Claimed by the Vengeful Alpha

Chapter 98: Let’s Go

When Maya woke up, she was on the bed, and rays from the open windows shone right on her face. She winced and adjusted her head on the pillow to get away from the light.

"Lady Keenan, you’re finally awake," Zoe’s voice pierced through her sleepiness.

She squinted her eyes as she tried to see past the bright light. "Zoe," she mumbled as she moved herself to a sitting position.

"Yes, Your Ladyship. Did you sleep well?" She asked as she stood by the side of the bed, bowing slightly.

Maya palmed her face, rubbing her eyes. She wasn’t sure. The last thing she could remember was lying on the couch, wondering what was going to happen next, and now she was in bed.

Did he move her?

She dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. Not much had changed last night. He had left her there. Stood up and left. She had fought the urge to cry and must have fallen asleep at some point on the chaise lounge, but now she was in bed.

"Lady Keenan, are you okay?" Zoe asked with concern.

Maya pulled her hands from her face and lifted her head to look at Zoe. A fake smile was plastered on her face to reassure the maid.

"Yes, I am—"

Her words cut short as she saw him. He was sitting across from the bed in a lone chair, his right ankle resting on his left knee. An elbow rested on the armrest, supporting his chin as he stared hard at her.

"Alpha Keenan!" She blurted, her voice a mix of shock and horror.

She almost leaped out of the bed as she saw him. She had expected today to play out much like the day before. He would be gone by the time she woke up, yet here he was, staring at her.

He narrowed his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. She could see his expression, but she didn’t know what it meant. He had left her again last night, but he seemed to have also put her in bed.

How did she sleep through him carrying her? Or perhaps it wasn’t him? She didn’t know. He had given her so very little; it was hard to imagine he would do that.

"Lady Keenan," Zoe called to her. "You’re leaving for Verlassen today. We have to get you ready, now. It’s already past breakfast."

"Past breakfast? I overslept." Her eyes widened. They were leaving for Verlassen today, and he let her oversleep.

Zoe nodded. "I did try to wake you earlier, but," she paused slightly as her eyes darted in Keenan’s direction, "I was told to let you rest."

"You were?" She softly asked as she peered in his direction. He was still staring at her, and she turned away immediately. She couldn’t possibly guess what was going on in his mind.

It felt incredibly awkward, and he wasn’t speaking even when she addressed him directly. He didn’t even respond to her when she called his name, but the maid told her he’d let her oversleep and must have carried her to the bed.

The uncertainty she felt wasn’t gone, but she couldn’t help but feel a little warm. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she thought, and he didn’t think she was trying to deceive him again.

"Yes, shall I help you get ready?" Zoe offered.

"Yes, please," Maya said, taking her hand. She didn’t risk looking in his direction again.

She let the maid help her out of bed. She had already wasted enough time; she didn’t want to delay them any longer.

They had left Verlassen by dawn two days ago and hadn’t arrived at the castle until almost dinnertime. If they were leaving after breakfast, they wouldn’t get to Verlassen until late.

Zoe gently brushed her hair after her bath. "Would you prefer it tied or loose?" She queried.

Maya snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her reflection. Keenan had not left the room even for a moment, and while she was having her bath, her breakfast was brought.

"Away from my face," she mumbled as she adjusted the scarf around her neck. Zoe had said it was for traveling, but she knew it was to hide the marks.

She didn’t care about the specifics of her hair, but depending on how the journey went, she didn’t want to have to worry about it at any point.

"As you like it, Lady Keenan," Zoe replied as she got to work.

With a little half part in the middle, she braided the sides of her silky black waves and tied it into one big braid. She used jeweled pins to hold the hair in place and tied a red string at the bottom so the hair wouldn’t come undone.

"How do you like it?" She asked, smiling at Maya from the mirror.

She turned her head from side to side as she got a good look. It was much nicer than anything she had done in a while. "It’s beautiful, Zoe." This time when she returned her smile, it was a genuine one.

"I am glad," Zoe replied and stepped back with a bow.

"Are you sure I can keep the pins?" She asked with concern.

"Yes, of course. The princess would like you to have them," she replied.

"The princess?"

Maya’s eyes widened slightly. It was surprising. They didn’t have any relationship. She didn’t think they had ever exchanged more than a few words.

"Of course," she said and picked up the shoes that Maya had set aside and helped her put them on.

Maya nodded, accepting them. "Give her my gratitude," she replied.

Zoe stood to her feet. "It will be my pleasure. Breakfast is waiting."

Maya nodded and stood to her feet. She walked toward the dining area where a simple table laid with two seats placed across from each other. It was away from where Keenan sat, but he still had full view of her.

She didn’t hesitate as she chose the seat that faced away from him. She could feel his stare the entire time. She wouldn’t be able to handle directly facing him. He didn’t say anything; he hadn’t said a single word, but he just watched, unmoving.

Didn’t he have work to do? He unnerved her. She wondered what he wanted. Was he angry that she overslept? Was he angry about last night?

She tried to concentrate on her food as her thoughts churned. She was grateful she wasn’t alone with him. While she ate, Zoe cleaned up and packed up her clothes into a small bag Maya didn’t recognize.

Maya didn’t have to ask questions; it was easy to guess the princess had something to do with this too. However, she couldn’t understand why Princess Eleanor would want to help her. Wasn’t she angry that Keenan had picked her to marry instead?

She forced herself to pay attention to her food once again and to stop trying to think of unnecessary things.

She didn’t want to delay the journey any longer. If she had a wolf, it would have taken them half the time, but she didn’t, and she was pulling everyone down.

Maya wiped the corners of her lips. She had only been able to eat half her breakfast. Forcing anymore down would be detrimental for the trip. With all the jostling from the carriage ride, she risked emptying her breakfast.

"Are you ready, Lady Keenan?" Zoe asked as she walked toward where Maya sat, holding the bag.

"I think so," she glanced down at the bag.

"I carefully packed all your belongings. I didn’t miss a thing," she assured her.

"Thank you, Zoe," Maya said and stood up.

She hesitantly turned toward Keenan’s direction, just in time to see him stand up and start to walk in her direction. Her eyes widened slightly as she stood in front of the dining table, and for several seconds, her mind didn’t work right.

He stopped in front of her, and she instinctively leaned back. His jaw tightened as he stared at her. He had no business standing this close to her, but from a distance, he couldn’t tell and he needed to.

Sitting and watching hadn’t done anything. He didn’t have to stay in the room, but he found that he didn’t leave. He had to watch her closely, he told himself—how else was he supposed to figure out what she was trying to do?

She still smelled like him. It irked him that he came this close to confirm. She wasn’t looking at his face, and from her body language, he could tell she was anxious.

The scarf around her neck was likely to hide the marks; he had noticed she had hidden them the day before with her hair.

"Let’s go," he whispered. He tightened his jaw and turned away. He was further annoyed that the sentence made him want to grab her hand.

Maya nodded and forced herself to move as he walked away. She looked back at the maid, who followed behind with her bag, and Zoe gave her a sympathetic smile.