Adrien.

I couldn’t help but feel worried about Noah.

No matter what had happened between us lately, no matter the tension, he was still my friend. That fact alone refused to fade. We had grown up side by side, fought battles together, bled for each other. Bonds like that didn’t disappear because of pride or misunderstandings.

With the whole Maria accusation weighing heavily on everyone, I realized I had forgotten to do the right thing.

To check on him.

To stand by him.

I knew Anabel would be with him, taking care of him. She had made it clear how much she cared. Anyone could see it. And yet, that knowledge didn’t ease the restlessness inside me.

I still needed to see him.

Needed to see with my own eyes that he was fine.

Noah might be stubborn at times, arrogant even, but what could I do? I still loved him dearly. In many ways, my bond with him was closer than what I shared with my own brothers. He understood parts of me they never did.

And moreover...He would be our brother-in-law soon.

That thought alone should have strengthened my resolve to keep the peace.

Instead, it only complicated everything further.

With a heavy sigh, I stood up from my bed. The room suddenly felt too small, too suffocating. Without giving myself time to reconsider, I walked straight toward his room.

Each step down the hallway felt heavier than the last.

I didn’t know what I expected to see.

Maybe Noah sitting quietly.

Maybe Anabel beside him.

Maybe silence.

But the moment I reached his door and stepped inside....the sight that greeted me felt like a million needles piercing through my heart.

They were kissing.

Not just kissing.

Lost.

Completely lost in each other.

Maria’s hands were tangled in his hair. His hands were firmly on her waist, holding her like she belonged there. Their bodies pressed close, intimate, unguarded.

For a second, I couldn’t even breathe.

They hadn’t noticed me.

They were too consumed by each other to sense my presence.

Something inside me twisted violently.

By the time my footsteps carried me further into the room, Maria was the first to react.

She pulled away from him immediately.

Her hands dropped from his neck as if burned, and she lowered her head. Shame was written all over her face. She couldn’t even look at me.

That hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Noah, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected, he stared straight into my eyes, not apologetic, not defensive, just steady and challenging.

That look ignited something dark in me.

I wanted to wipe that smug expression off his face.

And I did.

Before I could even fully process the decision, my fist connected with his mouth in a sharp, solid blow.

The impact echoed in the room. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I caught him off guard.

He staggered backward slightly, his hand coming up instinctively to steady himself.

Maria gasped softly behind me, but I didn’t turn.

I couldn’t.

Noah slowly lifted his chin, and I saw it, the thin line of blood at the corner of his lips. The metallic scent filled the air almost immediately.

And instead of regret....I felt a twisted sense of victory.

"Stay the hell away from Maria, Noah!" I snapped, my voice low but shaking with restrained fury.

Noah chuckled.

The sound scraped against my nerves.

"And why should I?" he asked calmly.

The question hit harder than I expected.

Why?

The answer should have come easily.

But it didn’t.

I couldn’t say she was my mate.

I couldn’t claim ownership over her.

I couldn’t use the excuse of her being our personal maid in this situation, not after what I had just walked in on.

My jaw clenched.

"Shut the fuck up, Noah," I growled, taking a step closer. "That blow was for Anabel. She would be heartbroken to hear of this."

That was the only ground I could stand on.

"So stay away from Maria!"

The words felt both justified and hollow at the same time.Without waiting for a response, I turned to Maria.

She still hadn’t lifted her head.

I grabbed her wrist, not violently, but firmly enough to make my intention clear, and pulled her toward the door.

I dragged Maria out of the room, my grip tight around her hand as we stepped into the hallway.

I didn’t look back.

Who the fuck did Noah think he was?

The question burned in my mind as I stormed down the hallway.

Why would he question me like that?

He had never done that before.

Not once.

Noah had always challenged others, never me. There had always been an unspoken understanding between us. Respect. Hierarchy. Brotherhood.

But the way he had looked at me... the way he had asked "And why should I?", as if my authority meant nothing replayed in my head over and over again.

To hell with him.

My grip on Maria’s wrist tightened unconsciously as I paced furiously toward my room. My blood was still boiling, anger rushing through my veins so hot it felt suffocating.

The image of them kissing flashed again in my mind, her hands in his hair, his hands on her waist, the way she had responded to him.

The moment I stepped into my room, I let go of her abruptly.

The door shut behind us with a heavy thud.

And before I could temper myself, I flung her toward the bed. It wasn’t violent enough to hurt her, but it was rough enough to release the storm raging inside me.

She landed on the mattress, startled.

I stood there, chest heaving, locking my eyes with hers as I panted.

"Tell me, Maria," I demanded, my voice sharp and edged with fury. "Do you now go about kissing any Alpha you see?" The words came out harsher than I intended, but I didn’t take them back.

She shot me a deadly glare.

A glare.

For a split second, I actually flinched.

Maria had never dared to look at me like that when I was angry. She usually lowered her eyes, stepped back or chose silence.

But now?

There was fire in her gaze.

Does Noah kissing her now change her mentality?

The thought struck me like a slap.

Had he filled her head with something?

Had he made her forget who she was? Forget who I was?

"Alpha Adrien," she said, her tone controlled but firm, "I think you should think before speaking."

What?

Did she just...My jaw tightened instantly.

"I don’t know who brainwashed you," I snapped, stepping closer, my shadow falling over her, "but I advise you to know who you are talking to!"

My eyes dropped briefly to her lips.

They were swollen.

Still slightly reddened from his kiss.

The sight sent another surge of anger through me, sharp and possessive.

"You aren’t permitted to kiss anyone anymore, Maria," I added, my voice lower now but no less commanding.

"And I guess that includes you, Alpha Adrien."

I froze.

Completely.

The room seemed to go silent around us.

Her words hung in the air like a challenge.

Why was she suddenly talking back at me?

This wasn’t the Maria I was used to.

This wasn’t the girl who carefully measured her words around me.

She was sitting upright now, her spine straight, her chin lifted slightly. There was no fear in her eyes.

Only defiance.

And something else.

Hurt.

My mind raced, trying to process what was happening.

Was it because of Noah?

Was it because of that kiss?

Or had I simply never noticed that this side of her existed?

"You’re overstepping," she continued, her voice steady despite the tension in the room. "You don’t get to decide who I can or cannot kiss. I am just your personal maid."

Each word felt like a direct strike to my authority.

To my pride.

I opened my mouth to argue, to remind her of her place, to remind her of mine, but the words stuck.

Because somewhere beneath the anger, beneath the possessiveness and wounded ego, something uncomfortable stirred.

She wasn’t wrong.

And that realization only made my frustration burn hotter.