NOAH.

Maria had fallen asleep sometime between her quiet trembling and the slow rhythm of my hand brushing through her hair.

I hadn’t even realized the exact moment it happened.

One minute she had been staring blankly ahead, her eyes distant and clouded with shock, and the next her breathing had softened against my chest. Her body, tense for so long, finally relaxed as exhaustion claimed her.

Now she slept in my arms.

Her head rested lightly against my shoulder, her hair spilling across my arm as my hand continued to move slowly over it, brushing the strands away from her face.

I didn’t stop.

Even though I knew she was asleep, even though she couldn’t feel the reassurance I was trying to give her.

I just kept doing it.

Because watching her like this made something tighten inside my chest.

She had almost died.

"Goooshh!" I muttered loudly.

I really don’t know if I would ever survive without her.

The image of that arrow flying toward her replayed in my mind again, sharp and vivid.

If Adrien hadn’t stepped in....I clenched my jaw slightly.

The thought alone made my chest feel hollow. Relief washed over me every time I looked at her sleeping face.

I am glad she wasn’t the one lying on the ground in a pool of blood. It’s selfish I know but...I really don’t want anything happening to Maria.

The relief I felt earlier on was replaced with something darker. Something deep down I really didn’t want to admit.

Jealousy.

It twisted quietly in my chest, uncomfortable and persistent, because it hadn’t been me.

Adrien had been the one to reach her first.

Adrien had been the one to push her aside.

Adrien had taken the arrow.

Not me.

My hand paused for a brief second before I forced it to continue stroking her hair again.

I hated that thought.

Hated the way it made me feel.

But it lingered anyway.

Maria had agreed to leave with me.

Her words from before the last round still echoed clearly in my mind.

She had chosen me.

Chosen to walk away from this pack with me.

And I wasn’t about to let anything change that. This pack was no longer safe for her and I needed to protect her.

I wouldn’t let anything stop me, not even guilt. I have to ensure the competition continues regardless of the situation at hand. The more time she spends here, the more she is in danger.

And aside from that, I knew Maria.

If she started blaming herself for what happened to Adrien, she might hesitate. She might rethink everything and I couldn’t let that happen.

I wouldn’t let her make a decision out of guilty. She deserved to leave this place, she deserved a life that wasn’t filled with fear and hostility.

My hand slowed slightly as I looked down at her peaceful face. "You’re coming with me," I murmured quietly, more to myself than to her.

The door suddenly creaked open and I looked up instantly.

Anabel.

She stepped into the room, her eyes landing on us immediately,more specifically.....On Maria, sleeping quietly in my arms.

Her expression changed instantly, shock then anger.

"Noah..." she said slowly, her shoulders stiffening slightly. "What is she doing here?" Her voice rising with each word. "How can she be sleeping here when my brother is fighting for his life?"

The accusation in her tone made my chest tighten. Maria stirred faintly in my arms, though she didn’t wake. I tightened my hold around her protectively.

"Ssshhh!" I gestured quickly with my fingers, pressing one lightly to my lips as I lowered my voice. "She is still sleeping, lower your voice."

My eyes flicked immediately toward the bed beside me.

Maria hadn’t moved.

She lay curled slightly against the pillow, her breathing slow and steady, her face pale but peaceful in the quiet of sleep. A strand of her hair had fallen across her cheek, unmoving.

Only then did I look back at Anabel.

"She’s in shock," I said calmly, keeping my voice as controlled and quiet as possible.

But the explanation did nothing to calm her.

"That’s not an excuse!" Anabel snapped.

Her voice came out louder than she intended, sharp with emotion. Tears had already begun gathering in her eyes, glistening beneath the dim light of the room.

"My brother could die because of her!"

Her voice broke on the last word.

The anger that had been burning so fiercely in her expression faltered suddenly, dissolving under the weight of something much deeper.

Grief.

Fear.

Her hand flew to her mouth as if trying to contain the emotion spilling out of her. A broken sob escaped her despite the effort, the sound raw and painful in the otherwise quiet room.

I sighed quietly.

This was the last thing I wanted.

The tension in the room had been fragile enough already.

Carefully, I shifted Maria slightly, supporting her shoulders as I adjusted the pillow beneath her head. I made sure she remained comfortable where she rested beside me, her body still and unaware of the storm brewing around her.

Only when I was certain she wouldn’t wake did I slowly stand up.

Across the room, Anabel wiped angrily at her cheeks with the back of her hand, trying to force the tears away even though more continued to fall.

"I told all of them to stay away from her," she whispered bitterly.

Her voice had lowered now, but the resentment inside it hadn’t faded.

"Why does she keep causing trouble?"

My chest tightened at her words.

"Anabel..." I began quietly.

But she didn’t let me finish.

"What if he dies?" she interrupted suddenly.

Her voice cracked under the weight of the question. The words hung heavily in the air between us.

For a moment, neither of us spoke, because the truth was painfully simple.

I didn’t have an answer.

No one did.

The uncertainty surrounding Adrien’s condition pressed down on the room like an invisible weight.

Finally, Anabel looked up at me.

Her eyes were red and swollen, glistening with fresh tears that clung stubbornly to her lashes.

"He’s my brother, Noah."

The words were simple but the pain behind them was unmistakable.

I stepped closer to her slowly, for a moment, I didn’t really think about what I was doing. My hand lifted instinctively, coming to rest gently on the top of her head.

I patted it softly, the same way I used to when we were younger.

When things had been simpler.

When comforting her had been as easy as brushing away a scraped knee or calming her after a childish argument.

The moment my hand touched her, something inside her seemed to give way. She leaned forward immediately, closing the small distance between us as she pressed her face against my chest.

The tears she had been trying so hard to hold back finally spilled over. Her shoulders began to shake as the sobs came freely now, quiet but uncontrollable.

"I don’t want him to die," she whispered against my shirt.

Her voice trembled with every word.

"I know," I murmured quietly.

My hand moved slowly along her back in a gentle, steady motion, offering what comfort I could.

I had no choice but to comfort her.

Even though the weight in my own chest hadn’t eased. Even though the uncertainty surrounding Adrien’s life was still hanging over all of us.

As Anabel cried quietly against me, my eyes drifted back toward the bed.

Maria was still asleep.

Unaware of the turmoil surrounding her.

Her breathing remained soft and steady, her expression calm despite everything that had happened.

Two people I cared about.

Both caught in the middle of the same storm.

And somehow...Standing there in the quiet room, listening to Anabel’s quiet sobs while Maria slept only a few steps away...It felt like things were only just beginning to get worse.