Noah

The Quadruplets were everywhere.

No matter where Maria turned, one of them was always close by, watching, waiting, lingering like shadows that refused to fade. And honestly...it was starting to get to me.

A lot more than I cared to admit.

There was something they had that I couldn’t compete with.

That bond.

That unbreakable, instinctive pull that tied them to her in a way I could never fully understand.

The mate bond.

And standing at a distance, watching the way Davian looked at her, his gaze intense, almost possessive, laced with something dangerously close to desire, made something inside my chest tighten painfully.

My jaw clenched.

What if she changes her mind?

The thought slipped in before I could stop it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

What if she suddenly backs out of the wedding?

What if...they win her back?

"Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The frustrated growl tore out of me before I could contain it, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

Three days.

Just three days to the wedding.

And yet, I felt anything but at peace.

There was this unsettling feeling gnawing at me, this constant unease I couldn’t shake off no matter how hard I tried.

It was suffocating and then, the image hit me again.

Adrien.

Kissing Maria.

The memory flashed vividly through my mind, sharp and intrusive, and before I even realized what I was doing, my feet had already started moving towards them fast, without even thinking.

I couldn’t.

Because I knew...I wouldn’t be able to stand it if Davian tried the same thing.

Maria was already mine.

That was a fact.

A truth I refused to let go of.

My pace quickened, my steps growing heavier, more urgent as I closed the distance between us.

But just as I got closer...Maria turned and began walking away from Davian. For a brief second, I should have felt relieved but I didn’t because he was still there, still watching her and something inside me snapped.

I needed to make it clear.

To him.

To everyone.

Without hesitation, I reached out and grabbed Maria by the waist, pulling her firmly against me.

The sudden movement caught her off guard, and the tray in her hands slipped, crashing to the ground as the food scattered across the floor.

But I didn’t care.

Nothing else mattered in that moment.

Before she could even react, I leaned in and captured her lips with mine, the kiss was immediate, possessive and unyielding.

It was a statement.

A claim.

I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss without holding back, pouring every ounce of my frustration, my fear, my need to hold onto her into that single moment.

For a heartbeat, she remained still, shocked and frozen and then...she responded.

Softly at first, as if her mind was still catching up with what was happening, but it was enough. Enough to send a surge of something fierce and undeniable through me.

And in that moment, with her in my arms and her lips against mine, nothing else existed.

"Get away from her!" Davian’s voice tore through the air instantly, sharp and filled with raw fury as his hands shoved me back with force.

I staggered a step, but I didn’t fall.

Instead, I straightened slowly, lifting my gaze to meet his, and what I saw there made something dark curl inside me.

His eyes were bloodshot burning and possessive.

"And why should I?" I asked calmly, raising my brows slightly, even as satisfaction settled deep within me at the reaction I had managed to pull from him.

"She is my wife, Davian..." I continued, my voice lowering, my eyes darkening as I held his gaze without flinching. "...you are the one intruding."

His jaw tightened instantly.

"She isn’t your wife yet," he snapped, each word laced with anger, his fists clenching so tightly at his sides that the veins in his arms became visible. "And she will never be."

He took a step forward, his voice dropping into something more dangerous.

"Wake up, Noah. You can never have her."

For a moment, silence stretched between us, heavy and tense but I didn’t respond.

I didn’t need to.

Instead, a slow smile spread across my lips, one that carried nothing but certainty.

He was wrong.

Completely wrong.

Without another word, I turned away from him, bending slightly as I scooped Maria into my arms, lifting her effortlessly in a bridal style.

She didn’t resist.

If anything, her arms wrapped around my neck instinctively, holding onto me.

"I already do, Davian..." I said over my shoulder, my tone calm but firm, every word deliberate. "You should open your eyes...and know when to quit."

And with that, I walked away.

Leaving him behind.

The distance between us grew with each step, but I could still feel his gaze burning into my back.

I didn’t care.

All that mattered was the woman in my arms.

By the time we reached her room, something had already begun to stir inside me, heat, restless and consuming, crawling through my veins in a way I couldn’t ignore.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside before closing it behind us.

Carefully, I laid her down on the bed, my movements gentler now... almost reverent.

But the moment she was beneath me, something in me snapped. Without hesitation, I leaned in and captured her lips again.

This time, the kiss was deeper, more intense and possessive in a way I couldn’t hide.

I explored every part of her mouth, as if trying to erase every memory that wasn’t me, every touch, every claim that didn’t belong to me.

And she responded.

Just as fiercely.

Her lips moved against mine, her body yielding, encouraging me without words, pulling me deeper into the moment.

For a second...everything else faded, as it was just us and just this.

But then...That image of Adrien kissing her. It flashed through my mind so vividly that it felt real, like a blade slicing through whatever control I had left.

My hands clenched.

My breath hitched.

And abruptly—I pulled away.

I stared at her, my chest rising and falling heavily as I tried to steady myself, but the storm inside me refused to settle.

Without thinking...Without filtering the words...

"Maria..." I said, my voice rough, strained, I paused, dragging in a breath. "I need you to reject them."

The words hung in the air between us.

"Dissolve the mate bond with the Quadruplets," I added, my tone firm now, leaving no room for doubt.

Because at that moment, that was the only way I could see her truly being mine.