The Ice Alpha

10

I don't think Hannah fully trusts me yet.

Yes she accepted me as her mate but we are still basically strangers.

The sound of a baby crying pulls me out of my thoughts. As I approach her room I hear the shower running in the bathroom so I step inside the bedroom where Oliver is.

"Hey buddy, What's got you so upset?" I ask him as I pick the pup up from his crib.

"Aww I bet that soggy diper is uncomfortable. How about we fix that, Hu?" I take him to the bed and lay him on top of it. I honestly don't know why people buy changing tables you hardly ever use them.

"Now be good and don't pee on me. I know little boys think it's funny but take it from someone who used to be a little boy. Peeing wherever you want can get you in trouble." I tell him as I open the diper and quickly clean him up and change him.

"I'd like to know that story." I hear and look over my shoulder to see Hannah wrapped in a towel. "But I was coming to get him. You didn't need to..."

"I want to." I cut her off. "I care about both of you and he was crying. I'm not going to ignore that."

"Okay... just let me get dressed and then I want to hear that story." She says before disappearing into the closet.

"So when I was about 6 I thought boys could pee outside whenever they want. I mean we live in the middle of nowhere so it never mattered. Well my mom took me to visit her family who live in the city... let's just say the neighbor girls didn't appreciate me peeing on their roses." I explain once Hannah is back and she busts out laughing.

"You scarred those little girls for life." She says.

"Apparently they kept asking their mom for a stick like the neighbor boy has so they can pee standing up... my mom loved to tease me with that story." I chuckle. Hannah stops laughing.

"I'm sorry about your parents."  She says calming herself quickly.

"Thank you... I miss mom... anyway how about we play cards or something? Something where we can talk and he to know one another." I suggest and she smiles.

"Can you play kings in the corner?" She asks and I cock my head to the side. What is that? She just laughs.

"Come on I'll show you."

We played for hours just talking and shuffling. It's nice to get to know her.

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"How about we go on a date?" I suggest over breakfast the next morning. "I mean we are mates so we should date at some point. Preferably before we have a ceremony."

"That sounds great." Hannah chuckles. "But where would we go?"

"Human town a few miles off the border... I used to sneak out there all the time." I tell her.

"Oh so you're a bad boy now." She taunts and I chuckle.

"No I just needed to escape for a bit. Once my father found out... let's just say I stopped leaving the house for a while." I shrug it was fun while it lasted. I was able to sneak out once a week for a few months when I was 14. It was a good time.

"That's so sad." Hannah says confusing me.

"How so? The human city is fun, I promise." I assure her.

"It is sad that you had to sneak out. Sad that you were afraid to leave the house after what ever they did. It's even more sad that you don't see how sad it is." She says.

"It's the way Ice Winters males deal with their families. They rule with an iron fist. I thought you'd understand that." I tell her.

"I understand strict parents but I also know there is a difference between discipline and abuse." She responds.

"I wasn't abused. When I messed up I was punished. Yes my family was hard on me but they wanted me to become a good Alpha... well until grandfather decided he wanted to be Alpha again." I explain to her.

"What did your father do to stop you from speaking out?" She asks.

"I spent a week in isolation and had to play training dummy for the warriors for a month... it wasn't that bad considering some other punishments. I mean he didn't make me drink wolfsbane or anything." I answer and her jaw drops.

"And you think that is okay?" Ahe asks and I shrug.

"I wouldn't say okay but I survived that and worse. My family just had a hard way of showing they love me." I tell her.

"That's not love, Bane... let me say it like this. Would you do that to Oliver?" She asks.

"Never." I answer immediately.

"Why not?"

"Because I care about him. He could get seriously hurt or even die working with grown warriors and a wolf can go crazy in isolation." I stop realizing what she is saying.

"You know what could have happened to you and think a parent who loves you would do that?" She pushes and I can't keep eye contact. "Even in Ice Winters that would be considered abuse. I'm sorry you were treated that way."

"I was abused..." I say. It sounds so wrong. I don't even know how to process that. Did mom realize that? She never did anything to me. She loved me. No way she was okay with that...

"Bane, I'm losing you... what's going on in your head?" She asks.

"Even my mom?" I ask. I swear I sound like a confused pup. I don't know what is true any more. I thought it was normal.

"I don't know Bane... you seem to care about her... she may not have known about what they were doing and even if she did could she really have done anything about it?... don't let this change your opinions of her." Hannah tells me and I smile.

"Thank you." I say.

"So about that date." She grins and I laugh.