Noah.

The moment I opened my eyes, a sharp, unforgiving surge of pain rushed through my head.

It came fast and brutal.

Like something had been waiting for that exact moment, waiting for me to wake just so it could remind me of whatever had happened before. A low groan escaped my lips as my brows furrowed deeply, my entire face tightening against the ache that pulsed relentlessly through my skull.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t see properly.

Everything was blurry.

Shadows melted into shapes, shapes into nothing, as my vision struggled to focus. I blinked slowly, once... twice... my lashes heavy, my mind lagging behind my body as I tried to get a hold of my surroundings.

Where...?

The air felt different. There was a faint metallic scent lingering, sharp enough to make my chest tighten slightly with every breath I took. My body felt heavy, weighed down by something I couldn’t immediately explain.

I tried to move, and that was when I felt it.

My hands.

Restrained.

My brows pulled together instantly as I tried again, this time with more force, but my wrists refused to move. The rough bite of rope dug into my skin, firm and unyielding, holding me in place no matter how much I strained against it.

My breath hitched.

Slowly—too slowly—I became aware of the position I was in.

My arms were pulled behind me, tied and as realization settled in, my body went rigid.

I wasn’t just restrained.

I was tied to something.

A chair.

Cold metal pressed faintly against my back, grounding me fully in the reality I was waking up to. The chill seeped through my clothes, sending a slight shiver down my spine as my senses sharpened all at once.

My heartbeat picked up, loud and uneven.

What the hell happened?

My head throbbed again, and I squeezed my eyes shut briefly, trying to piece everything together. Fragments of memory began to surface, scattered and disjointed at first, like pieces of something broken. And then, It came.

The last thing I remembered.

I had been walking.

Behind Adrien and Maria.

Yes.

That much was clear.

My jaw tightened slightly as the memory grew clearer, sharper, more defined. Adrien’s voice echoed faintly in my mind, along with the weight of his words, the sudden revelation that had come out of nowhere, leaving me completely unprepared.

*Maria is my mate.*

The thought alone sent a fresh wave of tension through me.

Even now.

Even here.

It still didn’t sit right.

Didn’t make sense.

My chest tightened faintly as I recalled the way I had felt in that moment, shattered, though I had done everything in my power to hide it. To mask it. To keep it buried where no one could see.

Because no matter what he said, no matter what he believed...it didn’t change anything, not for me.

His claim didn’t mean I would walk away, it didn’t mean I would leave Maria. If anything...It only made things clearer.

He could believe whatever he wanted nut he better be prepared because I wasn’t stepping aside, not for him, not for anyone else.

I shifted slightly in my seat, the rope tightening further against my wrists, pulling me back to the present. The memory continued to unfold, dragging me along with it.

Maria had called out.

I remembered that clearly now, her voice, sharp and urgent. I had moved toward her, and then..Pain came sudden and explosive.

Something hard had connected with my head, a plank, I guess or so. The impact had been enough to send everything spiraling into darkness before I could even react.

And now...I was here.

Wherever *here* was.

My breathing slowed slightly as I forced myself to focus, to take everything in properly this time. My vision had cleared enough now for me to make out my surroundings, though the lighting was dim, shadows stretching along the walls in a way that made the space feel smaller than it probably was, empty, closed off.

The kind of place no one would stumble into by accident.

A chill settled deep in my chest.

Where was I?

"Looks like you finally came around." The voice broke through the silence without warning.

Male.

Close.

I stiffened instantly, my head snapping toward the direction it came from despite the dull ache that protested the movement.

There he was, standing a few steps away but I couldn’t see his face, not properly.

He wore a mask, dark, concealing every feature that could have given him away. A black cap sat low on his head, casting a shadow over the upper half of his face, making it even harder to make out anything useful.

My eyes narrowed slightly as I stared at him, trying to piece together something, anything, that might hint at who he was but there was nothing.

Just a stranger or someone who didn’t want to be recognized.

"What do you want from me?" I asked finally, my voice rough from disuse but steady enough.

I refused to let him hear fear, and refused to give him that.

He chuckled.

A low, almost amused sound that echoed faintly in the room, sending a subtle wave of unease through me.

"What I want from you?" he repeated, as if the question itself entertained him.

He took a slow step closer.

Then another.

"The only thing I need from you..." he continued, his tone shifting slightly, becoming more deliberate now, "is for you to stay away from Maria."

My body went still.

Every muscle tensed.

"...Aside from that, Noah," he added casually, as though we were having a normal conversation, "you wouldn’t blame me. I’m just following orders."

I froze.

Completely.

The words hit harder than I expected, settling heavily in my chest as my mind tried to process them.

Stay away from Maria?

Orders?

My gaze sharpened, locking onto him with renewed intensity despite the fact that I still couldn’t see his face clearly.

"Whose orders?" I demanded, the question slipping out before I could stop it.

A beat passed.

Then I added, my voice tightening slightly... "The Quadruplets?"

The question hit me hard, settling deep in my mind as my gaze remained fixed on the masked man standing in front of me. None of this added up. If she was their interest, if everything revolved around her, then why go through the trouble of abducting me?

Why tie me up like this? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Why keep me here?

Unless...My jaw tightened.

Do they plan on killing me silently?

The thought crept in, cold and unwelcome, but I didn’t let it show. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing fear on my face, even if my mind was racing with possibilities I couldn’t fully grasp.

"Speak!" I snapped, my voice rising sharply, cutting through the stillness of the room. "Who gave you the orders?"

The words came out harsher this time, filled with impatience, with anger, anything but uncertainty.

But he didn’t react the way I expected.

Instead, he sighed.

Almost bored.

"You know what, Noah?" he said, his tone carrying a hint of irritation now. "You’re annoying."

My eyes narrowed.

"Just shut your mouth."

That did it.

I clenched my fists behind me, ignoring the way the ropes dug painfully into my wrists as I struggled against them. The chair scraped faintly against the ground as I tried to pull forward, to break free, to do something, anything, but it held firm.

Unyielding.

I exhaled sharply, frustration burning through me as I forced myself to stop.

"Coward," I muttered, lifting my head slightly as I glared at him. "Why don’t you show your face?"

The words were deliberate and provoking.

I wanted a reaction.

And I got one.

"Do you think I’m afraid of revealing my face?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

There was something in his voice now, something darker, more amused than before.

I scoffed.

"It looks like you aren’t really happy being a lackey," I continued, my tone shifting slightly as an idea formed in my mind. If I couldn’t force him to talk, maybe I could make him want to.

"How about this..." I said slowly, my gaze locking onto him. "Let’s talk."

He didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t move.

That was enough for me to continue.

"I know it’s the Quadruplets that sent you," I added, watching him closely for any reaction, any flicker that might give something away. "I’ll double whatever they’re offering you."

The offer hung in the air between us.

For a second, there was nothing and then he laughed.

A low, deep chuckle that echoed around the room, filled with something I couldn’t quite place, but it wasn’t agreement.

Not even close.

"Double?" he repeated, almost mockingly.

He took a slow step forward, then another, closing the distance between us with an unsettling calm.

"The Quadruplets aren’t even up to me," he continued, his voice dropping slightly, becoming colder, more deliberate. "How could I possibly work for them?"

My expression didn’t change but inside, that caught my attention. And before I could respond...He leaned closer.

"You?" he added, his gaze boring into mine through the mask. "You aren’t up to my standard either."

The words were sharp and dismissive but I held his gaze, refusing to look away.

Then he bent slightly, lowering himself to my level, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the confined space.

"Don’t worry," he said, his tone shifting again, calmer now, almost reassuring in a way that didn’t sit right. "We’ll talk..." He paused. "...once Maria arrives."

My entire body went still.

Maria?

The name echoed loudly in my mind, drowning out everything else.

"What?" The word slipped out before I could stop it, my brows drawing together sharply. "Don’t you dare lay a finger on her!" I shouted, the restraint in my voice finally cracking.

The thought of her being dragged into this, into whatever this was, sent a surge of anger through me, stronger than anything I had felt since waking up.

He didn’t react the way I expected, Instead, he smiled. I couldn’t see it fully, but I heard it in his voice.

"I won’t," he said simply.Relief barely had time to form before he continued..."You’ll be the one doing so."

I froze.