MAYAThe sight of him caused my stomach to flip, and it felt like the walls of the room were closing in on me. It knocked the breath out of me, and I just stood there, staring blankly at the very bane of my existence.ARZHEL? Why was he here? How did he get there? The shock on his face mirrored mine. It wasn't every day you got to see the woman you'd killed.My blood went cold, and all the pressure clashed in, tightening my stomach and plunging me to the depths of hell. In just three weeks, he looked nothing like I'd remembered.His eyes, wide open in awe, were sunken, and his skin pale like he'd died for hours. One question: why was he here?I swallowed hard and hid my trembling hands, forcing myself to remember I wasn't Maya anymore. I wasn't the weak woman he'd once left behind. This was my turf, and I'd burn him in it.Straightening my face, I feigned ignorance and stepped forward to Arzhel’s presence. “From what I remember, you had your own company in this state, and I see no rea
MAYAThe elevator lurched, and I stumbled. Strange noises—creaks, groans, and screeching — echoed through the metal box. My heart racing, I grabbed the handrail.“What's happening?” I demanded, panic creeping in.The lights continued to flicker, and it registered in my head slowly that I was screwed, literally. The elevator had decided to malfunction at the wrongest time— with Arzhel inside it!“Uh,” I looked around, trying to hide my distress. “What's going on?”Silence lingered between us, tense and rigid. It was frustrating how heavy everything was, but it got worse when the last light source went off, too, and the small box plummeted into a torturing black.Immediately, I fished for my phone and turned on my flashlight. I could hear my heart pound against my ribcage, dreading this situation. Arzhel, on the other hand, kept mute ,but I felt his eyes on me from time to time.Beads of sweat breaking on my forehead, I immediately dialed the maintenance number as I didn't have Cheryl's
MAYA“Honey! How was work today?” My face was met with sloppy kisses and a hug that clenched my intestines. Atlas really loved his wife— I could tell from how he looked at her.At me. My hands fell limply to my side as I didn't know what to do with them. “It was quite hectic but fun nonetheless.”I settled on the couch, and he sat next to me, eyes keen on my face like he was about to start reading my experiences of them. Atlas looked eager to hear me.I groaned, trying to decide what and what part I was going to tell him. Though it might not matter much, I was locked in an elevator with my ex-husband for minutes, and he held my waist, and it felt good.Against my will and defence kind of good. Atlas snuggled closer, brushing the tendrils off my face and tucking them behind my ears. It felt mechanical and cold.“Dinner is almost ready. You can get changed, and then we'll talk all about it, my love. Right now, let's get you showered.”Nodding, I stood up and headed to my room— with Atl
MAYA Perhaps I shouldn't have phrased that question as I did because Atlas didn't look very happy about it. That confirmed it and piqued my curiosity even more.Atlas didn't stop walking to the kitchen, which was unnecessary because any of the maids could have done it. We had quite a number of them that I did, too, which made it easier for us to relate. His shoulders slumped, and he turned to me, looking fairly sad. “I was hoping we buried that in the past, but for people like us, our entire lives are documented in papers, all day, every day.”“Oh?”“I'll tell you all about it as we eat, my love, but be rest assured that divorce would have been the biggest mistake of our lives.”Rest assured? Oh please. I'd flipped into a full-blown panic while standing there. I knew nothing and had to believe whatever he said.Did Mara want to leave him? What the hell happened between these two? People didn't just…divorce. Something had to trigger it. As if on cue, Atlas’ voice crushed my thoughts i
MAYA “Mayalupa!” The head maid’s voice pierced into my ears and I looked up, immediately jumping to my feet. No! No! No! She mustn't find me like this! I could hear her footsteps echoing from the corridor and my poor heart thumped in sync with every step she took. She would murder me if she found me doing nothing. Doing nothing equaled lazing around. Technically, I'd call it taking a deserved break! The rest of the maids had gone to scrub the corridors clean, in preparation for tonight's ball. For the first time in five years, the young Alpha would arrive from his voyage and would be meeting his mate tonight, under the blessings of the full moon. We already knew who that would be. None other than Lady Elenore, the daughter of the Pack's Beta. There were so many rumors surrounding their relationship, despite how he'd been absent for five years. No one talked about where or why he'd gone for so long. I didn't care, so why start now? Most of the maids said he wrote Lady Elen
MAYA My hand crawled to my neck, to the spot he'd bitten and a small gasp ripped out of my throat. I couldn't even see his face but I felt him. He'd marked me. Every part of him! My mate. I'd found my mate! “Elenore….” he called out in a skeptical tone. “A-are you okay?” His voice was hoarse and held the question while the room fell into a kind of silence that clawed at my chest. I didn't know what to do with all the intensity I was feeling. Like I'd been lit on fire, I wanted his arms all over me and I hadn't even seen his face yet! But it couldn't be, right? It couldn't be Alpha Arzhel. There was no way in hell I was the Alpha's mate, not as a powerless, nearly wolfless Omega! “Elenore…” The shadows of his outstretched arm fanned my face and I startled back, hitting the wall, hard! “I'm not Elenore!” I cried out loudly, wincing from the pain. Even the air seemed to hurt my skin. No one spoke of how fragile a person becomes when they meet their mate. Their destiny. “I'
FIVE YEARS LATERMAYA“You're pregnant, Maya…” She paused and let the words sink in like pins to my heart, then continued in a small, trembling voice. “Congratulations.”What? Who was she talking about? I sat up from the bed with my mouth slightly ajar because I was sure I didn't grasp what the Pack's doctor had said.Even her smile faltered when she saw the expression I wore. Pregnant?Pregnant!?All that morning sickness and vomiting wasn't from the spoilt food I was served all week long?“What?” I echoed with furrowed brows, my claws extending as I gripped the edge of the bed tightly, waiting for her to repeat what she'd just said to me.Doctor Clarissa sat down and crossed her legs, smiling sadly at me because we both knew that it was more bad news than good. There was no way in hell I wanted to bring a child into this hell that I was living.No way!“Wha— what d-did you say?” I asked in a shaky whisper, my eyes already glistening in tears as I looked up at her and hoped that the
MAYAMy brain struggled hard to comprehend it— whatever the fuck was going on.First, Elenore pushed me. Then, I hit my head when I fell, and that was why I was seeing things that weren't real. Like this beautifully developed room, Valtaria wouldn't be like this in two years. Those thoughts about Semtle must be messing with me.But the image stirred, and the gorgeous pair of blue eyes staring at me had a face and could move. Now, he was reaching for my hand sympathetically. I shrank into myself, trying to contain brewing questions in my mind space.“Where am I?!” I asked again, my tone more aggressive and defined as I tried to sit up. The headache I felt was more aggressive than my emotions, as if I took a spanner to the head, and it knocked me back onto the soft bedding. “It's okay, sweetheart,” he pacified. He was tall, nothing short of six feet three, and was now prancing the entrance, concerned with framing his toned features. “It's okay; the doctor will be here soon.”What? “I
MAYA Perhaps I shouldn't have phrased that question as I did because Atlas didn't look very happy about it. That confirmed it and piqued my curiosity even more.Atlas didn't stop walking to the kitchen, which was unnecessary because any of the maids could have done it. We had quite a number of them that I did, too, which made it easier for us to relate. His shoulders slumped, and he turned to me, looking fairly sad. “I was hoping we buried that in the past, but for people like us, our entire lives are documented in papers, all day, every day.”“Oh?”“I'll tell you all about it as we eat, my love, but be rest assured that divorce would have been the biggest mistake of our lives.”Rest assured? Oh please. I'd flipped into a full-blown panic while standing there. I knew nothing and had to believe whatever he said.Did Mara want to leave him? What the hell happened between these two? People didn't just…divorce. Something had to trigger it. As if on cue, Atlas’ voice crushed my thoughts i
MAYA“Honey! How was work today?” My face was met with sloppy kisses and a hug that clenched my intestines. Atlas really loved his wife— I could tell from how he looked at her.At me. My hands fell limply to my side as I didn't know what to do with them. “It was quite hectic but fun nonetheless.”I settled on the couch, and he sat next to me, eyes keen on my face like he was about to start reading my experiences of them. Atlas looked eager to hear me.I groaned, trying to decide what and what part I was going to tell him. Though it might not matter much, I was locked in an elevator with my ex-husband for minutes, and he held my waist, and it felt good.Against my will and defence kind of good. Atlas snuggled closer, brushing the tendrils off my face and tucking them behind my ears. It felt mechanical and cold.“Dinner is almost ready. You can get changed, and then we'll talk all about it, my love. Right now, let's get you showered.”Nodding, I stood up and headed to my room— with Atl
MAYAThe elevator lurched, and I stumbled. Strange noises—creaks, groans, and screeching — echoed through the metal box. My heart racing, I grabbed the handrail.“What's happening?” I demanded, panic creeping in.The lights continued to flicker, and it registered in my head slowly that I was screwed, literally. The elevator had decided to malfunction at the wrongest time— with Arzhel inside it!“Uh,” I looked around, trying to hide my distress. “What's going on?”Silence lingered between us, tense and rigid. It was frustrating how heavy everything was, but it got worse when the last light source went off, too, and the small box plummeted into a torturing black.Immediately, I fished for my phone and turned on my flashlight. I could hear my heart pound against my ribcage, dreading this situation. Arzhel, on the other hand, kept mute ,but I felt his eyes on me from time to time.Beads of sweat breaking on my forehead, I immediately dialed the maintenance number as I didn't have Cheryl's
MAYAThe sight of him caused my stomach to flip, and it felt like the walls of the room were closing in on me. It knocked the breath out of me, and I just stood there, staring blankly at the very bane of my existence.ARZHEL? Why was he here? How did he get there? The shock on his face mirrored mine. It wasn't every day you got to see the woman you'd killed.My blood went cold, and all the pressure clashed in, tightening my stomach and plunging me to the depths of hell. In just three weeks, he looked nothing like I'd remembered.His eyes, wide open in awe, were sunken, and his skin pale like he'd died for hours. One question: why was he here?I swallowed hard and hid my trembling hands, forcing myself to remember I wasn't Maya anymore. I wasn't the weak woman he'd once left behind. This was my turf, and I'd burn him in it.Straightening my face, I feigned ignorance and stepped forward to Arzhel’s presence. “From what I remember, you had your own company in this state, and I see no rea
ARZHELFive days ago.It had been more than two weeks since Maya had fallen off the stairs and died. And she died pregnant.She…died carrying my child. I'd not known peace since that day, and sleep eluded me, taking me for the monster I was. Gosh. How did that even happen? One of the maids had found her hours after she'd fallen and smashed her head.It killed me every time I thought about it. She wasn't my favourite person, but her demise sure left an ache in my chest— deeper than I even expected. Maybe it was the maid bond? Whatever it was doing to me, I didn't appreciate it.I was losing myself in my feelings every second, and the world blurred into a mess. I haven't had the guts to visit her grave and doubted that I'd ever be able to— not with this insane guilt that I carried in my chest.To Maya, I probably was the last person she ever wanted to see, and I deserve every bit of her hate. The door slammed shut, and I snapped toward the noise, only to find Elenore waddling in.Adjus
MAYA Adam’s gaze lingered on my mind, and my heart swelled for no reason. Well, probably because it wasn't mine. In those brown eyes was desperation, an urgent need for answers that I didn't know what to classify as.Sympathy or Curiosity? Maybe both? My forehead creased as I frowned, “No, uh- I don't. It's amnesia, isn't it? I'm not exactly supposed to remember anything.”“I know…” He drawled, his words heavy with disappointment.I shuffled uncomfortably in my seat and leaned closer, my brows pecked. “Is there something I should remember, Adam?”“No. I was just wondering if, you know? It's been two weeks since you got back in the house. I wanted to know if there was any progress.” He paused, and then a flicker of realisation shone in his eyes. “Ma'am.”He spoke to me so casually, like I wasn't his boss’ wife. Was Mara close to this person? I bit on my lips. “Were we…friends, Adam?”He blinked. That was too much blinking for someone who ‘was just wondering’. What was the catch? A hi
MAYA“Arzhel?”The name dropped from my mouth before I could control it. It had plunged so deep into my stomach that I was losing track of reality.Atlas slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to me with a questioning look. “Yeah?” He locked eyes with me. “That scumbag. Judging by how you hated him, I thought you might remember him.”Hated him?I clasped my hands together to hide the vibrations. My entire body felt empty like I could sway with the wind. “I- I’m not sure.”My throat had gone dry, and beads of sweat broke open on my forehead, streamlining to my cheek. “Who is he?”I must have failed to hide the urgency in my tone because Atlas’ expression tightened further. He shook his head slightly. “We don’t have to talk about that now, you know? Let’s get you settled in.” His hand grazed the small of my back. I hissed and pulled away. “Tell me who Arzhel is,” I demanded sharply. My breath was short but no more than my temper. “You said I hated him. Why? Who’s he to you?”“A f
MAYAHer cries pricked my ears, and all of my senses were heightened. The hair at the back of my neck had risen, and my hand began to shake uncontrollably. Was I really going mad?She burst in with agitated movements and fell to my side of the bed, throwing her arms around me and pulling me into a killing hug that melted all of my worries away.“Oh my god, Mara! Oh god!” She cried, examining my face. “I'm so sorry, my love. I'm so sorry!”She kissed my cheek, fawning over me, and I couldn't breathe a word. Mother. This was my mother, and…she's somehow Mara’s mother, too? I don't understand.Before I could straighten my back, Atlas' worried tone rang in my ears. “Mara, do you remember her?”I looked at him, trying to blink away the tears now speedily lingering in my eyes. I shook my head slowly, reluctantly.“N-no…”“But you just called her mother, right? That means you remember something, right? Mara…”I looked at my mother. No, the woman in the locket who stuck very close to me, pity
MAYAI backed away from the mirror in a frenzy, my finger pulling on my skin, pinching to see if I'd wake up. I didn't.I wasn't Maya. This wasn't my face. Or my body. This wasn't Valtaria. What was going on? “Okay, calm down…” I muttered breathlessly. “Calm down and think, Maya. Think.”Like it happened an hour ago, I remembered everything. I was with Elenore; she snatched the letter and pushed me and—Was I dead? Was this the afterlife? This place was too pretty to be hell.No. No. This was Semtle, and I'd…woken up in a body that wasn't mine. To a life I didn't understand and a husband I most definitely didn't marry, but my child. I am still pregnant. My sanity was withering like flowers in the winter, then I burst into a run and found myself at the door, the main exit, it seemed. I didn't look like I should be allowed to walk around, especially not the bandage wrapped around my head like a mummy.“Ma'am, are you supposed to be here?” One of the security asked me as I tried to get