Chapter Four: Meeting the Family

Just as the pack doctor arrived and Luna Ashley was making introductions, I heard a female crying. We all turned toward the sound and came face-to-face with a beautiful girl who was crying softly. She looked like a princess wearing a beautiful off-white Body-con dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She paired the dress with black leather Gladiator Sandals and was wearing a beautiful white gold necklace and earring set that both had dangling crescent moons. In contrast, I was in ripped jeans and a navy-blue t-shirt tied into a knot on the back because it was a bit big for me. My eyes were puffy due to all the crying I had done in the last several hours. And to top it off, I was dirty from chest down due to the tumble I took while trying to run back to my parents.

I was pulled from my internal dialogue when the crying girl asked no one in particular, “Now that you have your real daughter home, should I pack my belongings and leave? I don’t belong in this family”. And just like that, all attention was turned towards the crying girl, whose name I still didn’t know. As the Alpha leaned over to give her a fatherly hug, my brother grabbed her hand after wiping the stray tears off her cheek and told her in a loving tone, “Kathy, you will always belong here! You will always be the only princess in this family!” He then turned and sneered at me making me feel even less welcome than I felt in the first place.  

She pulled away from him slightly and said between sniffles, “Thank you, Ant. I just needed to make sure that neither mom, dad, nor you will stop loving me after she comes. I mean, let’s be honest here, she is mom and dad’s real daughter,” she finished with another round of crocodile tears. 

Alpha Marlon pulled her to him, hugging her tightly, fatherly saying, “You will always  be my daughter.” He stroked her hair softly, soothing her as a loving father should. As I witnessed this little family bonding moment, I kept quiet, trying to blend in with my surroundings as I have always been taught to do around ranked members of the pack. I picked up my b1ckpack, putting it over my shoulder while I wondered to myself, “if Kathy will ‘always be his daughter’, what does that make me?”

Luna Ashley looked in my direction and recognized that my body language was screaming how uncomfortable I was. “Come, Claire, let’s get you to your room and give you some time to relax before we have dinner.” 

We got in an elevator where she punched a code on the floor selector panel. “We will get you your own code before the end of dinner,” Luna Ashley told me before turning back towards the doors, waiting to arrive on the Alpha Family Suites' fourth floor. I was confused when I asked, “Why do I need a code to use the elevator?” Luna Ashley turned to look at me as the doors opened. She responded, “Dear, this is the Alpha Family Suites Floor. No one without a code can get to this floor unless accompanied by one of the Alpha family members. It is just as much for safety as it is for privacy.” 

After we stepped off of the elevator, she took me through what felt like a maze of hallways to get to the last door at the end of the hallway. We stopped at the door that led to what was to become my personal suite. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside so I could venture inside. I made it about three steps inside the room before I stopped in complete awe. This space was beyond anything I could have dreamed up in my wildest, most creative imagination. I briefly looked back at Luna Ashely with wonder in my eyes. Before I could say the first thing, she said, “Would you like the ‘grand tour,’ or would you like to explore and familiarize yourself on your own?” 

I turned back to her, smiling, and replied to her, “Thank you, Luna Ashley, but I think I would like to check things out on my own. I would like to take a bath and possibly try to rest before dinner if I have time?” She replied with a sad smile, “I understand. Then I will leave you to it. You have plenty of time to do what you need or want to do. It is only 11:30, and we won't be having dinner until 6:00. We will be dining in the Alpha Family private dining room, so there is no need to dress formally, but please dress in something other than jeans.”

I nodded my understanding before turning back toward the room to begin my exploration. As she left the room, she called over her shoulder, “I will come back and get you for dinner about fifteen minutes before 6.” She quickly and quietly left me alone, closing the double doors behind her. I waited for about half a minute before going over to the door and twisting the lock, effectively decreasing some of my anxiety because I knew no one could just barge in on me and catch me unaware since I already held the key in my hand.

I turned around slowly, taking in everything as if it was a panoramic view. The room was tastefully decorated, and, if I'm being honest, it was as though someone had gotten a glimpse into my mind, pulled out all of my personal decorating ideas, and incorporated them into this space. As I ventured further into the space, I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. Besides the bedroom, there was a small kitchenette, a separate seating area with the biggest television I have ever seen in real life, a walk-in closet the size of Manhattan and luxurious bathroom with any amenity one could dream of. It was mind-boggling that any one person would ever need this much room.

I stood between the sitting room and bedroom and did a full 360-degree turn, taking the entire space in, thinking, “If my old house was all put on one level, the entire thing would fit in this space. This is just WAY over the top, especially an Omega like me. This just validates to me that there has been some kind of sad mistake, and I need to talk privately with Luna Ashley.

After going through my boxes, I found what I hoped would be suitable to wear for dinner. It was a hand-me-down dress that I had worn for my Prom and Graduation, but it was the nicest article of clothing I currently owned. It was an off-the-shoulder baby blue cocktail dress that hugged my curves and flared out at the waist. It ended just below my knees and had tiny embellishments on the skirt, making it sparkle under the right light. 

I decided to take a bath to help with relaxing the full-body tension I have felt for the past 24 hours. I made my way over to the tub and slid in slowly, minding my ankle, which had a nasty-looking wound across it, but at least it had already clotted, and a layer of the new skin was already forming over the gaping hole it was a few short hours ago. 

Luna Ashley was prompt in showing up to walk with me to the dining area. When I answered her knock, she looked at me approvingly, “Now that is what my princess should be wearing all the time. Did you find that in the closet?” she asked sweetly. I jerked my head around with my eyebrows furrowed with questions, “No ma’am, this was my Prom/Graduation dress last year. Why would I have found it in the closet? None of the things in there are mine, someone must have left them behind,” I replied to her.

She then giggled a little before linking her elbow inside mine and leading me down the maze of halls again towards the dining area, “Sweetheart, nobody left those clothes, shoes, or accessories behind. Those are yours. When I left the house you shared with the people who raised you, i went on a shopping spree with your father’s unlimited Black Card.” I was astonished to say the least, “What do you mean you went shopping? Are you saying that everything in that walk-in dressing room is mine?” I asked with shock, not believing what I just heard.