Noah.

"Fuck!" I muttered under my breath, the expletive more of a release than anything else.

My wolf growled quietly in the back of my mind, restless, impatient, hungry for her. Maria, my anchor, my chaos all wrapped into one, was driving me completely insane. Every time she moved, every time her gaze flickered in my direction, every subtle brush of skin or whisper of her breath, it set me on fire from the inside out.

I wasn’t even sure she realized the effect she had on me. Did she know how my pulse quickened when she leaned close? Did she notice how the scent of her, sweet, sharp, intoxicating, tugged at my control and made me ache to claim her completely? I doubted it. Most of the time, she didn’t seem aware of the power she wielded over me. And yet, it was all-consuming, this pull I couldn’t resist.

All I wanted right then, in that moment, was to have her beneath me, to feel her quiver, to hear her moan my name as if it were the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. I imagined it vividly, every motion and reaction, my wolf snarling inside me, desperate to be unleashed. Every ounce of my self-restraint screamed in protest at the restraint I forced upon myself.

Then she did it, she pulled away from me abruptly. My heart slammed against my ribs as she removed herself from the kiss, and I felt the blood rush hotly through my veins. It was maddening, electrifying, and yet, there was a sharp pang of frustration that nearly made me snap. My hands itched to hold her, to pull her back, to taste her again until I couldn’t remember where I ended and she began.

I pressed my forehead against hers, desperately trying to anchor myself, to keep my wild instincts from exploding entirely. Her scent, her warmth, her heartbeat, every small thing was driving me insane. I wanted to breathe her in, to mark her in some permanent, undeniable way. But I restrained myself, swallowing down the roar of desire that threatened to escape.

"Thank you, Noah!" she said suddenly, her voice soft, yet precise.

She pulled back just enough for me to see her eyes, shining in the dim light. The words were simple, yet they hit me harder than I expected. I had to pull my head away from her forehead, forcing myself to detach emotionally, at least for a moment.

"For what, Damsel?" I asked, my voice low and teasing, though I could feel the tremor of frustration in it. I leaned close to her ear, my lips brushing the soft skin in a way that made me shiver from restraint. The primal part of me wanted to bite, to claim, to consume her entirely, but I held myself back.

Her scent, her nearness, the subtle heat of her skin against mine, it all demanded more than I could give without losing control. I could feel my wolf pressing from behind, claws scratching at the edge of my reason. The thought alone made me acutely aware of every inch of her, of how I ached to be closer, to take, to make her mine in ways she hadn’t yet allowed.

"Baby girl," I murmured, my voice low, intimate, dangerous, "what do you think about... we go into your room?"

I spoke the words almost instinctively, the need to claim, to feel her without restraint overwhelming me. My words hung heavy in the air, charged with desire, and for a fraction of a second, I worried I had scared her. I watched her face for any flicker of fear, any sign that I had crossed a line she wasn’t ready for.

Her response, or lack thereof, was telling. She remained silent, her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted. She hesitated, unsure, as though she were searching for the words to reject me once more. And I knew immediately: she would refuse.

The moment confirmed it, the flicker of rejection clear as she shook her head abruptly. I felt the sting of it, sharp and raw, though I masked it under a veneer of control. Every desire I had harbored, every ounce of hunger, every beat of longing, was instantly suppressed by her silent refusal.

I stepped back, forcing a physical distance that mirrored the emotional distance she had just placed between us. My heart pounded, my wolf snarled in frustration, but I held myself together. The tension between us didn’t dissipate, it only simmered, the fire not gone but restrained.

"I mean..." I began, trying to steady my voice, to mask the ache in my chest and the tremor in my hands. "...the swells on your skin. I can help you apply an ointment." My words were practical, devoid of the lust that had just threatened to consume me, yet even in that attempt at control, the undercurrent of desire was impossible to hide.

Shit!

The word tore through my mind as I stood there, every nerve ending on fire, every thought screaming in frustration and desire. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times Maria had rejected me. Each denial burned in me like a brand, a reminder of how powerless I felt when she pulled away. And yet... and yet, I couldn’t stop loving her. I didn’t want to stop. The ache of wanting her, of needing her presence, of craving her in ways that defied reason, was like a wildfire in my chest, consuming everything else.

I loved her. That was undeniable. Unshakable. I loved her so fiercely that I was willing to do anything for her. Even if it meant staying on the sidelines, being her friend when she didn’t want me as more. I could bear the ache, bear the constant reminders of what I couldn’t have, if it meant keeping her safe, keeping her close, even in some small, distant way.

And yet, my mind betrayed me. I knew she had wanted me back earlier, before Darren had shown up. Before that chaotic interruption that had made everything go to hell. I could almost feel it, her hesitation, her longing, the unspoken "what if" that lingered in the space between us. It was maddening.

She looked at me then, her eyes calculating, wary, yet softened slightly by the acknowledgment of my offer. She didn’t speak, didn’t argue, and I realized in that moment that even though I had been rejected for now, there was a thread connecting us that could not be severed.

I exhaled slowly, trying to ground myself, to remind my wolf that patience was necessary. The hunger still throbbed beneath my skin, the need still coiled like a living thing in my chest, but I forced it down, focusing instead on her well-being. Her hesitancy, her guarded stance, the tension that radiated off her in waves, it was all I needed to respect.

For now, restraint was my only option. And yet, every fiber of my being ached to close the distance again, to press my lips to hers, to let the world fall away until only Maria and I existed. My wolf’s growl echoed inside me, frustrated and unrelenting, but I simply swallowed the sound and kept my gaze steady.

"Fuck you, Darren!" I cursed under my breath, the words sharp and hot in my mind. My blood boiled at the thought of him, at the audacity of his interference, at the way he had come between us. I couldn’t even look at him without my wolf snarling, every instinct screaming that he was a threat, an unworthy one, yes, but still dangerous because he dared to touch what was mine.

Without realizing it, my hand rose to my mouth, brushing at the corner of my lips where Darren had struck me earlier. The sting was still there, a dull, nagging pain that pulsed with each heartbeat, reminding me of my vulnerability, of how close I had come to losing control.

"Are you hurting?" Maria’s voice cut through my haze of thoughts, soft but laced with concern. I could feel her presence close, her warmth radiating toward me. My heart stuttered at the closeness, at the way she closed the distance I had tried to create. I wanted to pull back, to maintain control, but I found myself unable to resist her gravity.

Her hands moved with purpose, gentle but firm, reaching for my lips. I clenched my fists against the sheet beneath me, biting down on every primal instinct not to devour her, not to press my mouth to hers again. Every muscle in my body screamed with restraint, but the sight of her bent over me, her golden hair spilling like sunlight, the way her fingers grazed my skin, it was torture.

"Let me help you," she said, her voice calm but insistent. She guided my hands gently, dragging them as we stepped into her room. Every movement, every subtle touch, was like a spark against the powder keg of my desire. I followed her, unable to do anything but obey, though my mind raced with questions I didn’t dare speak.

The room was empty, a sanctuary from the chaos outside, and I felt my pulse slow slightly, though not enough to calm the storm inside me. I sat on the bed, trying to maintain control, trying to force my wolf to quiet down, while Maria retrieved an ointment from a small table. She bent over me, careful and precise, and began to apply it to my lips.

Damn. God damn.

It was taking everything in me not to kiss her again. Not to lean in and claim her, to taste the sweetness of her, to lose myself in the heat that radiated off her in waves. She was beautiful, no, more than that. She was intoxicating. Every line of her body, the subtle tilt of her head, the way her golden eyes caught the light and seemed to glow... and her hair, cascading like threads of sunlight, framing her face perfectly. I wanted her. Every inch of her.

"Maria..." I started, my voice rough, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. I needed to tell her how much I wanted her, how much she owned me already, how insane I had gone for her. But then I caught it, the faintest trace, the sharpest pull of a scent that didn’t belong to me. Adrien.

My chest tightened, my stomach twisted, and a sharp pang of jealousy shot through me. My mind hadn’t been calm even before, but now it was chaos incarnate. Adrien’s scent lingered on her, subtle yet unmistakable, clinging to her like a second skin.

Did she allow him to touch her?

Was that why she had shaken her head earlier?

Questions I didn’t want the answers to, but my mind raced anyway. The thought alone made my hands tremble and my teeth clench. My wolf growled low, a warning and a plea, demanding that I stake my claim, demand what was mine. I could feel the pull, the hunger, the sheer possessiveness coil tighter around me.

I wanted Maria all to myself. Every part of her. Every laugh, every sigh, every breath. My soul ached for her, my body throbbed with need, and yet I forced myself to breathe, to sit, to allow her to tend to me. The room was silent except for the faint sound of her careful movements, the brush of her fingers against my lips, and the pounding of my own heart.

Every second felt like an eternity, every gentle touch like a spark to the powder keg inside me. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, about the way her presence consumed my senses, about the way she made me ache in ways no one else ever could. And as her eyes met mine, calm and focused, I realized, my love for her was no longer something I could contain.

I wanted her.

All of her.