Maya's legs felt numb as she stood. It didn't take her long to figure out that this was some form of punishment, nor did it take her long to accept her fate.
The ride on Theo's back and the nostalgia of coming back here after so long made her forget the sort of situation she was in.
To them, she was nothing more than the daughter of High Alpha Vilhelm. The man who had used Verlassen and the people of this town as nothing more than his backyard dump site.
He imprisoned orphans and made them into gold miners, keeping them against their will for over a decade; not to mention the two years of torturing Alpha Keenan that she had partaken in.
This was not some reunion; no one here considered her a part of them, and they wanted nothing more than for her and her father to get a taste of what they did.
Maya shut her eyes briefly as she tried to remember that. It hurt because a part of her couldn't help but be happy about being here after so long. She wanted nothing more than to run through the town checking every corner. Perhaps, it would trigger even more memories. There were too many things she had forgotten.
The sky was dark now with a faint glow from the stars and moon. Maya could hear the sounds of mosquitoes as they floated around, sounding too close for comfort. She batted at her ears trying to get rid of them before she risked getting bitten.
Since she didn't have a wolf, she was quite susceptible to the diseases they carried. She was often mocked for falling ill, as only children were affected by the bites.
Maya didn't know why she didn't have a wolf. It was something Father treated as normal even when she asked. He told her it wasn't unusual and that as she grew, she would get hers.
Maya jumped as the doors flung open and Alpha Keenan's menacing figure appeared. The torch behind his back made him look larger than he was. She brought her hand to her chest as she let out a sharp gasp. He was no longer in his wolf form, but he was still just as large.
She couldn't see his face from this angle, but she knew he was glaring at her. His fists clenched at his sides, and Maya instinctively took a step back. Keenan marched down the stairs toward her, exuding enough malice to crush her where she stood.
She didn't dare take another step back even though every bone in her body screamed at her to run. Logic, however, overshadowed her fear. She knew she wouldn't make it far before he caught her.
He grabbed her arm once again, favoring the injured one. He yanked her forward, and Maya nearly lost her footing. She scrambled not to fall, fearing that if she leaned into him, he would hurt her.
She managed to secure her footing but only barely before Keenan was pulling her toward the house. He marched up the stairs briskly, and Maya tried to keep up, lest she risk being dragged while her body hit the stairs. She didn't need anyone to tell her that Alpha Keenan would not pity her.
"She deserves to sleep outdoors. They didn't even offer you such decency, Alpha Keenan," a voice said as they walked through the doors.
Maya's eyes widened as she heard Alaina's voice. She turned to see Alaina standing beside the wall, her arms folded as she glared at Maya.
Keenan didn't reply to this, nor did he stop walking. He pulled Maya further into the house. The first room they entered was the entrance room.
It was as big and decorated as Father's house. Expensive carpets covered the floors from one end to the other. Portraits lined the walls, and a decorative candle chandelier hung from the ceiling. It was filled with enough candles to light up the room.
Keenan turned to his right, then took a left, then another right. Maya could hardly focus on where they were going as his grip on her arm was getting tighter. It was unbearable. She had to clamp down her teeth to keep from screaming.
Soon they appeared in a long hallway. There was nothing on either side except a door at the very end of it. Maya could hear Alaina's footsteps behind her and her occasional scoffs.
The hallway was unlit with only a little light from the next hallway seeping toward it. Maya felt dread creep up her spine. It was better than spending the night outside, but she didn't fare well with darkness.
Maya wondered what she should do. Should she complain? She looked up at him; his shoulders were stiff, and she didn't need to see his face to know it had an angry expression. It was best to keep quiet. She couldn't dare complain now. Alaina was right. They hadn't offered him any decency.
Keenan stopped as he came upon the door and opened it. Maya winced as the cold, stale air from the cellar drifted up toward her. He didn't give her any chance for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before he pushed her in, and she heard a loud lock click into place.
Maya fell to the hard concrete floor, another inch forward and she would be rolling down the stairs. She winced in the darkness, her eyes moving around as she tried to get her bearings.
She could hear their retreating footsteps and Alaina's laugh. Maya sat at the top of the stairs, resting her head against the wall. Perhaps she shouldn't have done this. It was a lost cause.
Her eyes slowly started to adjust in the dark, and she could make out barrels at the foot of the stairs. She couldn't guess how big the cellar was, but the darkness stretched out endlessly, and Maya could neither tell if it was the walls of the cellar or extended spaces that her sight failed to detect.
It was going to be a long night. She folded her legs and pulled the dress to cover her feet as best as she could, hoping she would fall asleep fast.