The Rejected daughter chosen by the Alpha (Maya and Atila) novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89

– ÁTILA

The clock read 2:17 a.m. when I poured myself another drink.

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I only take enough to dull the constant static inside my head-that relentless reminder that this body isn’t what it used to be. The whiskey burned on the way down, heavy and sharp, warming something in me that doesn’t answer the way it once did.

It’s been two years since I stepped down as Supreme Alpha and chose to become human to save

her.

Eight left.

Eight years until the sentence runs out. Eight years until I’ve paid the full price of the deal I made.

I can handle the physical limitations. The loss of my wolf. The vulnerability. None of that terrifies me. What corrodes me from the inside out is the distance. Being close to her and still impossibly far.

Watching her move forward with her life while I linger on the edges of it-that’s the part that’s

harder to bear.

That’s why I took the position at the university. I knew exactly where she studied. What classes she was taking. The hours she walked onto campus and the ones she left. The job gave me a legitimate reason to stay close without raising suspicion.

I turned the glass slowly between my fingers and paced the small living room. The apartment is modest. Functional. Far below the standard I once lived in.

But being just one hallway away from her is enough,

A soft knock at the door cuts through my thoughts.

I glance at the clock again.

2:23 a.m.

No one knocks at that hour. Not unless they’re someone close.

I set the glass down on the table and walk to the door, opening it without hurry.

Beatrice stands there, face serious, hands clasped tight in front of her. She casts a quick glance. down the hallway before looking up at me.

“Can we talk?”

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Chapter 89

“Come in.”

I step aside. She walks in, and I close the door behind her.

Her gaze sweeps the room, landing briefly on the whiskey before returning to me.

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“So you actually moved here. When you told me on the phone, I didn’t think you’d really do it.”

“Well.” I give a slight shrug. “Guess we’re neighbors now.”

She exhales slowly, like she already knew the answer but needed to hear it out loud.

“Don’t you think you’re pushing this a little?”

I pick up the glass again, more to keep my hands busy than anything.

“It’s been two years, Beatrice. You really call that rushing?”

She studies me for a few seconds before replying.

“You’re right, sir. I apologize.”

I walk to the window and stand facing the dark glass.

Beatrice sits on the couch, posture straight as ever.

“She talked about you today.”

My body reacts before I can stop it. Not a sharp movement. Just a subtle tightening across my shoulders.

“Oh? What’d she say?”

“She came home talking about her new professor. Said you’re not overly demanding, but you’re fair. She sounded… excited.”

I can’t help the faint smile that pulls at my mouth.

I turn slowly, leaning one shoulder against the wall.

“Excited how?”

“Like someone who found something that challenges her. I haven’t seen her like that since she woke up

and we moved to London.”

A brief silence settles between us.

“And she seemed…” Beatrice hesitates. “Interested.”

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Chapter 89

She draws in a slow breath, her voice turning more reflective.

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“I always believed that for our kind, love only existed through a destined bond. But maybe you two are proving that wrong. Maybe love can exist beyond fate. Maybe it can grow, depending on the

circumstances.”

Her eyes lock onto mine, more serious now.

“You really love her.”

“You have no idea.”

The words come without effort. No hesitation. No doubt.

She nods slowly, then shifts the subject.

“Then I think we need to set some ground rules.”

“Like what?”

“How we’re going to act. Do I pretend I don’t know you? Do you pretend we’ve never met? We can’t slip up around her.”

“We’re strangers,” I say. “At the university and outside of it.”

“That includes this building?”

“Especially this building.”

She crosses her legs, thoughtful.

“You think she’d suspect anything?”

“If we give her a reason? Absolutely. She’s smart.”

Beatrice falls silent for a few seconds.

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t. For the record, she thinks you’re my uncle.”

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