I wrote the first 30% of this chapter in Danish for some reason, and then I had to translate all of it. This was not a good day.

***

Metal grinding against metal. Consistent heart beating. Airflow from the vents.

With a deep breath, filling my nostrils with the scent of old paper, hand sweat, and the slight hint of freshness from the potted plant in the corner of the small room. I'd never liked waiting rooms- so many people passed through it, and their scents always lingered, it was quite distracting.

The faint sound of wood against wood drew my attention to the left. My eyes landed on Paige's delicate fingers, fidgeting in her lap. My gaze moved up to her face- her brows were furrowed, making a small 'v' in her otherwise perfectly smooth forehead. My hand ran over my own forehead, where I could still clearly remember the feeling of pumps- I wish I'd had that good skin when I was a teenager.

"Everything alright, Love?" I whispered, trying my best not to draw attention from the other wolf in the room. Paige rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, averting my eyes. She's definitely not fine. I sighed.

She bit the inside of her cheek and then looked up at me through her lashes. "It's got nothing to do with you, it's just... therapy," she fake shuddered. "Blabbering all of my feelings to someone who doesn't really care... nah," she shrugged.

I smiled, placing my hand on top of hers, enjoying the warmth and electricity that shot through me at the contact. I'd heard people describe how touching your mate felt like, but I could've never imagined the intensity of it until I actually got to experience it.

"I'm paying her to care, so don't you worry about that," I smiled at her. And that was very true- I was paying a minor fortune for each consultation, but it didn't matter, money had never been something I'd had to worry about, and now that Paige was a part of my life, they didn't matter to me at all anymore- they were a means to an end, nothing more.

Her face lit up with the most gorgeous smile, the faint hint of a dimple popping out. Her blue eyes shone in the light from the window, my face reflecting in them. "That's quite true," she teased, her grin becoming lopsided. I love you.

The sound of footsteps drew my eyes away from her beautiful face, to the door to the psychologist's office. The latch scraped against the metal when the door handle was pushed down, and out walked the doctor and her patient, another girl around Paige's age- maybe a bit older, walked up to the man who had been sitting in the chair opposite of me. He smiled warmly at her, and then gently wrapped his arms around her. My mind drifted to this noon.

Paige's delicate arms wrapped around me, her lips touching my temple, the warmth of her body enveloping me- I could still smell the faint hint of chlorine on my shirt- and in Paige's hair for that matter.

The doctor called Paige's name, my eyes out of instinct scanning over her. Paige seemed relaxed- shoulder down, a faint smile on her lips, her heart beating normally. She turned her face to me with a smile. "I'll see you later?" she asked.

With a deep breath, resisting the urge to wrap her in my arms before leaving her alone, I nodded. "I should be back here once you're done, and if I'm not, just call me," I reminded her, to which she nodded and then followed the therapist into the office.

The second the door closed behind them, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, finding the number I needed amongst my recent calls. I put the phone to my hair, pacing down the hallway, towards the elevator while the first ring passed. "Hello, this is Susan Jace with the DRHRS,"

I pressed the button for the bottom floor. "Hello again, Susan this is Alpha Allen- I'm sorry about hanging up so abruptly earlier, I was worried that my mate had dropped into a pool,"

"I can't say that it wasn't impolite, but apology accepted- now, where were we?"

I stepped out of the elevator, heading for the glass doors leading out of the building, giving a quick nod at the security guard standing by the door. "I had just asked you about the average rent level in one of the HSA... slum apartments," I reminded her, waiting for the light to turn green so I could cross the road.

"Ah yes... well, I actually looked it up, and the median price for a one-bedroom apartment measuring about 150 square feet is around 1100$..." she trailed off.

"Let me guess- mold and crumbling walls included?"

"Basically,"

Opening up my car door, I got in with a groan, placing my phone in the holder on the front panel, connecting it to the speakers. "Right, of course... I can't believe that someone approved of this bullshit... fuck... well, I'm meeting up with some of those responsible for maintenance in the slums and some of those who own the buildings tomorrow for dinner?"

"Will you try to get them to ... do their fucking job and lower the rent or what? Because in that case, I doubt you'll have any luck,"

A dry laugh escaped me. "As if, I'm meeting them so I can inform them, face to face, that they'll be out of a job in a few months,"

"Are you serious?! You convinced them?!"

I smiled, stopping by a red light. "Yup, talked to Alpha Zeena earlier today... she agreed. We're already having people lookout for new building sites,"

"Isn't that a little stupid? Financially, I mean, wouldn't it be better to just tear down what's already there and replace the shitty apartments or...?" I smiled at her informality- it was nice, talking like a normal person even though we were technically doing business.

"Nope, I mean, we will be using the old slum cities, and we'll be tearing the walls down, but the apartments are comically small- I want them bigger, and newer, and lighter, so we'll need some extra space,"

"How much are we talking here?" 

"Eh... 1000 acres extra in this pack, but it'll be completely worth it- most of the houses will have their own backyard, the apartment buildings will be light and roomy and have a large shared yard, it will be absolutely great,"

"And what about the costs?"

I suppressed a groan. This was really the only worry I had regarding this whole situation. "It's gonna be expensive, really expensive, but it'll also be worth it- once we get the humans out of those crappy places, I have a funny feeling that a lot of health issues will... vanish, or at least become way small issues. And thankfully, Mrs. Herveen wasn't as much of an idiot as you might imagine- she knew not to spend all of the money, she's basically not spent any, she's just been transferring them- so we've got a few billion to work with."

"Well, that's something- and Alpha Allen?"

I came to an abrupt stop by a crosswalk, as a little boy, maybe five or six ran over the road, his mother chasing after him with panic in her eyes. "Yes?" I asked, the adrenaline still pushing its way through my body.

"You're doing a really good thing here- every human will be more than grateful for this,"

I smiled, and let my finger hover above the 'end call' button on my steering wheel. "Thank you, goodbye, Susan,"

"Goodbye, Alpha Allen,"

My eyes lazily moved up, viewing the large building when I finally reached my destination. The building was large, mainly made of glass. You're doing this for Paige, I reminded myself. She grew up in that hellhole, and now I have a chance of making sure no one else will ever have to. With a groan, I opened the door and got out, my eyes once again running over the large building.

The elevator finally stopped by the seventh æfloor, and I stepped out, walking through the wide, anonymous hallway, towards the glass office at the very end. I fucking hate landlords. Silence fell over the room as I opened the doors, all eyes turning to look at me. The room was completely still, like a photograph, no one moving, for just a moment, before a man, probably in his early fifties, with greyish hair and a beer belly approached me, his hand outstretched for me to shake. I did so, out of habit. He smiled with a fake warmth in his eyes. "Hello, Alpha Allen, so good to see you again,"

I raised my eyebrow. "Again?" I couldn't recall ever meeting the man before- and the scent lingering with him made me happy of the fact. It seemed that a lot of old people, men in particular, at some point decided that they'd gotten too old to use deodorant. Or shower.

He averted his eyes. "Yes, we met at the Fairbanks Christmas party last year,"

"Oh," That explained it. I'm quite sure I had several liters of eggnog that nigt, and I couldn't remember all that much about it.

The man, whose name I still didn't know, seemed to shake the awkwardness of him, before gesturing behind him. "Well, since you're here, I'd love to introduce you to my daughter- Clara,"

A young beautiful woman, probably nineteen or twenty, stepped out from behind him. She wore a pair of very tightfitting black jeans, that left nothing to the imagination, and a white button-up shirt, that was buttoned just one button too low.

"Hello, Alpha Allen. My name is Clara Farsson," she smiled with her bleached teeth, 'discreetly' brushing her brown hair away from her chest, revealing even more of her collarbone. I might've found her interesting a few months ago- well, quite honestly, a few months ago I would've probably asked to speak to her for a few minutes after the meeting, and pulled her into the toilet for a quicky.

The thought seemed nauseatingly unappealing now.

I smiled politely. "Hello, Ms. Farsson," Let's just shut this down right away. "I must admit, your necklace is quite stunning- where did you buy it? I'd love one for my mate," I had my mask set in a carefully composed mask, and I was truly glad of the fact at that very moment- if I hadn't, I would've been rolling on the floor by the sheer expression on Clara's face. Her mouth snipped together, almost as if a sneer, her eyes lighting up with anger. Seems like someone's daddy promised them an Alpha.

She took a quick breath, composing her face into one of cold politeness. "Uh... I don't remember," she whispered, looking away from me, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment. Yup, I'm taken, and I'm not fucking sorry.

"You have a mate, Alpha Allen?" a very shocked voice asked from the right. A man with dreadlocks collected in a ponytail looked at me with surprise in his eyes.

Confusion flooded my mind for a second. The night I'd met her... I'd felt like screaming to the heavens, that I had a mate, yelling it from the rooftops. The fact that it wasn't common knowledge was... weird. "Yes, I do indeed. We've only known each other for two months, but I do- but that's not what we're here to talk about. So if everyone would please have a seat," I gestured to the table with twenty chairs placed around it. All went up to a chair, waiting for me to reach the one at the very end, and taking a seat, after which they followed my example.

A man with a residing hairline crossed his arms over his chest with a pout, looking like a disgruntled fucking toddler. "Well, what was the big thing? I was supposed to be at a golf tournament now," a, so he is a disgruntled toddler.

I took a deep breath and nodded to myself. "Right, of course, I won't beat around the bush now... you're all fired," I leaned back in my chair with a nod.

The toddler flew up from his chair, which fell and hit the floor behind him. "What are you talking about? You can't fire me- I own my business,"

The urge to run up to him, grab him by the collar and yell into his face who he thought he was coursed through my body. Calm down, Allen, act like the adult that you are. "Well, then I am closing that business for you. It's come to my knowledge that none of you, not one-" I ran my eyes over all of the people in the room. "-has managed to do your actual fucking jobs, so from as of three months from now, the buildings you all own will be handed over to the state, that is all. You are all dismissed," I clapped my hands together and got up from my seat, collecting my jacket from the backrest of my chair.

The toddler was clearly about to throw a tantrum. "What?! You cannot do that, I paid for that property, the rent is my only source of income, it belongs to me," he nearly yelled. That's it.

The next second I was right in front of him, staring down at him with a sneer on my face and undoubtedly yellow eyes. "Listen to me quite carefully- I am an Alpha, I am in charge of you, and if you do not piss off within the next five seconds, I will rip you and your mates heads off, are we clear?" I whispered. He nodded with wide eyes, and I could almost see him shrink several inches as he collected his things and headed for the door, all of the others following his example.

My eyes found their way to the back of a clean-shaven head. "Mr. Dunlap. You stay here, just for another moment please," I told him, making him freeze in place. I looked back up at the rest, who then hurried to get out of the door.

Once the two of us were left alone, the bald guy carefully placed his folder on the table. "What is it?" he asked, clearly annoyed. Or scared. Or both. I didn't particularly care.

I resisted the urge to growl. "Watch your tone. You own apartment building 113, in the 2995 locality code?" I asked him, trying to keep my tone calm.

Caution painted his features. "I own apartment building 90 to 140, yes," he informed me carefully, keeping his volume low. I nodded slowly, taking my sweet time walking around the table and up so I was only a few feet away from him- close enough for me to touch him.

"I see... my mate grew up in 113," I said, finally looking back up at him.

All color left his face, fear flashing in his eyes."Oh, what a..." he rushed his jacket over his shoulders, already turning his body towards the door. "Coincidence, well, anyway, I really must get going, I'm picking my daughter up from her... piano lessons in fifteen minutes, so..." he only managed to take a step before I had my fist wrapped around the collar of his shirt.

Did the jackass really think I didn't do my fucking research? I smiled, trying to keep my anger in control. The yellow in my eyes reflected in his. "You have 2 sons- the oldest one lives in India with his family, and the youngest one is 24 years old and lives in a studio apartment in New York with his mate- they're expecting their first child," I whispered, spit hitting him in the face as I did.

Tears filled his eyes with fear. My wolf growled in approval."I uh... I'm sorry, I meant uh," he whimpered, trying to pull out of my grasp

My face fell flat. "I really don't appreciate being lied to, and I'm honestly not a fan of you letting my mate live like a rat for her entire life," the anger was building, growing in my chest with each word. All I could see was my beautiful Paige, the center of my universe, wrapped in a lousy thin blanket on a pathetic excuse for a bed with a moldy mattress, shivering from the cold. A growl rippled from the depth of my chest. Me and my wolf had disagreed about a lot of things lately, but one thing we were completely agreeing about; this man deserved to die a slow, painful death.

A tear ran down the man's face. "Alpha Allen, I really... I'm truly sorry, but if I had had any idea that your mate... I would've... you know I would've..." his voice faded, turning into desperate whimpers.

I opened my mouth with a snarl. It would be so easy... just rip up his throat. Feel the warm pulsing blood soak my face, my shirt, the floor beneath my shoes. The sound of his hard beating frantically for just a moment, before giving up... but Paige didn't deserve that. She deserves someone better than me, she always has, but no reason to make matters worse...

I raised my fist, plunging it into the man's face with all my might and force, possibly having a very small mental orgasm at the simple sound of the bones breaking under my knuckle, The thrill howl that left him at the pain. I let go of his collar, the bastard landing on the floor with a 'thud' like a sack of potatoes.

I spat down at the miserable individual on the floor, placing his shaky hands over his broken nose as blood began flowing from it. "Get your sorry ass out of here,"

When I opened the door, everyone who had left the meeting room just minutes prior was staring at me, true fear in their eyes. I ignored them and headed for the elevator, which took frustratingly long to reach the seventh floor.

Within a few minutes, I was back in my car, driving out of the parking lot and towards my second destination for today. Paige seemed to have a certain love for v-necks, but it always seemed that something was missing- something shiny, and beautiful, and adorable, like herself.

I parked my car in front of my favorite jeweller; my dad had shown it to me when I was maybe seven or eight, because he was buying a pair of earrings for my mom- it was the same place he'd bought my mother's engagement and wedding ring.

The bell ring as I walked into the store, no one having taken any notice of me yet. I Looked around the room. Two women looking for rings together, and a young man looking through a selection of golden bracelets. A small smile made its way to my lips, before I slipped into Mason's office, knocking on the door as I walked in.

The elderly man, who'd owned the shop when I had first visited it, and when my dad had bought my mother's engagement rings for that matter, looked up from the papers in his hands, a warm smile covering his face.

He got up from his chair, his arms out wide in a welcoming gesture. "Allen! It's so good to see you- where have you been? I was worried, you always come by around your mother's birthday," he gestured with his head for me to follow him into the shop itself- the two clerks still not paying any attention to us.

"Yeah, I'll need something for her too, but I actually came here for a gift for my mate," my heart swelled as the words left my mouth. My mate. My Paige. Mine to protect and love; only mine. My back straightened at its own accord.

"Ah yes, your father told me- well, what are we talking? Diamonds? Sapphires? Rubies?" he gestured at the glass display behind him, endless lines of rings, necklaces, bracelets, ankle chains and rings shining and glinting in the light from the lamps.

My eyes scanned over all of the little things. I couldn't imagined any of it on her. "Actually, I was thinking of something a bit more... minimalistic, she isn't really the flashy type, my mate,"

He furrowed his brows for a second, before turning to the side, walking just a few feet further along the display, and then gestured one again. "Like this?"

Some of it was definitely way too much for my Paige, but there were also a few sweet things. My eyes scanned over the display once again, locking on a single item. I pointed, keeping my finger off the glass. "That one... that's real silver, right?"

Mason rolled his eyes. "As if I'd ever sell anything that's not," he walked around the counter, picking up a chain with a large diamont attached at the boot.

"No, not that one; the one to the right of it," Masons hands froze, and he gently put the jewelry back in its place, picking up the right one this time.

"Just a quick question, Allen- do you actually like you mate? I mean, this just seems so... cheap,"

I suppressed a growl. I am not cheap. "Like I said, she's not the flashy type- and I like the... symbolism," I smiled.

Mason rolled his eyes, once again. "And here I was, thinking that your father was a softie, but if he's a marshmallow, you're candyfloss,"

I nodded. "Only for her," my heart warmed at the thought of her. Can't wait for that fucking therapy shit to be over- I want her back. "And... can you pick out something for my mom? Rose gold. Diamonds. You know her style- perhaps some earrings, she complained about one of her favorite pairs falling apart last week- she's worn them out,"

He nodded, and then went back to the flashy section, leaving the necklace on the counter. I gently wrapped the chain around two of my fingers, bringing it closer to my face to examine. It was perfect; simple, beautiful, charming- just like her. When does the therapy end?! My eyes shifted to the familiar glock at the end of the room- fifteen minutes. Thank fuck.

Mason placed a neatly wrapped box on the counter, and then held his hand out for the necklace in my hand. I handed it over to him, not quite letting go for a second. "You got any blue wrapping paper?"

"I think so," he said, and then took the necklace along with him. "No, sorry, we don't- should I just?"

"No no," I shook my head, and then held out my hand. "Just give me the box then- it'll save a bit of paper anyways,"

He nodded, and then placed the necklace into the large box, carefully closing the lid, the locking mechanism making a tin 'click'. "A bag?"

I shook my head, and headed for the register, paying for both my items, and then headed back for my car. Back to Paige. I placed the stuff on the backseat, and then merged into traffic, in the direction of the goddess' awful waiting room.

Finally, I found myself in one of the generic chairs in the waiting room, listening to the mute, indistinguishable voices of Paige and her therapist, my heart only really calming down now that I could hear her voice, her heartbeat- knowing she was safe.

Sending her off to school everyday, leaving her alone at any time, not being able to see that she was safe and happy was torture, each and every second. According to everyone I knew, it would only be getting worse- until we'd begin making love, her scent and mine mixing together, as a warning for all wolves to stay away from her, and to tell them that if they didn't, I'd be there to torture them to death.

The thought was incredible and depressing at the same time- she was too young, and definitely not ready for any of ... that. Not that I think she would let me touch her, even if she were. She'd guillotine my dick before I got anywhere near her- not that I didn't deserve it. It was quite... yeah, disgusting. I tried to avoid thinking about her age as much as possible, it made me feel like a perv.

I looked back at the door. If there was one thing I would change about her, it would be her birth year- she was too young for me, or rather- I was too old for her. I shook my head. As long as I... well try to keep my hands to myself, and never try to pressure her into anything... I groaned. My wolf was far from in agreement of those thoughts. As long as mate wants us, we can want mate. Pervert.

Time passed by ridiculously slowly, before the door finally opened, Paige coming into view... with red and puffy eyes. I was by her side the next second. "Everything alright, Love?" I whispered, my eyes instinctively scanning over her body to check for injuries. If she as much as stopped her toe on a table...

She nodded, sniffing quietly. "I'm fine Allen, don't worry, I just told... well, I'm fine," she wiped her hand over her eyes, and then sent me a knee weakening, stunning smile. She need s to stop, or I'll marry her on the spot.

I nodded silently, my mouth unable to make any understandable sounds. I turned to the doctor, raising my eyebrows. She sent me a friendly smile, to which I nodded, and carefully wrapped my arm around the top of Paige's back- just lightly, so she could shake it off easily. She didn't. I smiled.

We reached back to the car, and out of habit, I opened the door for her- she smiled as she got in, and my heart quite possibly swelled to double size. Mine. I walked around the car, picked up her gift from the backseat, and got in. "So... I got you something..." I said, holding up the box. She tipped her head to the side in confusion, almost as if she'd never seen a jewelry box in front of her and up close before. My heart hurt at the realization that she probably hadn't- how had everyone she met resisted the urge to shower her with gifts? To give her everything she looked at? It seemed impossible to me.

I urged for her to take the box, which she did- slowly receiving it from my hands, her hands running over the velour on the outside of the box, before her fingers found the small, gold lock, and pressed down, gently tipping up the lid.

"I thought you needed something pretty to wear, so I got this for you," I sent her a smile, observing her face. Her beautiful eyes were wide and curious, her mouth going from hanging open to pressed together in a mix of concentration and curiosity.

She gently pulled out the silver chain, with the single little charm attached- a silver heart, with tiny diamonds embedded in the edges. She put her hand under the charm, studying it with curious eyes. "I love it," she whispered, her eyes still running all over the tiny piece of jewelry, and I'm pretty sure I grew another two inches in that moment.

I tried to keep myself from squealing in happiness like a teenage girl. "You want to try it on?"

She nodded, and handed it to me, turning around and moving her hair out of the way. I closed the lock and let my hands fall, and she turned back around, her fingers gently running over the metal. "Thank you Allen, I love it, it's beautiful," she said, holding the charm out in front of her, admiring it from a new angle.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face. It wasn't my scent, or a mark, but it still held the same meaning- she was wearing something I had given her. She was mine. My smile grew wider.

"i thought it was kind of symbolic," I admitted. "You bring my heart along with you, wherever you go- now you bring that one along too," I explained at the sight of her confused expression. Honestly, I was expecting some sort of sarcastic comment, or worse; her returning the necklace. But instead, the most adorable redness spread all the way from her neck to her ears, painting her cheeks an adorable rosy pink.

Without a second thought, I leaned forward, and pressed a slow, lingering kiss on her rosy cheek, my own heartbeat quickening along with hers. I pulled back with a smile still plastered on my face, and turned on the car.

A/N

So... AALLLLEENN. I really wasn't going for the obsessed ting, just... completely whipped, y'know?

Hope y'all liked it. I'm sorry if this is shitty and 'unmanly' (as in- no man would ever think like this) and bad writing- I'm not a man. I don't know... what goes on in their heads, except for like, lack of basic preservation skills and... sex.

Also, I've seen some people do this for other writers, and idk... I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but like, if any of ya'll like my story and maybe... idk, if you're like, artist types, and if you got nothing to draw, I'd love to see some drawings of your favorite scenes so far. Idk, just figured it'd be cool. I won't use the drawings for anything, I'd just love to see how you... like picture the stuff I write.

Question for you guys: what you're favorite baked good?

Mine is chocolate chip cookies. They are just... MWAH!

Aight, fact about moi- ... I've got a bit of a crush on a guy in my class. He's like, not my usual type look-wise at all but he's just... cute. He's got glasses and he's dorky and he's just really nice and I don't know he makes me feel all soft inside. Idk, my brain isn't really working. *'I think I'm in love again' playing in the background*. But really, he's a genuenly good guy, and he's just so aaaaaaaaaahhhh, and for the first time in my entire fucking life I really really really wanna tell a guy that I like him... and I also don't because he's just such... a good guy, I don't wanna mess the itty bit of friendship between us but he's just soooooo... adorable.

Better wait 'til I'm rid off my period hormones before I start declaring love to anyone, though.

Well, I love all of you- see you (hopefully) soon! <3