Maya felt something in the air. It was so minimal that she would have ignored it if Theo had not shown a slight reaction. The only reason she had noticed his slight shiver was that she was clinging to him.
Maya understood what it was almost immediately. They had left Father's territory and had now entered Alpha Keenan's territory. They were still in the woods, but she knew that would change soon. She could see the end of the woods and the beginning of the town, Verlassen.
Theo pushed out of the woods and nostalgia hit her like a wave. Everything about this place was familiar. Maya looked from left to right; it had been thirteen years since she had been here.
As they exited the woods, Theo slowed his pace but didn't stop running. She looked back, hoping to see Alpha Keenan or Asher, but there were no signs of them. Maya felt her heart flutter, and she sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess.
The woods opened into a field with wildflowers growing in their midst, and at the edge of it was the small town. Maya felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight before her.
The Alpha King had given Alpha Keenan a part of Father's territory. Alpha Keenan had requested Verlassen be made his territory, and the King had adhered to his request as Alpha Keenan had lived in the town his entire life.
Father had been angry when the Alpha King had granted Alpha Keenan's request. He didn't particularly care about the land or the people in it; he cared about the gold mine. However, there was nothing he could do about it as the Alpha King refused to listen to his complaints.
Maya blinked rapidly as she stared around. The sun was still bright in the sky, shining down with blinding light. But the day was drawing toward evening rather than mid-afternoon.
Verlassen was different from what she could remember. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what was different as she stared around—her memory from when she was five was failing her. But it was clear that something had changed for the better.
There was no debris around, no dump of armor from the war, and the air smelled like the sea. This part was all too clear; she had too many fond memories of running on the sands of the beach with Marcus.
Theo stopped in front of a huge building. Unlike her father's mansion, there was no gate. Smaller houses surrounded it in a wide circle, each spaced just far enough apart to breathe.
It wasn't clustered. It was uniform.
The buildings all looked to be newly made. There was no sign of age or decay. Everything was in pristine condition. Maya tried to conjure her memories, but she failed. One thing she was certain of was that there were more beautiful-looking houses than she could remember.
Theo bent his knees, and Maya got off, not before she noticed the stares from the houses. A few doors opened, and people stood on their porches staring. A child pointed and was chided by his mother. Children had been running around playing, but they stopped to watch as Theo arrived with her.
Theo shook his fur, and Maya forced her attention back to him. The stares didn't ease, nor did the whispers or the pointing, and they were all directed at her.
Theo shook himself a little too hard, as though he wanted to get every trace of her off his body. Maya stood next to him, feeling lost as she waited for some instruction.
Suddenly the huge doors burst open, and Maya jerked slightly as a woman came running down the stairs. She stood next to Theo, lightly caressing his fur before she looked around, her eyes deliberately glancing over Maya.
The woman had straight long blond hair and a perpetual look of disgust on her face that only worsened as she looked in Maya's direction. One of her hands was still gripping the side of her dress as she had lifted it to easily run down the stairs.
"Where is Alpha Keenan?" she asked distastefully, glancing back at Theo.
Maya opened her mouth to speak. She felt obligated to explain as she had been the last person to see him.
"Alaina," a voice called, cutting off her words.
Maya felt cold, and the words she was about to speak went back down her throat. She looked at the woman in front of her more clearly.
It was strange, after all these years, she didn't forget her name and it still elicited the same feeling it did years ago. Fear.
Alaina turned her head toward the stairs. "You're slow, Winnie," her voice had a condescending tone.
"I am so—"
Alaina was already looking away as Alpha Keenan came running toward them with Asher by his side. The people acknowledged his presence by calling his name, but none approached him or them.
"He is here," Alaina said with a wide smile, and she looked ready to break into a run.
Winnie simply nodded. She glanced at Maya, who couldn't meet her gaze. They had all ignored her presence; it was hard not to feel the effect of that.
Maya's palms felt clammy, and she had to fight the urge to shuffle on her feet, an attempt to ease the explosive emotions that only got worse with Alaina present.
Winnie also looked familiar—her brown hair and the way she clung to Alaina were unmistakable. Maya could feel a long-buried memory trying to claw its way out.
Alpha Keenan stopped abruptly in front of them. The force kicked off some loose pebbles on the ground that struck Maya, but thankfully they only got on her dress and didn't cause any harm.
"Alpha Keenan," Alaina ran up to him. "You're covered in blood." Her voice was softer and filled with concern as she spoke to him.
His wolf form looked down, barely glancing in Maya's direction, and he walked past her. Alaina rushed after him, followed by Theo and Winnie. Asher didn't go along with them; rather, he rounded the mansion and headed away from it.
The door loudly shut without anyone looking back. Maya's eyes widened in horror at the realization. Not only had they all ignored her, but they had also left her out here.
Maya looked up at the blue sky. It was evening, and soon enough the sun would set and darkness would cover every corner. Was she going to be left out here? Was she supposed to go in?
Maya looked around, feeling more than a little lost. The rest of the townspeople were going back into their homes and shutting their doors, while she was left outside with the sun rapidly setting.