Darren.

When the news reached me that Maria had left the pack with Noah, it felt like every drop of blood in my body had suddenly turned cold.

For a brief moment, I couldn’t even process it.

She left?

Just like that?

My jaw tightened, my fists clenching at my sides as the weight of it settled in. A part of me wanted to demand answers, to question every single detail, to understand how things had spiraled this far, but I knew better.

There was no one to ask, no one who would give me the truth I needed and even if there was... it wouldn’t change the fact that she was gone.

So instead of wasting time chasing questions, I focused on what mattered.

I had to return to my pack.

I had to think and strategize because whatever was happening... it was far from over.

As for Patricia...A scoff almost escaped my lips at the thought of her.

If things had gone the way I wanted, I would have left her to rot in that dungeon within Moon Bridge Pack. Left her to face the consequences of her actions without interference but then she claimed she was pregnant.

My child.

The thought alone made something dark twist inside me.

She better be telling the truth.

Because if she wasn’t...I would kill her myself.

Bargaining with the quadruplets hadn’t been something I looked forward to. Dealing with them was never simple, too many egos, too many emotions tangled together.

But somehow... things had worked in my favor.

Adrien had unknowingly handed me the perfect leverage—the trump card I needed and I used it.

I agreed to their terms, not just for my own reasons, but because there was one thing, I genuinely meant...I didn’t want any more threats lingering around Maria.

By the time we arrived at the dungeon, the air had grown heavier, colder. The place smelled of damp stone and silence, the kind that clung to your skin.

And then I saw her.

Patricia.

The once vibrant, confident woman who always carried herself with pride... now looked like a shadow of herself.

Pale.

Weak.

Broken.

The moment I stepped into view, her eyes widened instantly, recognition flashing through them.

"Darren... you finally came," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, rough and drained. "I need water."

I rolled my eyes, irritation flickering across my face.

Even now... she had the nerve.

"Patricia," I said flatly, taking a step closer, my gaze hardening. "I need an honest answer from you." I stopped right in front of her, my presence looming over her restrained form. "Who sent you to hurt Maria?"

She let out a weak scoff, her lips curling slightly despite her condition.

"Is that why you came to see me?" she asked, her voice rising just a little, though it still sounded fragile.

We were alone.

The quadruplets had stayed outside as agreed, giving me space to handle this... to get her to talk.

And right now, her attitude was testing my patience.

But I held back.

Instead, I exhaled slowly and shifted my approach.

"Patricia..." I said, softening my tone deliberately, masking my irritation with something that resembled concern."What’s wrong with you?" I tilted my head slightly, watching her carefully. "Do you even realize that your answer determines whether I can get you... and our child... away from here?"

The effect was immediate.

Her expression changed.

Her dull eyes suddenly lit up with a flicker of hope as she raised her head slightly, trying to look at me more clearly.

"Really?" she asked, her voice trembling faintly as she searched my face, desperate to believe me. "You’re here... for our child... and me?"

And in that moment, I knew I had her exactly where I wanted.

"Yes... baby," I forced the words past my lips, each syllable tasting bitter, foreign, like something that didn’t belong to me.

The word scraped against my throat as it left, and for a brief second, I wondered if she could hear the reluctance buried beneath it. Still, I kept my face composed, my expression carefully arranged into something soft, something convincing.

"Now tell me," I continued, my voice lower this time, steadier. "Who is the mastermind?"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Patricia laughed. It wasn’t loud, nor was it filled with humor. It was dry, hollow, mocking. The kind of laugh that made my jaw tighten and my patience snap thread by thread.

"Darren," she said slowly, lifting her head just enough to look at me, her eyes glinting despite her weakened state. "Do you think I’m stupid?"

My expression hardened instantly.

"I know exactly what you’re doing," she went on, her lips curling faintly. "You’re not here for me. You’re not even here for this child." Her gaze sharpened. "You’re doing this for Maria... to protect her from whatever comes next."

My nostrils flared, irritation surging through me like fire.

"Damn you, Patricia," I snapped, my voice echoing faintly against the cold dungeon walls. I took a step back, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Maria is no longer here. She’s not even in this pack anymore, so what danger are you talking about?"

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to calm down, to regain control.

"She left," I added, my tone clipped. "She left with Noah, alright? She’s gone." The words felt heavier than they should have, but I ignored it. "So just stop all this and tell me what I need to know." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I stepped closer again, lowering my voice.

"So I can take you...and the baby...back to the pack safely."

There it was again. That flicker of hope in her eyes.

"Just that?" she asked carefully. "And the quadruplets will let me go?"

"Yes," I answered immediately, my patience thinning. "Yes, Patricia. That’s all. Just tell me."

For a moment, she said nothing.

She drew in a slow breath, her chest rising weakly, her gaze drifting away as though she was weighing her options. The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating, before she finally spoke again.

"I..." she hesitated.

My fists clenched at my sides.

"Well?" I pressed.

Her lips parted again.

"It’s the quadruplets’ so-called Luna-to-be..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "...Vanessa."

The name fell into the room like a bomb and almost instantly, the dungeon doors burst open.

Footsteps thundered in as the quadruplets stormed inside, their presence filling the space with tension so thick it was suffocating.

"What?" Aidan’s voice cut through sharply, his eyes wide with disbelief. "That can’t be right."

Patricia didn’t even spare him a glance.

Instead, she rolled her eyes, exhaustion and annoyance blending together on her face. "Believe it or not," she muttered. "That’s your problem."

Her indifference only made the air heavier.

"If you don’t believe me," she added, her tone laced with sarcasm, "then go ask her yourself."

Silence followed.

A long, heavy silence.

I let out a quiet breath, straightening slowly as I glanced at each of them in turn, their stunned expressions, their disbelief, the cracks beginning to form beneath their composure.

"Well then, Alphas..." I said, my voice calm now, almost detached. "I suppose this is where we part ways."

Without waiting for a response, I turned.

The chains were released. Patricia was free. I didn’t look back immediately. I simply began walking, my steps echoing against the stone floor as I made my way out of the dungeon, leaving behind the tension, the shock... and the truth they clearly weren’t ready to face.

I walked out, heading straight for my pack, leaving the weight of Patricia’s revelation behind me.