked the cake?” he asked her as he placed the food down on the table, taking a seat next to her. She nodded vigorously, a warmth spreading at her cheeks in embarrassment. She directed her eyes towards her lap, avoiding his soft gaze.

“Thank you Al- Titus. It was very good.”

“Do not thank me. I am just happy you enjoyed it. Now… turn your face towards me a bit, please.”

Slightly confused but not wanting to anger him, she tilted her face up towards him. He was seated quite close to her, the heat of his thigh seeping into her own as he leaned over her to get closer. She was most likely quite red in the face at that point when he had wiped his thumb on the corner of her lips. She gasped in silent embarrassment, realizing she had made a mess on her face with the chocolate.

“I’m sorry Al-“ the words died in her throat as he brought his thumb towards his lips and gave it a lick, his eyes now a dark red that gazed at her with a hunger unknown. She was shaking then, a fire within her speaking to her of things she did not quite understand. All she could tell was that she wanted him to touch her then, but she refused to move and watched apprehensively as a sly smirk graced his face.

“Now I see why you quite liked it.”

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Dinner after that had been quite awkward and tense with him continuously staring at her while he ate and her trying her best to count the peas on her plate while picking shyly at the chicken. She was feeling quite shy at what had happened, but had not said or moved towards him in any way, knowing that she would only make a fool of herself.

He was just teasing her, it had to be. He was just teasing.

Chanting those words in her head, she slowly ate her chicken, wanting to postpone the inevitable of them finally having to look at each other after dinner. If he would see her face plain and square, he would realize how badly he had affected her. While she felt embarrassed that he influenced her so much, she was more frightened that the Alpha might think it disgusting that she would look at him that way.

She had to be a good girl, a good songbird. He was her maestro now.

Realizing quite fearfully that her plate was now empty, she braced herself as the Alpha, who had also finished eating a while ago, started to stand. His chair squeaked against the floor, filling up the thick and tense air in the room. She was starting to panic, trying to avert her gaze to things far away from the towering, brooding, and oh so beautiful man beside her.

God, her mind was a mess. She was a mess.

“Shall we go?” his dark voice cut through the tense air, and she decided to finally muster some courage, enough to glance at him from under her lashes. He was looking the same as always, a somewhat blank look on his face though his eyes showed a slight softness to it, meaning he was in a somewhat alright mood.

Not trusting her voice to betray her, she gave a small nod.

It was nighttime by the time they had left the dining area, and she also realized that he was leading her in a different direction from where they came from before. This time, he was leading her to a flight of stairs that led to a lower floor, the basement maybe. Confused as to why she was not being taken back to the room with the comfy bed, she started to worry that maybe he really was going to treat her as a slave and dump her into a dungeon.

“Al- Titus…” she whispered tentatively as he started to lead them down the stairs. The flower floor was very dark and she could barely make out anything. “Will I not have the room I w-woke up in before?” She sounded to herself quite terrified, and she knew that he had felt it too because he had turned towards her then, his bright eyes shining even in the dark.

“No, you will have a better one. Do not worry, this is my personal floor. I prefer it underground.” He left it at that and continued on, though it did very little to quell the doubts in her mind. All she could do was trust him at that point, and even if he were lying and would truly dump her in a dungeon, she could not do anything about it. She would have to deal with what the Alpha wishes.

When they had reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw him paw at the nearby wall and flick a switch on, illuminating the area with a small light from above. They were greeted with another door, one that was made of wood and a deep brown in color, his name “Titus” engraved on it in thick and solid letters. Curiously, she found herself lightly touching the engraving with her fingers.

“My father had made it for me,” his voice was quiet, answering her silent question. She gazed back at him, without realizing it wanting to hear more. He gazed at her gently. “He made it when I took over the pack and made my own quarters.”

Understanding dawned on her as she realized that this door led to his room, and he was bringing her inside. She was going inside his room.

She couldn’t dwell on it for too long before he opened the door with ease, flicking on another switch to reveal the room that belonged to the Alpha of the Infierno pack. As if realizing she wanted to explore, he moved away from the door and let her wander in, gazing at everything around her.

It was a large area, with wooden floors and warm gray walls, and she was first greeted by what seemed to be a living room with a couch and a rectangle thing that looked like a flat box hanging on the wall over a fireplace. Beside it, separated by a half wall, seemed to be an office space with a large desk and a huge chair with papers all about in neat stacks and piles. Pictures adorned the wall and there were paintings as well. It was very clean and… surprisingly homey.

Venturing further, there were two more wooden doors at the far end.

He felt her approach from behind her, though he maintained a distance of about a few inches. “The left is for the bathroom. The right is our bedroom.”

Our bedroom?

Apprehensively, she opened the bedroom door and was spellbound at the room before her. If she thought the bed she woke up in was comfortable, she must have been wrong. The huge bed with dark blue sheets had to be the most comfortable thing that she had ever seen.

The room was simple, with drawers on both sides of the bed and a large closet across from it. There was also a floor-length mirror that was even taller than her. There was a door beside the mirror, she assumed another one leading to the adjoining bathroom. The ceiling was high and an elegant light fixture hung from it. The room was very manly-looking and had a woodsy feel to it, something that quite matched the Alpha that stood behind her.

“For tonight…” he left the door open, but entered into the room. “The bed is all yours to sleep in.”

She was surprised, and whirled around to him, only to jolt as she bumped into his chest. He stared down intensely at her as he wrapped those warm arms around her again. She was shivering again, and blushing quite profusely.

He looked at her with a dark glint in his eye that churned her insides. “Soon, we will share the bed together."

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