Maria.

All the scattered pieces in my mind suddenly began to fall into place and the realization hit me so quickly that it made my chest tighten.

Of course.

The only person who shared the same room with me was Galen.

No one else had access to my space like she did, no one else could have placed something there without raising suspicion or Sha add tried to keep it in her own space.

My thoughts raced back to a moment I had almost forgotten.

That day.

The memory flashed vividly in my mind now.

I had gone to get food for one of the quadruplets. My mind had been elsewhere at the time, weighed down by everything I was going through, so I hadn’t paid much attention to what I saw.

But now...now it came back clearly.

Galen.

And someone standing close to her, small object passing from one hand to another, something that looked exactly like the powder Davian was holding now.

At the time, I had dismissed it, I had been too distracted by my own problems to think about it any further but now the connection was impossible to ignore.

My head snapped toward Noah. "Noah... it’s Galen!" I said immediately.

The words came out faster than I intended.

Noah blinked, clearly caught off guard by my sudden statement, he stared at me with confusion written all over his face.

"Galen?" he repeated, puzzled.

"Galen stays in the same room as me," I explained quickly, trying to organize my thoughts as I spoke. "And the other day I saw...."

"Saw what?" Davian interrupted impatiently, his sharp voice cut through my explanation.

But I ignored him completely.

Instead, I kept my eyes on Noah.

For some reason, explaining it to him felt easier.

"I saw someone handing this substance to her the other day," I continued, pointing slightly toward the powder Davian was still holding. "It’s been a really long time, so I didn’t think much of it at the moment."

My voice slowed slightly as I remembered the details.

"I only saw it briefly. And I was distracted, so I dismissed it."

Noah’s expression hardened almost instantly as he processed what I had just said.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

His jaw tightened as he turned his head toward Davian.

"Come on, Davian," Noah said sharply, his tone carrying urgency now. "Give the order. Galen should be brought here."

The hallway seemed to grow tense again.

Davian studied me carefully for a moment, as if trying to determine whether I was telling the truth.

Then his expression shifted.

Without another second of hesitation, he turned toward the warriors standing nearby.

"Search for Galen immediately!" Davian ordered, his voice echoing firmly down the corridor.

The warriors straightened at once.

"Yes, Alpha!"

Boots quickly pounded against the floor as they rushed away to carry out the command.

The search had begun.

I held Noah’s hand tightly as we stood there in the hallway. My fingers curled around his almost unconsciously, clinging to the warmth of his grip while my mind drifted far away from the voices and tension surrounding us.

Everything that had just happened replayed over and over inside my head.

The accusation.

The powder.

Galen.

The thought that someone or Galen had planted that substance in my room still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I barely noticed the quiet murmurs around us until Noah’s voice suddenly broke through my thoughts.

"If you would excuse me," he said firmly, addressing the others behind us, "Maria needs to rest."

His tone carried finality.

The kind that made it clear he wasn’t asking for permission.

He gently tightened his hold on my hand before guiding me away from the hallway.

I followed him silently.

My mind was still foggy with everything that had just unfolded, and the warmth of his hand was the only thing grounding me in that moment.

Neither of us spoke as we walked down the corridor, but the quiet between us wasn’t uncomfortable, it felt... protective.

When we finally reached his room, Noah pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling me in with him.

The moment the door closed behind us, he let out a frustrated breath.

"I can’t believe them," he muttered, his voice carrying clear irritation. "Were they actually thinking you would kill yourself?"

The disbelief in his tone was obvious.

I didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, my eyes slowly moved around the room.

For a moment, I was slightly surprised.

Noah’s room was a mess.

Clothes were carelessly draped over a chair. Papers lay scattered across the table, and the bed sheets were slightly twisted like they had been left untouched for days.

It was the complete opposite of the Noah I knew, he was usually calm, organized and careful with everything he did.

Seeing his room like this made me realize how well the guards had done a nice job searching.

I sighed quietly.

Without thinking much about it, I slipped my hand away from his and began picking things up. I folded a shirt lying on the chair and placed it neatly on the bed.

Then I gathered the scattered papers into a small pile on the table.

"Maria," Noah called softly.

I paused slightly but continued straightening the sheets.

"I promise you," he said, his voice steady now. "Regardless of whether this competition continues or not, once the culprit is found, I will take you away from here."

My hands stilled, slowly, I lifted my head to look at him. Noah was standing a few steps away, watching me with a seriousness that made my chest tighten.

There was no hesitation in his eyes, no doubt, only determination.

I swallowed softly before nodding my head.

The simple gesture was all I could manage but inside, something in my chest melted at his words. I blinked quickly, trying to push away the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes.

Only Noah had ever treated me like this.

Like I mattered.

Like my safety meant something.

And for a moment, standing there in his messy room, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Safe.