My mom is dead, and no, I'm not crying. Nor do I feel sad. I don't even feel melancholy. It's not that I didn't love her, I do, like I love my cat Serafin. Maybe a little less. But the fact that I don't cry or feel sad about her death is because my mother and I were practically strangers. For her, I was like a stray dog that she kept by her side out of compassion or perhaps because she couldn't get rid of me, since I shared the blood of the man she loved.

The reason I'm sure she didn't feel love for me is because my mother never gave me a hug or told me she loved me. In my almost 18 years of life, she never addressed a word of love to me. We were more like roommates who only shared words of cordiality. She didn't meddle in my affairs, nor did I meddle in hers. I was content with only receiving the essentials: clothes, food, and money.

That was the only thing I needed from my mother, and the only thing she offered me. She never attended any parent meetings, nor school events, she never congratulated me on my good grades, nor did she reprimand me when I started smoking. Forget about celebrating my birthdays, even hers passed as if they were any other day.

That was the kind of relationship we had. And no, I didn't feel hurt.

It's not that I hadn't tried to get closer to her, but no matter how much I tried, she moved away from me as if I had lice or was a monster. So I simply stopped trying to mend our relationship. Perhaps, if it weren't for the warmth I received from my nanny, my personality would now be like my mother's: cold and inaccessible.

As for the reason for my mother's coldness towards me, I wasn't sure and I didn't rack my brains looking for an explanation that would only give me a wound in my heart.

I didn't need that in my life. As for the identity of my father, I didn't even care to know, whether it be love or hate. I felt nothing for someone I had never seen.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mia? You haven't shed a single tear, don't keep it all to yourself, cry, dear."

The concern in her tone of voice touched my heart. The way her eyes, surrounded by fine lines, looked at me sent a dagger straight to my chest.

My nanny was someone who had been with me since I can remember. Her name is Martina, and her age was unknown even to me, but perhaps it was around 50 to 60 years old. Her eyes were grayish, like the clouds that herald a storm. Her height was tall and her body slender. Despite her age, she still looked beautiful. She has a daughter and three grandchildren, who are her adoration. However, they had moved abroad for her daughter's husband's job, so she transferred all that maternal love to me.

"I'm fine, nana. Don't worry."

"Mia…"

Before she said anything, I hugged her and pretended to sob, because if I didn't, she wouldn't leave me alone.

"That's it, dear, vent. I know your mom wasn't the best mother in the world, but she loved you."

"She never said it. I don't think she ever loved me."

"Don't say that. She…"

"Don't lie to me, nana. I'm not a child. My mom loved only one person in her life: that 'man'. Her heart disease was due to him. She suffered a heart attack despite being so young because of him. She never loved me, and I don't need her love either. There are many people who love me, and you are one of them, nana. So don't tell me lies."

"Oh, my dear! Don't talk like that, it hurts my heart. You were her daughter, she loved you in her own way."

"It's the truth. She didn't love me. She didn't love anyone."

Although I said that in a dry manner, I feigned a sob so that my nana wouldn't feel worried about my feelings or think of anything strange.

"Be that as it may, she was your mother, your family, the woman who gave you life. You must feel alone. You're still a child, you're acting this way because you're resentful of her. But my dear, it's better to forgive, to let go of those bad feelings so that in the future they don't become a shadow. This is the reason why I want you to vent now."

Perhaps she was right, but now I refused to accept her words.

"When will mom's ashes be brought?" I whispered in a subdued voice.

"I think you were hasty, at least we should have held a wake for her, invited her friends and family."

I interrupted her as I moved away from her warm embrace, not forgetting to rub my eyes as if I were wiping away my tears.

"Mom had no friends, no one ever visited us. Nor do I know of any relatives. I never met them. She had no one. She only had us, nana."

Just when my nana was about to say something, my eyes were drawn to an imposing-looking man. I was amazed by the aura he emanated. He looked powerful, his eyes were an irresistible dark color, his appearance was no less than that of the sexy blond man I met at the amusement park last time. However, although he looked irresistible, I didn't feel like telling him to become my boyfriend or sugar daddy. I don't know why, but I felt somewhat uncomfortable with his presence, as if he were a superior being to whom I should kneel.

The thought itself felt ridiculous, so I turned my gaze away from that man who could be my father and concentrated on continuing to pretend to be a pitiful girl in front of my nana so that she would continue to take care of me now that my mother died.

After all, I was still in my last year of high school, I didn't know if I could survive on my own, the nana…

I couldn't continue with my thoughts, as that imposing man appeared right before my eyes. My nana looked at him with her mouth agape, she opened and closed her mouth as if she didn't know what to say.

"You are…"

"I am Duke Storm Franklin Saetear."

Wow! A noble, someone of royalty, even his name sounded majestic, now I could understand why I felt that way in his presence. But, this guy, why was he talking to us? Did he need directions?

"I came to take you with me because you are my daughter," he added, looking directly into my eyes. "I am your father."

After that confession, I didn't know what to say, my mind went blank for a moment. After all, all my life I believed my father was dead, and the man in front of me was very different from the man I imagined my father to be. Only when I heard my nanny's hesitant voice could I snap out of my thoughts.

"Me?" my nanny responded. "I think there must be a mistake, I could be her mother. You can't be my father. Maybe you mean Mia."

Nana, it seems your brain is not working properly. The subject claiming to be my father looked at her as if my nanny had sprouted another head, I almost laughed at his expressions, however, I restrained myself because this was a serious matter.

The Duke, or well, my now rumored father, looked at me as if expecting a reaction from me.

Should I pretend to cry with happiness at the reunion? Should I get angry and scold him for only showing up now? Decisions, decisions.

The truth is that I felt nothing but astonishment. I actually wanted to ask him how he was alive, and why he didn't look anything like the photo of the man my mother kept so jealously in her wallet.

Who was this man and who was the man in the photo?

"Hi daddy, I'm Mia, it's nice to see you after 17 years, it seems those cigarettes you went out to buy were too far away. Even mom ended up dying waiting for you. But it's good that you showed up."

Yes, my best reaction was to act naturally. Irony, sarcasm, fun, and drama were my thing.

"Mia, don't say that. Don't be rude to the dead," my nanny scolded me.

"I'm not telling lies. Besides, we can't believe he's my rumored father just like that. Even if he's nobility or whatever, what if he's a white slaver pretending to be noble? What if he's a con artist? What if he just wants my body? How scary!"

I pretended to feel shivers as I looked at my nanny with a pitiful expression.

My nanny rolled her eyes at my drama-filled words. Duke Storm put a hand to his forehead as if he didn't know how to deal with me. Then he took out a cell phone and played an audio.

"Come and collect the monster you left in my womb. I didn't want to contact you, but I have no other choice, I'm dying, my heart is failing. Mia is your daughter, you should have stayed with her as soon as she was born and not let me take care of her, I never loved her..."

Wait, my mom... Didn't she love my dad? Wait again... Why did she call me a monster? I felt my head ache from thinking about what I had just heard. Yes, it's true, I didn't feel sad about my mother's death, maybe a little empty, but hearing the way she referred to me left me frozen.

Apparently, for her, I wasn't even a human being. What a mess. I swallowed the bitter feeling and looked at the man in front of me. So this was my father.

Why did he come only now? Why? Just because my mother asked him to? That was more than absurd.

"I think you have many questions. It's best that we collect Samantha's ashes and go to a quiet place to talk."

I couldn't deny that I had many questions, but I doubted that all of them would be answered. Also, I felt that it would be a great impertinence on my part to ask about the subject in the photo that until a few minutes ago I thought was my father.

"I will answer each of your doubts," the Duke mentioned with a stoic expression.

At the words of my supposed father, I removed the urn with my mother's ashes. After that, he took my nanny and me to a luxurious restaurant, where he asked for a secluded and discreet place. As the restaurant was right in front of the place where my mother was cremated, we didn't have to waste time driving.

Everything was being so convenient that it seemed strange to me.

And although at first my nanny was cautious with the Duke's actions, as soon as she realized the car he was driving, which was a state-of-the-art model, the watch, and the bodyguards who guarded him, my nanny's doubts dissipated. In addition to the fact that the subject in question, apart from the audio, showed us a DNA test that he had done on me in secret, along with a couple of photos of my mother.

He was my father, I couldn't refute that even if I wanted to.

However, I couldn't see anything of him in me. I didn't know how to feel about this whole turn of events. After all, just a few minutes ago I thought the only person in my world was my nanny.

I was too surprised by the events, that I didn't even care at this moment if the revelation that he was my father was some kind of scam. My head was full of worries and many questions. However, my heart told me not to ask anything, that the answers I was going to get would not be to my liking. I decided to listen to my heart. Whether it was the reason why my father abandoned me, as well as why my mother called me a monster and never loved me, those thoughts were stored in a corner.

I wasn't going to dig into the past and hurt myself with things that had already happened. Maybe later I would ask him.

"Take a deep breath, Mia. Breathe."

While I reflected on everything, I contemplated Duke Storm, my father, with mixed emotions. I observed his face hoping to find some trait similar to mine, but there was nothing, after all, my appearance was similar to my mother's; we were both blonde with green eyes.

Maybe that was the reason why my father looked at me with nostalgia. I can deduce that he did come to love my mother. But my mother was a separate case, she, I don't think she loved him.

I was curious about the story behind my birth. Although it seems that my birth was not welcome, at least, on the part of my mother.

Several minutes passed without any of us, whether my nanny, my father or I, saying a word. Certainly, we didn't seem willing to start this uncomfortable conversation. Social skills didn't seem to be our forte. I cleared my throat to call the attention of these social inept, and decided to be the one to break the ice.

"Well, daddy, what do you want to tell me? We can't stare at each other all afternoon. I assume you have more important things to do than waste time with me."

"Mia, be kind," my nanny scolded me.

I stuck my tongue out playfully while waiting for the response from the imposing man in front of me. Actually, the aura he emanates makes me feel uncomfortable. There was a strange sensation, as if I owed him obedience and I didn't like that.

"I already told you, I came to take you with me. Samanta asked me to take care of you."

"Why now and not before?" my nana asked him.

Yes, why now and not when I needed his love. Why did he leave me with my mother if she didn't love me?

While I waited for his answer, I began to reflect on the pros and cons of accepting his offer.

"Because we were from different worlds" my father replied simply "Samantha didn't fit into my world and she didn't like my world, she hated it. So I decided to let her go. But I was always looking out for you."

"I understand, you have obligations as someone noble. I assume Samantha felt pressured, she is just a commoner, there must have been many against your love."

My nana looked at him astonished, I think in her mind she was creating some tragic story about my father and my mother. She tended to have an overflowing imagination. Oh! But, again, how could my mother be so foolish as to give up someone from the nobility? Well, it's my mother we're talking about, I believed her capable of it.

"Are you really coming to take me with you?" I asked him "What if I say I don't want to go?"

Actually, I didn't want to go with him, I preferred to stay with my nana. But my nana also had her own family. Her daughter called her every day to ask her to move in with her, to stop working and things like that. However, my nana rejected her offer because she was worried about me. For her, I was nothing more than a pitiful girl without parents who loved me. Really, I didn't want to separate from my nana. But she was more than happy that I had a father and he seemed like a decent person at first glance. What I had to do was more than clear. Besides, it wasn't like I was going to miss anything from my life in this city. My last boyfriend left me after receiving a swimming scholarship. My friends... although it was fun to hang out with them and maybe I could miss them for hanging out, but they weren't close enough to stay. And my cat, of course, I would take him with me.

No, wait, I can't get carried away. I didn't even know where the hell he was a duke from or what he did.

What if he was a scammer? Is he after my body? Right?

No, I don't think so.

I quickly dismissed the idea upon noticing my meager boobs.

"That would be a bit problematic, I need you, Mia. You must come with me" he said in a measured way looking into my eyes.

I didn't know the reason, but when I looked into his eyes I couldn't say no.

"If you take me, there are no returns, I warn you, daddy. I'm a bit of a ditz, don't expect good grades, I like parties and boys for mon..."

"Mia, what are you saying to your father? Those things are not the behavior of a young lady."

"I'm just warning him how I am. Since he is someone so great and powerful. I don't want complaints. Or that he then recriminates me."

"I don't think that's a problem as long as you don't offend anyone. In the place we are going there are rules that cannot be broken."

"Of course, royalty is something" my nana seconded as if she had belonged to royalty once "Mia, you must behave well and obey your father."

Nana, you just met him and you already trust him completely. That breaks my heart, it makes me think you can't wait to get rid of me.

"Yes, I'm an angel, nana."

"An angel with a devil's tail" my nana commented "But, Mr. Duke, I am very happy that you have appeared. I was worried about Mia's future. She just lost her mother, her only family. And although she is almost an adult, she is still a rowdy child."

"Nana!"

"It's the truth, my child. I'm already old and sick. I didn't want to tell you before, Mia. But a month ago I was diagnosed with a tumor in my breast, my daughter called me to go and get treated abroad. I was going to submit my resignation to Samantha this week. But she ended up leaving first. I didn't want to leave without leaving you in good hands, but now I can leave with a light heart. You're not alone, Mia. You have a father and he loves you."

I contemplated my nana with surprise and concern. I looked at her chest carefully, before throwing myself into her arms. I didn't even care about spilling the ashes with my mother's remains that were on the table. The only thing that mattered to me was getting to where my nana was sitting and giving her a hug.

"Careful, the ashes of Saman...!"

Oops! Well, daddy, I'll leave them to you.

"Why didn't you tell me, nana? You must have felt distressed."

I hugged my nana, this time my eyes were full of real tears. My nana was the sweetest and kindest person in the world. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"I didn't want to worry you, my child. It's a small treatable tumor, the doctor said that once it's removed everything will be fine."

I felt relieved at her words. I faced again the man who gave me life. My decision was already made.

"Okay, I'll go with you, daddy."

"That's the right thing, Mia. I am your father, your family."

My father turned to see my nana who had a sweet smile on her lips, while her eyes were clouded with tears.

"Thank you for taking care of Mia during all this time. I assure you that your efforts will be rewarded" he said holding the urn with my mother's ashes.

"You shouldn't do that, Mr. Duke. I thank you for your gesture. The only thing you must promise me is that you will take care of Mia and protect her."

"I assure you." my father commented seriously. Again there was pressure in the atmosphere. That was making me nervous. "You will not regret your decision."

***

However, the next day while holding my cat Serafin in my arms and listening to my father's fantastic story I couldn't help but wonder if I had made the right decision to go with him.

"Duke of which country are you, daddy? England? Denmark? Florida? No, I don't think that's a country" I asked while waiting for his private jet to arrive.

"Norden" he said concisely.

"And where is that? I have never heard of that kingdom. Are you sure you're not a scammer and you're not here for my body? Why did we have to leave so fast? You didn't even give me time to say goodbye to my friends. You know there aren't many, but they are very funny, they always make me smile when I'm in a bad mood, I think they're crazy, although we don't talk about important things, just seeing their faces..."

"Mia" my father called me interrupting my words, he seemed a little exasperated by my rant. Then, as if he had made a decision, he looked me in the eyes and said something that made me want to check my ears to see if I had any problems.

"I am Duke Storm Franklin Saetear of the kingdom of Norden, which is composed of werewolves."

What, is this man being serious? Until yesterday he showed sanity because now it seems that he has lost more than one screw.

"Werewolves? Did you escape from a madhouse, daddy?" I said laughingly thinking that he was making fun of me.

"I am one of the Alphas that make up our species."

"If this is a joke it's not funny, I never thought you had this kind of unique sense of humor. Hey..."

I had to stop my next words due to what was happening in front of me.

Soon, my father's eyes turned red, and his body began to undergo a metamorphosis, for a moment his face was lengthening and I glimpsed a pair of ears. I closed my eyes hoping it was all a dream, but when I opened them, where my father was there was a large giant wolf.

Holy pearls of the rainbow.

That was my last thought before falling into darkness.