The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

– MAYA

Would it burn me again-like last time?

The thought came before I even opened the drawer. My heart picked up speed as my fingers brushed the cold fabric of the coat and closed around the familiar weight of the necklace. The blue crystal rested in my palm as if it were alive, brimming with mystery and danger. I drew in a slow breath, filling my lungs with the familiar scent of the room, trying to steady the nerves spreading through my still-sensitive body, every sense sharp and exposed.

I lifted the necklace to my throat carefully, almost in slow motion. I fastened the chain and waited.

For the pain.

The sting.

The cruel warning that I was playing with something far bigger than myself.

Nothing happened.

I opened my eyes fully, startled. I touched the stone again, pressing it against my skin as if to test it.

Still nothing.

No burning.

No reaction.

A soft, involuntary smile curved my lips-light, relieved-like I’d just slipped past an invisible danger.

It worked.

It didn’t burn me.

The relief, however, didn’t last long. Another doubt settled in, deeper and far more unsettling. How would I know if it truly worked? If it actually blocked my thoughts when I was near Átila? Or worse… if it also dulled the irrational bond that pulled him toward me?

I lifted my gaze to the mirror. The woman staring back at me looked different. Not frightened anymore-determined. There was something new in her eyes, a certainty I barely recognized as my own.

“I need to talk to him.” I murmured to my reflection.

I left the room and moved through the house in silence, the cold floor beneath my feet, the faint echo of my steps following me. I found Atila in his office. He was seated in the leather chair, leaning over the desk, signing papers with an intensity that was almost intimidating. They were important documents-that much was clear from the care with which he turned each page.

I knocked softly.

“Come in,” he said, without looking up.

I stepped inside and waited, watching him. The sound of the pen scratching across paper felt unnaturally loud in the quiet room. My heart pounded.

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6:14 pm PWM M

Chapter 34

Was it working?

Had he already noticed something?

He finished signing, set the pen down, and looked up.

For a split second, I forgot how to breathe.

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The glasses made his face look even more serious-more composed-and unbearably handsome. He removed them calmly and placed them on the desk.

“All right,” he said. “You have my full attention. What do you need?”

His voice was deeper now, rougher, direct-and the way he looked at me, focused and intent, made my throat go dry. Did that mean my thoughts were blocked? Or was the bond simply… silent?

1 swallowed.

“M-me?” I stammered, suddenly too nervous. “Actually… I just came to ask if you’re hungry.”

He frowned slightly, studying me, as if searching for something out of place. My stomach twisted. For a moment, I was certain he would say he could hear everything I was thinking.

“Yes,” he answered at last. “I’m starving.”

‘Great,” I said too quickly. “I’ll cook something for you.”

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me before I reached the door.

Maya. Wait.”

froze and turned back. He watched me for a few seconds in silence, then his gaze dropped to my chest.

‘New necklace?”

I cleared my throat, my nerves flaring again.

‘Yes. I… bought it with Miss Langford at the Moonville market.”

If he were reading my thoughts, he’d know instantly it was a lie. I studied every microexpression on his face, searching for suspicion.

But Atila only nodded, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

It’s a beautiful necklace. It suits you.”

“Oh… thank you.” I said, offering a restrained smile.

I left the office feeling almost weightless. The moment I closed the door, I released the breath I’d been holding and celebrated silently.

It worked.

The necklace really worked.

And as I walked down the hallway, that realization settled inside me with a strange mix of relief and fear. If he was no longer

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Chapter 34

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reading my thoughts-if the bond had truly silenced that invisible force pulling us together-then everything that came next would be a choice.

There would be no compulsion.

No need imposed by a curse.

No inevitable call blurring desire with destiny.

It would be proof that whatever existed between us wasn’t just convenience-but something he could lose and still choose not to lose.

Maybe that was better. Better to find out now than to live believing in a love that never had the freedom to exist.

I headed to the kitchen feeling lighter, opening cabinets, pulling out drawers, gathering ingredients. I grabbed a pot, set it on the stove, reached for the tofu, the spices, the broth. The simple act of cooking soothed me-it made me feel useful, in control of something, at least.

Miss Langford entered the kitchen while I was chopping the ingredients.

“And what’s that little smile about?” she asked teasingly.

“It’s nothing.” I replied shyly.

She raised an eyebrow. “Whatever it is, there’s nothing wrong with being happy. What are you making?”

*Something for Mr. Volkov.”

She glanced at the counter, the ingredients, and smiled knowingly.

‘Looks like you two got along quite well while I was away.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks instantly. Memories of us in bed flashed through my mind, making my heart race all over again. She continued, her voice calm.

‘And that makes me happy. In all my years in this house, I’ve never seen him as calm or in such good spirits as he’s been ately.”

‘Really?” I asked, surprised.

‘Yes. Your presence does him good.”

The words warmed me from the inside. I kept stirring the pot, adjusting the heat, adding ingredients as we talked. Before long, she was beside me, helping, passing utensils, commenting on the seasoning.

It was in what felt like a casual moment that my curiosity got the better of me.

“By the way… where were you all this time?”

I noticed immediately when her body stiffened. Her smile faded slightly, and she answered carefully.

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