Maria.

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

The sharp sound broke the quiet that had settled in the room, pulling me away from my thoughts. For a moment I hesitated, glancing briefly over my shoulder before walking toward it.

I reached the door and pulled it open.

A rogue stood outside.

The moment the door moved, he straightened and bowed slightly, lowering his head respectfully even before his eyes fully met mine.

"Alpha Noah," he said quickly, his voice carrying urgency. "Your presence is required. The assassin has been found."

My heart skipped.

Galen had been found.

The words echoed in my mind before I could fully process them.

"Oh my..." I whispered under my breath.

Behind me, I felt Noah move slightly.

"You may leave," Noah said calmly from somewhere behind me.

His voice carried the quiet authority of someone used to giving orders.

The rogue bowed again without hesitation.

"Yes, Alpha."

Then he turned and hurried down the corridor.

The door had barely closed when everything suddenly changed.

Before I could even turn around properly, Noah’s arm wrapped firmly around my waist. A small gasp escaped me as he pulled me backward, pressing me gently but firmly against the door.

My back touched the wood as his body moved closer.

Too close.

I froze slightly.

His head lowered slowly, and I felt the faint brush of his breath near my hair.

Then he inhaled deeply.

His nose traced slowly from the top of my hair down toward my neck, his breathing warm against my skin.

"Maria..." he murmured.

His voice had changed, it was lower now, rougher.

"Your scent drives me crazy."

The words sent a strange shiver through me.

I swallowed hard.

Just a few minutes ago, everything had been normal.

After cleaning his room, we had been sitting together, talking and laughing about the old days at the academy—about ridiculous instructors, failed training exercises, and memories that once felt so simple.

So why was he suddenly like this?

My heart began to beat faster.

"Noah..." I tried to call his name.

But the word barely left my lips before I bit down on them.

His hands had started moving.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Tracing along my waist and sides in a way that made it impossible for me to think clearly.

"Maria..." he said again.

This time his hands gently turned me around until I was facing him directly.

I lifted my gaze, his emerald eyes met mine, they looked almost identical to Aidan’s, the same striking color.

But the emotion inside them was entirely different. There was something intense there, possessive and unrestrained.

"Can you give me a chance..." he began softly but he never finished the sentence.

Instead, he suddenly closed the distance between us. His lips found mine in a kiss that felt both desperate and uncontrolled, it wasn’t gentle, it was intense.

Almost as if he had been holding himself back for far too long.

My breath caught instantly.

For a moment my mind went completely blank, then my body reacted before I could stop it.

I kissed him back.

Just as fiercely.

My fingers gripped the front of his shirt as his arms pulled me closer, leaving no space between us.

The world around us faded.

His kiss deepened, and I felt myself melting beneath the intensity of it. A soft whimper escaped me before I could stop it.

He guided me backward slowly, his hands steady as he directed me toward the bed.

My legs touched the edge of it.

Then he pulled away from the kiss.

The sudden absence of his lips made a small sound escape me.

A quiet hiss of frustration.

Only then did I realize something that startled me.

I didn’t want him to stop.

Noah stared at me for a moment, his eyes searched my face carefully, almost as if he was looking for something.

Permission.

Uncertainty flickered across his expression.

"Noah, what’s wrong?" I asked impatiently.

My voice sounded softer than I expected.

I wanted him to continue.

To make me feel that strange, overwhelming sensation again. The same confusing feeling Adrien had stirred inside me before.

Noah ran a hand through his hair roughly, ruffling it as if he was fighting with his own thoughts.

"Damn it, Maria," he muttered under his breath. "You make me lose control, and I...."

"Ssshhh."

I cut him off immediately.

I pushed myself up slightly from the bed and stepped closer to him again, my fingers gently pressed against his lips.

He fell silent instantly.

His lips were slightly swollen from the kiss, and the sight made something stir inside me again.

Damn!

I really wanted to feel them on mine again.

I slowly moved my hands down from his lips, my fingers drifted lower until they reached his bare chest.

The warmth of his skin spread instantly through my fingertips, and for a moment I simply let my hands rest there. But then, almost unconsciously, I began tracing faint lines across his chest.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

My fingers moved in soft patterns against his skin as if testing him... or perhaps challenging him.

I tilted my head slightly, watching his expression carefully.

I knew exactly what I was doing.

I wanted to push him.

Push him right to the edge of that restraint he was trying so hard to maintain, because moments ago, he had kissed me like a man who had completely lost control.

And now suddenly he was trying to hold back?

No way!

I wasn’t going to let him retreat so easily.

My fingers continued tracing along the firm lines of his chest, moving lower before sliding back up again.

But before I could continue, Noah suddenly caught my hands. His grip wasn’t rough, but it was firm enough to stop my movements.

He lifted both of my hands and held them against his chest, pressing them there as if trying to ground himself.

His breathing was slightly uneven.

"Maria..." he said quietly, his voice carrying something I couldn’t quite place, looking at me directly, "Can you give me this part of yours?"

I blinked.

For a moment, I genuinely had no idea what he meant.

This part of mine?

What was he even talking about?

But honestly...I didn’t care enough to think about it right then. My thoughts were too tangled in the lingering heat between us.

Instead of answering him properly, I simply lifted myself slightly on my toes, my hands slipped from his grasp and moved upward.

I placed both of them gently on his chin, guiding his face toward mine.

Then without another word...I kissed him.

My lips pressed firmly against his.

Once.

Twice.

I deepened the kiss, trying to pull him back into the moment we had just shared.

But something was wrong.

He wasn’t kissing me back.

At all.

My lips moved against his, but he remained completely still, no response, no movement, nothing.

A small wave of frustration rose inside me.

Damn it.

What was wrong with him?

Just moments ago he had been the one pulling me closer, kissing me like he couldn’t get enough.

So why was he suddenly acting like this?

How could he make me feel all of that... and then decide to stop halfway?

My hands tightened slightly against his shoulders.

"Noah..." I started to say.

But he didn’t let me finish.

He gently but firmly stepped back, creating distance between us.

"Maria," he said, his voice returning to its calmer tone. "The assassin has been found. Let’s go."

And just like that, he turned away.

He didn’t even look at me again, he walked toward the door quickly, almost like he was escaping something.

Or someone.

Before I could react, the door opened, then shut behind him, leaving me standing there alone.

For a second I simply stared at the closed door, then the frustration inside me finally burst out.

"Arrrrrrrrrghhhh!" My scream filled the room as I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation. "What exactly is wrong with you, Noah?" I muttered angrily.

My chest rose and fell as I glared at the door he had just disappeared through.

"Why start something you cannot finish?"