Mia’s POV
“For slapping you?” Alpha Ricardo asked, making sure he heard me right. I didn’t respond, choosing instead to focus on Tony, who met my gaze with a dumbfounded expression after I hit him. “Come over here, Beatrice,” I said, gesturing for her to approach. She did so with tears in her eyes, and I could sense her gratitude. “I know everything that’s been happening with Tony and how he’s been harassing you. But don’t worry, I’ll make things right.”
I turned my attention to Alpha Leo, who looked confused. “Did he really slap you?” Alpha Ricardo asked, waiting for an answer.
“We’ll talk about that later, but right now, I want Tony punished. He’s been harassing this maiden for far too long,” I pleaded. Alpha Ricardo nodded in agreement, even though he had many questions left unanswered.
“Tony,” Alpha Ricardo called, and Tony nervously lifted his head. “Are these allegations true? Don’t even think about lying to me,” he warned sternly.
“I’m sorry, Alpha…” Tony began, but Alpha Ricardo cut him off. “You dared to harass a worker in this mansion?” he asked, his anger rising.
“I…” Tony started to say, but Alpha Ricardo silenced him. “Keep quiet!” he ordered, and the room fell silent.
I watched as Alpha Ricardo took a deep breath before turning to Beta Jayson. “You know what to do,” he said, and Beta Jayson nodded.
“Please forgive me, Alpha…” Tony pleaded, but his words were cut off when Simeon landed a punch to his face. “You bastard!” Simeon yelled, throwing another punch.
“Stop it, Simeon. Not here,” Alpha Ricardo demanded, and Simeon obeyed by lowering his head.
The room was quiet again, waiting for me to speak. “I’ve noticed that some workers are being bullied by their colleagues. This behavior is unacceptable, and anyone found doing it will be fired. No amount of begging will change that,” I warned, looking directly at the kitchen assistant, who lowered her head in guilt.
“Every worker in this mansion should be treated with respect, whether they are werewolves or humans.” No one should be mocked or looked down upon, and there is no room for racism. Anyone found guilty of such behavior will be fired immediately,” I declared, my tone serious.
“Things are going to change, and the first change is that on the last day of every month, each servant of the mansion will have fifteen minutes alone with me. You can tell me your worries and concerns, and I’ll do my best to help you,” Those words didn’t finish from my mouth when all the servants fell to their knees in appreciation.
I was stunned at their action and looked over at Alpha Ricardo, who had a proud smile on his face. “You can all stand now,” he instructed, and they did so. “You can all go back to your duties. I’ll call another meeting when your lady is strong and fit.” The servants lowered their heads respectfully and left.
Simeon picked up Tony from the floor, and Jayson followed him out, while I wondered what would become of Tony.
“Beatrice, ” I called out to her as she was about to leave. “Yes, my lady,” she responded, her head lowered to the ground.
I stared at her for a moment before turning to Alpha Ricardo. “Can I ask for a loan from you? I promise to give it back to you once I am fit to visit the bank.” I asked, and he quickly responded, “What I have is yours, all you need is to ask. How much do you need?” He said, and I flickered a grateful smile at him, “I need $50000.” I said, and he nodded, “The account manager will bring it in the next hour.” He said, and I nodded with a grateful smile before moving my gaze back to Beatrice. “The money is for your mother’s operation.” I said and saw her eyes widen in shock. “My… Lady…” She tried speaking, but couldn’t form the words. “Not only that, but I have appointed you as my personal maid.” I said and saw tears stream down her cheeks. “Your suffering is over.” I added and saw her fall to my feet as she sobbed loudly, “Thank you…” she stammered in tears, and I lifted her up on her feet. “Don’t kneel to me; I’m not a god.” I said with a smile, which she returned with tear-filled eyes. “You can leave; I’ll send for you once the money is brought.” I said, and she nodded before bowing and leaving.
With a relieved sigh, I turned and held Alpha Ricardo’s gaze. “You will make a great Luna.” He praised, while I scoffed and looked away. “You need to go back to bed.” He urged, and I didn’t argue with him but rather stretched out my hand for him, which he took, and like a blink of an eye, we arrived in my room. “Thank you.” I smiled and sat on the bed while he stood, giving me a curious look.
I knew he had a lot to ask, but didn’t want to bore me with it. “I know all that happened between you and Lord Dickson.” I said, and saw him furrow his eyebrows, “You should have told me.” I said, and with a sigh.
“How did you know about this?” He asked, and I remained quiet for a while before saying, “I did soul swapping.” I announced and saw the confused look on his face. “I woke up in the body of that maid. The person who was with you was me and not the maid.” I said and noticed he went silent for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh. “How long did you stay in her body?” He asked, “Just a day.” I responded, and he went silent again before saying, “You could have said something; why didn’t you tell me it was you?” He grumbled, while I flickered a smile before responding. “It was just a day, and besides, I was curious about the body and why I was in it.” I explained and heard him release a heavy sigh while running his fingers through his hair. I noticed he went into deep thoughts and remained silent for a moment before speaking. “What now?” He asked, and I couldn’t give an answer. When he realized I didn’t want to speak about us, he decided to let me be and said, “You must be hungry; I’ll send your personal maid to bring in your food.”
I nodded, and he held my gaze for a second before saying. “I’ll let you be…” he tried speaking, but I stopped him by saying, “Thank you! Thanks for trying to save me.” I thanked him, and he nodded before saying, “You are my wife and mate, so it’s my duty to protect you.”
His words brought a small smile to my face, but I quickly wiped it off. “I’m going now,” he said, and I nodded, watching as he teleported away.
With a relieved sigh, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ring on my finger. “What are you thinking?” My wolf asked, but I didn’t respond because I didn’t know what to say.
“It’s time to forgive and let go of everything,” my wolf pleaded, but I wanted to avoid accepting it yet.
Beatrice brought a tray of food for me, and we discussed many things, but I didn’t tell her about the soul swapping. When it was time for her to leave, I gave her the money she needed, and she thanked me in tears before leaving for the hospital.
Aunt Cara came back and was overjoyed to see me awake. We talked a lot, but I still didn’t tell her about the soul swapping. After she left, I decided to get some sleep but heard Alpha Joshua’s voice in my head.
“I heard you’re awake,” he said.
“That’s correct,” I responded with a smile.
“Thank goodness, you had us worried and scared, especially Alpha Ricardo. He was almost breaking down,” he spoke with a grumble, and my thoughts drifted to Alpha Ricardo.
“Are you okay? Do you feel discomfort anywhere?” He asked.
“No, I’m perfectly fine,” I assured him, and heard him release a heavy sigh.
He went silent for a moment before speaking again. “Your father, Lord Philip, is sick and wishes to see you. He sent me to tell Alpha Ricardo. He said he just wants to see you, whether you’re unconscious or not.”
A big frown appeared on my face. “What does he want with me?” I asked, confused.
“He’s dying, Mia. It’s just a matter of time,” he whispered, and his words made my heart heavy. No matter how much I hated him, he was still my father, and I cared for him.
“Alpha Ricardo will bring me there in the next few minutes.” I said with a deep sigh.
“Alright, we will be waiting for you,” he said before ending the mind link.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit risky to go?” My wolf asked. “What if he has another motive?” She warned, but I didn’t listen to her words.
I left my room and walked to Alpha Ricardo’s room. Before I could knock, he opened the door with a curious look on his face. “You could have sent for me if you needed anything,” he said, stepping aside to let me in.
I entered the room, and he closed the door behind us. “Is something wrong?” He asked, his voice filled with concern.
“It’s my father. I need to see him,” I pleaded, knowing he wouldn’t agree.
“No, you’re not seeing him,” he spoke adamantly.
“He’s sick and wishes to see me. I need to hear what he has to say,” I pleaded, but he shook his head.
“You’re not going,” he spoke possessively, making me angry and irritated.
With a deep breath, I walked up to him and stood just an inch away from him. “I’m not asking for your permission. I’m just telling you. Are you taking me there, or should I go myself?” I asked, holding his gaze.
“You…” He wanted to speak, but stopped and released a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’ll take you there,” he grumbled, picking up a jacket from the couch.
I watched him put it on and took a deep breath before stretching out his hand for me to take.
As I smiled and took Alpha Ricardo’s hand, I felt a sudden jolt as we were whisked away to a massive sitting room, where Alpha Joshua was already seated.
“Mia,” he greeted me, rising to his feet. “Thank you for coming.”
I nodded in response, taking in the tense atmosphere in the room. Before I could say anything, Alpha Ricardo spoke up angrily.
“Why did you tell her about his illness?” he demanded of Alpha Joshua.
“Because she deserves to know,” Alpha Joshua replied firmly, causing Alpha Ricardo to let out an exasperated groan.
Sensing the tension rising, I interjected quickly. “Can we please not do this here?” I urged them both, hoping to diffuse the situation.
Thankfully, they both heeded my words and fell silent. I took a deep breath and asked Alpha Joshua the question that was weighing heavily on my mind.
“Where is he?” I asked, referring to my father.
Alpha Joshua took a deep breath before gesturing for us to follow him.
We arrived at a door, and Alpha Joshua opened it without knocking, gesturing for us to enter. I followed after him, with Alpha Ricardo right behind me. Once we entered the room, I saw my father, Lord Philip, lying on the bed. A man sat beside him, examining him. “Godfather, your daughter is here,” Alpha Joshua announced, causing my father to open his eyes. He held my gaze with a weak smile and gestured for me to come closer to him, but Alpha Ricardo stopped me by holding my wrist.
“You can say whatever you want to say,” he spoke firmly as my father coughed before speaking. “You know I can’t harm her. She has your mark and is married to you. I just want to feel her one more time,” he pleaded, and I felt pity for him. “Let me go to him,” I pleaded, but Alpha Ricardo didn’t respond, giving me a look that showed he wasn’t accepting it.
I took Alpha Ricardo’s grip off my wrist and walked over to my father’s side of the bed. His eyes were tightly shut, and he stretched out his hand for me to take, which I did. The moment I felt his touch, I realized his hands were so cold that I had never felt such a temperature in a person.
“I never intended to use you to exchange my life. I only wanted to know my daughter, and that’s all,” he spoke in a whisper. “During my three hundred years in life, I have never loved any of my child as I love you,” he paused and coughed, “The initial plan was to exchange your life with mine, but when I met you, I instantly loved you. I see your mother in you, and it became impossible to even think of harming you,” he coughed again, this time more severely.
“I have a lot of wealth, and I’ve willed it to both Alpha Joshua and you. After my death, my lawyer will contact you two,” he tried to speak, but I cut him off. “You will be fine, nothing will happen to you,” I assured him, feeling scared of losing him.
“It’s my time, and no one can stop it,” he whispered and slowly opened his eyes.
I held his gaze and stared into his eyes, which looked exactly like mine. “Your mother’s tomb is in the backyard. Please bury my remains beside her,” he pleaded, and I gulped, forcing the tears not to fall.
“Forgive me, Mariam. Find a place in your heart to forgive me,” he pleaded, and I quickly nodded. “I have forgiven you, Father. I hold no grudges against you,” I assured him, hoping my words would relieve him.
“My precious daughter,” he flickered a weak smile and turned to Alpha Ricardo, who stood just an inch away from me. “I know you love her and will take care of her, so there is no need for me to ask you to.” He directed those words to Alpha Ricardo and moved his gaze to Alpha Joshua, whose eyes were filled with tears.
“I have told you all that I need to tell you, but I haven’t told you that you are not just my godson, but I see you as my biological son.” His words made Alpha Joshua sob. “I’m the happiest man on earth to see you by my side after all the terrible things I did to you. I hope you forgive me,” he mumbled and got a nod from Alpha Joshua, who couldn’t speak.
“I’m thirsty, Mia. Please get me the glass of water from the table.” I nodded to his words and hurried to the table, picked up the glass of water, and returned to him.
Here is the water,” I said, but his eyes were tightly shut. “Don’t sleep yet, have some water,” I urged, gently tapping him, but he didn’t respond.
“Mia, he is dead,” Alpha Joshua announced, causing the glass of water to drop from my hand.
“No!” I yelled and roughly shook his body. “Wake up! I forgive you! You did nothing wrong to me!” I pleaded in tears, but felt Alpha Ricardo’s arms around me. He hugged me from behind as I tried to pull away.
“He’s gone, Mia. He’s gone,” he whispered, but I didn’t want to accept it.
“I can heal him. Let me try,” I said, but Alpha Joshua shook his head. “You can’t. No healer would be able to,” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“No!” I cried out, trying to go for his body, but found myself back in my room.
“Take me back,” I pleaded in tears, but Alpha Ricardo shook his head. “In the next few minutes, his body will turn to a skeleton, and I don’t want you to see that,” he pleaded, while tears streamed down my cheeks.
“No!” I sobbed, holding his gaze. “I’m all alone. I have no family left,” I said, but Alpha Ricardo pulled me into a tight hug.
“You’re not alone. I’m right here. I’m your mate, your husband, and your family. I will never leave you,” he declared, making a promise, and then pulled away.
He looked at me and cupped my face with his hands. “I love you so much, Mia, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you…” he didn’t finish his words when he slammed his lips onto mine.
At first, I wanted to pull away, but then I felt his body radiating heat, sending tingling sensations down my stomach. As the kiss got more intense, I could feel the last wall of resistance I had built up crumbling. My body became weak and needy, and I couldn’t resist him anymore.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up from the floor, deepening the kiss more. But then, I noticed he was restraining himself from touching me or going down to my ass, and the thought of that hurt me.
Hurt and heartbroken, I pulled away and saw the guilt in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he tried apologizing, but I cut in, “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”