MARIA

I stepped out of Adrien’s room, my chest still tight from the chaos I had just escaped. My legs carried me on autopilot as I moved toward my own room, each step heavier than the last.

When I opened the door, a sharp pang hit me. My room was a mess—papers scattered across the floor, clothes thrown in disarray, and even Galen’s belongings... gone. Someone had been here. Someone had gone through everything.

I didn’t have the energy to process it. I let myself fall onto the bed, letting the weight of exhaustion, frustration, and fear press down on me. The events from earlier—the mark, Adrien’s sudden aggression, the chaos with Davian—looped endlessly in my mind.

With a deep sigh, I shed the few clothes I had on, letting the warmth of the blankets wrap around me as I tried to calm down. My hands fell to my neck. The mark... still there, throbbing faintly, irritating and impossible to ignore.

I rummaged through my bag, finally finding a scarf. It wasn’t perfect, but it would hide the mark from anyone who might stumble into the room. I wrapped it carefully around my neck, tucking the edges so it would stay in place.

The moment I adjusted it, the door creaked open. My body tensed immediately, and I instinctively pulled the scarf tighter.

"N-Noah?" I stammered, my heart skipping a beat.

He stepped in quietly, his gaze scanning the room before settling on me. "I just woke up," he said, his voice low and even. "When I looked around, you weren’t in your room. I came to check... it’s not safe for you to be alone for too long."

I nodded, forcing my face into a neutral expression. "Oh... okay. It’s fine. I’m fine," I said softly. "I’ll meet you later, alright?"

He hesitated, then stepped closer. His gaze flicked to the scarf. "What’s wrong? Why... Why are you covering your neck?"

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "It’s nothing, Noah... I just... fell earlier and scraped my neck. No big deal."

His eyes softened. "Oh... I’m sorry about that," he murmured, reaching out instinctively as if to check the injury.

I froze, tensing every muscle. "Don’t," I said firmly, my voice sharp enough to stop him. I grabbed the edge of the scarf, tugging it closer to hide the mark.

He paused, brow furrowed, but didn’t push further and just then Aidan appeared in the doorway, stepping into view with an almost casual ease, yet there was something in his posture, the way he leaned slightly against the frame, that made it clear he was assessing the situation.

Curiosity was written all over his face, a spark in his eyes that hinted he wanted answers and that he might enjoy watching me squirm a little as he got them.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to figure out the dynamic in the room.

But the instant his gaze swept across us, his expression hardened subtly, sharp enough to make the air seem taut around him, like he was suddenly on alert, ready to react to anything.

Before I could answer, Noah’s voice cut in, laced with annoyance and a hint of challenge.

"What are you doing barging into a lady’s room without knocking?" His words were sharp, pointed, his stance rigid, like he was trying to establish some kind of authority—or perhaps protect me.

Aidan chuckled softly, a teasing, almost playful sound that made my fingers curl into fists under the blanket, clenching almost without thought. It was infuriating, the way he could make a simple laugh feel like a provocation.

"Oh that," he said, shrugging lightly, his tone casual but carrying a deliberate undertone of defiance. "I don’t see anything wrong with it. This is my territory, Noah. I can do whatever pleases me."

His gaze shifted to me then, sharp and unrelenting, as if he was trying to read every reaction, every flicker of expression on my face.

"And why is your neck covered, Maria?" His voice was curious, teasing, but with a sharp edge that made it clear he expected an answer.

I reacted instantly, my heart racing, my chest tightening. "Nothing," I said quickly, too quickly, my words tumbling out in a rush. "It’s... nothing. Just... I really don’t think it’s your business, by the way," I added, gesturing vaguely to my neck, my hand barely brushing the scarf as I tried to draw a boundary.

Aidan’s lips curved into that same soft, teasing chuckle again, the sound crawling under my skin and making my fists clench even tighter beneath the blanket. "Oh, come on," he said, shaking his head slightly, his tone light, almost coaxing. "What if I insist it’s my business? Open it!"

I shook my head immediately, tugging the scarf tighter around my throat as if the fabric could act as a shield, as if it could make him look away, as if it could somehow reclaim the privacy he was pressing against. My fingers clutched the material instinctively, gripping it so firmly it almost hurt, but I didn’t care.

"Why don’t you want me to see it?" he pressed, stepping just a little closer, his presence leaning in, surrounding me, light yet persistent.

There was a teasing insistence in his tone, a soft command hidden behind the playful inflection, and it made my pulse race faster.

My mind scrambled for a response, but all I could do was tense beneath the weight of his gaze, the scarf, and the undeniable pressure of him standing so close, insisting that he had a right to see what I wanted to keep hidden.

My chest tightened with every passing second, my mind racing, trying to measure the right way to breathe, the right way to exist in the presence of two people who had no idea how dangerous the truths around me could be.

I couldn’t tell him—couldn’t give even a hint of what had happened, couldn’t risk the knowledge of what Adrien and Davian had done. The mark on my skin, hidden beneath the fabric of the scarf, was mine alone, a secret that burned quietly beneath my clothing, a private signal of something deeper, something I wasn’t yet ready to confront.

Every instinct screamed at me to protect it, to keep it safe, to keep myself safe, because no one else could understand what it meant, or how it tied into the chaos that was steadily closing in around me. Survival had become a game of silence, and I was learning the rules fast. I had to endure. I had to remain unreadable.

Aidan huffed softly, tilting his head slightly as if trying to puzzle me out, but he didn’t push further. His curiosity was evident, the subtle tension in his shoulders and the slight narrowing of his eyes betraying his desire to know more. But he held back. For now.

My heart was still racing, a steady drum of alertness that made my breath shallow, and I could feel the heat of their gazes on me, undeterred by my calm exterior. But I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing any weakness. I wasn’t letting anyone see what Adrien and Davian had done—not now, not ever.

With a quiet, deliberate movement, I pulled the scarf tighter around my neck, tucking the mark fully beneath the folds of fabric. The soft material settled against my skin, a small comfort in the midst of tension, like a protective shield against the questions I knew would come if I dared to show even the slightest vulnerability.

"Fine," Aidan said at last, a mock sigh drifting from his lips as he stepped back a fraction. There was a playful edge to his tone, but beneath it was a clear note of curiosity that refused to be extinguished. "But... why all the secrecy?" His words were light, teasing, but they carried that same persistent probing, the kind that made it clear he wanted answers even if he couldn’t have them right now.

I forced a small, awkward smile, the corners of my lips tugging upward just enough to seem polite, distant, but carefully concealing everything I truly felt. I refused to answer him. "None of your business," I whispered, my voice low but firm. "Get out!"

And with that, I let myself sink slowly back onto the bed, letting the blankets swallow me, letting the motion be a physical barrier against the storm still raging inside me.

I focused on steadying my breathing, willing my pulse to slow, grounding myself in the simple act of settling into the mattress, trying to carve a small pocket of control in the midst of everything I couldn’t yet manage.

I knew full well this was only a pause, a fleeting calm before the next wave came crashing in, but in this moment, I allowed myself to reclaim just enough space for my own mind.

I didn’t care if both Noah and Aidan were still in the room, lingering like shadows at the edge of my awareness. I needed distance. I needed silence. I needed to let the world—at least for a brief while—cease its demands, so I could hold onto myself before the next battle inevitably began.