Anabel.

"Anabel..." His voice came out rough, strained, as though each word scraped painfully from his throat. "What did you... what did you do?"

The sound of it, confused, unsteady, sent a thrill through me. I let the tears I had forced earlier dry completely and lifted my head, meeting his unfocused gaze. A slow, mischievous smile curved my lips as I wiped at my cheeks, as if brushing away the last trace of weakness.

Did he really think that the whole display had been for Maria?

Did he truly believe I would lower myself to apologize to that bitch?

Never.

If Noah wouldn’t come to me willingly, then I would take what I wanted. I had waited long enough. I had watched him look past me, protect her, soften for her in ways he had never done for me. I was done being patient. Done being the "little sister." Done being invisible.

I stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body, close enough to see the way his pupils struggled to focus. My fingers reached for his shirt, slipping beneath his trembling hands as I began to undo the buttons one after another, deliberately slow, deliberate in every movement.

"No...Anabel..." he breathed, trying to pull back, but his body betrayed him. His balance wavered, his strength faltered.

Then suddenly, his hand shot out and caught my wrist mid-movement.

Too tight.

I frowned slightly, irritation flashing through me. For someone who should have been barely conscious, he was holding on far more firmly than expected. My jaw clenched. The substance I had rubbed onto my skin wasn’t meant to weaken him completely, only cloud his senses, heat his blood, make resistance harder. It worked best on men. It was never meant to knock them out cold.

Still, time wasn’t on my side.

I twisted my wrist, trying to break free, my nails digging into his skin as frustration bubbled up. "Let go," I hissed under my breath, forcing a pout onto my lips when he looked at me again, eyes glassy but sharp with warning.

"Anabel... stop this madness," he said hoarsely. "You will regret it."

The words snapped something inside me.

"I won’t!" I shouted, the restraint finally shattering. "Why won’t you understand?" My voice trembled with years of bottled-up longing and bitterness. "I want you, Noah. I want you. I want to be your bride. Your Luna. The only woman you look at."

My chest heaved as I spoke, the truth spilling out unchecked. "I don’t want to stand beside you as some stupid little sister while you give everything to someone else. I won’t accept that role. I never have."

For a moment, I thought, hoped, he might falter. That he would soften, that something in my confession would reach him. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Instead, he shoved me away.

I stumbled back, unprepared for the force, my spine slamming painfully against the bed. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, stars exploding behind my eyes. I gasped, stunned, as he pushed himself to his feet immediately, swaying as though the room tilted beneath him.

"Noah..." I started, scrambling upright.

He staggered forward, each step unsteady but determined, his jaw clenched, his breathing uneven. He was trying to leave. Trying to escape.

Panic flared hot and sharp.

"Too soon," I muttered, pushing myself up and lunging forward. I grabbed his arm, fingers digging into his sleeve, refusing to let go. "You’re not going anywhere."

He turned sharply, eyes blazing now despite the haze clouding them. "Get away from me," he growled, yanking his arm, but I clung tighter, desperation driving me.

"You won’t leave," I said through clenched teeth. The words scraped their way out of my throat, uneven, trembling, soaked in a fury I could barely keep contained, and fear, sharp and humiliating, threading through it. "Not until I’m done. Not until you see me."

My body betrayed me as I stepped forward again, planting myself directly in his path. There was no space left between us now, not really. My heart slammed violently against my ribs, each beat loud enough to drown out reason, loud enough to remind me how close everything was to shattering. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Not like this. Not so messy, not so raw. But the thought of retreat, of letting him walk away, was unbearable. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t.

I had already crossed too many lines. Burned too many bridges behind me.

Turning back wasn’t an option anymore.

"Get out of my way," he growled.

His voice was tight, stretched thin, like a rope pulled to its breaking point. Every word sounded forced, dragged out of him with effort. His jaw locked visibly, muscles jumping beneath the skin as his teeth ground together. He bit down hard, as though pain was the only thing anchoring him, the only thing keeping him from losing control completely. I could see it in his eyes, the strain, the battle raging just beneath the surface.

And still, I didn’t move.

Time pressed in on me, I was already running out of it. I felt it everywhere, in the charged air between us, in the way the room seemed slightly off-kilter, like the world itself was tilting toward something inevitable. Everything was slipping, just a fraction, just enough to be terrifying.

My heart thudded painfully in my chest, uneven now, almost frantic. Panic crept closer with every second I stood there, cold fingers brushing along my spine, tightening around my lungs. Breathing became work. My palms dampened, my pulse roaring in my ears, but I held my ground anyway.

Because if I moved now, if I gave in, even for a second, I knew I would lose more than this moment.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay upright, to stay present, even as control threatened to tear free from both of us.

This was the edge.

And I was standing right on it, daring myself not to fall.

"Just trust me this once, Noah," I pleaded, stepping closer despite the warning in his eyes. My voice softened, coaxing, trembling. "You won’t regret it. Neither of us will. You won’t even remember any of this later on. It’ll be like it never happened."

"Anabel...move," he snapped again, harsher this time. The more he spoke, the more violently he bit into his tongue, as if pain was the only thing anchoring him. A thin line of blood spilled past his lips, trailing down his chin.

The sight of it struck something deep inside me.

A dull ache bloomed in my chest, heavy and suffocating. He would rather hurt himself—draw blood—than give in to me. That truth hurt more than I was prepared for, cutting deeper than any insult ever could.

"Why?" My voice cracked before I could stop it. "Why don’t you want me at all, Noah?" I whispered, staring at him like the answer might finally be written on his face.

I searched his eyes, desperate, raw. "Am I not beautiful?" The words tasted bitter as they left my mouth. "What did you see in Maria that you can’t find in me?"

My vision blurred as tears spilled freely now, unstoppable. They streamed down my cheeks, hot and humiliating. I didn’t bother wiping them away.

"Tell me," I begged, my voice breaking completely. "Just tell me. I swear... I swear I’ll find a way to become one. Whatever it is you want. Whatever she has. I can be better. I can be enough."

For a moment, there was nothing.

No answer. No reassurance. No anger even.

Just silence.

His eyes flickered, his focus slipping in and out, his body swaying slightly where he stood. I watched as the resistance slowly drained from him, the fight finally losing ground. The substance was taking hold at last, creeping through his system, dulling his strength, clouding his senses.

My breath hitched.

This was it.

He took an unsteady step, then another, his knees buckling slightly. His lashes fluttered, his head tilting as if the weight of the world had suddenly become too much to bear.

And I knew, he would pass out any moment now.

Exactly what I had been waiting for.

"It’s time," I murmured, forcing myself to straighten, willing the tears away even as my chest still ached. I wiped my face roughly, dragging my sleeve across my cheeks, replacing vulnerability with resolve.

I had planned this too far to turn back now.

The people I had been waiting for were finally here.

I stepped away from him, positioning myself closer to the door just as a firm knock echoed through the room. The sound sent a thrill through me, sharp and electric.

A wide smile spread across my face, anticipation curling in my stomach.

Finally!

I reached for the handle and pulled the door open...and the smile vanished instantly.

It drained from my face in a heartbeat, replaced by shock so intense it left me frozen in place. My fingers tightened around the door as my breath caught painfully in my throat.

No.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

The person standing there wasn’t who I had expected.

And in that single moment, everything I thought I had under control threatened to unravel completely.