Maria.

"Maria... are you okay?"

Vincent’s voice cut gently through my thoughts. I hadn’t realized how tense my face must have looked until I saw the concern in his eyes.

I blinked, forcing myself back to the present. The faint sound I had heard moments ago still lingered in my mind like a distant echo.

"Didn’t you hear the sound?" I asked quietly, scanning the trees once more.

He frowned slightly. "What sound?"

I hesitated.

Had I imagined it?

The area looked calm. Dawn light filtered through the branches of some trees in a soft golden streaks. Nothing moved except the leaves swaying lazily in the breeze.

Vincent’s expression softened.

"I get that you’re tired, Maria," he said gently. "You can sleep a bit on my belly before we continue."

There was no mockery in his tone. No teasing. Just simple, warm concern.

I exhaled slowly.

Maybe it was exhaustion.

We had run through the entire night. My body was bound to be overstimulated, my senses still heightened from being in wolf form.

"Alright," I said, waving off the earlier unease with a small flick of my hand. "Maybe I’m just tired."

I shifted closer to him, the grass brushing lightly against my palms as I adjusted my position. He leaned back against the tree trunk, stretching his legs out slightly so I could rest more comfortably.

As I turned toward him, our eyes locked.

Not casually. Not in passing.

Locked.

The world didn’t stop, I could still hear the faint rustle of leaves somewhere behind us, still feel the steady rhythm of my own breathing, but it felt as though everything narrowed. As though the space between us became the only real thing in existence.

The moment stretched.

It didn’t rush forward. It didn’t dissolve.

It lingered.

There was something different in his gaze now. Not the usual spark of mischief that curved at the edges. Not the quiet worry that sometimes darkened his eyes when he thought I wasn’t looking.

This was something else.

Something softer.

It wasn’t loud or overwhelming. It didn’t demand attention.

It simply... was.

A warmth beneath the surface. A tenderness that made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t quite understand.

"You are beautiful, Maria," he said quietly.

No teasing lilt. No dramatic flair.

Just quiet certainty.

The words weren’t dramatic. They weren’t exaggerated. There was no grand gesture attached to them, no sweeping declaration meant to impress.

They were simple.

Honest.

And somehow, that made them heavier.

They settled into me instead of bouncing off. Slipped past my defenses. Found a place inside my chest and stayed there.

They hit me harder than I expected.

My heart skipped.

Just once.

A sharp, startled beat.

Then twice.

A second stumble, as if it needed to steady itself.

Heat crept slowly up my neck, blooming across my cheeks before I could stop it. I felt it, the slow betrayal of my own composure, and for a brief second, I didn’t know where to look.

His eyes were still on me.

Steady.

Waiting.

Before I could respond, before I could gather words that didn’t sound fragile or breathless, he leaned in.

Slowly.

Not sudden.

Not forceful.

Tentatively.

As if he were approaching something delicate. As if he were giving me every opportunity to pull away.

Every second felt magnified. The shortening distance. The faint shift in his breathing. The quiet anticipation thrumming in the air.

His lips brushed against mine.

Light.

Barely there.

Soft enough that I questioned whether it had even happened. A whisper of contact, warm, yet careful, almost uncertain like it wasn’t happening.

It wasn’t demanding.

It was asking.

And then, just as quickly as it came, he pulled back, the shift breeze blowing against my fragile lips as I stared at him.

His eyes widened slightly, as if realizing what he had done only after doing it.

"Maria... I... Maria... I..." he stammered, words tumbling over each other uselessly.

He looked completely flustered.

Completely unprepared.

And instead of anger rising inside me, instead of shouting...I found it amusing.

The contrast between the strong wolf who had sprinted beside me all night and the nervous man stumbling over a single kiss was almost endearing.

A small laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

He blinked in surprise.

I shook my head lightly, still smiling faintly.

"It’s okay," I murmured softly, though I didn’t elaborate.

I lowered my head slightly, resting it against his stomach as he had suggested. His body was warm, steady beneath me, rising and falling with each breath.

Everywhere was quiet now.

Safer.

I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion finally pull me under.

For a moment....I allowed myself to shut everything else out.

I didn’t know how long I slept.

But when I opened my eyes, the sun was higher, its warmth filtering through the trees in soft golden streams. For a brief second, I forgot where I was. The forest canopy above me swayed gently, leaves whispering in the wind.

Then I felt it.

The steady rise and fall beneath my cheek.

Vincent.

Memory rushed back, the run, the clearing, the kiss.

I lifted my head slowly.

"You’re awake," he said softly, already looking down at me with a small smile.

I sat up, stretching my arms above my head. Every muscle protested faintly, but it was manageable.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked.

"Not too long," he replied. "We should keep moving."

Reality settled back over me like a cloak. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The shawl.

The eastern vault.

Vanessa.

I nodded and stood, brushing stray leaves from my dress. Vincent rose as well, adjusting the strap of his clothes before glancing toward the direction we had been heading.

"Ready?" he asked lightly.

"As I’ll ever be."

We started walking again, the forest now fully awake around us. Birds darted between branches, and the morning air carried a fresher scent than the cool night had.

The tension from earlier felt lighter somehow.

Maybe it was the sleep.

Maybe it was Vincent.

After about an hour of steady walking, Vincent suddenly stepped in front of me and crouched slightly.

"Get on."

I blinked. "What?"

He grinned over his shoulder. "You heard me. Get on."

"Vincent, I can walk."

"I know you can," he said casually. "But I can also carry you."

Before I could protest further, he reached back, grabbed my wrist gently, and pulled me forward. I let out a small gasp as he lifted me onto his back with surprising ease.

"Vincent!" I laughed despite myself, instinctively wrapping my arms around his shoulders to steady myself.

"See?" he said proudly. "Much faster."

"You’re impossible."

"And yet, here you are," he replied smugly.

He began walking again, stronger strides now, my weight clearly not bothering him. From this height, the forest looked slightly different. I could see over more brush, spot clearer paths.

"You’re going to get tired," I warned.

"I carried heavier logs during rogue training," he shot back. "You’re light."

Heat warmed my cheeks.

After a while, he pretended to wobble slightly.

"Oh no," he said dramatically. "The mighty warrior is too heavy."

I swatted his shoulder. "Put me down!"

He laughed and spun slightly before finally lowering me carefully to the ground.

We walked side by side again, but something had shifted.

The journey didn’t feel like a burden anymore.

At one point, Vincent darted ahead suddenly, ducking behind a thick tree trunk.

I frowned. "Vincent?"

No answer.

I took a cautious step forward, scanning the area.

Suddenly he jumped out from behind the tree with a loud "Boo!"

I gasped and shoved him lightly. "Are you insane?"

He doubled over laughing. "You should have seen your face!"

"You’re unbelievable."

But I was smiling.

We continued like that for a while, light shoves, playful remarks, the tension dissolving into something easier.

At one point, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a short sprint just because the path ahead was clear.

"Race you to that fallen log!" he called.

"That’s not fair!" I protested, already running.

He beat me by seconds.

"I win," he declared triumphantly.

"Barely," I muttered.

The forest didn’t seem as oppressive anymore. Even the shadows felt less threatening.

For a moment, I almost forgot why we were here.

Almost forgot that this journey was born from humiliation and command.

But the further east we walked, the quieter the environment became again.

The trees grew older. Taller. More spaced out.

Vincent slowed his steps naturally this time.

"We’re getting closer," he said more seriously.

I nodded.

The playful energy faded gradually, replaced with focus.

Still, I was grateful for the moments of laughter.

Grateful that for a few hours, I wasn’t just the rogue sent on a dangerous errand.

I was just Maria.

Walking beside someone who made the road feel lighter.

And as we continued deeper toward the eastern vault, I realized something quietly unsettling....if this journey had been meant to break me,

It was doing the opposite.