Do Alphas Apologize? (A Cat's and Dog's book)

Prides and Prejudices.

-Alex-

I was outside now, and I could still feel Geoffrey's mind like a soft nebulous ball of clay in the back of my head. He was... odd. I couldn't get inside his head, but I could tell exactly where he was and what he was feeling. It was extremely odd, the rest of my Pride only ever showed off their thoughts; I never saw any emotion other than what I heard in their voices. It felt more... intimate, with Geff,  because of that. Though... I also couldn't reach his actual thoughts as easily as I could with those of my Pride. Regardless, I knew he was in his bedroom, still asleep, and I was going around and remarking my Pride members; reinstating myself as their Alpha while apologizing. I had been an idiot, and I was just grateful Geff had snapped me out of it. I was still shocked, though. It had been just what I needed, something I'd thought was impossible was the perfect thing to convince me to fix my mistake- and boy had that been a shock. I'd looked up, hoping for a kiss but expecting a terrified child about to try and comfort me, and gotten a fist to the face and a dominant man tough as nails- or, it had seemed like it while I was still stunned from the punch- and shocking me in his demand for obedience from a man well above him in both dominance and hierarchical standing. It had been awe inspiring.

Of course he'd lost it afterwards, along with the fearful awe he'd inspired, but I'd already promised and I had regained my sense. Of course, I'd made Ken and Gavin leave him be and gotten their permission to re-claim them as my Pride members- which was perfectly okay. They'd been grateful I was willing to do it before the negative aspects of being outside of a Pride started affecting them- mainly having to do with a roguish scent and small... problems. I then had had a brilliant idea; since Geff was in a submissive pose, I wanted him in my Pride, and I knew it would help him in the long run- even if he'd hate me more for it- I initiated the bond. He'd been a swirling tangle of raw and painfully strong emotions at first, mainly anxiety, fear, and confused pain; then he'd grown confused and conflicted, his fear almost disappearing as he looked at me. Of course, I'd sighed and let Ken and Gavin go, but they'd... exchanged pleasantries while I wasn't looking. Ken rushed to Geffs side, the only thing I could sense was a low muttering filled with such raw disgust and disappointed disapproval that I'd almost felt bad; then Gavin moved. I'd expected him to do what Len was doing, Rush to comfort their friend, but instead he walked up to me with a glare; I'd thought he was going to yell at me but instead he punched me. I saw it coming, known I could block it, but it had been such a shocking idea, so surprising, I hadn't even thought about it.

He hit and my head turned, but that was it. I was designed to be stronger and more durable than a beta, and he'd gone against every instinct he had hitting me. I simply held my jaw and thought, wondering just how badly I'd screwed up that it had convinced Gavin- the beta- to hit me. I shivered, praying as the town began to go to sleep around me, that I hadn't just made a huge mistake. I slipped off of the dumpster and headed towards a drainage pipe, shifting as I reached it. I began climbing the thing, not trusting the AC guys to leave me alone at night when I was sleeping, and made my way to the roof of the building with relative ease. Sleeping on a roof that was as flat as my parents humor wasn't my favorite way to spend the night, but I was used to it. The typical cold seasons came and went, I slept here every night. The winds blew, I slept. The rains came, I got a box and held it down from the inside. There wasn't much else to tell about my sleeping habits. I did as I did.

I'd left my parents years ago, there were at least two or three reasons why, and none of my Pride could house me without raising their own parents questions, so I simply lived. Not like it was any big problem, I simply had to live a slightly harsher life than was necessary; I made due. I lay on the roof, shivering slightly and wondering about things, until slowly my eyes began to close. But not in time to avoid seeing them. I groaned, rolling upright and kneeling as I sighed. I whistled, knowing they'd already seen me, and waved them over. There were five of them, bordering the line of a coven, but still merely a clan. I raised an eyebrow and waited. The lead one smiled, red eyes glowing in the darkness. "Not your usual talkative self I see, is there any particular reason? Maybe some fresh strings I could play with?" I knew what he was talking about and sent him an unimpressed glare. He was from the Anima tribe, the one that was heavily invested in Magic's focused on the soul. Whatever bonds I made with my Pride were apparently in reach of his talents, and the newer something was the easier it was to mess with. I knew the threat he was making, and I knew exactly how logical it was.