Robin had always been weak to yelling, and it had been a small consolation that Jan mostly never did. If he had, she would have cried more and would only have made him find more reasons to hurt her. In those rare times he did though, it always tore her up.

Now in his place stood the Alpha….

And in the Alpha there was anger.

“GET OUT!” The growl was loud enough that it shook the frames on the walls, making them rattle and clank helplessly. The men behind him were now standing, all tense and in defensive positions and Robin…. Robin had stumbled into the nearest wall. The tears had not failed to come.

But to her surprise, the Alpha had not looked at her… had not directed those words towards her. Instead, he had his back turned to her and he was facing those many men in the room who were now slowly backing away at the dark look on his face. Through her blurry vision, their gazes were directed at everywhere but her.

“I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!” That was the final push that brought everyone rushing out of the room, eyes plastered insistently on the floor. In but a second, the Alpha had grabbed her arm and tucked her firmly behind his back where she was covered by his towering form. She was shaking and silent, though his hand that had remained wrapped around her arm was surprisingly gentle. Even so, she was growing fearful that he was angry at her and her punishment would be severe.

As the men passed by Robin and scattered into the winding hallways, Robin silently peered at them from behind the Alpha. She dared not to move too much so as not to anger the Alpha even more. Robin could only watch in growing fear and bewilderment as the men cowed at their glaring Alpha who had taken his stern position beside the door. He was staring at each of the men, who had numbered to a near 20, as they passed by him and Robin.

One of the last people had been that man called Bruce who, unlike the others, had lifted his gaze slightly towards her peering gaze and had even let out a little smile. “It’s ok, my Luna.”

Dumbfounded, Robin did not know how to respond and was about to pull her head back when the Alpha had abruptly let go of her arm. With a loud bang that made everyone come to a standstill, the Alpha had pushed Bruce against the wall, his face pinched into a harsh snarl.

“Do not look at her. She is mine,” the Alpha’s voice had morphed into a harsh whisper, but Bruce’s face remained as calm and collected as he could be with a huge man pressing against him. It looked terrifying, much more to Robin, seeing the Alpha overpower Bruce so easily in his anger. She was shaking now, realizing that she had caused this. She had. She meant no harm, and now she had made the mistake.

But she noticed as well how the Alpha’s shoulders were shaking violently and his breathing had become labored. Underneath his shirt, she could see his muscles moving and she knew that he was fighting now… fighting to shift.

With everyone looking cautiously at the scene, Bruce silently rested his hand on the Alpha’s shoulders and a sullen look entered his eyes. “She is yours, Titus. We will not take her away.”

The Alpha, lost in his urge to shift, had only growled at Bruce in response, a choked and guttural growl. But still he did not let go. Something had snapped within him, and Bruce looked at another man to the side, as if communicating. They had started to make a move.

Help him…

Help him…

The voice kept insisting in her head, and she found that she could do nothing but listen as she watched her Alpha start to fall apart.

Having had enough, Robin scampered towards the Alpha without even thinking and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head on his back. When the Alpha stiffened in her arms, she only held on tighter, hoping that she had made the right decision to listen to the voice.

“Alpha, please let him go,” her voice was small and afraid, just barely above a whisper. When the Alpha still made no move, making her grow more alarmed, she whispered, “I am scared.”

At those words, he let go of Bruce who simply stepped aside but looking somewhat relieved. The men had started to slowly walk away, and their footsteps became faint and lost in the background. She did not focus much on any of them though, and instead kept all her attention on the Alpha in her arms who had seemed to turn to stone.

A feeling of regret had started to form in her, accompanied by her fear at the possible reaction he might turn towards her. But she had made the mistake of coming out, and she will pay for it… not the others….

She had to be brave… for him… and for herself as well.

“I cannot look at you,” Robin had jumped when he finally spoke through the silence, his voice shaking and frail. It had sounded so unlike him that Robin had to let him go and take a step back, his back still facing her. His shoulders were shaking again, but she knew it was not out of anger this time. It seemed that now, he was pained.

She saw him clench his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he kept his gaze away from her. “I am ashamed.”

At his words, Robin felt her fear of him vanish, only to be replaced with a deep sorrow at the suffering he seemed to be in. Seeing him crumble this way made her feel helpless herself, even hurt. She did not understand why, but at that moment, all that mattered was him… only him.

Gently, she reached out for his clenched hand. Ignoring his tiny jerk at her touch, she wrapped both her hands around his large one, silently awed at how different they were in size, but realizing it felt right… right to hold him like this, to have his warmth this close. His scent, calling her so insistently, enticed her to draw even closer and go around him to see his face.

He did not move as she moved to stand in front of him, her hands still wrapped around his left hand, but he did not look at her either. He kept his face turned away, his whole body painfully stiff under her touch. It hurt her, it really did, but she squashed the hurt down so she could have the strength to continue.

“Alpha,” she called, staring up at him almost pleadingly. Her head tilted back so far just to see his face that stood much higher than her own. He was a man of power, that much she knew, but at that moment, he was cracking so very badly and all that power that had once been there was now crushed.

At her call, he could not help but finally glance down at her, revealing the pain etched deeply into his beautiful face. He was looking at her with unrestrained emotions, but those eyes…. Those beautiful eyes conveyed fear the most.

“I have hurt you,” with that, he brought up his hands to cradle her cheeks, though his hands only hovered, never touching as if he was scared… scared of crushing her in his uncontrollable chaos. Mustering her own strength, she held on to his hands and pressed them firmly against her cheeks. She rubbed against his warmth, still confused but electrified by the warmth his touch gave. “You have not harmed me, Alpha, but you have made me scared.”

He frowned, but his thumbs rubbed gently under her eyes to wipe the tears away. She let him, gazing intently into his eyes that were staring down at her in remorse. “I am sorry.”

An unfamiliar feeling tugged at her heart as she heard his words, watched his lips form them. As she saw his eyes swirl in a genuine red hue. What was that feeling she felt? Something so warm and alive that she had never felt before?

“I am sorry for going out as well, my Alpha,” she responded genuinely, showing her own remorse on her face for him to see. “I had angered you.”

“No no no,” he whispered urgently, then turned his head to the empty room. Dropping his hands to her shoulders, he gave her a soft look. “Come and sit.”

He lead her inside, and she realized then that it was a meeting room, the large oval table dominating most of the room with chairs scattered about it. There were papers strewn haphazardly about, a product from the previous event and their rush to leave.

Ignoring the mess, the Alpha pulled out a seat and settled her gently on it where she sat comfortably. She curiously watched him as he kneeled in front of her, his large hands resting lightly on her hips. His face was much calmer now, and she felt herself relaxing as well, loving his hands and attention on her. The thought made her chide herself, though her blush did not fail to show.

“Robin, you do not need to apologize to me,” the Alpha started, jolting her out of her daze. Confused by his words, she was about to speak before he placed a finger to her lips. “You do not have to apologize,” he repeated more firmly, though not angrily.

“I am sorry. I let my anger take over, and I will tell you ahead that this will happen many times. My mind is very troubled, and I am more wolf than man at times. I will apologize ahead, but hope for you to understand that I am not angry at you. I will never be angry at you. I can be angry for you, but never at you.”

And there was that feeling again, that warm tugging feeling that she could not identify. His seemingly sincere words and piercing eyes had etched themselves into her mind, into her soul. He was baring himself to her, but why? Why should he?

“But Alpha, I made you mad-“

“No,” he cut her off before she could continue. “You did not make me mad. What made me angry was that… they were looking at you and you- you looked so beautiful standing there I couldn’t bear it. I could not control my wolf at that moment. I am sorry, Robin. I really am.”

His words had brought another blush to paint her cheeks as she understood what he meant. “You were… jealous, Alpha?”

Her bluntness openly caught him off-guard, but he remained calm, looking almost contemplative. “Yes, I was. I am a jealous man, but-“ he rubbed his thumbs under her eyes again, and she found that she had started to like it when he did so, like he was wiping every tear she had shed in her lifetime away.

With conviction, he made a vow. “But I will work on myself, for you.”

Not knowing what to say, and somewhat overwhelmed, she pulled away, ignoring his slightly hurt look. She breathed carefully, trying to pick her words carefully so that he would understand. “Alpha, I do not know why you do these things for me. I do not understand. You say I am your mate, but I am worried that you are wrong.”

She gazed up at him, holding his eyes that pierced her ever so sweetly. “But I want to know more, I want to if you wish me to stay.”

“Then let us make a promise to each other,” he held her hands in his, wrapping them gently as if they were fragile and ready to break. “Robin, I promise to be better for you, and show you that you truly are my mate. I will make you happy and treat you well, show you that you are worth more than anything.”

She couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her lips, becoming suddenly shy. “Then Al- Titus, I promise to try as well. I am still scared and do not trust you as of yet, but I will try to give you my trust and believe in your words.”

It was at that moment that she finally saw him smile, so small and barely there, but oh so beautiful all the same.