Silence filled the air; not even the sound of cutlery clashing against plates could be heard. Keenan felt her pulse as his palm rounded her neck, covering every inch. Her neck was smaller than his palm. Her lips parted, and she stared up at him with horror mixed with surprise.

He stared down at her, his brows furrowed and his gaze harsh. Irritation filled him at her reaction. What was so shocking about his actions? But even more, he was irritated by the sudden inclination to touch her.

She looked pathetic. The awful gray dress she wore made her look no better than a lowly servant. Yet, somehow she lacked the air of one. Even through her peasant attire, one could see she was not like any servant.

Her skin was soft underneath his rough palm; it was clearly a combination that didn’t mix. Her fair skin was nothing compared to his tanned skin. He knew if he took her palms, they would be just as soft as the rest of her.

It ticked him off. Everything about her grated on his nerves. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He squeezed slightly, and her eyes became saucers, fear filling their depths. The shock was gone; all that remained was the terror that he really was about to snap her neck.

She instinctively reached to grab his arm, trying to ease his grip around her neck while her eyes pleaded with him. This only worsened Keenan’s anger. They didn’t pity him, they thought they were better. Now that she was in his grasp, why should he be lenient?

"Don’t you dare empty your stomach in a corner. I am not letting you starve yourself to faint again," he said and pushed her away from him.

Taking his hand from her throat, he proceeded to wipe his hand on the front of his clothes with disgust written all over his expression.

Maya’s insides twisted. She knew what that gesture meant. He regretted touching her. What was wrong with her? He nearly snapped her neck, and all she could think about was that he was disgusted that he had touched her.

Keenan turned around and marched out of the dining hall. As soon as the door shut behind him, the dining hall came alive again, and an earth-shattering laughter echoed in the space.

Maya’s heart dropped to her stomach; she had forgotten there was an audience to her humiliation. She reached for her chair that had fallen over to have something to do, else she risked falling apart.

Alaina’s laugh was so loud it reverberated in her head, worsening the shame she felt. Maya didn’t dare look at the table; she knew she would get no sympathy from any of them. At least dinner was over. She would give it a few minutes before leaving to avoid running into Keenan.

Her hands shook as she lifted the chair, and she could feel water pooling in her eyes, but Maya would rather die than cry in front of any of them. Her lower lip quivered and she bit the inside of her cheeks to keep it all in.

Winnie stood up first. "I will be retiring for the night, Alaina."

Alaina stopped laughing and looked at Winnie. She pouted and lifted her head. "Don’t leave now, Winnie. You are going to miss the best part as always."

The best part?

Maya felt goosebumps pop out on her arms. What was Alaina planning? Maya knew it had something to do with her. She couldn’t wait any longer, even though she risked running into Keenan; she had to leave now.

"I am tired. Today was a busy day," Winnie said and sent a fleeting glance toward Maya before she turned and started toward the exit.

Maya’s grip on the seat tightened. Every inch of her body screamed for her to get out of there. She hoped she would be able to exit without drawing Alaina’s attention. Maya knew she wouldn’t get any help from Theo, who looked everywhere but at her, or from anyone else for that matter.

She pulled her hands away from the chair and keeping her gaze low, Maya turned toward the direction of the door. Maya barely took a step forward when a voice resounded behind her.

"Just what do you think you are doing? This is not your father’s mansion. Didn’t they teach you that you should clean the dishes after you have eaten?" Alaina sneered.

Maya’s eyes widened slightly as she had her back to Alaina. She wanted her to do the dishes. She contemplated walking out, but she knew that was completely out of the question. Alaina was likely to force her to do so, and no one would stop her, especially Alpha Keenan.

She took a deep breath, hoping to find courage, before she slowly turned around and walked closer to the table. She stacked the plates she used, piling them on one another.

Alaina let out another laugh. She laughed so hard that she started to gasp for air. "Some High Alpha daughter," she scoffed. "Bess, if she does a bad job, make sure she rewashes the dishes."

"Yes, Lady Alaina," Bess was quick to reply. Her lips held a wide smile as she sent a glance in Maya’s direction.

Alaina chuckled and stood to her feet. "Shall we?" she asked softly as she stretched out a hand to Theo.

Theo took her hand immediately and stood up, standing a little too close to Alaina. She smiled up at him and didn’t let go of his hand. Maya frowned slightly; Alaina tended to be affectionate with Theo sometimes, though she was clearly pining for Alpha Keenan.

Maya tore her gaze away. She didn’t care what Alaina did. She just wished the bully would leave her alone. Even as a different person, this woman was determined to be a constant thorn in her flesh.

Alaina rounded the table, walking toward the exit. Maya kept her gaze on the table, holding the piled-up dishes. Alaina walked down, still holding hands with Theo as she headed for the exit. Walking a little too close to Maya, she bumped her shoulder as hard as she could.

Maya gasped and stepped back, holding her right shoulder as pain shot down her arm. Alaina kept walking without a backward glance.

"Pick up the plates," Bess ordered.

Maya didn’t immediately move. She adjusted her shoulder, twirling it around as she tried to ease the pain, before she stepped forward and picked up the dishes.

Bess was fuming, and for a moment, Maya thought she might pull her as she had done earlier, but Bess just watched her with an angry expression.

Just as she started toward the exit, Bess cut into her path and added more dishes. Maya felt the strain of the extra dishes on her wrists and shoulders, but she bit the inside of her mouth and walked forward.

"Better not drop them!"

She walked forward with the stack of heavy metal dishes. She knew where the kitchen was—it was on the ground floor—but taking the plates wasn’t the only problem; she would have to wash them too.

"Walk faster," Bess commanded.

Maya didn’t mean to ignore her, but she was already walking as fast as she could while Bess was walking beside her with empty hands. The other servant had stayed behind to clear the table so it was just the two of them heading to the kitchen.

The stairs were the worst part, but at least she was going down them and not going up. Bess occasionally let out a chuckle as Maya struggled. She seemed to have given up trying to get Maya to walk faster and was now satisfied with enjoying her struggle.

Maya concentrated her attention on the heavy dishes, suppressing her emotions as they headed for the kitchen. It was the easier approach.

She didn’t miss the stares of servants as they passed her. Maya could only imagine what they were thinking, but she forced herself not to think about it.

This is atonement, isn’t it?

The walk was longer than she would have liked, but soon enough they were in front of the kitchen door. Bess pushed the door open with excitement all over her features.

"Agnes," she called. "You may retire for the night. This one here will do the dishes."

This one here?

Maya didn’t think she had ever been addressed so disrespectfully. However, there was nothing she could do to stop it, not after Alpha Keenan had treated her like that in front of everyone. He really did hate her.

She blinked rapidly as she walked into the kitchen. It was brighter than the dining room, and unlike the candles, they used oil lamps—enough of them to illuminate the kitchen.

"Huh?" A plump older woman called from behind the counter. "What are you talking about, Bess? I don’t have time for your hokeypokey."

"It’s no hokeypokey, Agnes."

Agnes looked past Bess to stare at Maya. "What’s the High Alpha’s daughter doing here?" Her gaze darkened as it rested on Maya.

"Lady Alaina said she is to do the dishes tonight."