The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

MAYA

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I woke with a jolt, as if my whole body had been yanked back into existence. My breath hitched. My eyes flew open, sharp and unfocused at first-until they found Atila sitting at the edge of the couch where I’d been lying, watching me in absolute silence

The first thing I noticed was what he held between his fingers. A mall shard of dark amber, still smoking faintly… and smelling like someone had burned a rotting branch inside the house,

“Where are we? My voice came out low and warm, my whole belly still scrambled. Instinctively, I touched my nose.

“At my place. You fainted, so I brought you here. Are you feeling any better?”

“I think so. And that… thing? What is it? 1 pointed with my chin till thrown off by the foul little fragment in his hand.

“Pine resin.” he said, turning it as if it were the most ordinary object in the world. “When it burns, it releases a compound that helps bring someone back to consciousness.”

I made a face before I could stop myself.

“God. But why does it smell like death?”

A low, rough chuckle escaped hum-quiet, contained, like thunder warming in his chest. Then he set the resin on a crystal dish and looked back at me with those deep, ocher-green eyes that made my head feel light.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes, I mean… I think so.” I adjusted my posture, trying not to look completely pathetic.

He leaned in slightly, studying me “What exactly happened before you passed out? What were you feeling? I shouldn’t have unloaded so much on you like that. I was reckless.”

“No. It wasn’t that. I just… felt something weird”

His brows lifted, waiting.

I felt… heat”

“Heat?” he repeated slowly.

And then I made the fatal mistake of glancing at his chest. His srt was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of broad, carved skin My stomach flipped A hot wave rolled through me so fast had to wet my lips-and regretted it instantly. Oh God. What was happening to me?

He noticed. Of course he noticed.

“So can you explain this heat you felt?” he asked, blinking slowly, as if he were trying to read the thoughts I was fighting to Inde

I looked away fast and cleared my throat.

“It must’ve been the walk. I’m not used to walking that much. I probably just got overheated. I shot to my feet, too restless to breathe properly “I’ll go up to my room”

“Okay”

VA

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10:16 Mon, Mar 9 M

Chapter 17

I turned toward the stairs, ready to escape myself, when his voice cut through the air

“Wait

My entire body froze. He didn’t need to raise his tone. The gravity in his voice alone made the air vibrate

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I looked over my shoulder He walked toward me with slow, precise steps, like he’d been crafted to fill every inch of space around him. He stopped close-close enough that my heartbeat hundered in my ears.

His fingers brushed a strand of my hair, tucking it behind my car Such a simple gesture… yet from him, it struck with impossible intensity. My body woke like something dormant had been set on fire. Goosebumps spread across my skin. My stomach tightened My knees wobbled. The air between us thickened, too warm to breathe.

He didn’t speak for a moment. He just looked at me. And that lock was capable of peeling thoughts apart.

“I’m going for a run in the woods. But if you need anything-or you feel faint again-don’t hesitate to call for me. I’ll get to you in time”

“H-how would you even know? If you’re out in the woods?” My voice cracked embarrassingly.

“Ask in your mind.” He tilted his head slightly. Serious. Certain. Who knows—I might hear you.”

I blinked, thrown. What?

“Now go upstairs.”

I nodded, utterly lost in the hormonal storm tearing through me unable to make sense of the fire spreading under my skin. It was too strange, too sudden. Maybe it was guilt. I’d treated him as if everything he did was simply his duty, as if none of it mattered… when the truth was, from the moment we met, he’d been helping me-rough edges and all. I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t: I was grateful for him. Deeply. He’d proven himself good. Fair. Protective. Respectful. And that tangled my emotions beyond anything I could control.

I climbed two steps before stopping, pulled by an impulse I couldn’t ignore. I turned back, searching for him.

He was already heading toward the door when I called out.

“Alpha Átila?”

He turned slowly.

“What is it?”

I swallowed, a question burning through my thoughts,

“There’s something about that story that still doesn’t make sense to me.”

“What exactly didn’t make sense?” he asked, patient

“If I’m your luna and you felt me when I was born… how could you believe all these years that I was dead? Did you stop feeling me Is that it?”

He took a few seconds before answering

“You’re right, Maya But that’s something we’ll have to investigar When they told me you’d died… I truly stopped sensing you. It was as if your energy had vanished”

“Vanished?”

“Yes. There are ways to block someone’s energy Amulets, mostly They’re illegal in our pack, but still someone might have

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10:15 Mon, Mar 9 M

Chapter 17

used one on you.”

I stayed quiet, trying to process it Before he could leave, I drew a breath

“Wait I want to say something else.”

He turned fully toward me and stood there-open, present, as if nothing in the world could pull his attention away.

“Yes?”

The words stuck in my throat before finally coming out

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Thank you for everything you’ve done for me” My voice trembled at the end. “It may not look like it… but Lam grateful. I’ve never been treated as well as I have been in this house.”

“I only did what needed to be done, Maya. I would never leave anyone in those conditions. This isn’t just about our bond Believe that

Something tugged painfully in my chest.

“Good night.”

“It’s always night here, he murmured with a faint laugh. I smiles

“Then see you later”

“See you later, Maya

I held his gaze one last time before heading upstairs. Once inside my room, I leaned against the door, my heart racing like I’d run miles My palms were damp. My neck tingled.

Was I going into heat?

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Now? Seriously?

I paced the room, hugging myself, trying to make sense of why this was happening at the worst possible moment. Of all times-under the same roof as an Alpha,

A massive, devastatingly handsome, very-much-alive Alpha.

When I turned, something slipped from my coat pocket and the floor. I bent down and picked it up. The blue stone necklace my mother had forced me to wear my entire life.

Her voice echoed in my mind like a shadow.

“Never take this off. Maya. If you do, you’ll die.”

I stared at the stone, my throat tight. I remembered the burn it it on my skin. I remembered taking it off. I remembered the exact moment Atila found me

And everything clicked at once

Slut

I ran a hand through my hair, dizzy

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