Chapter 152: The Walk

"Then you know walking there would take a while."

"Y-yes," she replied with bright eyes.

She was a little embarrassed at how excited she sounded. She was certain he didn’t want to be seen with her, but she was wrong. Perhaps Winnie had been right and she was jumping to assumptions about what he meant.

"Very well," he said as they started down the dark path to the beach.

Candlelight flickered through the windows of the houses they passed as they went through the town. Children ran past them headed to the beach; a few acknowledged the Alpha but most avoided him, while all their parents bowed but kept their distance.

Maya wondered if this was because of her. None of the villagers were friendly toward her and she didn’t miss the way they stared at her as she walked beside their Alpha.

She tried not to think too hard about this. The servants at the main house treated her much better than when she first arrived after getting to know her. So it should be no surprise that the villagers still avoided her.

She was confident that things could slowly start to change if they knew her better. Right now, she was simply the evil High Alpha’s daughter.

She moved her hand forward a little more forcefully than normal, brushing it against his arm. She immediately pulled it to her chest with wide eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Do you not listen?" He asked coldly.

"What?" She softly asked and lifted her head to see him looking directly at her. "I am sorry," she apologized again.

She didn’t want to do anything he didn’t approve of—at least not today. There were only a few hours left before she told him who she really was. She didn’t want to do anything wrong before.

"Tch! I told you your apologies irk me," he replied with a dark look in his eyes.

Her body immediately stiffened and Keenan’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like her apologizing especially for the unnecessary things and he wanted it to stop. She had simply brushed against his arm and immediately apologized. He didn’t like the way that made him feel.

"I-I am—okay," she whispered.

Maya held her hands to her body, making sure they didn’t swing and touch him. She had heard the line about her apologies more often than she could count and it hurt each time.

She drew her eyes to the horizon to distract herself. The moon was shining bright, lighting up the dark path. They were past the houses and as they drew closer to the beach, she could hear drums.

Someone was singing along to the sound of the drums. Smoke from the huge bonfire rose into the air. She couldn’t see the fire yet but from the smoke that floated toward the moon, it was a huge fire.

She couldn’t deny the excitement she felt, despite still feeling nauseated. Besides, walking next to Alpha Keenan for the first time was exhilarating.

Her palms were sweaty from the nerves and she was still anxious about their interaction but that hardly dampened how happy she felt in the moment.

"We are almost there," he suddenly said.

Maya nodded. It was awkward, wasn’t it? She wondered if he wanted things to be any better between them. Did he distrust her less? The fact that he was willing to walk next to her must count for something, right?

"How long does it last?" She asked.

"The bonfire?" He asked.

She didn’t know why she had asked the question. Was she trying to make conversation? Was she trying to make this moment last longer than it was?

"Yes."

"A while," he replied.

"Oh," she mumbled, feeling deflated. At least he had responded.

They were upon the beach now and she had a clear view of the bonfire. She could see the drummers and the singers. She would have sworn it was only one person singing. Rather, they were two beautiful women whose voices resonated across the beach as one.

They were dressed in flowing skirts and tight-fitting tops. Their hair floated along with their dresses in the night breeze and their bodies moved to the rhythm of the drums.

Children ran around the bonfire, screaming excitedly. More than a few mothers tried to stop their children but they failed woefully. If they pulled their children away from the fire, they ran toward the water.

She could smell different dishes in the air and to the side of the bonfire was a campfire with a stuffed pig over it. It was manually rotated by a young man of average build.

Maya smiled at the sight before her. She had never been a part of anything like this and even though she wasn’t fully a part of them, it was nice to be there.

"The Bad One!" A loud, familiar voice yelled at her.

Maya stopped in her tracks immediately and looked around. She recognized the voice and she searched for the child amongst the children on the beach.

"The Bad One?" Keenan asked with a frown as he stopped alongside her.

"Shush, Tim. Her name is Maya," Lily said as she approached them, still holding the kitten. Tim was behind her and he turned his gaze away when she looked at him.

"Lily," she called with a smile and walked toward the young child. She stopped in front of her and crouched to her height, not caring that her dress lay on the sand.

"Where is Winnie?" Lily asked.

"She should be here any moment," she replied with what she hoped was a gentle smile. "How’s the kitten?" She gently touched the top of its head before pulling her hand away.

"Miss Mae is fine," she replied with pride. "I have been taking care of—"

"Miss Mae?" Keenan asked as he stepped closer.

Maya froze. She had not expected him to find out about the kitten so quickly but that wasn’t the only unexpected thing. She hadn’t thought he would remember but from the way he called the name, he did.

"Alpha Keenan!" Tim yelled and stepped back.

If she wasn’t nervous about the kitten, she would have laughed. She wondered how the kid had noticed her but had not seen the Alpha beside her.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "G-good evening, Alpha."

"Hello, Tim, Lily."

Her eyes widened slightly. He didn’t sound as though he had just found out the children’s names. He seemed quite familiar with them.

"Bye," Tim blurted out before he ran off.

"He is always making trouble and he is scared of Alpha Keenan," Lily softly explained.

Maya turned her gaze back to the young child. "Is that so?"

The young girl nodded and looked down at the kitten, gently patting it. She thought it was impressive how careful someone as young as her was in handling the kitten.

"Lily," Keenan called. "Did you name the kitten?"

Maya’s eyes widened slightly. She was glad her back was to him as she bent in the sand. Her guilty expression would have given her away.

"No," Lily replied, shaking her head. "She did."

"She? Who is she?"

The child started to lift her hand. Lily was going to point right at her. She shut her eyes, she didn’t want to see. Did she have to tell him right now? She wasn’t ready. How would she explain naming the cat Miss Mae?

"Alpha Keenan," a voice cut through the singing and the voices of children, drawing his attention away.

"Beta Asher," Keenan replied.

"Alpha, might I have a word?" He said and stepped closer to them.

He glanced at her still crouched, her back to him and a conflicted expression passing across his face before he turned back to Asher. "Yes."

"Okay. Lady Maya," he said with a curt nod.

She scrambled to her feet in shock. He didn’t speak to her—he didn’t even look at her this morning in person. Yet, he was directly addressing her and with her title even.

"Beta Asher," she replied, gripping the sides of her dress, but the men were already walking away.

She watched them leave her standing by herself with the waves crashing onto the beach a few feet away. A slight pressure pressed against her chest, and her eyes watered.

She felt someone tug on her dress and looked down to see Lily. Her bright brown eyes looked up at her with concern.

Maya bent forward. "Is something wrong, Lily?"

"Are you sad?"

She chuckled. "A little."

"Why? Is it because you want to go with them?"

"I can’t. They have to talk about something important without me. It would be rude to interrupt."

"When they are done, he will come back, right?"

"I don’t know, Lily. I hope he does."

Lily paused and turned to look at the men who were walking away from the beach. "Should I tell him to come back?"

"No need for that, Lily. I will see him later."

"Are you sure?" She clutched the kitten tighter. "When is Winnie coming?" She asked before Maya could reply.

She turned her head around the beach, wondering if she might catch a glimpse of Winnie while Lily’s words echoed in her head.