Claimed by the Vengeful Alpha

Chapter 100: Journey Back

Keenan led her to the carriage without speaking. All she could do was hang back two feet behind him as they exited the castle. He didn’t turn back at any point, and it wasn’t until they got to the carriage that he looked at her while holding the door open.

His gaze held impatience, and even though he didn’t speak, Maya hurried into the box. She sat down, and he shut the door louder than he needed to.

She jerked in her seat, feeling even more anxious. There were too many things she did wrong today. She woke up late, and she also didn’t have a wolf. The latter made things much more difficult.

She shuffled in her seat; the box felt bigger than the last ride, and she knew it was because she didn’t have Claude to keep her company. He was a good distraction from her thoughts.

"Theo," Keenan’s voice thundered.

Maya peeked out of the open window as she watched the light brown-haired man walk up to his Alpha with an eager expression.

"Yes, Alpha."

"Do you think you could journey in your wolf form..." he paused and turned back, catching Maya’s eyes.

She leaned back immediately. She didn’t mean to act like she was eavesdropping, but it was harder to act otherwise when he looked at her with such accusation.

"Yes, Alpha," Theo was quick to reply.

Keenan narrowed his eyes as he turned his attention back to Theo. "I’d rather not miss anything, and your nose should pick it up if anything is amiss. Unfortunately, without Claude and Hilbert, we don’t have more hands. I’d rather not be caught off guard."

Her palms formed fists on the leather seats of the carriage. She understood what he meant, but it was impossible not to feel like his suspicions were directed right at her.

Soon after the conversation, the carriage began to move. From the window, she could see Keenan riding on a horse beside the carriage, but there was no sign of Theo, and she could only assume he was running ahead.

The carriage shook rapidly before it steadied as they rode toward the castle gates. This time around, she poked her entire face out of the window to look at the castle, quietly saying goodbye. She pulled her head in as they rode out the gates, trying to brace herself for the long journey ahead.

The castle was closer to Father’s territory, and they would have to go through it to get to Verlassen. She could see why he was cautious.

She leaned back on the ride and tried to distract herself. She didn’t want to spend all her time thinking about things she couldn’t change.

After some hours, the carriage came to a stop. Maya didn’t know how long they had been moving; she had even fallen asleep at some point.

She poked her head out of the window just in time to see Keenan walk toward her on foot. She sat stiffly on the leather seat as he pulled open the door.

"Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

"No, step out," he simply said.

She nodded and tried to rush out; delay worsened his suspicions of her. She wanted to make things better, not worse.

Unfortunately, in her bid to do as he ordered quickly, she forgot the distance between the height of the carriage and the ground. She tumbled forward but instead of falling headfirst onto the uneven ground, she landed on a strong arm.

"Since when are you this clumsy? Tch."

Maya’s face reddened. "Thank you," she mumbled as she steadied herself.

It was hard not to notice he didn’t take his arm away until he was sure she wouldn’t fall forward. He had also reacted too quickly. A second later and his hand wouldn’t have been able to stop her in time.

"Tch!" He repeated and shut the doors of the carriage. "Here."

Maya haphazardly stretched her hand outward to catch the bag he threw at her. She managed to catch it without embarrassing herself as Keenan walked away.

She watched him for a moment before taking in their surroundings. They were in an open field, and it didn’t feel like Verlassen, which meant they were in Father’s territory.

She looked around; there was no sign of the town, which would place them on the outskirts. She frowned as she recalled them getting attacked while entering his territory when Keenan came to take her.

She clutched the bag. She didn’t think it was safe to be here but Keenan didn’t seem worried. Last time, she could only escape on Theo’s back; she was hoping she wouldn’t have to do that again.

She winced as she looked to the sky. The sun was high up, and she could tell it was well past noon and getting closer to mid-afternoon. If they were still in Father’s territory by now, Verlassen was still far off.

The horses were grazing on the growing grass in the area. There were a few trees around, and Keenan rested under one that was some distance away.

She forced herself to walk toward the closest tree before she checked what was in the bag. It held a few snacks and a bag of water. It wasn’t nearly enough, but Maya wasn’t hungry and would have preferred not to eat.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that. She doubted he would be pleased if she didn’t. So she munched on the barley cakes as she stood under the shade.

She had long finished eating the barley cakes and no longer had the stiff feeling in her legs when Keenan walked toward her tree.

The sunlight bounced off the emerald necklace and for a moment, she entertained the thought that she could step up to him right now and tell him who she was.

"Get in the carriage," he ordered, his gaze still as piercing as ever.

There was no softness in his gaze, only clear irritation. Would he believe her? And even if there was a slim chance that he did, how would he look at her? Would his gaze hold disappointment and disgust?

Telling him who she used to be wouldn’t change who she is now, and she wanted to make amends for what Maya did while being Maya.

It was a pathetic little excuse, wasn’t it? But he still held Penelope close to his heart, and she was terrified that she wouldn’t even have that anymore if he knew.

Her feet felt heavy as she walked; loose pebbles rolled down the road, and the heat poured down. Maya was a little worried; the weather had started to feel a little different as she stood under the shade.

Perhaps because she was in a different town earlier today that’s why she didn’t pick it up earlier but right now, she was pretty sure it would rain tonight. She just hoped they got to Verlassen before the downpour.

She was careful this time as she walked into the carriage. She lifted herself and got in while he stood behind her.

"I think it’s going to rain," she mumbled just before he shut the door.

Keenan’s grip on the door tightened. "What did you say?" It didn’t sound like he didn’t hear her; rather, it sounded like he was offended she spoke to him.

"N-not right now. By evening. I was just thinking about if w-we will get to Verlassen on time."

Maya felt her eyes water as she spoke each word and regretted blurting out her thoughts, but she would feel awful if they were caught in the rain.

He looked up to the sky, wincing at the glare of the sun, and looked at her. He didn’t dismiss her words; rather, he slammed the door shut and walked away without another word.

Maya grabbed her dress. If he had such a visceral reaction to her speaking, how was she supposed to communicate with him?

She adjusted the scarf on her neck. It was warm enough, and the scarf made her feel warmer, but she didn’t want to take it off.

She leaned back as the carriage started to move, wondering if there was something she could have done differently. She pushed the negative thoughts away from her mind and tried to brace herself for Verlassen.

They got to the territory not long after, but there was still some distance before they reached the town, and Maya winced as dark clouds started to gather. The sky started to darken, and she could tell the rain would fall very soon.

"Faster," she heard Keenan give orders to the coachman, and the horses increased their speed.

The carriage shook from side to side, and she had to grip the leather seat to keep from smacking into the wood. She knew the speed wouldn’t make much difference now. The rain would fall before they reached Verlassen.

Maya didn’t feel as bad as she thought she would, as rain was always welcomed. She would never refuse an opportunity to get drenched, but she didn’t think Keenan would appreciate it.

So, even though she couldn’t help but feel happy about the rain, it was almost impossible not to feel some guilt. If she had her wolf, the rest of them wouldn’t be drenched.