Maria.

Everything felt... wrong.

The air, the voices, the tension, it all pressed against me at once, making it hard to breathe. My head spun as I tried to process everything that had just happened. Adrien poison has been cured, that alone should have been enough shock for one day.

But it wasn’t.

He rescued me and right after that, he had kissed me.

And now...Now he was standing there, his voice sharp, possessive, echoing through the space as he spoke to his brothers like I was something to be claimed.

"Count me out of it." Adrien said. "Because the only person I want is my mate."

What exactly was his plan? Why is he suddenly revealing that I am their mate to others?

"...I don’t want her with anyone else," Adrien added, his tone leaving no room for argument. "She’s not going to be with anyone else but me."

My heart skipped.

What...?

I blinked, my mind struggling to catch up with reality.

I tried to stand, to say something—anything—but my legs betrayed me. My body swayed, and for a brief second, I lost my balance.

"Maria!" voices echoed at once.

Hands reached for me from different directions, trying to steady me.

But the moment their fingers touched me, Davian and Adrein, I snapped.

"Don’t touch me!" I pushed them away, my voice rising sharply with anger.

The sudden outburst froze everyone.

Silence followed.

They all stared at me, confusion written across their faces.

But I didn’t care.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I turned to Adrien, my eyes blazing with frustration and disbelief.

"Adrien, I don’t understand what you’re talking about," I said firmly, each word laced with restrained anger. "Please don’t put me in the middle of your... whatever this is. Your game. Your chaos."

My voice trembled slightly, but I didn’t stop.

"We already know you’re about to get married to Vanessa," I continued, my gaze hard. "So if you’re trying to drag me into all this, you’re only bringing trouble into my life."

I took a step back.

"So please," I added coldly, "keep me out of it."

There was a pause.

A heavy one.

"...And thank you," I said finally, my tone softening just a fraction, though it still carried distance. "For saving me."

I turned, intending to leave, to escape the suffocating tension but then a weak laugh broke through the silence.

Patricia.

She was still on the ground, her body looking fragile, weakened from earlier. Yet her lips curved into a mocking smile.

"Maria..." she chuckled faintly. "You’re so good at this... acting all innocent." Her eyes gleamed. "It’s almost enough to make all of them fall for you."

I didn’t respond, I didn’t even look at her.

She wasn’t worth it.

I kept walking.

"STOP!!!"

The command came sharp and firm.

I paused.

Slowly, I turned back.

Aidan, Damien, and Davian stood there, their gazes fixed on me, unreadable yet intense.

"What?" I asked, irritation slipping into my voice. "All of you...right? Of course, it’s all of you. Can you let me be?"

I let out a short, humorless breath.

"I’m just one person, arguing or talking against four isn’t fair." I added, my voice quieter now, tired. "So if you’ll excuse me... I need to leave."

"Maria...wait," Adrien called out quickly, stepping forward.

"There are dangerous areas beyond this point, this is the forbidden area," he continued, his voice urgent now. "You could run into something you won’t be able to handle..."

I didn’t wait to hear the rest.

I couldn’t.

Before another word could be said, before anyone could try to explain, justify, or make sense of the chaos twisting inside my chest, I turned on my heel and walked away. Fast and determined.

Each step came quicker than the last, my heartbeat loud in my ears, drowning out everything else. I didn’t look back. I didn’t hesitate.

I ignored it all.

Ignored the tension still hanging in the room.

Ignored the weight of their stares burning into my back.

Ignored him.

Adrien.

He could keep his concern to himself. I didn’t need it. I didn’t want it. Not now. Not after what I had just seen.

My jaw tightened as I pushed forward, my pace almost bordering on a run, like if I slowed down, even for a second everything I was holding in would come crashing down on me.

Behind me, there was movement, the faint but unmistakable sound of footsteps following me.

Adrien.

Of course he was.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t stop.

Not when my thoughts were spiraling, closing in, suffocating me with every passing second. Not when my chest felt too tight, like there wasn’t enough air in the world to steady me.

I just needed distance and space.

I turned the corner and froze. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Noah.

He was standing there.

For a moment, everything stilled. The noise in my head faltered, my steps halting completely as my eyes locked onto his.

And the instant he saw me, his expression changed.

Concern flashed across his face so quickly, so openly, that it caught me off guard.

"Maria?" he called, already moving toward me, his voice filled with urgency. "Are you alright? What happened?"

I didn’t answer.

Not immediately.

Because before I could stop myself, before I could think, or reason, or hold myself back, I found myself moving toward him.

His hands came up almost instinctively, settling gently on my shoulders, grounding me in place. His touch wasn’t forceful, wasn’t overwhelming,just there, warm and steady, as his eyes searched mine with quiet worry.

And for a second, just one second everything else faded.

The anger.

The confusion.

It all blurred at the edges, leaving only this moment, this fragile sense of calm I hadn’t realized I needed.

Until...

"She’s fine." Adrien’s voice cut through sharply, breaking the moment apart like glass.

The tension snapped back instantly as he stepped forward, his presence pressing in.

"Now get your hands off her!"

Noah’s brows furrowed as he looked past me, his gaze landing on Adrien.A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"Adrien?" he said. "You’re... okay?" he let out a small breath. "That’s great..." then his expression shifted slightly. "But how exactly do you expect me to take my hands off my fiancée?"

The shock on Adrein face was visible and I couldn’t help but smile.

"What? How is that possible?" Adrien asked.