Enslaved By The Alpha
Chapter 80

~MAYA-

Gabriella and the rest of the girls had kept talking for the entire ride back home. They were all pleased to have Maya back. And I was happy for them in return. Every single one of them deserved happiness. I've never met kinder people than these beautiful women next to me and I can safely say that even though I had no memory of the people that has been in my life in the past. And I was glad that they were all blessed with mates who loved and adored them. They deserved to have people in their lives that would keep them happy and safe. After a long drive, we finally pull up to the palace. From what they've told me, this kingdom belonged to Maya's family.

Maya wasn't just any regular girl; she was also a princess. Just when I thought she couldn't get any more perfect than she already was.

I was still in shock from her actions earlier.

I didn't hear any of them mention that she was acting weirdly. I apparently had been the only one to notice it. But I've never been around Maya before; I wouldn't know how she used to behave.

All I knew about her was what Kane had told me. Was it possible that I was trying to replace a fault in her?

I'm not sure what it is about her that makes me feel so uneasy. And I don't know why I'm the only one that feels that way.

"We should have a celebration!" Lucy says as we exit the vehicle. "Today is a happy day for all of us. We thought we would never see Maya again, but we were all wrong. We have her back."

"I think that's a great idea," Isabella responds. "But I think we should ask Maya first. She's still in shock, and she also just lost her baby. I'm not sure that she will be willing to celebrate at a time like this."

Lucy covers her mouth in horror, "you're right. I didn't even consider that she wouldn't want this."

Maya and Kane walk in front of us just then. I try not to be affected by their presence, but it's hard for me. Kane has his arm around her waist, supporting her. She has her head on his chest.

"I know that Austin doesn't really like Kane, but I can't deny how cute they look together," Lucy whispers. "It's clear that Kane loves her even though he was an a*s initially."

Gabriella nods, "I've tried to tell the men that since the beginning. He loves her. He always did. He got caught up in the death of his father and sister. I think any of us would be blinded by rage if someone we loved was killed. We also know his family deserved it after what they tried to do, but they were still his family. Of course, he could have handled it differently, but I'm glad that all of that is behind us now."

Eden nods, "I think the guys need some time to warm up to him. It may take a while, but with our persistence, I'm sure we can get them to like each other."

"What are you ladies chatting so much about?" James asks as he joins us.

"I'm sure they are up to no good," Austin adds. "They're never up to any good when they're together like this. I'm sure they're planning something that will drive us miserable."

Lucy rolls her eyes, "when do we ever do that?"

"How about we continue this discussion inside?" Arthur asks as he pulls Gabriella along with him. I follow behind them, not sure where we're heading.

As soon as I step into the palace, my body feels like it had just been hit with something powerful. I gasp and clutch my heart. It felt like it was bleeding. What was this reaction? What was causing me to feel like this? Everything hurts inside of me. It's like my body is trying to tell me something, but I can't figure out what it is.

"Hey," Gabriella says as she looks at me with concern. "Are you okay?"

Lucy and Isabella rush to my side, "are you having belly pains?" Lucy asks. "Do you want us to call the doctor to give you a check-up?"

I shook my head as the pain slowly started to leave my body. "I don't know what happened."

This is not the first time this happened to me. It also happened when I saw all of them for the first time. What connection did I have with this place? It was killing me inside, not knowing anything from my past. "Let's get you inside," Gabriella says as she helps me.

They stay by my side until we reach the living room area.

"Have a seat," Lucy tells me, and I do as she says.

Kane walked in then and noticed that everyone was making a fuss over me. His body immediately goes into a protective stance as he walks over to us with concern written all over his face, "what happened?" "We're not sure," Gabriella tells him. "It looked like she was in pain, so we helped her get inside."

I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to do anything that would force Kane to show affection for me. As much as I loved his attention, I wouldn't fake any pain to get it.

"We need to call a doctor." He insists.

"No!" I exclaim. "I don't need a doctor, Kane. I can assure you that I am fine."

He doesn't look convinced, and I don't think he realizes what he's doing now. He wasn't making things look good for himself. He'd just found Maya, and yet he insisted that a doctor come to see about me. He didn't react like this to anyone else except Maya. Wouldn't anyone replace his reaction to me a bit weird?

I was glad that Maya wasn't here to see this. I'm not sure if he dropped her in her room or if she was spending time with her parents. After all, they were also in terrible pain after thinking that she was possibly dead.

"You don't look fine." He says to me. "You're pregnant with twins. Don't you think it's better to be safe than sorry?"

"Twins?" Lucy gasps.

"She has two babies inside of her?" Gabriella asks in shock.

"This is fantastic news!" Isabella says. "The first twins amongst us!"

"I think Kane is right about this," Gabriella tells me. "We should have a doctor check on you. To make sure that everything is okay."

"I don't need one," I assure them. "If anything happens to me again, I'll tell you. We can call the doctor to see me then."

Kane doesn't look happy, but he doesn't try to change my mind. Especially not when Maya finally walks into the room. He immediately masks his concern for me and walks over to her. I heard him ask her if she needed him to get anything for her. Austin and the rest of the men walked in just then.

"I think I'm ready to know the truth," Maya says. "Everyone told me they would tell me what I needed to know after we got home. We're home now. I don't want any more excuses. Who is this woman? What happened while I was gone? And why are you so scared to tell me?"

Kane guides her to the couch, "I think you need to sit to hear this."

"Are you sure you're ready to learn everything?" Austin asks her. "You've been through plenty, Maya. I don't want you to be sad anymore. I need to know you're strong enough."

She nods, "when have I ever been weak, brother? I can take it. Tell me."

Kane sighs, realizing that he can't change her mind, "the same day you went missing. We all thought that there was a possibility that you were dead. The witch sent your family a letter and strands of your hair. She was claiming that they had killed you. Your brothers thought that I was responsible for it. They came for me, but Gabriella protected me."

I look at Gabriella as he gives her a look of appreciation. She smiles, and she even looks like she melts a little. There is no doubt that Gabriella cares a lot more for Kane than she's admitting. She still was keeping something from the rest of us, and I'm not sure when she would be willing to tell us. And it indeed had something to do with Kane.

Even Maya looks at Gabriella with pure curiosity. She doesn't know why she would fight to protect him. I expected her to be grateful for her; it's only because of Gabriella that he was still here with us today. But there is no appreciation in her eyes for her at all. "What happened next?" She asks.

"After they left, I was devastated, but I wasn't willing to accept that you were gone. I felt your connection even though they wanted me to believe that you were dead. I was going to replace you, but something happened to me, preventing me from coming for you." He says without looking at her. I hated seeing him like this. He felt like a failure in front of her, and he shouldn't feel that way. I was by his side; I saw how much he was in pain because of Giselle. He was in despair because he couldn't get to Maya. Giselle was preventing him from doing that.

"There is a woman that has been obsessed with me for years. Her name is Giselle. Her father attacked me when you went missing; he blackmailed me into accepting her. He captured my people and held them in his dungeons. They threatened to kill them if I didn't agree to marry her."

Maya doesn't look as surprised by this story as I thought she would be. When she catches everyone looking at her, her expression quickly changes to one of shock.

"Are you telling me that while I was fighting to protect my life and our baby's life, you were about to get married to another woman?" She asks in disbelief.

I tried to remain calm in the tone of her voice. Does she not realize how much he's already hurting? She doesn't have to try and make him feel worse than he already did.

Kane bows his head in shame, "I'm sorry, Maya. I'm so sorry. I tried to get away from her. But I couldn't do anything when all of my people were already locked up. I couldn't ask your brothers for help because they hated my guts and still thought I was responsible for your disappearance. And to be clear, I don't blame anyone for thinking I was responsible. I brought that upon myself after hurting you the first time."

"How did you escape then?" She asks him. "And I still don't know who that woman is. What is her name?"

Kane looks at me, and I can see the guilt in his eyes, "she doesn't remember her name. She has lost her memories. Giselle forced her to be her maid, knowing that she had nowhere to go. She even tried to kill her."

"Then how is she still alive?" Maya asks; she seems to be more interested in my story than Kane's.

"Giselle locked her in a cold cell; she tried to freeze her to death. I knew that she was pregnant and that I had to save her and her unborn children. I got to her just in time."

"At least you were able to save someone's baby since you weren't capable of saving your own." She tells him in a sarcastic tone.

I couldn't stand this anymore. How could she sit there and say those things to him? It was clear that he was already in so much pain from hearing that she'd lost their baby. Did she think that he wanted those things to happen? It was clear that he loved her with all his heart. Why couldn't she see that?

"How can you say those things to him?" I demand from her, shocking everyone in the room. "I was there. I saw everything. Every chance he got, Kane would sacrifice his life to replace out what happened to you.

He was heartbroken every single day that he had to spend without you. You were always in his heart and mind. He didn't care what happened to him; all that mattered to Kane was getting back to you. Can't you see how much your words are hurting him?

I understand that you've been through a lot, but he has to. Not a day went by that he didn't think of you. Every second he spent with Giselle was torture for him, but he still stayed strong because he knew he had to be strong for you. I've never seen a man love a woman as he loves you.

You should be happy to have someone like him, and you should be happy to have a family like this one. They all love you more than anything else in this world. If you love them, you will try to see that your disappearance didn't only affect you but everyone here as well!"

Maya's eyes narrow at my interruption. The shocked look on everyone's faces tells me that I may have just crossed the line. Why did I do that? Why did I let her words get to me so much?

Kane stands up and faces me, "don't you dare ever speak to my mate like that again."

My lips part in horror. His words have pierced my heart. I was only trying to protect him. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I couldn't believe that he would stand there and speak to me like that after everything we've been through together. How could he?