The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

– ATILA

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The silence in the room was too deep, feeding my boredom. I watched Margot Melrose across the table, adjusting the neckline of her dress for the third time in a minute. I shifted my gaze to the window, drawing a slow breath through my nose. Patience was a finite resource.

She cleared her throat, satisfied to have captured my attention, even if it was just the reflection of my disinterest.

“Before we really begin,” she started, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “may I ask a favor?”

“Depends.” My reply was a dry exhale, with no effort to soften it.

“May I pull my chair closer? For a more… intimate conversation.”

“No.”

She laughed, a light, artificial sound as if my refusal was a joke. Completely ignoring me, she dragged the heavy wooden chair across the floor until she was beside me, her cloying perfume invading my space. Her hip nearly brushed my arm.

“Much better, don’t you think?” She rested her chin in her hand, looking up at me through her lashes.

I leaned back in my chair, creating distance, and crossed my arms. “Your time is running out, Margot.”

“Alright then, I’ll get straight to the point.” She made a dramatic pause, her eyes tracing my features. “Tell me, Alpha Attila. What do you value most, physically, in a woman? Every man has a preference.”

I blinked slowly, assessing if this was truly the strategy she’d chosen. “Character.”

She made an exaggerated pout. “Oh, that doesn’t count. I’m talking about the body.”

“Smile.” I let a half-smile slip, just to see her reaction.

The gleam in her eyes faltered for a split second, but quickly reignited, fueled by blind confidence. “Look at me,” she commanded, tossing her long hair back. “Don’t tell me I’m not an Alpha’s type. That I don’t possess…. everything a man like you could desire.”

I kept my gaze neutral, impenetrable. “You are a beautiful woman, Margot.”

“More beautiful than Maya?” The question came fast, sharp as a dagger.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. When I spoke, my voice dropped several octaves, laden with absolute finality. “Your sister is not an object for comparison. She is beyond any contest you imagine is happening.”

She seemed to drink those words in, twisting them to her own advantage. A sad, calculated smile touched her lips. “So… there’s no room for anyone else? Even for someone who might be… more suitable?”

“Good. You finally understand.” I picked up the pen on the desk, just to give my hands a purpose.

She sighed, a performance of resignation, and began to rise. She stopped mid-movement. Slowly, she sank back into the chair, and something dangerous ignited in her gaze, a mix of challenge and lust.

There is one thing, however, she whispered, her voice growing husky and intimate, “where my dear sister could never compete with me.”

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Chapter 36

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Before my brain could fully process the veiled threat in her words, she acted. In a surprisingly agile move, her hand slid over my thigh. It wasn’t an accidental or gentle touch. It was a deliberate assault, her fingers curling through the fabric of my pants, pressing against the growing hardness beneath. The pressure was intimate, invasive, loaded with a filthy promise.

“I know exactly how to make a man lose control,” she breathed hot near my ear. “Just one night. Just say yes.”

A wave of primitive fury boiled up from the base of my spine. My control, always so rigid, shuddered. I gripped her wrist with a force that left no room for doubt, my fingers nearly meeting bone. I wrenched her hand away from me as if removing something venomous and shot to my feet, the chair scraping violently against the floor. When I spoke, it was a guttural snarl. ripped from the depths of my chest.

You’re done. Get out. Now. Before I forget you’re a woman and my future wife’s sister.”

My eyes must have gleamed with the coldness of a predator, because the blood drained completely from her face. All her provocative air dissolved, replaced by genuine terror. She stumbled back, tripping over her own chair, and practically fled for the door, her dignity in tatters. The sharp click of the door closing echoed in the silent room.

I stood there, breathing hard, trying to master the fury and revulsion still churning in my blood. Her audacity… was offensive. It was a profanity against what I felt for Maya.

When the door opened again, it was with hesitation. The last of the Melrose sisters entered. Freida.

She was a complete contrast. She sat in the chair opposite, maintaining a respectful distance, her trembling hands knotted in her lap. Her gaze remained fixed on the polished wood of my desk.

‘I don’t have all day, Freida.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine quickly. They were clear, full of a nervousness that seemed authentic. “Forgive me, Alpha. It’s just… this is so intimidating.”

There’s no need. I’m flesh and blood, just like you.”

For you, perhaps,” she murmured, blushing. “For me, this was always a distant possibility. To dream of a moment like this…. alone.”

If it were up to me, this conversation with each of you wouldn’t be happening. It’s entirely unnecessary.”

She swallowed hard, the knuckles of her clenched hands white. “I imagine… your decision is already made. That nothing I say will change it.”

I gave a single, curt nod.

Her shoulders sank, not in petulance, but in resignation. “Then… I only ask one thing. If… if for some reason, Maya cannot…. if something prevents it…” Her voice broke, and in it was no desire, only the sharp, desperate pitch of survival. “Please, remember me. Choose me. I would be loyal. I would be grateful.”

I watched her for a long moment, seeing not the woman, but the precarious situation she was in. There was a genuine fragility there, unlike the hollow arrogance of the others. This wasn’t about passion; it was about deliverance.

‘I’ll consider it,” I said, and my voice sounded less harsh.

It was enough. Her eyes lit up as if I’d offered her the world, not a crumb of possibility. “Thank you, Alpha Attila. Thank you.” She stood, gave a quick, awkward bow, and left, closing the door with a soft click.

Finally, silence descended, complete and heavy. I braced my hands on the desk, head bowed, letting my breathing return to normal. The ghost of Margot’s touch still pulsed, a repulsive intrusion. But it was the image of Maya that rose to blot it out. Maya, with eyes that held the pain of abandonment but never malice, with her quiet courage, her loyalty that never needed

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6:14 pm P WMM

Chapter 36

to be announced.

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They all thought they were competing for a prize, that they were part of an auction. They had no idea. The competition was an illusion. My heart, my loyalty, my hunger… they had already been claimed. By a woman who wasn’t in that room, who didn’t need to flaunt or beg. Maya was already woven into me, into the deepest fibers of my being, in a way none of those sisters, with all their artifice and desperation, could ever hope to reach. The rest was just noise. And I was tired of the noise.

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AD