Berlin

My lungs threatening to burst, but despite my breathlessness I continued to move as fast as my short legs could carry me. I could sense that the man was on my heels, and knew that he could easily sniff me out no matter where I ran. In the back of my mind, I also knew that running away would be fruitless and that his dominant instincts would make him give chase, but in the midst of my panic, my wolf took over and I quickly found myself  tangled in a pile of my own clothes as I struggled to escape.

No! Max's sweater! I can't leave it behind! I thought to myself, kicking my small paws so that they would become untangled. When I was finally free, I grasped the arm of Max's sweater in my teeth with a whimper, dragging it across the floor towards the large and luxurious Pack House kitchen. 

I needed to hide, and quick. I lifted my nose carefully, sniffing softly. I went into high alert as I sensed that the man was close, scrambling into the closest cupboard. I pushed myself as far back as I could go in the small, dark space and when I was safely in the back, I burrowed myself into Max's sweater, tugging it to cover my entire body and whimpering sadly as it engulfed me in his calming scent.

I'm not ready.

I whimpered once more, my body shaking uncontrollably at the sound of heavy footsteps and a deep, dominant growl directly outside of the cabinet that I hoped would save me. The growl sent an involuntary shiver through my spine, the authoritative nature of it making my wolf roll over and show my stomach as my Omega instincts kicked in. 

There was a moment of terrifying silence before the door of the cupboard was completely torn off of its hinges. I froze completely, attempting to stay as still I could underneath the sweater, breathing in Max's soothing scent. However, my attempts proved to be futile, as my limbs betrayed me and I began shaking like a leaf once more as I laid on my back in the pile of fabric.

Suddenly, Max's sweater was yanked away and I was left feeling fully exposed without my security blanket. I looked up in shock, staring up at an extremely large, pitch black wolf. He exuded a power that made my Omega instincts kick into hyperdrive. His eyes were a bright, almost liquid gold color, and filled with an intensity that made me weak in the knees as he stared me down. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't take it.

My paws reached for the sweater in a panic, a whine escaping my throat at the thought of someone else touching it, but my movement was cut short when my tail was caught gently in the jaws of the black wolf.

"Stay still." he said into my mind, crackling weakly through our barely-there link. Unsurprisingly, my body complied immediately and I froze, but it didn't stop there. 

I also unintentionally shifted back due to the rush of emotions I'd been thrusted into, suddenly finding myself completely naked in front of the one person I was trying to get away from.

As tears welled up in my eyes, I grabbed Max's sweater and held it tightly against my chest, curling up in a ball on the ground and attempting to cover my nudity with the fabric as much as I could. 

Defeated.

As I cried, I felt strong arms wrap around be tightly, lifting me up against a broad, sinuous chest. At that moment I didn't care. I didn't have much fight left in me. Letting my inhibitions go for just a moment, I allowed myself a second of reprieve as sweet unconsciousness took over my body.

Osias

|A Short Time Later|

He was terrified of me. That much I knew. However, what confused me was why I gave him so much distress. Hell, I hadn't spoken a single word to him aloud, yet when I attempted to get to him, he ran as if his life was at stake. I'd never heard of someone not being at least slightly excited about finding their mate, but this little minx laying in my bed was throwing me through a loop and a half.

When I ran from the ceremony in pursuit of the little blonde-haired beauty, I simply allowed Ortiz to take my spot and continue the ceremony as usual. He'd naturally jumped at the chance to take my place, that fucker loved playing Alpha whenever he got a chance.

When I saw the little wolf hiding in the kitchen, I knew that he was everything I've ever imagined. He was tiny, a bit larger than a pup with a coat which was similar to his hair color, taking on a beautiful golden hue that shined in the light. When he shifted back promptly and fainted, I carried him back to my Alpha suite. On the way, I couldn't tear my eyes away from his gorgeous face.

 I noticed the way that his blonde bangs curled around his cheek and fell perfectly across his eyes and forehead, although the rest was up in a small bun on the back of his head. He was definitely a mixture of the couple that came in before him, although it seemed as though he took on most of the Asian features of the smaller man. I'd have to commend them for creating such a beautiful child.

I was yanked from my thoughts thanks to the small, angelic boy in my bed. I shivered involuntarily as I heard his voice for the first time since I brought him to the Alpha Suite in my wing of the Pack House, although I was immediately alarmed by the pained tone of it.

"No!" he cried out with his eyes still closed, gripping his oversized sweatshirt in his dainty fingers. 

I wondered why he is so attached to that old thing? It was falling apart at the seams, and I could easily tell that he'd tried to sew up multiple holes in the fabric.

"P-please!" my small mate began to scream, thrashing about on my bed with his brow creased in a horrifyingly sad expression that tugged at my usually immovable heartstrings like a marionette. I immediately ran over to him, gently shaking his shoulders in an attempt to wake him from his sleep terrors.

"It's a dream, kitten! Wake up!" My heart skipped a beat, or a few beats, as he sighed and began to awaken. His eyes fluttered softly as he began to open them and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when I saw him begin to calm down, the cupid's bow on his pouty lips still quivering from his nightmare. 

After a moment, he completely opened his large, brown eyes, staring at the ceiling in confusion before shifting his vision so that his eyes landed on mine. I suppose I was too close for his comfort, as when a look of recognition flashed across his eyes, he began to scramble away to the other side of my bed in a panic, his knuckles turning white with the amount of force he was holding onto the raggedy sweatshirt with. My eyes caught sight of a golden locket, situated on a  thin chain that wrapped around the boy's narrow neck. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, its daintiness paralleling the dainty build of the boy, and I wondered for a moment if it was custom made.

"Calm down, beautiful. I am not going to hurt you. I promise." I spoke softly, allowing my Alpha tone to slip into my voice. I felt a slight bit of guilt by influencing him in that manner, but decided that if it would help him calm down a little bit that it was worth his potential anger at me later.

Although my voice in that moment was - at least to me - the least intimidating I have ever used with someone who ranks below me, the beautiful man still cowered in the corner of my bed, visibly shaking from head to toe. With a deep sigh, I slowly began to move across the bed towards him, my hands up to show that I was not a threat. However, despite my precaution, every movement I made just made the situation worse, and his eyes widened with fear as I got closer, so I simply sat still where I was.

"What is your name? Tell me." I asked as gently as I could, forcing myself to make my voice even more approachable in hopes he would possibly react positively. However, despite my best efforts, I still sensed it was too demanding for his Omega nature to handle.

Fuck, I really was not used to this 'being nice' stuff. 

His face contorted adorably for a couple of moments as his shoulders began to shake, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes as they welled up with tears once more and immediately overflowed down his pink cheeks.

Shit, not again.

I groaned, utterly unsure of what to do to make the situation better. Sexual appeal came naturally to me, but I was so romantically inept it was almost comical.

I waved my arms around his body for a moment in a thoughtless panic before reaching to wrap my arms around him in a comforting way I'd seen some of the other couples in the pack do, but to my utter astonishment, he held out his hands towards me, blocking me from coming any closer.

"No..." he whispered, his eyes meeting with mine for a brief moment before he slowly crawled off of the bed as if he was expecting me to pounce on him at any moment. He covered his body with his hands, pulling oversized shirt over himself discreetly so that I would not be able to see any more private areas of his anatomy. 

Pfft, if only he knew what I saw as I carried him up here.

"C-can I go to my room now?..." he whispered, his head bowed to the floor and his fingers trembling from holding onto the bottom hem of the sweatshirt to make sure that it stayed down. I saw teardrops hit my carpeted floor and sink into the plush fabric as he stood there hopefully, looking ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

His question sent a shockwave of anger through me. 

Why would he want to leave? He is my mate for fuck's sake. We just met, he should be happy about this! Any other Omega would hop, skip and jump at the chance for a higher status by mating with an Alpha. 

"No." I growled, standing to my full height and walking over to him, peering down at the top of his blonde head. I grabbed his slender wrist, and his head whipped up in shock as I did so, his perpetually pain-filled expression etched on his face. 

"You are staying here. If I ever see you step foot outside of this room when I tell you not to, you will face punishment. I am an Alpha, and you will do as I say." I finished in my Alpha tone, my grip on his fragile limb tightening as I slightly lost control of anger once again. I couldn't let him get away from me again. I wouldn't let him.

"You are the Alpha?" the small boy looked up at me incredulously with wide eyes, and I could feel his fear deepen at the realization of who I was. He sniffled, trying and failing to pull away from my strong grip.

"Please... please just... l-let me go." He sputtered out, not being able to put together a proper sentence. I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to put all of the pieces together.

"Do you understand what I just said?" I grumbled, growing impatient.

"Y-yes, Alpha." he whispered, a few straggling tears making their descent down his red cheeks. 

I let his wrist go, and the little Omega wasted absolutely zero time in ducking around me, the rapid movement making me stumble, and running to my closet. He closed the doors and I heard the sound of it locking from the inside.

My temples throbbed and I rubbed them with a sigh. I don't have time for this. We should be rolling under the sheets by now, with him marked and sated so that no other male would attempt to take him from me.

Not that they would ever survive if anyone attempted to challenge me for him.

I faced an ethical dilemma with this one. I could either walk over to the closet and comfort the shit out of my utterly terrified mate, or I could turn my back and allow him to suffer all alone in the darkness with nothing but the clothing in my closet.

I didn't have much sense, but even I knew that I'd have to be fucking crazy if I chose the second, which I wouldn't hesitate to do had I been dealing with anyone else. 

This was different. This was my mate.

I slowly stalked walked over the closet, sitting down on the carpeted floor with my back to the door before knocking on it softly and clearing my throat.

Time to summon all two of my romantic brain cells. 

"Hey... Um..." I cleared my throat again, stalling for time as I tried to think of what I could possibly say for him to even give me an ounce of trust. I just needed enough to get him out of my closet, I'd figure out the rest later.

"Um... You are cute." I scratched the back of my head, cringing at my words. I was so, utterly bad at this. 

"Wait, no, scratch that, you are the most beautiful man I have ever seen." I started, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the closet door. My wolf, York, poked at my consciousness, and I let him take a bit of control, hoping he would help me form my convoluted thoughts into something comprehensible. 

"When I saw you, I almost started crying with joy. Do you know how long I have been waiting for you?" I asked with a humorless chuckle, although not expecting an answer. I was quiet for a moment as I heard him shuffle in the closet, and a smile worked its way onto my face as I sensed that he, too, was leaning against the door and listening to me. 

"I do not know why you are resisting me so much, but I will do my best to make you feel at home here. Please forgive me if I get angry easily... I am a work in progress. But if you let me, I will work my fucking-" I heard a squeak as I cursed, he was obviously disturbed by it, although I continued on, making a mental note to tone it down. "...hardest to make sure that you are safe and feel comfortable here." I finished, slightly astounded at my ability to express myself in a manner that was void of any anger or sarcasm.

But then again, I'm me, and that means that I'm pretty fucking amazing anyway.

York grumbled in my mind at that thought, reminding me that it was only because of him that I was able to form a sentence without scaring my mate away again. Asshole. 

"M-my name is B-Berlin." came a shaky reply from behind the door, his voice slightly muffled by the door between us.

"What?" I spouted back from surprise when he answered me, turning my head to face the door. There was a moment of silence before I heard a soft, deep breath from the other side.

"My name... is Berlin." came a slightly more steady reply before I heard the lock pop to a an unlocked position, although the door still did not open. "And I can't accept your offer."