Maria.

The atmosphere shifted the moment we stepped into his room.

It became... awkward like there were too many unspoken things hanging between us, pressing down on every breath, every movement. I hadn’t really discussed leaving the pack with Noah—not properly, not in a way that made it real.

And yet, here we were.

Honestly, I wanted to leave with him.

I really did.

The thought of walking away from everything, from the tension, the confusion, the constant pull and chaos the quadruplets brought into my life, was tempting.

But at the same time...It felt rushed.

Impromptu.

And going against the quadruplets so openly—it sent a chill down my spine.

They weren’t the kind of people you simply defied and walked away from without consequences.

"Naoh," I called out, my voice softer than I intended as I turned to face him fully. "Are you really going against the quadruplets like this?" I asked, my brows knitting slightly as I searched his face.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at me, deeply, intently, like he was trying to read something beneath my question.

"Maria... don’t you want to leave?" he asked instead.

The question caught me off guard.

I mean completely off guard.

For a second, I just stared at him, my thoughts scrambling to catch up.

"Of course, I want to!" I answered quickly, almost instinctively, the words leaving my lips before I could even think them through.

I let out a small breath afterward, turning away slightly as I moved toward the bed and sat down, trying to steady myself.

Because it was the truth.

I did want to leave.

More than anything.

But wanting it and actually doing it were two very different things.

"Then my answer is yes," he said.

I looked up.

He had moved closer without me noticing, closing the distance between us until he stood right in front of me, his eyes locked onto mine with a seriousness that made my chest tighten.

"And we are leaving now."

Now?

The word echoed in my head.

That was when it truly hit me.

How serious he was.

This wasn’t just talk, this wasn’t something he was planning for later.

He meant it.

Right now.

"Maria," he called again.

This time, his voice was softer and gentler.

There was something in it that hadn’t been there before, something quieter, almost careful, as his hands came to rest on my arms. The warmth of his touch seeped through instantly, steady, grounding, like he was trying to anchor me in place.

"Go pack your things."

I swallowed hard.

My throat felt tight, my heart beginning to race as his words settled deep within me, sinking in slowly but surely.

This was real and somehow... I still couldn’t understand why I was sitting there.

Noah had made it clear.

So clear there was no room for confusion, no space left for doubt.

I was supposed to go pack my things.

We were leaving.

Now.

And yet...My body refused to cooperate.

It was like I was frozen in place, stuck between what I knew I had to do and everything I was still trying to process. My mind felt slow, heavy, like it was struggling to catch up with the sudden shift in everything around me.

It all felt too fast.

Too sudden.

Like I hadn’t been given enough time to breathe, to think, to understand but then, almost forcefully...I pushed those thoughts aside.

I had to.

Because staying like this wouldn’t change anything.

With a sharp inhale, I stood up abruptly, the movement quicker than I expected, like I needed to prove to myself that I could still act, still move forward.

A smile found its way onto my lips but it didn’t feel right, it didn’t reach my eyes, it felt strained, uncertain and fragile.

Still, I turned away from him, focusing on the door ahead of me as I began to walk toward it.

One step.

Then another.

Each one steady, deliberate, even if everything inside me felt anything but.

"Maria." His voice came again.

I froze mid-step, my hand hovering just slightly as I paused. I didn’t turn around, though. I couldn’t, not yet.

My heart had already started beating faster, anticipation and nervousness mixing in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

I heard his footsteps, slow and measured, closing the distance between us and then, it came, warmth.

His arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me gently but firmly back against him. The contact sent a subtle shiver through me, my breath catching slightly as I stilled in his hold.

"I... I..." he started, his voice hesitant, almost unlike the usual confidence he carried. "I don’t want us to pretend anymore."

And that...

That made me turn.

Instantly.

My brows lifted in surprise as I twisted slightly in his arms to face him, searching his expression, trying to understand what he meant.

He looked... serious.

Different.

Like this meant more than anything he had said before.

"I want us to become a couple for real," he continued, his voice steadier now, though there was still a trace of awkwardness lingering in it.

He paused briefly, then lifted one hand, scratching the back of his head in a rare display of uncertainty.

"Follow me to my pack... as my Luna-to-be."

Everything in me stilled completely.

The words echoed in my mind, louder than anything else.

Luna-to-be.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t think.

It was like time had slowed, like everything around us had faded into the background, leaving only him... and those words hanging between us.

I hadn’t expected this, not now, not like this, not when leaving the pack hadn’t fully settled.

Before I could even begin to process it, before I could form a response or even gather my thoughts...

He moved quickly, leaning in and losing the gap between us I had created earlier and then...his lips met mine, soft at first but firm enough to steal the breath right out of my lungs.

My eyes widened slightly at the suddenness of it, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. The warmth of his lips, the closeness, the intensity of the moment, it all hit at once, leaving me momentarily lost.

Everything else disappeared—the tension, the fear, the uncertainty.

All replaced by the overwhelming sensation of him, anchoring me in that single moment.