you can't be wise and in love at the same time
Rose leaned back on the plush bed in exhaustion, unpacking all her stuff had seriously worn her out.
But even if sleep was trying to take over, Rose still had many questions.
What was she even doing here? Why did her father want her to call Roman, Alpha? And why had he gotten so upset about it? Why had his eyes changed colors when he looked at her in the car? It was all confusing her to the point her head was starting to hurt.
A soft knock was heard and she shot up in bed, rubbing her eyes and trying to rid herself of the exhaustion. "Yes?" she called out.
Roman walked in and smiled at her softly. "Dinner's ready, love."
She yawned and nodded, while he watched with a frown. "Are you tired, angel?"
Rose blushed at the endearment and shook her head, though he knew she was lying. She got up from the bed and walked toward him, waiting for him to lead the way. Together they walked to the kitchen, Roman and his wolf ecstatic at the thought of sharing a meal with their mate.
When they got to the kitchen, however, both of them started to smell the scent of something burning.
Roman's eyes widened and he rushed to the oven to see the chicken burnt. How had he managed to do that? His wolf smacked him mentally for ruining the meal.
Behind him, Rose was trying to hold in her giggles. She managed to put the pieces together when she saw the empty package on the counter and Roman's disappointed face. This very same situation had happened the first time her father had tried to cook dinner for her.
He looked at Rose with fondness and awe at the sound of her soft giggles. "You left the oven on even though they were done cooking, didn't you?"
Roman nodded, clearly embarrassed. Rose finally erupted into full blown laughter and Fenris fought to be let out at the pleasurable sight. Roman controlled him however and lifted Rose into his arms, her body still shaking from laughter.
"Is it really that funny?" he asked, not able to contain his smile.
Her laughter died down into giggles and she shrugged. "Not really, it's just my father did the exact same thing once." Soon her expression turned sad at the thought of her parents. Were they okay? What were they doing right now?
Roman immediately noticed the shift in her mood and realized it was because of her parents. He was quick to change the subject.
"Love, will you teach me how to cook?" he asked her tenderly. She snapped her head to meet his eyes, her own eyes twinkling in excitement as she nodded. He carried her to the kitchen where she immediately felt in her own element.
After a new batch of chicken was set in the oven and the timer was set, the two sat on barstools as they waited.
"Can I ask you something, Roman?" Rose asked. She'd decided now was the best time for her questions to be answered.
Roman looked delighted that she engaged in conversation. "Of course, love. You can ask me anything."
"Why am I here?" Out of all the questions she was dying to ask, this was the one she wanted to know most. But after a moment of silence from Roman, she continued. "I-I mean, we barely know each other. We met less than two weeks ago..."
Roman was panicking on the inside. She had the right to know who and what he was, but he wasn't sure if she was ready. He wasn't sure if he was ready.
Roman settled for an answer he knew would only incite more questions. "Because you're mine."
"W-What? What do you mean?" She asked. She wasn't angry or anything, just confused.
Suddenly Roman's eyes glazed over and to Rose he looked as if he was just staring off into space. She called his name a few times but he didn't respond.
Rose put her hand on his shoulder and he snapped out of whatever daze he was caught in. But really, someone was mind linking him.
"Sorry, love, I need to go do something. But stay right here, okay? Don't move from this spot." He looked a little startled and rushed his words. Rose decided it was best not to question him.
"But what if I need to check on the chicken?" She asked, half jokingly. His lips quirked into a small smile and he chuckled a little bit.
"Then you can check on it, but nothing else, okay? I'll be back in a few." And just like that, he was out the front door.
Rose wasn't the rebellious type, so she stayed put like he asked. But after a few minutes she got bored and went to check on the chicken.
Her back was to the entrance of the room as she opened the oven. She didn't see the guard who walked in the room.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Rose jumped startled and almost backed into the hot oven. She quickly recovered though and managed to close it before replying.
"I-I'm Rose, and u-uh, Roman brought me here," she explained nervously. She didn't know who the man in front of her was but he was extremely intimidating. He looked to be wearing some kind of uniform but even then she could see the outline of his muscles and large build. Not as large as Roman, though.
Suddenly the guard pounced forward and pinned Rose to a nearby wall by her arms. The force of it made her wince and she could tell it would definitely bruise. Tears formed in her eyes. "Don't you dare disrespect Alpha by calling him by his first name, human," the guard snarled. Rose was full-on crying now. She didn't understand why he was getting mad at her when Roman specifically told her not to call him Alpha.
The guard moved his hands to her neck and squeezed painfully. "I should kill you right now as punishment. Disrespecting an Alpha King is forbidden, human or not." Why was he speaking as if he wasn't human? And Alpha King? What was he on about?
"I-I'm s...sorry," she choked out. Was this how she was going to die?
"Let go of her!" An animalistic voice roared out and shook the walls. The death grip on Rose's neck was released. The guard turned and stepped aside to reveal Roman.
Except, to Rose, he wasn't Roman. His muscles had somehow grown; she could see his shirt was tight around him. But that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was that fur had started to sprout on his arms too, and his eyes were flashing black like they did in the car. His body was shaking from rage, she assumed. Rose couldn't believe her eyes.
The guard had seemed to put two and two together. "Y-Your majesty, I'm s-so sorry. I had no clue she was—" Suddenly Roman pounced on the guard and a scream escaped Rose's lips. What was going on?
Fenris had taken over Roman's body at the sight of his mate being attacked. Roman was unable to control the rage he felt when he saw his own guard strangling his precious Rose. Fenris was now unleashing that anger on the guard, forgetful that Rose was still in the room, a few feet away, watching the scene with horror in her eyes. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and bruises were starting to form on her neck.
Fenris repeatedly punched, clawed, and kicked the guard who was incapacitated. Roman was no longer Roman; he was a beast, a monster, a werewolf. And someone had hurt the thing he had just begun to live for.
A strangled sob escaped her lips when Fenris — or what she thought was Roman — punched the guard again. By now he was bloody and bruised, a sight too gruesome for Rose's eyes. "Oh my god! Stop! Please just, just stop! You'll kill him!" Rose shouted out in terror.
Fenris' form stilled at the sound of his mate's voice and he could feel Roman slowly taking back control. What had he done?
Rose watched as Roman's eyes changed back to the blue she'd been so captivated by, and the hair on his body disappeared. She inhaled sharply in fear. What was going to happen now?
"L-Love..." Roman choked out as he looked into his mate's fear-filled eyes. Never had he wanted her to look at her with such emotion, like he was the worst man on Earth, but perhaps he was.
He took a step towards her and she cowered into the wall, breathing heavily. "Don't... come near...me..." she said. Roman could see the faint red hand prints around her neck and his anger resurfaced but he pushed it down. His mate was afraid of him.
"Angel, please. I would never hurt you," he said brokenly. Fenris whimpered in his head, knowing this was mainly his fault.
Rose didn't seem to believe his words as she stayed backed into the wall. "W-What are you?" She whispered, but he heard it clearly.
Roman looked at her softly, dreading the question.
Suddenly, amidst the silence of the two, the oven timer went off.
The chicken was done.