Claimed by the Vengeful Alpha

Chapter 94: Some Confirmation

"Looks like the man you always choose over the family that saved you doesn’t even want you!" Maelle blurted before Maya had a chance to gather herself.

She looked across the table to her sister, seated with a defiant look on her face as she stared down at Maya. She should be used to Maelle’s crude comments by now, but it still hurt, especially when there was truth to her words.

Keenan didn’t look at her again. She had hoped what happened last night would close some distance between them, and in front of everyone, she had chosen him over her father. But what did she get in return?

Maya gripped the edges of her dress and stood to her feet. "I could say the same."

She heard Maelle gasp as she turned away from the table. Maya wasn’t trying to be hurtful; she just thought it was a little sad that they were both hurting. But as always, Maelle never had any sympathy for her.

All she ever did was find fault in her actions, regardless of whether they benefited Maelle or not. It didn’t matter that Maelle was the one who pushed her through those doors. It didn’t matter that she had always done whatever Maelle wanted.

"What? I always choose my family. Always!" She yelled out.

"Yes," Maya turned her head slightly with a sad smile on her face. "You have made that very clear, Maelle. You are not my sister."

Maelle froze, and her eyes widened slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but Maya was already turning away. Her gait was steady, and her back was straight as she walked toward the door.

Surprisingly, it was easier than she thought to say those words. She didn’t think it made any difference, but she had never said those words out loud. Now that she did, she wholeheartedly believed them.

"Zoe," she called in shock as she stepped out of the room. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"No," she lightly shook her head. "I heard the meeting was over. I didn’t want you to have a hard time finding your room."

"Thank you," Maya replied.

She was really grateful. It was a little uplifting to see someone who was nice to her after dealing with everything that had just happened.

"Shall we head to your room, or would you like a tour of the castle?" Zoe offered.

Maya’s brows raised a little; she was tempted. If she could just walk around or perhaps sit in the garden, it would be nice. But it felt a little risky—she might run into Father while she was seated alone, and she wanted to avoid that.

That was only part of the reason. The major reason she wasn’t taking the maid’s offer was that a part of her was hoping that Keenan would return to the room soon. She would finally get some confirmation that she hadn’t made the wrong decision.

"Thank you, Zoe, but after the meeting, I just want to take a nap."

"As you wish," she said with a polite smile and walked ahead.

Maya followed after her, and neither of them said another word until they got to her bedroom. Zoe held the doors open for her to step in.

"Is there anything you want?" Zoe asked as Maya walked in. "Some snacks, perhaps?"

Maya shook her head. "I’ll just take a nap. I am exhausted."

Zoe nodded and made to shut the door, but Maya called to her. "Yes, Lady Keenan." She poked her head back into the room and stared at Maya with a concerned look.

"The shoes," she mumbled and stared at her feet. She really was grateful; she didn’t want to imagine how much more embarrassed she would have been if Zoe hadn’t given her these shoes.

Zoe’s eyes followed hers. "Oh no, Lady Keenan. Those are yours."

"Mine?" She queried.

"Mhm," Zoe replied, and before Maya could ask further questions, she was gone.

She stared at the doors and then at her feet. She still couldn’t fathom how a maid had easily given her a pair of shoes that she could keep.

She felt a little nervous as she took them off and placed them by the wardrobe. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them, but she didn’t want to get Zoe in trouble.

She wiggled her feet on the soft carpet as she walked toward the bed. She wasn’t lying when she said she wanted a nap. She did.

She was hesitant to lie on the bed, but she didn’t think Keenan would return now, and perhaps she wanted to reminisce. She was still sad about how it ended, but that was the closest she had ever gotten to Keenan. It was hard not to be sentimental despite the sad part.

Maya clasped her hands to her chest as she lay on the soft bed. The sheets were new, clean, but if she took a deep breath, she could pretend she could smell him just within her reach.

---

"What do you want?" Vilhelm asked his brother as the two of them walked into his privy chambers.

"Who is Maya?" Vaughn asked as soon as he sat down.

Vilhelm stared at his brother as though he had lost a few marbles. "My daughter, whom you gave to some vermin."

Vaughn’s eyes darkened. "You know that’s not what I mean. Why did you pick her out of all the children in the orphanage?"

Vilhelm narrowed his eyes as he stared at his brother. "What are you insinuating?"

"Answer the damn question!"

Vilhelm’s expression went cold and his shoulders relaxed. "I didn’t," he replied. "Maelle picked her."

Vaughn stared hard at his brother. He had too many questions, but he knew better than to ask Vilhelm directly. His brother would deny it unless he had concrete evidence, and even if he did, Vilhelm would twist it.

He had to be careful. However, his line of questioning should be enough to unnerve Vilhelm. He wanted his brother to know he had some idea. It wasn’t the whole picture, but he was certain he would get pretty close.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t have his suspicions. However, it was easy to dismiss them. Vilhelm made sure they were looking elsewhere. He couldn’t imagine what his brother’s reasoning was and a part of him feared it might be worse than he thought.

Now that Maya was away from his clutches, he could easily do all the investigations he needed, and that was why he had sent Claude to Verlassen. He hadn’t expected his hunch to be right.

"Is that why you brought me here?" Vilhelm asked darkly.