"Alpha Keenan. Do I suffice?"
There it was, that selfless display Maya Olsten loved to put on. It grated his nerves even more at how believable it was. Even after seeing it so many times, he was still moved.
If he didn't know her, if he didn't know exactly what she was capable of, he would also be fooled.
Keenan felt the scar across his chest and torso itch. She had done a similar act when she applied wolfsbane on his chest, pretending it was ointment.
Keenan quickly suppressed the memory. Now was not the time. She was offering herself; he would have his pound of flesh in due time.
He sneered right in her face. "Very much so, Lady Maya."
Maya could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words, but nothing was as strong as his anger. How could such a simple word reveal that much intense emotion? How was she to deal with this?
Maya tried to let out a small smile but it faltered. She could feel something that she had refused to acknowledge; the terror coiling in her chest. She was terrified of both Alpha Keenan and what he had in store for her.
Perhaps this was a bad idea. She didn't have to do this. Staying with Father was retribution enough, but at least Father didn't look at her with such visceral rage.
"M-might I plead for some time?" Her voice cracked despite her effort not to let her fear seep out. "I shall—"
"No!" Keenan cut in, his eyes darkening and he grabbed her arm. "You had more than enough time. No more dawdling."
He had grabbed the same arm Maelle had been digging into just moments before, and Maya had to shut her eyes to keep from making any sound as burning pain seared up her arm.
He pulled her toward one of the horses lined behind him. "Get on." His words were cold and final.
Maya winced at the pain of him pulling her injured arm, but he acted completely indifferent, almost as if he couldn't see it.
Maya glanced back. Father had not moved an inch from where he stood. Maelle was still sobbing as she clung to him but unlike before, her little sister didn't even look at her. Maya knew she couldn't wait for her to leave.
"Get on," Alpha Keenan repeated. "Or perhaps, shall I help you?"
Maya shivered at his words. How did he make regular words sound so threatening? She didn't need more words to know he would willingly toss her onto the horse.
"No," she forced out and tore her gaze away from her father and sister.
She had been hoping for a proper goodbye. Despite their relationship, they were her family for over thirteen years. Was this really how she was going to be torn from them?
She grasped the saddle and slipped her left foot into the stirrup, pushing herself up in one motion. The horse shifted beneath her, grunting softly as it adjusted to her weight. When it steadied, she swung her other leg over its back and settled into the saddle, slipping her foot into place.
Maya wiped her black hair out of her face as she balanced on the horse. She was familiar with horse riding; it was one of the few things she had learned as the daughter of the High Alpha.
Vilhelm stepped forward with Maelle. Her cries were muffled now, but she didn't let go. Father had an odd look in his eyes as he stepped up in front of her horse.
"Father," she whispered, bowing as she sat on the horse.
Vilhelm's hands formed fists as he stood, and Maya realized he had dropped his cane at some point. She couldn't recall ever seeing him without it, perhaps when she was younger.
He didn't respond to her call; he just stared darkly at her. Maya bit the inside of her cheeks, forcing herself not to call out to him again. This was the second time she had deliberately gone against Father.
The first time was to stop him from sending Keenan off to war. She had paid dearly for that, and it made no difference, as Father had sent him off and made her watch.
Pathetic, wasn't it? She herself had willingly whipped him with these hands but had fought to keep him from being sent to war. There was no question about whether she deserved this; she did more than anyone.
Keenan got onto his horse, and so did his beta, Asher. Theo, however, walked on foot, as Maya was now riding his horse. Without waiting any longer, Keenan's horse started to move, and he pulled on her reins to make her horse move forward.
He shot her a dark stare before he pulled his hand away, and Maya didn't need words to interpret what his stare meant. It was clear that he was warning her that it would be in her best interest to be compliant.
Maya didn't look back as she gripped the reins, feeling every movement as the horse trod over the pavement. Its hooves made loud sounds as they came in contact with the hard ground.
She was leaving. It was a little hard to believe. She had never foreseen this future. Furthermore, she was leaving with Alpha Keenan, who hated her family with everything in his guts and who hated her just as strongly.
She glanced at him riding in front of her, and Maya felt nauseous. And yet, beneath the nausea and the horror of what awaited her, something foolish stirred. Maya could feel the rising hope in her chest.
Why was she hopeful?
Why did she think there was a way to fix this huge mess between them? Maybe if she found a way to show him who she was, she could undo the rift she had caused with her own hands.
Just maybe.
Maya's attention was drawn by the huge gates. She had never gone through them without Father accompanying her. It felt a little strange, but she couldn't call it freedom—no, it was far from it.