Cruel Alpha

Chapter 7

The research team is bigger than Robin expected. This is not something you can pull together in one day. She thought as she parked among huge SUVs and huge containers. Declan rushed towards her with an excited smile on his face. “Finally, I have been expecting you,” he said and immediately started to walk in opposite direction. Robin figured that she was expected to follow him. 

As she went with him, she noticed a lot of camps being set up, huge white tents covering most of the green forest. A lot of other people walked around, from an initial glance she sensed that all of them were werewolves. “I didn’t realize there were this many werewolf scientists” She voiced her concerns to which Declan chuckled. “I was surprised as well. When I put out assorts of an advert to call for a research team, I didn’t expect these overwhelming numbers.” Robin nodded along, her eyes scanning the surroundings. No matter how familiar it was, Oak Tails now was a new surrounding filled with unfamiliar people. All of those factors made her vary and suddenly Wilder’s advice of not punching anyone has become relevant. 

Robin was so lost in her thought she hasn’t noticed how they traveled away from the Pack House and towards what would have been higher ranked wolf’s quarters. “To be honest, I have been waiting for an opportunity to research Oak Tails for many years. The history and the theory of pure blood always fascinated me.”  Declan said and Robin kept in her urge of saying pure blood strength isn’t only a theory. It is a fact and Robin could prove it in more than one way. 

Declan stopped in front of rundown Beta quarters. Robin’s palms started to sweat. She dreaded seeing the inside of it. What if it still had her history written on her walls. What if she changed so much that she couldn’t even remember her way around it. Declan turned to her, excited glint filling his eyes, Robin didn’t expect basic archaeological research to rile someone up like that. “This is the start of restoring Oak Tails its old glory. We will do it together.” Robin nodded, trying to match his energy but she felt like she was failing miserably. “I am still quite unsure of my duties, but I am ready to help,” Robin said and opened the door of her childhood home. Stepping into the past was better than an awkward social exchange. 

She was surprised to see the interior purely blank. In her mind, she still expected to see the blood splatter or claw marks on the wall. “I don’t know if you have been aware but, few years after the war a non-profit team organized a cleanout of destruction and… remains.” Declan struggled to find the right word to say the bodies of your dead friends and family. 

Robin shook her head. “I didn’t know, must have been too young.” Robin thought out loud as she ventured inside. The walls were bare, the house was empty apart from the bare necessities. Declan followed her wordlessly. “I have organized for some furniture and stuff to be placed, to make your temporary residence be more enjoyable.” He offered as they reached a master bedroom. Mom and dad’s room. Robin nodded, hand gripping the door’s handle. Not daring to step inside. “Thank you, this is very thoughtful. How long do you think the research will last?” She said and turned towards him instead of the bedroom.  

Declan seemed to consider this for a moment. “Well, initially we will have a week for familiarizing ourselves with the field. Your insights will be extremely helpful during this period. Then it will be all about the uncovering and looking around the dirt. I assumed you would like to travel home for this week.” Robin nodded automatically, she was surprised by how much she craved the familiar layout of River Bane Pack House or the comfort of her not-that-noise-isolated bedroom. 

Declan stopped mid-sentence to check his phone, someone was calling him. “Basically, we are looking at 1 week here 1 week away or a month here a month in office project for at least next few months.” He summed up and excused himself to answer the call. 

One week can’t be that bad. Robin thought as she had no choice but to enter the room that would have been her parents’ bedroom. Luckily for her, she didn’t have to remain there long as Declan asked her to help him in the field. 

Robin came to realize that her duties were as a manager. She would make the groups send them in different directions and most of the time oversee their work, look through their sources and add details where the facts got blurry. During the day she mostly didn’t see Declan but during dinner hours, they talked and that was the only part of the day Robin dreaded. 

Declan was an interesting type of person that couldn’t differentiate between his work time and personal time and kept bombarding Robin with questions even when she just wanted to have her food and sleep. Sleeping was another issue Robin was slowly adjusting to. 

She tried sleeping in the master bedroom the first night, but it felt wrong. She felt like she was trespassing somewhere. So, Robin took the mattress from the bed and carried it to the bedroom across the hall. To her old bedroom. Being back in the Oak Tails area and the Beta House has been stirring up Robin’s memory. She saw dreams which were more of memories from her childhood. Some nights those memories ended with a nightmare version of the attack night where Robin got to see her friends get crushed. Some nights it was just a peaceful sleep. 

“We have done so much more than I anticipated. Thank you for all the help, Robin. I can imagine that it has been rather difficult to come back here after all those years.” Robin smiled to hide the truthfulness of his words. “I am glad that the research is going well. I am ready to do anything for the Oak Tails.” Once again Robin was surprised by the words that left her mouth. She has been coming to realize she was more invested in this research. She also refused to show her weak sides to some nerdy guy that thought he knew everything. Even if his words were true and she was anxious about some parts of her stay in Oak Tails, she was stubborn enough to pretend like everything was alright. 

Because one of the first lessons her parents taught her was: Never show your weakness. Everyone is an enemy.