Kidnapped by the Ruthless Alpha

Barcelona, Northeastern Spain,|Fifteen Years Ago|The thunder rumbled loudly, following by the cackling brightness of lightning. The little girl skittered close to her mamá, hugging the older woman's arm tightly,"You scared, mi pequeña?" Her mamá asked tenderly, brushing the wisps of hair that had stuck to her forehead.The little girl nodded, her eyes wide with fear, "I hate the thunder," She mumbled quietly causing her mother to sigh.The woman leaned forward and tugged the drapes close, sealing the outside world completely, "Is that better?"The little girl nodded, relaxing back against the bed. She grabbed the hem of the worn-out bedspread, pulling it upward so it could cover her up to her neck area. Her eyes found the clock, noticing how the hands were ticking slowly. It was still a little past nine, her father wouldn't be home until later and she hoped he wouldn't have to walk under the rain,"Continue the story, mamá," She urged softly and her mother nodded with a small laugh. Just as she began reading again, the pitter patter of raindrops dropping against the roof and windows echoed,"Oh, I'm afraid that's the end, mi corazon," Her mother shut the leather-bound book close, placing it atop her lap.The little girl scrunched her face together, obviously disappointed with how the tale ended. "But, it makes no sense," She cried out, shaking her head furiously, "Why would the girl choose to live with the beast? He's a monster!"Something flashed in her mother's eyes, something that was too foreign for her to understand then. Her mother shook the expression off, replacing it with a bright smile before pressing her warm palm on the little girl's cheek,"Not all beasts are monsters, darling," The woman cooed, dark eyes glimmering brightly, the flame from the candles reflecting in her gaze, The little girl's confusion only deepened. She was convinced her mother was saying gibberish, "That doesn't make any sense."She tried to sit up but her mother gently pushed her back down, shaking her head in negation. Her mother leaned forward, pressing her lips against her forehead and her eyes fluttered,"It might not make any sense now but soon you'll understand, my little one," She said in a singsong voice, still caressing the side of the little girl's face, "Not all beasts are monsters, they are beasts who are meant to protect you, the ones formed for your love and warmth."She was beginning to feel sleepy, her little mouth opened in a wide yawn but still she struggled to keep awake. The little girl couldn't quite agree with her mother on that, she'd watched a movie with Antonio the other day and the beasts in there were definitely monsters. What was worse?They could morph into people too, that irritated her greatly because how then would one be able to differentiate them from the normal humans."You're wrong, mamá," She muttered sleepily, "All beasts belong in the wild, they are not meant for love. The girl in that story made a stupid decision to stay with him."Her mother's chuckle filtered into her ears just as her eyes dropped close. "Oh, Maria," She cooed sweetly, "Maybe the poor girl did make a stupid decision or maybe she did not, in the end they both loved each other, living happily ever after and that's all that matters."Her bones weakened and the darkness was starting to consume her, she tried to say something. At the time, she didn't know what but she knew she needed to say something. But sleep overtook her and the entire world fell behind a black curtain.Maybe if she had known that that was some kind of foreshadowing of the future, she would've said what she wanted to then.

Brooklyn, NY

|Present Day|"One cup of cappuccino here, please!"Maria's head snapped upward and she exhaled heavily, fatigue already starting to creep into her bones. "Coming right up," She yelled in her most cheerful voice and passed the steaming mug of green tea to her co-worker. "Finish up," She told him sternly.She had been designing a floral pattern as requested by the customer but she never really could catch a break,Maria snatched the hot mug of cappuccino that has been sitting on the counter for a while now and passed a glare to the young boy who was her new coworker. Freddy looked away almost instantly, pretending to busy himself with the mug she had given him,She resisted from throwing him a punch, mostly because it was illegal and she would likely get fired from her job. But Freddy was as annoying as they came, she really missed Sam.