Maria.

"Aidan!" Vanessa’s voice rang out again, clearer this time as she walked toward us with quick, determined steps.

The moment Aidan heard her call, something shifted. His arm around my waist loosened completely.

Before I could even react, he pushed me slightly aside, creating distance between us. The sudden release made me stumble a little, but Noah’s arms were there instantly.

He caught me without hesitation, steadying me against him as if he had been waiting for the moment Aidan would let go.

But my attention was no longer on Noah.

It was on Aidan.

Without even sparing me another glance, Aidan stepped forward and reached for Vanessa. His fingers slipped into hers effortlessly, their hands interlocking as naturally as if they had been meant to fit together all along.

Like he hadn’t been holding me with those same hands just seconds ago.

The sight struck somewhere deep in my chest. A strange, uncomfortable feeling flickered there before I could stop it.

I quickly averted my gaze.

I didn’t want to look at them.

Didn’t want to see the way he stood beside her so easily.

"Noah... I want to leave here," I muttered quietly.

My voice came out lower than I intended as I turned toward Noah instead of looking back at them.

Noah glanced at me briefly, he didn’t ask any questions, Instead, he gave a short, sharp nod.

"Alright."

His hand settled protectively at my side as we turned to walk away from the scene behind us but we had barely taken a few steps when my name suddenly echoed through the hallway.

"Maria... stop there!"

The command was loud and firm.

It froze me instantly.

Heavy footsteps followed the voice, moving quickly in our direction.

I turned slowly. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

And the moment I did, I found myself staring straight into a pair of cold grey eyes.

Davian.

He stopped a few steps away from us, his gaze sharp and unyielding as it locked onto me.

"What do you have to say about this?" he asked, his hand lifted slightly.

Something small rested between his fingers, a strange substance.

My brows drew together as I focused on it. The object looked oddly familiar and a strange feeling stirred in my mind as I studied it.

I had definitely seen it before.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t place where.

"And what exactly do you want me to say, Alpha Davian?" I asked calmly.

I lifted my head slightly as I looked directly at him. My eyes drifted once more toward the substance in his hand, trying to trigger the memory that hovered frustratingly just beyond my reach.

I knew I had seen it somewhere but I just couldn’t remember where.

"Quit acting, Maria." Davian’s voice was sharp, cutting through the hallway with a cold edge that immediately drew everyone’s attention. "This substance was found in your room."

He lifted his hand slightly, the small powdery sample still resting between his fingers as if displaying evidence before a court.

My brows pulled together as I stared at it but before I could respond, Damien stepped forward.

"And the amusing thing is," he added calmly, though the accusation in his voice was unmistakable, "it is the same powdery substance that was attached to the arrow that pierced through Adrien’s heart."

The words landed heavily in the air.

"So," Damien continued, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked directly at me, "you better start explaining yourself."

For a brief moment, silence settled over the hallway.

Then suddenly....I laughed. The sound escaped me before I could stop it. A short, incredulous laugh that even surprised me.

My head tilted slightly as I looked at them, disbelief spreading through my chest.

Were they serious right now?

Were they actually suggesting that I had something to do with Adrien getting shot?

Were they indirectly accusing me of sending an assassin?

My lips curved into another dry laugh.

Are they dumb?

"What exactly are you pointing at?" Noah asked suddenly, his voice carrying a sharp warning now.

His hand tightened around mine, his fingers wrapping firmly around my hand as if grounding me. His protective stance beside me was impossible to miss.

"Are you saying Maria sent the assassin?"

The question hung heavily in the air.

No one answered.

No one moved.

The hallway became so quiet that the silence itself felt suffocating.

Warriors stood stiffly along the corridor.

Vanessa’s gaze flickered uncertainly between the brothers.

Even Aidan remained silent, his eyes shifting briefly between Davian and Damien.

"Can’t you think?" Noah continued, his voice growing colder with every word. "Why would she send an assassin to kill herself?"

The question cut through the room with quiet force, it wasn’t shouted, it didn’t need to be. The logic behind it carried its own weight, settling heavily into the stillness that followed.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The silence that filled the space felt thick and uncomfortable, pressing in from all sides as Noah’s words echoed through everyone’s thoughts.

Because he was right.

The reasoning was simple.

Too simple.

Aidan’s gaze shifted slowly, moving away from Noah as he turned to look toward Davian and Damien. His brows drew together slightly, the faint crease between them revealing the uncertainty creeping into his mind.

He was thinking now.

Really thinking.

Davian and Damien stared back at him.

Their expressions were no longer as firm as they had been before. The confidence that had fueled their accusation earlier had faltered just enough to be noticeable. Their shoulders remained tense, their posture rigid, but there was hesitation in their eyes now.

The accusation that had seemed so certain only moments ago suddenly felt less solid, less convincing, like a theory that had begun to crumble the moment someone questioned it out loud.

But Davian clearly wasn’t ready to back down.

Not yet.

"If she didn’t send the assassin," he said slowly, the words measured and deliberate as his gaze shifted back toward me once more, "then who did?"

The question lingered in the air long after he finished speaking. No one rushed to answer it, no one could.

And despite everything happening around me, despite the tension in the room and the accusing eyes still resting on me, I couldn’t stop my mind from racing.

The same question repeated itself over and over inside my head.

Who exactly did?

Why was that substance found in my room?

The thought twisted uncomfortably in my chest.

I hadn’t seen that powder before... had I?

My mind searched desperately through fragments of memory, moments, faces, rooms, then suddenly...one memory flickered, my thoughts drifting toward a single person.

And the moment the possibility formed in my mind...I froze.