Chapter 4

"Master?"

Only one person was foolish enough to call me master in this place, and yet, the voice that called me as such in this moment was unfamiliar. It wasn't masculine in tone, nor was it the matured voice of someone past adolescence.

It was a child's voice.

When I looked up from my phone, one of the children I'd taken in was standing before me. Long, auburn hair tied up in pigtails, and brilliant blue eyes—Maria made for an adorable sight as she smiled at me while cradling a pastel pouch to her chest.

I gave in to a chuckle as I tucked my phone away. Really, how cute was this? "It's okay to just call me Marcella. The only fool who calls me master in this place is Sasha." I considered it for a moment, if the fleeting thought in my head was worth verbalizing, until I chose to add, "You can call me mother too, if you'd like."

Her smile faltered for a moment. It was quick, just enough that a wrongly-timed blink would have made me miss it, but I saw it.

I kept my smile.

"You don't have to, of course." I opened up a hand to her, beckoning her closer. I pushed aside my bags on the sofa—bags I'd packed for my trip to the airport today, though it seemed my trip would be delayed given Angel's current absence—and patted the space next to me. "What's in the pouch?"

She seemed to have regained her composure when she saw the offer of sitting next to each other. "Chocolates!" she said, smiling happily as she sat next to me. She then promptly handed her pouch over to me as if that had been her goal from the beginning, and she'd only been waiting on a signal. "They're, um, actually for you, mast—uh, Marcella!"

I accepted the pouch from her hands with a soft smile.

Not "mother", then. This child was either too shy, or a more curious child than I thought.

"Milk chocolate?" I asked.

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! I heard Sasha say that you like sweets, so," her voice trailed off, and she started swinging her short legs on the bench. "I wanted to say thank you."

She wasn't looking at me when she said so. Her gaze was to the ground, and both her hands were clutching onto the edge of the bench—as if she were unsure. As if she couldn't bear to meet my gaze directly. A moment of shyness, if one were to interpret it in one way.

I raised a hand just above her head, only to be granted the sight of her flinching. Just a small flinch, not so noticeable if one wasn't looking for it, but I was.

It seemed this little one truly did go through a lot, even before I managed to take her in.

Carefully, slowly, I placed my hand on top of her head and gave her a brief, gentle pat. I did not know if what I was doing was right, if I was just making something bad into something worse, but I thought it would be better to go through with the action now that I'd already started it.

I, at least, would have liked it better if someone saw my weaknesses and did not treat me delicately for them, as if I were glass that could shatter with one touch.

"You're very sweet," I said, taking my hand back. "Thank you, for the chocolates. I'll make sure to eat them well on my journey."

She looked up at me then. Her eyes were wide, doe-like in their innocence, and I could see the slight tremble of her lips, as if she wanted to say something more but wasn't certain on how to express herself.

I spoke before she could say anything.

"You should go back now, Maria." I raised a brow in amusement at the way she immediately closed her mouth at my interruption. "Sasha will get in trouble if someone catches you out of training, and since I'm waiting for Angel, she might catch you slacking too. She's not as nice to kids as me, just so you know."

She stared at me for a moment or two. The confusion was clear in her gaze, as if she didn't understand, nor had she expected, that I would send her away so quickly. She stammered, "Ah, um, I didn't know, I'm sorry..."

I waved it off. "It's okay. Just run along now, and," I put a finger to my lips in a shushing motion, "let's keep it our little secret that you gave me a few treats, okay?"

She looked confused even as she gave me a nod. The mention of chocolates didn't settle her any better, and when she left, she couldn't seem to hold herself back from throwing a worried glance my way.

Really adorable, that child. Children in general, actually. For all that some could be bratty, they were all still cute in their own way.

I sighed when my Alpha rumbled its irritation within me. Yes, damn it, I wanted a child now too. But it wasn't like I could conceive one out of thin air, nor did I feel like conceiving one with any random bastard. I'd been single all this while and I would not settle for my first and last partner to be a pathetic nobody. Just the thought of it was inconceivable.

It was while I was meditating to silence my ornery Alpha that I heard the rumble of an arriving car.

Well. That took her long enough.

I didn't bother to stand when I saw the car parking outside the building, as I did just wait where I sat. To my curiosity, it wasn't one person who alighted the car, but two—Angel, from the driver's seat, and Cyril, from the passenger seat.

There was a subtle bitterness to Angel's expression when she closed the car door behind her, and Cyril was no better.

A placid smile rested on my face. It seemed my morning wouldn't be going as smoothly as I'd hoped. Today was supposed to mark the start of my trip overseas to search out a mate; my bags were packed, I was dressed in one of my more casual outfits, and my ride to the airport was late by ten minutes.

I couldn't deny that I was eager for this trip, so it was no surprise that I was disappointed by the delay. To think that it would be coming from someone as responsible as Angel, no less.

It couldn't be helped when I said,

"You're late."

Angel's expression was stuck in a frown even as she helped in packing my bags into the car along with Cyril. Though Angel's displeasure was interesting enough, I also couldn't help from taking note of Cyril's presence. This man, who had gumbled on my desire to find a mate for half the night days ago, who had made his threats and insults against my future mate clear, had still come to see me off.

Truly, Cyril had the cutest soft spots. For children, for animals, for me...

You wouldn't think that he was one of my highest-ranking officers, with the way he was acting like my personal bellhop.

"There was a rat," Cyril had said for Angel, once he finished packing in my last bag into the back of the car. No explanation whatsoever; just that plain statement, asking for my understanding.

I smiled widely at those words.

"It seems my team has gotten too complacent, if a rat could affect even my personal trips. Wouldn't you agree?"

Both Angel and Cyril grimaced, the expression a stark contrast to my own smile. It seemed I had been too soft for some time, our lives too peaceful for a moment—perhaps I had given them the illusion that things had gotten better just because I expressed a desire for a child.

There was no such thing as peace. Not here, not now, and not in the future. I was aware of this, and I wanted a child regardless.

It was all selfishness on my part. It didn't matter what others thought.

"No matter," I finally said, shaking my head. "I'm sure Sasha has handled it?"

Cyril frowned, but gave a nod. "That's right. I made sure of it myself."

"Aha."

He looked away at the small laugh I'd let out. What should I do about this man, acting so adorably for the person he wants? He couldn't even be honest with me despite knowing that I knew everything already. I was certain of it; one of these days he'd crack, and I'd be the first to celebrate for him. An extravagant party would do well to shame him into understanding how foolish he'd been in holding himself back.

For now, I would be a little forgiving on his ignorance.

"Then we will proceed," I told him, patting him lightly on the arm. The gesture seemed to be taken as something comforting enough, given the slight loosening of his shoulders. "Angel and I will continue the trip, and I'll trust you and Sasha to take care of the rat in our place."

He nodded. "Alright."

"One more thing."

I handed him the pouch of chocolates I'd been holding on to ever since Maria left. Though he was confused at the appearance of the pastel pouch, he gave no questions as he accepted it from me.

Angel didn't say anything, though her watchful eyes said more than words.

I smiled.

The sight of my expression made Cyril squeeze a large, veiny hand against the ribbon-tied opening of the pouch, as if finally beginning to realize the true gravity of the situation.

Good.

"Check those, would you?"