The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

ÁTILA

I knocked once.

Hard.

Loud enough for the whole house to hear.

I waited two seconds.

Nothing.

I knocked again. Harder.

Is anyone home?”

drew in a sharp breath.

Smoke.

My jaw locked.

‘What the hell is this…”

Beside me, Beatrice frowned, alert. “It smells like something’s burning.”

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I didn’t answer. I took two steps back and slammed my shoulder into the door. The lock gave nstantly. Wood cracked. The door flew open, and a thick wall of smoke poured out like a warning hat came too late.

‘Stay here,” I ordered. My voice left no room for argument. “Do not come in. No matter what you

hear.”

Miss Langford pulled Beatrice back, and seconds later I was inside.

The heat hit immediately-the kind that tells you it’s already gone too far. The floor creaked under my boots. Smoke clung to my skin, my eyes, my throat,

“Maya!” I shouted. “Is anyone here?”

No answer.

I crossed the living room. The kitchen. The back door was open, slamming with the wind. I didn’t waste time. I turned and ran for the stairs.

“Maya!”

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Chapter 80

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The bedrooms were empty. Drawers pulled out. The bed torn up. The bathroom mirror shattered.

Fuck. What happened here?

I kept searching. Room after room. Even the attic.

Nothing.

She wasn’t there.

I rushed back down, controlling my breathing. The fire had already reached the first floor. Walls popped and cracked. The air was too thick.

Them I saw it.

A side door beside the stairs.

Closed.

My body locked for one second.

Then I shoved it open.

Heat blasted my face. The room was small and enclosed. Fire crawled across the floor.

In the center-a chair.

And on it…

Her.

Tied.

Her body slumped to the side. Motionless.

I didn’t hesitate. I ignored the flames licking the walls and crossed the space in three strides. I grabbed her face, firm.

“Maya.”

Nothing.

“Look at me, love.” I held her face in both hands. “It’s me. I’m here.”

No response.

I ripped through the ropes, not feeling the burn on my hands. I gathered her into my arms,

She was too light. Too limp.

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Chapter 80

“Hold on,” I said into her ear. “Just a little longer.”

I ran.

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The fire roared behind me. I burst through the front door, cold air slamming into my face like a

shock.

I dropped to my knees on the lawn.

I laid her down carefully. People were coming out of nearby houses. I heard voices, footsteps. I didn’t look at anyone.

All I saw was her.

Maya’s face was pale. Smeared with soot. Her lips parted.

Her chest didn’t move.

“No,” I whispered.

I pressed two fingers to her neck. Searched for a pulse. Waited. Tried again.

Nothing.

My chest tightened in a way I’d never felt before. I knelt closer, resting my forehead against hers.

“Breathe,” I begged. “Please.”

I brushed ash from her hair. She was cold. Too cold for someone pulled from fire.

Then I saw the necklace around her neck.

My hand closed around the pendant automatically. I tore it off her neck with a brutal motion and hurled it away.

A sound tore out of my throat-not a scream. Something broken. Raw.

I looked back at her and cupped her face, tears burning my eyes.

“Stay with me, love,” I whispered. “Don’t do this to me.”

“Átila…” Miss Langford’s voice shook behind me. “I’m so sorry, but she-”

“Don’t say it,” I growled. I couldn’t accept it.

I lifted Maya into my arms.

I stood.

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Chapter 80

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My arms shook, but I kept walking. Slow steps down the street as people moved aside. Some spoke. Some cried. I heard nothing.

Maya was in my arms.

She looked small. Fragile. Her weight didn’t match the hollow space tearing open inside me.

Every step was a fight not to collapse.

I remembered her smile. Her stubbornness. The way she looked at me when she thought I was being an idiot. Her voice. The way she said

my name.

Now all that remained was the silence she left behind.

My body wanted to react. The Alpha in me wanted to destroy everything around me. But there was nothing to attack.

Nothing that could bring her back.

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