064

When Alpha Damien reached Kayla's door, he paused, and took a deep breath, steadying himself before knocking. It felt like he was going to war and not visiting his 8-year-old daughter

"Kayla, it’s Dad. Can I come in?" He said

There was a long, heavy silence. No response came from the other side. After a moment, he turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn to block out the afternoon sun. Kayla sat at the edge of her bed, clutching a teddy bear tightly to her chest, her face buried in its fur.

Damien approached slowly. "Hey, sweetie," he began, trying to keep his voice gentle and soothing. "Are you okay?"

Kayla didn't look up. Her voice was small, barely audible. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I just wanted to check on you. Everyone's waiting for you downstairs. We miss you."

She finally looked up, her eyes red and swollen. "Everyone's waiting for Caleb," she retorted, her voice trembling with anger. "You don’t care about me. You never did. Yo