Maria.

The question he had asked still lingered in the air between us.

Will you go back with me, Maria?

For a moment, I simply stared at him.

My heart felt like it had forgotten how to beat properly, stumbling unevenly in my chest as his words repeated themselves in my mind.

Go back with him.

The truth was... I had long wanted to leave with him.

Even before all of this.

Before the competition.

Before the cheers of the crowd and the suffocating feeling of being treated like some grand prize waiting to be claimed.

I had wanted to leave this place.

I wanted a quiet corner of the world where I could breathe without feeling watched. Somewhere I didn’t have to hear whispers trailing behind me. Somewhere I didn’t have to wake up each morning wondering which Alpha would win me like a trophy.

Peace.

That was all I had ever wanted.

And for some reason, whenever I imagined leaving... Noah was always there in that picture.

That was why I wanted him to win.

My lips parted slowly as I prepared to answer him.

But before the words could form....footsteps echoed from the hallway. Then a familiar voice cut sharply through the moment.

"What are you doing here, Maria?"

The sudden intrusion snapped the fragile tension between us. I didn’t even need to turn to know who it was.

Anabel.

She stepped into the room confidently, her presence filling the small space almost instantly. Her gaze moved from me to Noah in a single sweeping motion, sharp and assessing.

Without hesitation, she walked straight past me.

Like I wasn’t even worth acknowledging.

Her hand reached for Noah’s immediately, wrapping around his as though claiming territory.

The sight made something unpleasant twist inside my chest.

I rolled my eyes subconsciously and lowered my head slightly, unwilling to let her see the reaction she probably wanted.

Typical.

I should have known the moment wouldn’t last.

Anabel’s fingers tightened slightly around Noah’s hand as she turned toward him, her voice softer now.

"Noah..."

But I spoke before she could finish.

"Noah, I will." My voice came out steadier than I expected.

Both of them looked at me.

I forced myself to meet Noah’s gaze directly.

"I will take my leave now," I added.

I deliberately ignored Anabel completely.

As if she wasn’t standing there.

As if she hadn’t just walked into the room and claimed her place beside him.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the anger rising on her face, the subtle tension in her posture as my dismissal settled in.

But I didn’t care.

Not today.

Not anymore.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked toward the door.

The hallway outside felt cooler, quieter.

My heart was still beating too fast, my mind spinning from everything that had just happened.

I had barely taken a few strides down the corridor when....

Thud.

My body collided with something solid, strong and unmoving.

The impact forced me to stop abruptly.

My hands instinctively reached forward to steady myself against the firm chest in front of me.

For a second, I simply blinked in surprise.

Then I slowly lifted my head.

And froze.

Daniel stood there, looking down at me.

"Daniel, I’m so sorry."

The words left my mouth, the instant recognition dawned on me. My hands were still lightly pressed against his chest from the collision, and I quickly pulled them back as embarrassment rushed through me.

I hadn’t been watching where I was going.

My thoughts had been too loud, too tangled.

Between Noah’s question, Anabel’s sudden appearance, and the tight knot still lingering in my chest, my mind had been wandering somewhere far away from the quiet hallway.

Daniel didn’t seem bothered though.

Instead, he gave a small chuckle and straightened slightly, brushing imaginary dust from the front of his shirt.

"It’s okay," he said calmly.

His voice carried that same warm tone I had come to recognize over the past few days. Gentle. Patient. Almost too understanding.

His eyes studied my face carefully before he spoke again.

"Seems a lot is going on in your mind."

A faint smile spread across his lips as he tilted his head slightly.

"Do you mind sharing?"

For a brief second, I hesitated.

There was something comforting about the way Daniel spoke, the way he always seemed genuinely concerned. If I wanted to, I probably could have told him everything that had been weighing on me.

About the competition.

About the fear clawing at my chest every time someone mentioned the next round.

About Noah.

But I didn’t.

I forced a small smile and shook my head gently.

"Thank you, Daniel," I said softly. "But I am fine."

The smile on his face remained, though it softened a little. Almost like he knew I wasn’t being entirely honest but chose not to push further.

Then suddenly, his expression shifted.

The lightness faded slightly as he lowered his gaze.

"I’m sorry, Maria."

His words caught me completely off guard.

My brows knitted together in confusion as I stared at him.

"For what?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before answering.

"For not winning this round."

His voice dropped slightly as he spoke, and he lowered his head even more, as if he had committed some unforgivable mistake.

The sight surprised me.

The way he stood there... looking almost guilty.

As though losing the first round of the competition had somehow disappointed me.

"It’s okay, Daniel," I said quickly, waving my hand slightly. "It’s no big deal."

And that was the truth.

At least... partly.

If I was being completely honest with myself, I hadn’t expected him to win.

Neither had I wanted him to.

That thought stayed safely locked inside my mind as I looked at him.

He didn’t need to know that.

Daniel lifted his head slightly, studying my expression as if trying to confirm whether I truly meant it.

I decided to change the topic before the awkwardness could stretch any longer.

"Your injuries," I asked gently. "How is it? Have you attended to it?"

For a brief moment, Daniel looked startled by the sudden shift.

Then he nodded quickly.

"Oh yes! I’m fine, Ga..." He stopped abruptly.

His lips froze mid-word.

A flicker of something crossed his face before he quickly corrected himself.

"I mean... I already attended to it."

The pause was brief.

Almost unnoticeable.

But I still caught it.

Still, I didn’t question it.

"Alright," I said with a small nod.

A quiet silence settled between us again. Then I clasped my hands lightly in front of me and took a small step back.

"I have something to attend to," I explained. "I was actually rushing there before I bumped into you."

I offered him a polite smile.

"So if you don’t mind, I would love to take my leave."

Daniel nodded immediately.

"Sure," he said easily.

His warm smile returned.

"See you some other time."

I returned the smile politely before turning around and continuing down the hallway.

This time, I made sure to watch where I was going. My footsteps quickened as I headed toward my room.

Thankfully, I had already finished all my tasks earlier in the day. The kitchen work, the small errands around the pack house... everything had been done.

Vincent had even volunteered to take over a few of the remaining chores for me when he noticed how tired I looked.

I was grateful for that. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Because right now, exhaustion weighed heavily on my body.

And my mind felt even more drained.

All I needed now... was sleep.

Sleep and silence.

Tomorrow would come soon enough.

And with it... the next round of the competition.

All I could do now was wait and see who would win.