Aidan.

I had lots of documents on my desk to go through but none of it clouded my thoughts.

I stood near the desk, one hand braced against the edge as my thoughts ran wild. Everything that had happened in the past few days refused to settle, Galen’s escape, Adrien’s condition, the unrest in the pack.

And then...Maria.

My jaw tightened unconsciously. She had been on my mind far too much...It was irritating and unacceptable.

Yet... unavoidable.

The door suddenly burst open.

I turned sharply, irritation flashing across my face.

"Demein...what..."

He didn’t even let me finish. He stood there, chest heaving, his breath uneven like he had run across the entire territory. His eyes burned with fury.

"What happened?" I asked, my tone immediately turning serious.

He dragged a hand through his hair roughly. "I saw them."

My brows furrowed."Saw who?"

His gaze snapped to mine. "Noah... and Maria."

Something inside me stilled.

"What about them?" I asked, though something in my chest had already begun to tighten painfully.

Demein let out a harsh breath. "They were kissing, can you imagine the audacity Noah has to be..."

The world went quiet.

Dead quiet.

For a moment, I just stared at him, the words echoing in my head like they didn’t belong there.

My expression darkened instantly.

"What did you say?" My voice dropped, dangerously low.

"I said I saw Noah kissing Maria!" he snapped, stepping closer. "Our mate!"

My fists clenched instantly.

"How the hell is that even possible?" Demein continued angrily. "What is Noah thinking? I know he wants to stake his claim on her but acting like some reckless—"

I didn’t wait to hear the rest, something inside me had already snapped. I turned immediately and stormed out of the study.

"Aidan—!"

But I was already gone.

My steps were fast, heavy, filled with a storm I couldn’t suppress. My wolf stirred violently beneath my skin, restless, furious.

Maria.

I needed to see her.

Now.

I moved through the corridors quickly, my eyes scanning every corner until...I found her.

At the far end, near the corner. She stood beside a rogue—That same Vincent— washing dishes like everything was normal.

Like nothing had happened.

My jaw clenched tightly and without thinking, I strode toward her. Closing the distance in seconds.

Before she could react...I grabbed her arm. She gasped softly as I yanked her away from the rogue, pulling her into a secluded corner.

"Aidan?!" she snapped, trying to pull free.

I didn’t let go, not even for a second, my wolf was going wild. I turned her toward me and claimed her lips hard, possessively. My hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against me as my lips crashed onto hers, driven by something raw and uncontrollable.

She struggled instantly, pushing against my chest but I held her there, refusing to let go, refusing to let her slip away.

When I finally pulled back, both our breaths were uneven.

Her eyes burned with anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she snapped, shoving me.

I didn’t move.

My gaze stayed locked on hers, as if looking away, even for a second, would make me lose whatever fragile control I still had left.

"You belong to me... you are my damn mate... you can’t go about kissing anyone," I said.

The words came out low, edged with something raw and possessive that I didn’t bother to hide.

She didn’t respond.

Not immediately.

She just stared at me.

And for some reason, that silence pushed me further, made something inside me snap tighter.

"You’re ours," I continued, my voice firm now, leaving no room for doubt. "Our mate. So why the hell are you going around kissing Noah?"

Her expression hardened instantly.

Like a door slamming shut.

"Our mate?" she repeated, disbelief clear in her tone, laced with something sharper.

"Yes," I shot back without hesitation. "Don’t act like you don’t..."

"I don’t!" she cut in sharply.

The force of her words stopped me, just for a second, just long enough for something unfamiliar to flicker through my chest.

But she didn’t pause.

Didn’t give me time to recover.

"What is wrong with you?" she continued, her voice rising now, anger breaking through every word. "You just show up, grab me, kiss me, and start saying nonsense?"

My eyes darkened at that.

"Nonsense?" The word rolled off my tongue slower this time, heavier.

"I am not your mate!" she snapped.

The words hit like a blow.

For a split second, everything inside me stilled.

Then my jaw clenched tightly, the tension settling deep as her words echoed in my mind, refusing to fade.

She stepped back, putting distance between us. "I don’t feel anything," she added, her voice steady. "No bond. Nothing."

"That’s impossible..."

"Is it?" she challenged, her eyes flashing. "Because from what I remember, you and your brothers are engaged." Her lips curled slightly."To Vanessa."

The name hung heavily between us.

"So don’t stand there and call me your mate," she continued sharply. "Because I’m not."

Something dark flickered in my eyes.

I stepped closer.

She didn’t move. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Didn’t flinch.

"Is this some kind of game?" I asked, my voice dropping dangerously as I reached out and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. "Do you think pretending you’re not our mate will change anything?"

Her eyes blazed with anger.

"You’re delusional," she said flatly.

The word hit hard.

She shoved my hand away immediately.

"I don’t know what you think this is," she continued, her voice firm and unwavering, "but I can’t wait to leave this pack."

Those words struck deeper than anything else she had said, and I realized I never want her to leave.

But before I could respond...She turned and walked away, just like that, no hesitation, no looking back.

I stood there.

Frozen.

Watching her retreating figure until she disappeared completely.

The silence around me felt suffocating, heavy and unmoving.

And for the first time...Something unfamiliar crept in.

Uncertainty.

Was I about to lose her?