The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

-MAYA

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I stared at the twisted trunks deep in the forest, cold wind threading through the leaves, and my stomach tightened like it was trying to crawl

up my throat.

I could’ve brought someone with me. I could’ve asked for help. Attila would’ve come without hesitation-and just thinking about that put a knot in my chest. He would’ve ripped any threat out of my way with his bare hands.

But this wasn’t about him.

This was about me.

Only me… and the people I used to call family.

I took a slow breath, trying to ignore the strange heat crawling under my skin, like my body was too restless to stay still. I rubbed my hands together, fingers freezing, and stared again at the exact spot where the air felt… wrong.

There.

That was where the portal opened.

I just had no idea how to open it.

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to remember everything I’d seen-everything I’d felt the last time I crossed over. It wasn’t a normal doorway. It was like the world split open, and the air turned

into water.

I stepped forward.

Then another.

And stopped.

A snap sounded behind me-sharp, sudden-somewhere between the trees.

I froze.

Instinct kicked in before thought, I rushed behind a thick tree, holding my breath, heart pounding so hard it felt like it was screaming, Here she is. Right here.

I peeked through a crack in the trunk.

A red-haired woman emerged from the brush.

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She didn’t even look around.

She simply lifted one hand, touched the air in front of her, and the space split-like someone had sliced reality with a blade. A deep, dark shimmer opened out of nowhere, and the wind around it seemed to get sucked inward.

She stepped through without hesitating.

And I knew instantly.

This was my

chance.

I bolted from behind the tree and sprinted before the portal could close. My body moved on autopilot, like if I let myself think for even one second, I’d lose my nerve.

I jumped in.

It felt like falling into a river that was ice-cold and scalding at the same time-like my skin was being ripped off and shoved back into place.

When I stumbled out the other side, I hit the ground hard, the air blasting out of my lungs.

I groaned, face pressed into damp earth, hands sinking into leaves and mud. My knee burned. My shoulder, too.

I pushed up on my elbows and lifted my head.

The forest was different here.

Even the smell was different.

And familiar.

Ahead, between the trees, the red-haired woman in the black coat was already far away. I only caught her silhouette moving fast-like someone who absolutely didn’t want to be followed.

I forced myself up, ignoring my body’s protests, and started walking in the same direction.

I didn’t know how long I walked. But when the trees began to thin and the first streets appeared, my chest squeezed tight,

Northumberland looked exactly the same.

Old houses. Stone ground. That heavy silence, like the whole town was holding its breath.

I turned a corner and recognized the route without even thinking.

My body tensed before I even saw the house.

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And when I finally stopped in front of it, I couldn’t breathe.

That house had been my prison for years.

And now I was standing here again… by choice.

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I closed my eyes for a second and dragged in a deep breath, forcing the air into my lungs.

“Come on, Maya. You can do this. Be strong. Be brave.”

I whispered it like a mantra until my hands stopped shaking.

Then I climbed the steps.

My heart was so loud I swear I could hear it inside my skull.

At the door, I crouched and lifted the doormat.

The spare key was still there.

Like nothing had ever changed.

I grabbed it, slid it into the lock, and turned slowly.

The click echoed in the silence.

I pushed the door open.

It creaked softly, and the smell hit me like a slap.

Furniture polish.

And something old… something that felt soaked into the walls.

I stepped inside, swallowed by quiet.

It didn’t sound like anyone was home.

I stood there for a second, looking around, and my throat tightened.

My eyes swept over the couch, the table, the staircase… and it was like seeing a smaller version of myself, curled in on herself, trying to take up as little space as possible. Trying not to make noise. Trying not to be noticed.

My stomach twisted.

Then I heard it.

The blow dryer.

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Upstairs.

A steady, irritating whine.

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By my estimate, it was coming from the bathroom connected to the bedroom of the witch who raised me while pretending to be my mother.

I climbed the stairs with firm steps, gripping the key in my fist like it was a weapon.

At her bedroom door, I pushed.

It was slightly open.

The blow dryer got louder.

I walked in.

And went straight for the bathroom.

It was just as big as I remembered-marble counters, a massive mirror, like she needed the worship herself properly.

And there she was.

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Wrapped in a black silk robe, drying her hair, staring at herself with that disgusting, self-obsessed expression.

She lifted her arm, tugged at a strand, fixed the way it fell-completely unaware of me at first.

I stood behind her.

And for one second, I just watched.

Until she caught my reflection.

The blow dryer stayed on for half a beat longer.

Then she shut it off fast.

Slowly, she turned her face, staring at me through the mirror,

Her eyes widened like she’d seen a ghost.

“Maya… you’re alive.”

“Surprise,” I said, dripping with sarcasm.

I stepped farther into the room.

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“You happy to see me, Mom?”

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She sucked in a breath, and her expression shifted so quickly it was almost impressive. Her mask snapped back into place like she’d been practicing her whole life.

“You have no idea how worried I was when you disappeared.”

I laughed.

Short. Dry. Pure disgust.

“Worried… or relieved?”

She held the act for a second longer, but her eyes

And then she decided she was done pretending.

hardened.

“I’ll admit it-I wouldn’t have suffered if a weak daughter like you had died early.”

She took a step toward me, wearing that superior look I’d known since I was a child.

“Besides, you’ve already caused us enough trouble. You ran off into the house of an unmarried Alpha, and now the council is threatening us because of you. Your father is disappointed. Very disappointed. He said he doesn’t want to see you again-not even if you were dipped in gold.”

Something hot surged up inside me, rage so sharp it made my blood feel like it was boiling.

“I don’t care!”

“Of course you don’t.” She let out a short laugh. “You never cared about your father. Or anyone in this family. If you had, you would’ve disappeared from our lives a long time ago, you stupid girl.”

I took a step forward.

“Shut up.”

Her eyes

flew open, offended-like I’d committed the worst crime imaginable.

“Who do

you think you are, telling me to shut up in my own house?” Her voice rose. “Get out. Now. And don’t come back. I warned you-if you ever left this house, you would never set foot in it again. So get the hell out! Now!”

She screamed the last word, then turned back to the mirror like the conversation was over.

Like I was nothing.

She reached for the blow dryer again.

And that’s when I realized…

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I wasn’t shaking anymore.

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I walked up behind her with cold, controlled steps. My heart was pounding, but my mind was crystal clear.

When she lifted the dryer to her hair, I grabbed a fistful of it and yanked her head back.

“Ah!” she screamed, dropping the dryer.