Alpha Philip looked up from the scattered documents on his desk, removed his glasses, and fixed her with a stoic expression. "You cannot marry Tim. He is not the right one for you. I have my reasons, and you know them. You barely know that man, and now you want to marry him after meeting him at the ball. You're not even sure if he's your mate. You can't clearly tell who your mate is, so why marry a total stranger?" he roared.
"I love Tim, Father! I don't care if he is my mate or not. What matters is that love will prevail in the end," she yelled, her voice cracking.
Alpha Philip gazed at her, his face emotionless. "Leah, my decision is final. You won't marry him. I can't tell who your mate is, but I will know when I see one. There are better options for you."
"Why, Daddy?" Leah questioned, wiping her eyes. "I don't want any better option. You've chosen not to listen to me. Why? I have not shifted since I was born. I can't do what other normal wolves do, and I am the weakest in the pack." She turned to face her dad. "I see them, Daddy. I see them sneering at me and questioning my paternity. Nobody seems to understand why my parents are from a strong werewolf lineage. Daddy, let me marry him. Help me lessen this shame and pain. I want to escape from here and be happy with the man I love." Leah turned away, took a few steps toward his desk, and added, "You've always made my decisions, and I have always obeyed and followed your instructions. I want you to just grant me this request," she concluded, her voice almost a whisper.
Alpha Philip sighed heavily, stood up from his office chair, walked to her, and opened his arms, letting her fall into his warm embrace. Leah broke down immediately, crying on her father's shoulders. He let her cry for a while before releasing her.
Taking her face in his palms, he said, "Leah, I perfectly understand how you feel, and I don't want to deny you the happiness you seek or stop you from getting a
better life. Tim is not good enough for you; I have an eerie feeling about him. Love is a big word, Leah, and I don't want to discredit your feelings. I just don't want you to get hurt. Trust me, I want the very best for you, my lovely daughter." He paused and then said, "You know what, just give me some time to think it through."
"Yes, Daddy," she replied, smiling at him. Leah's tears had disappeared, and she beamed with smiles. "I also have to tell you this: you should not care about what our pack members say about you. There is a reason the moon goddess made you this way, and I love you regardless. No one will tell me how to treat or love you, Leah. Their opinion doesn't count." Leah's face softened, and she smiled, but Philip continued, "Don't be too hard on yourself. If the only reason you want to marry Tim is because of the pack, then I will—"
Leah didn't let him finish. "No, Father," she interrupted his words. "I am marrying Tim because I love him and I want your full support and blessing," she said.
"If you are so sure about your feelings, I want you to tell me what you know about him. I saw you leave the ball with him. He must have said a lot to you for you to want to marry him," Philip said.
Leah smiled at what her father said. Her cheeks flushed red, and she felt a little embarrassed. She took a seat in front of her dad. "Well, we didn't talk much. I'm sure you know he has dark grey eyes, very beautiful. He is the alpha too," she giggled. "I am sure you know that. He told me he runs the affairs of his pack himself. He equally makes major decisions himself."
"So he's a tyrant?" Philip asked.
"No, Dad, he's not," Leah disagreed. She was not going to let anyone say anything bad about Alpha Tim, not even her dad. "His pack is welcoming. I mean, he came to me first, Dad, and we connected really well." She smiled as if the memories played back in her head. "He complimented me a lot, called me beautiful."
Philip wore a frown at what she said. "What's wrong, Dad?" Leah asked.
"You said he called you beautiful. I call you beautiful, and your mum calls you beautiful too."
"When Alpha Tim said it, it made me feel good. Dad, you have a few days to think about it. Tim is definitely my happiness," Leah said.
Philip had never seen his daughter this positive about anything, and she seemed so sure about this. Tim seemed to Philip like someone with a lot on his sleeves. Philip was not ready to let his daughter go without doing research on Alpha Tim before permitting her to marry. "I will give you a reply when I get back from the alpha conference."
Philip and Leah agreed to it, and she left his study to her room full of hope and happiness. Leah was born in a weak body, finding it difficult to shift, a source of concern. However, it was made clear that the moon goddess must have had her reasons for making Leah this way.
Alpha Philip was tough on her during her upbringing, thinking it was the only way to make her tough and strong against what outsiders said about her. What he didn't know was that as she grew, these things got to her. Now, her only reason to leave this place was to get married to Alpha Tim, someone Philip's spirit was not accommodating. He was worried; she was desperate to shake off the unhappiness from staying in her pack, which is why she was in a hurry to get married.
'How do I make her see how special she is?' Philip thought.