CINDY'S POV

I woke up to the sound of an automobile engine going off the road. I blinked, trying to decipher where I was, and realized I was still in the storage room.

Even though my stomach growled loudly because I hadn't eaten, I mustered all my energy to pound my fist on the door and screamed, "Let me out!"

Were they trying to kill me?

I stopped when I heard footsteps near the room. The small cat-door at the bottom of the door opened, and a tray containing a plate of leftover food and brownish water was dropped inside.

"Eat up! Thank us for still letting you live," Aunt Jezel's voice said.

"Auntie, please, open the door. I won't ever rebel against you again."

But she just laughed and walked away.

I don't know how many days passed while I was imprisoned in the storage room. It felt like forever. I hadn't bathed or seen the sun. They really treated me like an animal.

One day, I was lying on the makeshift bed I'd made when the cat-door on the lower part of the main door opened. The person who left my food spoke. It was Henry.

I quickly scrambled to my feet and peeked through the cat-door to plead with Henry to let me out.

"I can't possibly do it."

"Why?" I asked, my eyes streaked with tears. I was surprised my eyes weren't dry from crying all the time.

"You were a bad girl, Cindy. It's right for you to be punished like this."

"I thought you loved me."

He laughed. "You think so? Let me tell you the truth, Cindy. It wasn't you I loved. It was Jenny. Don't be so delusional."

Suddenly, Jenny appeared beside him, caressing her small baby bump. She smirked as she looked at me.

"Pathetic. He was just using you to be close to me. Who would want to be with an abandoned daughter like you?"

No matter how many insults they threw at me, I was still affected. It hurt so much that I'd served them, yet I wasn't worthy of their acceptance as part of their family.

When Henry left to go home, Jenny stayed in front of the storage room. She threw insults at me, saying I should be dead.

I was okay with their insults, really, but when she mentioned my father and how I'd killed my mother during childbirth, I snapped.

"Your family is evil. You should all be dead, instead," I said, and that made her cry.

Her mother and sister came to her and were shocked when Jenny told them what I'd said.

Aunt Jezel was furious. For the first time since she'd locked me up, she opened the door and stormed toward me. She grabbed my hair and dragged me outside.

I was almost blinded when the light hit my eyes; I hadn't seen sunlight for days. She dragged me to the stables. The horses neighed as Aunt Jezel pushed me into a pile of horse manure. My face was covered in it, and I could even taste it. I wanted to cry, but I controlled myself.

"That's what you deserve for being ungrateful to us. You want to be free, right? Well, then, go. No one would accept you, anyway. You'll come back here again, and you'll be cleaning horse shit again."

That night, after cleaning myself, I decided to follow my plan to leave the house for good. Even though my body ached from Aunt Jezel and her daughters' slaps and kicks, I packed my clothes and left my father's house, poisoned by her.

I walked past Henry's house and cried. Afterward, I wiped my tears and straightened my posture. I picked up the love letters he'd sent me before from my bag and threw them in their mailbox, along with a new letter for him that said: I loved you, but you treated me like an animal. Now, you will all regret what you did to me.

CINDY'S POV

Good morning, folks. In today's news, our respected Alpha Luis continues his search for the unnamed girl who owned the fallen necklace. He is willing to turn over every stone in the country just for this girl because, finally, she was his fated mate.

The radio crackled with a news report. The people in the pub were alert, halting their drinking and talking to focus on the radio.

The pub has a large radio behind the counter for the public to hear the latest news. People love to be here in the evening, especially on Friday nights, to relax. And I'm glad I got to work here because the ambiance is refreshing.

When I left my stepfamily, I went to the next town and found myself in front of this pub. It was evening, and no one was outside. Luckily, the pub's owner, Mr. Jerry, went out to take out the trash and saw me lying beside the entrance.

He quickly got me inside and gave me something to eat. I thought all people were bad, just like my stepmother and stepsisters. But Mr. Jerry proved to me that everyone can be kind if they choose to be. He took care of me while I was in my vulnerable state. He fed me, bought me clothes, and gave me money to buy my needs.

"Why are you so kind to me?" I said one day.

He smiled sweetly, like a father looking out for his daughter. "You're reminding me of my dead daughter. She was just your age when she was stolen from me because of her illness."

To repay his kindness, I worked for his pub. I became a waitress. Customers, regular or not, treated me kindly, and I never experienced harassment.

In this town, the people are friendly, warm, and respectful. Now I see why they are really supporting the reign of Alpha Luis in the country, because he is also like them: friendly, warm, respectful, and born in this town.

So, when they knew that he was searching for his mate for many full moons, they helped in the search, too. They searched by interrogating young ladies who attended the party and relaying the message to the pack's council.

But for whatever reason, they didn't ask anything from me. Maybe because I was from a different town, so they thought I was out of the equation? But still, I was puzzled and glad at the same time. I'm trying to get my life together, and this normalcy is what I wanted, not unnecessary attention.

When my shift was over and I returned to my small room on the second floor of the pub, I dreamed of him again. Most importantly, I dreamed about the time we spent at the party.

Morning came. As usual, I started mopping the floor and cleaning the windows.

"You don't have to do that, Cindy," Mr. Jerry said when he entered the pub and found me wiping the tables.

"It's the least I can do for your kindness to me."

Again, he let me do what I wanted. The two other workers entered after a minute, and then the number of customers who came inside slowly increased. For a short period, the bar was full of customers, even though it was still afternoon.

I was busy putting a glass of beer on a customer's table when I heard the sound of the chime on the door, indicating someone had entered. When I turned around to greet the newcomers, I froze when I came face to face with my Aunt Jezel and her daughter.

"Well, well, well, look who's here," Aunt Jezel said as she stepped forward to me.

"The brat has found a cheap job. A waitress? Oh, come on. Didn't the owner of this establishment realize you are fit to be a janitor?" Stephany added.

Jenny, with a large bump on her belly, laughed. "I bet she has slept with lots of men here. Are you giving them the satisfaction they want every night, Cindy? Is Alpha Luis not enough for you to seduce?"

All the customers' attention was on us now. They were intrigued by the scene in front of them. Even now, these three still love to be in the spotlight.

Are they really craving to be the center of attention? Well, I'll give them what they want.

"Are you that obsessed with me that you really followed me here? You're all so pathetic for not having a life of your own. I guess the money from my father's savings is gone, so you want me to take care of you. Well, news flash, I'm not the old, stupid Cindy anymore. Now, get out!" I ordered, pointing outside.

The surprise and shock were evident on their faces. They couldn't speak because of the humiliation. But then, Aunt Jezel raised her hand to slap me, but a hand stopped her midway.

When I looked at the man who stopped her, my mouth dropped open. It was Alpha Luis.

CINDY'S POV

Alpha Luis is here, and he's protecting me. I can't believe I get to see him in person again.

"Your mind is brainwashed by that girl, Alpha. You should get away from her," Aunt Jezel said.

"An abuser should be the one to get away from her. No one should mess with my mate, or else I'll banish you from this country."

Aunt Jezel and her daughters were scared. They immediately shuffled out of the pub, afraid of Alpha's threat. When they were gone, the people inside cheered.

"All hail our incoming Luna!"

They were all happy that Alpha Luis visited his old town and, especially, that he'd finally met me, his missing mate. Because of that, the owner opened the pub, offering free drinks to all customers. We had a mini-celebration, and Alpha Luis's messengers spread the news.

"Good morning, folks. Our dear Alpha Luis finally found his mate in a pub in his old town. You can really find your true love in your old town, eh? What a day to celebrate! We now have a Luna."

The pub's radio greeted me when I went downstairs to prepare the pub for opening. Usually, I woke up before Mr. Jerry, but today, he was already there.

"Good morning, Luna. You have a guest."

I saw Alpha Luis sitting at one of the tables. When he saw me, he stood up and gestured for me to sit in the next chair.

"Hi!" he greeted, smiling. "I'm Luis. May I know your name?"

I halted, thinking that letting him know my name might be a rude thing to do, but I composed myself. "My real name is Cinderella. But, please, call me Cindy."

"Cindy," he whispered, nodding.

"What are you doing here so early?" I said.

"I'm here to legalize our bond." He produced a contract. "If you sign it, you accept our bond. But if you reject it, then..." He trailed off, smiling sadly.

If I rejected this, it meant we'd be mateless forever. It's my dream to have a family, but more than that, part of me wanted to sign it to get back at Henry and my stepfamily. If Henry saw me happily living with his bachelor uncle, I'm sure he'd be dripping with jealousy.

Without a second thought, I signed the paper. "I accept you as my mate, Alpha Luis."

After that, he told me we'd be living in his mansion. The werewolf scouts packed my things, and four automobiles were ready to drive us there. I thanked Mr. Jerry for his help before getting into a car with Alpha Luis.

My days in the mansion were a new experience. I was pampered like a princess. The maids tended to my clothes, bath, food, and other necessities.

When Alpha Luis was done with work at the pack council building, he spent ample time sightseeing with me, just the two of us. We walked on the beach at sunset, ran as wolves in the woods, ate at fancy restaurants, and I participated in a donation drive.

He was so passionate, unlike Henry. Despite not knowing the extent of the abuse I suffered from my stepfamily, he knew deep inside his heart that he'd protect me.

"I don't want any bruises on her. Understood?" He said to his maids one day. It warmed my heart because I proved Aunt Jezel wrong. Someone was willing to love me.

That night, while we were having dinner, a messenger knocked on the door.

"Alpha, your ex-girlfriend wants to see you. It's urgent."

We made eye contact, and I knew what he meant. He wanted me to go with him. Together, we went to the mansion entrance and saw a lady in a white dress with long black hair.

She was beautiful, but her face was tear-stained. When she saw me, she pointed.

"You!" she shouted. "You're not his mate. I should be his Luna. I'm the real owner of that necklace from the party."