Claimed by the Vengeful Alpha

Maya’s face hurt from smiling so much. It was nearly time for dinner and Winnie hadn’t left her room for more than two hours since she returned from the workshop.

They both wouldn’t stop talking the entire time. At some point, she tried to read one of her books to Winnie but it turned out to be a disaster that neither of them could stop laughing about.

Winnie would mispronounce words in her attempt to read and when she heard the actual pronunciation, she wouldn’t burst out laughing and Maya joining in only made things worse.

She had also found out that Keenan hadn’t given her this room because of Margaret. Rather, the room had been prepared a full day in advance.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Winnie asked and flicked her forehead.

"Ow," she cried and grabbed her forehead.

Winnie chuckled and got out of bed first. "We are already late for dinner." She stretched out her hand to help Maya out of bed.

"Thank you," she replied as she accepted her hand.

"I’m famished," Winnie groaned as they walked toward the door.

"You didn’t eat lunch?"

They stepped out of the room and shut the door, walking toward the stairway. There was still no sign of Margaret—the maid had not returned since Maya had given her the orders to leave.

"Well, I did but lunch was a long time ago and I didn’t eat anything in between. Work was hectic." She twirled her shoulders. "It will be busy tomorrow too, but I should be able to take a break the day after tomorrow."

Maya nodded her head as she listened. It must be why Winnie chose that day to see Asher. She could tell Winnie was as nervous as she was.

"Can I go with you tomorrow? I could help."

"Of course," she grinned. "I wanted to tell you that your potteries are drying quite nicely. I can’t wait to put them on my shelf."

"Winnie," she whined.

"I’ll paint them very nicely. You have no reason to worry."

"That’s exactly why I’m worried. They don’t belong on your shelf."

"What did you say? My shelf, right? I can do whatever I want."

Winnie grinned right at her face as she reached the bottom of the stairs before Maya. She was waiting and watching as Maya slowly made her way down.

"Do whatever you want," Maya said, shaking her head while trying hard not to laugh.

"Exactly."

Suddenly, Winnie stiffened and looked around as if looking for something.

"What is it?"

Winnie started toward the dining room and Maya kept pace with her. She still stared around and sniffed the air with an unsettled expression.

"We are nearly late, but I can’t smell anything from the dining room," Winnie replied.

"Perhaps you’re not close enough."

"Unlikely. I should be able to pick up the aromas as long as they followed this path."

"Perhaps they are a little late?" Maya asked. She tried not to think about the advantages of having a wolf but she could feel a pinch in her chest.

"Unlikely. Agnes likes things to be done in a timely fashion."

They were almost at the dining room doors when Palmer appeared on the other side. Her expression was tense and she seemed to ease a little when she saw them.

"Palmer," Winnie called as they stood by the doors of the dining room. "What’s going on?"

"I just came from your room, Winnie, and you weren’t there."

"I was in Maya’s room."

"I was going to go there next."

"Is something wrong, Palmer?" Maya asked and stepped closer.

"Yes, Agnes had to leave early. Arlo is ill."

"He is?" The young women cried out simultaneously as they shared a glance, both recalling their conversation at the workshop.

"Yes."

"What’s wrong with him? Maya noticed he looked a little pale earlier."

"I don’t know, but we think it might be the turn. He is shifting."

"He is?" Winnie asked with wide eyes. "That’s wonderful!"

"Yes," Palmer replied, but there was no enthusiasm in her voice. "It might be a difficult shift."

"Oh no," Winnie replied.

Palmer nodded her head and glanced at Maya. "If we are lucky enough, he might completely shift before sunlight. If he doesn’t, it might take more than a night. Agnes is really worried about that."

Maya gripped the sides of her dress. The first shift was different for everyone. Some were lucky and shifted quickly with almost no pain. However, others could take as long as three days and the entire period was painful.

"Did she tell Master Richard?" Winnie asked.

"Yes, it was the first thing she did when she found out. He went along with her."

"With Master Richard there, there isn’t much else we can do except wait."

Palmer nodded. "That’s why dinner is a little late. She started on it, but her leaving abruptly slowed down the cooking. It will take a bit longer, but dinner will be served soon."

"Agnes’s absence will certainly impact your productivity. Do you need any help?" Winnie asked.

Palmer’s expression brightened again. "Not tonight. Thankfully, Agnes started all the meals, so completing it is not a hassle. However, tomorrow is a concern. Even if Arlo shifts tonight, his mother might not be able to leave his side until the day after. I was going to speak to Lady Maya about that."

"Me?" Maya asked with wide eyes.

"Yes. Agnes said she trusts you to cook."

"I only made chicken soup and tea. That’s not enough reason to make me cook."

"We don’t have a choice, please. Most of us just follow Agnes’s orders. Even if we can cook, Agnes doesn’t trust us to be able to handle it completely."

"I can’t—"

"I don’t see what the problem is," Winnie said with a grin. "Your chicken soup was delicious and if Agnes said you should take over, she must wholeheartedly trust you. It would be disrespectful to decline."

"I don’t think that’s how it works, Winnie."

"Palmer," Winnie said instead, ignoring Maya’s complaints. "Don’t worry, I’ll convince her. Return to the kitchen so you can finish up dinner on time."

"Thank you, Winnie. Thank you, Lady Maya," Palmer said and rushed off before Maya could argue.

"Winnie, you seriously don’t expect me to cook?" She asked in horror.