Maria.

I stormed out of Noah’s room, the door slamming harder behind me than I intended.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I walked down the hallway, my steps sharp and uneven. The heat that had built inside me moments ago still curled through my body like a stubborn flame refusing to die out.

Damn him.

The memory of his lips—so close to mine just minutes earlier—refused to leave my mind. The way he had kissed me so fiercely at first, only to suddenly pull away like I had done something wrong.

And then he had simply walked out.

As if nothing had happened.

As if I hadn’t been left standing there, confused and burning with feelings I didn’t even understand.

I clenched my fists as I continued walking through the long corridor, trying to clear my head.

But the moment I turned the next corner...I froze. My breath caught sharply in my throat.

What I saw ahead made my heart pound violently against my ribs.

Noah.

And Anabel.

They stood far too close to each other.

And before my mind could properly process what was happening, Anabel leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

My entire body went rigid.

For a split second, the world around me felt completely silent.

My heart sank painfully in my chest, and before I could even stop myself...I shouted.

"NOAH!"

The shout left my lips louder than I intended.My voice echoed through the hallway, drawing attention instantly.

The moment the sound of my voice reached them, Noah pushed Anabel away abruptly.

But the damage had already been done.

I hadn’t meant to shout.

If anything, I would have preferred to turn around quietly and walk away without them even knowing I had seen anything.

But suddenly, thoughts began crashing violently through my mind.

He would rather kiss Anabel...than return the kiss I gave him earlier.

A bitter ache spread through my chest.

Was he toying with me?

Was this all some kind of game to him?

Was he just like the Quadruplets after all?

The same men who pulled women close only to discard them when it suited them?

"Maria!" Noah’s voice called after me.

The sound of my name snapped me out of the painful storm in my head.

I forced my feet to keep moving, faster, toward the arena, toward the trial ground where everyone would be gathered.

I refused to turn around.

Moments later, I heard his footsteps approaching quickly from behind.

He caught up with me easily.

"Maria, wait," he said, reaching my side. "It’s not what..."

He stopped himself, clearly trying to find the right words, trying to explain but I wasn’t even sure I wanted to hear it.

Would the words coming out of his mouth even be real?

Or would they simply be something he said to calm me down?

Still...A small memory surfaced in my mind.

Earlier today, when Anabel had confronted him and Noah had chosen me. That memory softened something inside me slightly.

By the time we reached the arena, the crowd had already gathered. Pack members stood in a wide circle around the center of the trial ground.

My eyes immediately moved to the figure standing in the middle.

Galen.

She was tied with thick chains.

Both of her hands were bound tightly to a tall wooden pole, raised above her head. Heavy iron chains wrapped around her wrists and arms, holding her firmly in place.

Her legs were also chained to the ground, restricting even the smallest movement.

She looked like a mess.

Her hair was disheveled, strands sticking to her face, blood trickled from the corner of her lips, staining her chin and neck.

It was clear she had already been questioned.

Or punished.

"Speak now!" Davian’s voice thundered across the arena, his tone carrying authority and growing impatience. "Who ordered you to attempt a killing in my territory?"

His words echoed through the silent crowd.

It was obvious his patience was hanging by a thin thread.

Noah moved slightly toward the seats where the Alpha’s were gathered. Without a word, he took his place among them.

I quietly moved toward the opposite side where the other pack members stood.

The tension in the air felt heavy, as everyone waited for Galen to speak.

For a moment, she simply lifted her head slowly, then she laughed faintly, despite the blood on her lips and the chains holding her down, her eyes held a strange confidence.

"Someone," she said boldly, her voice hoarse but steady, "you wouldn’t dare to face."

But Galen’s words only seemed to enrage the Quadruplets even more.

A heavy silence fell across the arena for a brief moment, thick with tension and disbelief. The crowd shifted uneasily, murmurs rippling through the pack members gathered around the trial ground.

Then Damien’s voice cut sharply through the air.

"Guards... again."

His tone was cold.

Final.

There was no hesitation.

The guards standing beside Galen moved immediately, clearly accustomed to such orders. One of them stepped toward the burning fire pit positioned near the center of the arena.

The flames crackled loudly as he grabbed a long iron rod resting beside it. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered the tip of the iron into the fire.

The metal began to glow faintly as the heat intensified around it.

Everyone watched in silence.

The only sounds were the crackling flames and Galen’s slow breathing.

Then the guard pulled the iron out.

It glowed a dull red.

Without wasting another second, he stepped forward and pressed the burning metal against Galen’s chest.

The sizzling sound was immediate.

Galen let out a loud, piercing scream that echoed through the arena.

Several pack members looked away instinctively at the brutal sight but before the shock could fully settle...her scream turned into laughter.

Loud.

Unsettling.

Almost manic.

The guards stepped back, clearly startled by the sudden change.

Everyone stared at her in confusion.

Blood still stained the corner of her mouth, and the mark from the iron burned angrily against her skin, yet she continued laughing as if the pain meant nothing to her.

Her head tilted slightly as her gaze swept across the arena.

"Is this all you have got?" she asked mockingly, her voice hoarse but filled with bold defiance.

The Quadruplets’ expressions darkened instantly.

Aidan stood up abruptly from his seat, his chair scraping harshly against the stone floor behind him.

"You wretch," he spat angrily. "Speak up now. Who is your leader?"

His eyes burned with fury as he stared down at her.

But Galen didn’t look intimidated.

Not even slightly.

Instead, her lips curled into a slow, almost amused smile.

"You shouldn’t be concerned with who my leader is," she said calmly, her gaze shifting between the three Alphas. "You should be concerned about who I am... and what I am to my leader."

The confidence in her voice made a faint ripple pass through the crowd.

Then her smile widened.

"And trust me," she continued slowly, "if anything happens to me... you all will pay for it."

Her words hung heavily in the air.

I froze where I stood.

A cold sensation crept through my chest.

What exactly does she mean?

The threat didn’t sound like empty bravado, it sounded like a warning.

Aidan suddenly chuckled.

The sound was sharp and mocking.

"Is this some sort of prank?" he said, shaking his head slightly. "Or some new pathetic way to save yourself?"

His eyes hardened as he leaned forward slightly.

"News flash," he added coldly, "we, the Quadruplet Alphas, are not afraid of anyone."

Before Galen could respond, another voice thundered across the arena.

"Guards... again!"

Davian had risen to his feet as well, his towering presence radiating authority and fury. Standing beside Aidan, his expression was darker, more dangerous.

The guards moved immediately once more.

The same iron rod was lowered into the flames again. The fire crackled violently as the metal heated.

Then it was pulled out again.

Glowing even brighter this time.

The guard stepped forward and pressed the burning iron against Galen’s body once more.

The sound of burning flesh filled the air again, Galen screamed, a raw, painful sound that made several people flinch.

But just like before...her scream dissolved into laughter.

Soft at first.

Then louder.

Stronger.

It echoed disturbingly through the arena.

Despite the pain clearly written across her face, her eyes still held that strange, fearless confidence.

"No matter what you do," she said between breaths, her voice trembling slightly but still filled with defiance, "once my master has set his eyes on something... he gets it."

Her gaze slowly swept across the three Alphas standing before her.

"So watch out, Alphas," she continued quietly. "Be careful not to lose all you care for."

The moment those words left her mouth...The Quadruplets’ faces paled.

The change was subtle.

But noticeable.

A strange unease settled over the arena.

Because suddenly, a far more dangerous question surfaced in everyone’s mind.

Who exactly... was Galen’s master?