The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

MAYA

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The past few days had been unexpectedly good. Light. For the first time in a long while, I found myself laughing without guilt, without that constant sense of danger hovering over every thought. Beatrice had become an unexpected refuge-one of those friendships that form effortlessly and somehow feel old from the very start. She liked to say it was impossible not to smile around me, and I couldn’t help finding it strange how someone so strong could also be so warm.

“I have to admit,” she said, giving me a slow once-over, “that dress looks amazing on you

“Amazing is a stretch,” I replied, smoothing the fabric.

“It’s not. If I’d known it would look this good, I would’ve worn it more often

I laughed, shaking my head.

A little later, we stepped outside the cabin together, the cold nipping at our skin but still bearable. Mr. Tharok was finishing a pot of tea over the cauldron, his movements unhurried, as if the world itself had learned patience from him. He poured the tea carefully and handed us each a cup..

“Thank you,” I said softly, wrapping my hands around the warm ceramic.

He smiled at me, clearly pleased to see Beatrice with company. “I’ll grab a blanket. It’s too cold for young ladies like you.”

‘You don’t have to, Dad,” Beatrice said immediately.

‘I do,” he replied, already turning away.

I smiled at the exchange. They were sweet together. We sat on the logs arranged around the cauldron, steam curling upward nto the quiet forest air.

‘Don’t you ever feel lonely out here?” I asked after a while, blowing gently over my tea.

Beatrice thought for a moment. “When I was a kid, yeah. I really did.” She shrugged. “But I got used to it. I go into Moonville sometimes.”

looked up, surprised. “You go to Moonville?”

“Of course.” She lifted a brow. “You didn’t think I was some kind of forest creature, did you?”

‘No, that’s not what I meant-”

She laughed. “Relax. You’re not wrong, though. I don’t leave much. Just for supplies, and sometimes festivals. When the town actually throws one.”

“Oh. I see.”

She studied me more closely, like something had clicked. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“How can you tell?”

“Everything about you,” she said, tilting her head. “Even your scent feels different. Like you weren’t raised here. Or maybe not even from this world.”

I warmed my fingers against the cup and nodded.

1/4

5:17 pm

Chapter 45

“So how did you end up here?” she asked. “Who brought you to this place?”

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I thought of Atila. Of the quiet weight his name carried. I hesitated, then chose my words carefully. She probably already knew who he was.

“It was an Alpha,” I said. “Apparently… I’m bound to him.”

“He’s not the one who threw you into that pit, is he?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “That was someone else. He would never do that.”

She exhaled in relief. “Good. Toxic relationships really aren’t worth it anymore.”

We smiled at each other.

Then, suddenly, Beatrice went still. Her smile faded, her brow creasing as if something in the air had shifted.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Nothing,” she said slowly. “It just feels like someone crossed the barrier.”

“What do you mean?”

She was on her feet instantly. “Stay here. I’m going to get my father.”

There was no time.

Men emerged from between the trees, their armor worn and scarred, their expressions hard. Behind them, massive wolves prowled forward, hungry eyes glowing in the dim light.

“Well, if it isn’t Tharok’s daughter,” one of the men said. His gaze slid down to me. “And who’s the other girl?”

Beatrice lifted her chin, her posture steady-too steady for someone so young. Courage first. Fear buried deep in her eyes. Before either of us could speak, the man stepped forward and spat on the ground.

“Doesn’t matter who she is.” His cold stare settled on the cabin. “Where’s your father?”

“What do you want with him?” Beatrice shot back, her voice firmer than I expected. “And how did you get past the protection?”

The man tilted his head, amused. His hand drifted to the sword at his side, thumb sliding slowly along the blade. “Old business. Unfinished business.” He smiled thinly. “Call him. He’ll understand the moment he sees me.”

The cabin door opened then. Tharok stepped out with two thick blankets in his arms-and froze. Shock crossed his face in an instant. The blankets slipped from his hands and hit the ground with a dull thud.

“Took you long enough, old man,” the stranger said.

Tharok straightened his shoulders. “I paid what I owed your people.”

“No, you didn’t.” The man’s crooked smile widened, rotten teeth on full display. “You ran. Hid yourself out here all these years. Did you really think time would erase what you did? You should’ve served us. Done what I asked.”

“I would never betray the pack by harming a Volkov,” Tharok said quietly, dangerously. “Leave. Now”

“Not until I’m paid.” The man spread his arms theatrically. “It’s simple. One life settles the debt. Yours… or your daughter’s.”

2/4

5:17 pm PMM.

Chapter 45

“My daughter, no.” Tharok stepped forward, gripping his staff tightly. “She has nothing to do with this.”

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“She has everything to do with it,” the man replied calmly. “She’s what you love most now, isn’t she? I’m not leaving until she’s dead.”

“Bastard!”

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