In the corner of a dark room, there was a young girl of just sixteen. Her beautiful hazel eyes were struck with panic while her breathing was unsteady.
“What’s the matter, dear? Just tell me what's bothering you, and I can help you,” assured the tall stranger while extending his hand toward the young girl who was hiding behind a curtain.
In her melodious voice, which resembled that of a cuckoo, she spoke, “No, I will not come out. They will hurt me.”
The owner of the brothel, who was emerging from the entrance of the room, commented, “You shouldn’t waste your time on her. Can’t you see she has such awful manners? Even though she's aware you're a man of superior birth, she fails to be respectful towards you. When I look at her lascivious face, I am assured by my judgment that she’s destined to land the job of her mother. I think it would be smarter for you to leave her here. We'll be sure to make good use of her.”
“No!” screamed the young one. “I won’t let any of you touch me. You promised my mother that you'd let me meet my father, but you cheated me.”
"Shut up!" ordered the owner, whose violent eyes showcased that she was much more capable than giving out instructions.
Alpha understood the anxiousness on the little lady's face and requested the owner, "Could you please be a little more gentle with her?"
The owner once again challenged the kind stranger’s view of taking the w***e’s daughter home, “She doesn’t possess a refined tongue to lead a life with the gentlemanly class. You will further bring shame to your pack by taking her with you, alpha.”
The word ‘Alpha’ grasped the young girl's attention. At the time of her mother’s death, she was informed that the alpha of their pack would visit her to take her away from that horrible place.
She no longer stopped herself from communicating her troubles to the alpha and hurriedly asked the kind man, “Did you know my mother?”
“Who doesn’t know your mother, Cecilia? She was a w***e!” interrupted the owner once again, cockishly.
Little Cecilia hated the repeated interference, but she couldn’t do anything about it since she feared that she’d get beaten by the owner for it.
Hence, she attempted to ignore the demeaning comments and gathered her courage to further ask the gentleman, “Are you Alpha William Grey?”
The man nodded kindly, “That’s how everyone addresses me. However, you can call me papa and I’ll call you Sissy.”
While Cecilia was over the moon with the news of finding out that her father had come to pick her up, the owner was shocked to hear about the alpha's intention of adopting her, “She’s a w***e's daughter. The day she was brought into this world, her destiny was pre-determined. She can’t become a lady at your home, Alpha.”
"I don't mind where she was brought into this world as it doesn't change the fact that she's my daughter," William had no intention of justifying his intentions of taking the little child with her, yet he had to do so to quiet the overbearing claims of the brothel owner.
He further won Cecilia's confidence by telling her, “You are my daughter, Sissy. I had been away from you since I found out about you just recently. Forgive me for the delay, my heart.”
The alpha thought he might get rejected by the child. On the contrary, she embraced him and then told him, “I’ve been waiting for you to come and get me since my mother’s death.”
Before the alpha would give her a response, the owner commented, “Did Luna Helena know about this? She would never approve of a w***e's child to enter her estate.”
“This wouldn’t concern her,” spoke the alpha with the utmost surety, and then held the little lady’s hand to take her away from the maddening surroundings.
Hand in hand, Cecilia walked into what was going to be her home from now onwards. Upon reaching the estate, she found out that the huge palace was structured like the one mentioned in fairy tales. It was surrounded by beautiful gardens and statues of all sorts.
“Is this where we will be living together from now onwards, papa?” asked a blushing Cecilia.
The alpha smiled to hear her address him as her father. While maintaining that joy, he responded, “Yes, my dear.”
As the place was too huge for just two people, the little one asked the man, “Will we be alone here? Since this structure of this building is so huge, it would be lonely to be here on our own.”
“No, we have our whole pack residing with us, my love,” explained William gently.
Cecilia blushed, as she hadn’t experienced such tenderness in her life before. The alpha, on the other hand, was excessively careful with the young one. Since she had been living in poverty and isolation, she wasn’t well-equipped in the department of social interaction. He thus took it upon himself to acquaint her with the rest of the pack after marking their presence in the huge hallway.
While the members of the pack rejoiced to see the little guest, she didn’t know how to greet them all. Before she could get a chance to learn the mannerisms by interacting with others, a strong gaze paralysed her in her spot. The cruel eyes belonged to Luna Helena.
“Didn’t we already discuss this?” She asked the alpha while pointing her finger toward the innocent Cecilia.
The alpha paid no mind to her and instead began introducing the little girl to the significant members of the pack. Just when he was done, Luna Helena interrupted him again, “Are we on talking terms or not? Am I talking to the walls?”
“My dear, this is Cecilia,” the alpha tried to resist the pessimism that came from Helena and finally introduced the little child to her. “This is my daughter.”
Luna was dissatisfied. William not only ignored her request to throw the young girl out, but he was deliberately trying to avoid the confrontation. Enraged by his behaviour, she declared, “As if being betrayed by my husband wasn’t enough that he brought the evidence of it with him. How will I live in peace watching her breathe under the same roof?”
The hatred affected the little girl, who hid behind the alpha. She was trembling with fear, almost believing that the outraged woman might hit her. That behaviour forced alpha to request Helena, “How about you go away for now? We can talk about our personal matters later.”
Luna realised the harm that the illegitimate child would do to her husband’s reputation. She thus stormed out of the room, looking utterly dissatisfied. Her withdrawal didn’t mean she wasn’t going to create the same tense atmosphere again, but it did spare the alpha for the time being. The claim of being unfaithful to Luna stirred some unhappiness in the public, but it didn’t affect the manner in which the pack perceived the Alpha.
Nonetheless, William seemed glad he could now proudly take his daughter to her new room without being forced to answer to anyone.
Cecilia was overwhelmed by the exposure to the outside world, especially after meeting Luna. She had always thought the Luna to be the epitome of love and generosity. However, the lady's behaviour seemed too contradictory to the little child's previously held perceptions. She didn’t get disheartened even then, for she was now with her father.
“This will be your room, Sissy,” the father showed the little lady her room, which was the very last room at the end of the first floor.
The alpha knew about the pack’s few member's abilities to trouble the most vulnerable members. Hence, it seemed wiser to give her a room away from everyone. If she didn't get seen much, she might not land herself in much trouble.
“I am grateful for all that you’re doing for me, papa,” responded the young girl with rosy cheeks.
The alpha nodded and then decided to give her a break, declaring, “I will be in my office if you need me for anything.”
“Okay Papa,” she gave him a final smile.
The smile was returned as he was overwhelmed with tender emotions upon getting addressed as a father. Cecilia was sure she even saw a tear of joy in his eyes. Just like him, she was brimming with pleasantness as well.
From being forced into prostitution, she landed in a family where she’d get a chance to become a lady and lead a peaceful life. She was appreciative of the sudden change in her circumstances. That’s why she opened the window of her room, knelt in front of the shining moon and paid her gratitude to the moon goddess for everything.
“If you weren't so kind to me, my virtue might be forsaken multiple times in one night by several strangers. Thank you for always being there for me after my mother’s unfortunate death,” she spoke with tears building in her eyes.