Maria.

I walked out of the room where the quadruplets were and headed straight toward the healer’s quarter.

My steps were quick, almost restless, but my mind was elsewhere entirely. It was clouded and heavy.

Too many thoughts tangled together at once, making it impossible to focus on any single thing properly.

I barely paid attention to where I was going and that was why I didn’t see the figure coming toward me until it was too late.

I collided with someone, hard enough to make the person stumble slightly.

A female.

The moment our bodies brushed, something about her felt strangely familiar. Her scent lingered in the air for the briefest second, tugging at something in my memory, something I couldn’t immediately place.

And her figure...Why did she seem so familiar?

Just as I was about to look properly at her face, she reacted suddenly.

Almost too suddenly.

She quickly pulled part of her clothes over her face and lowered her head immediately, hiding herself from view.

"I’m so sorry, Luna," she said quickly, her voice hurried and nervous. "I didn’t mean to hit you!"

"It’s okay," I replied automatically.

But even as the words left my mouth, that uneasy feeling inside me only deepened.

Something wasn’t right.

Curiosity slowly began to creep in, stronger with every passing second as I stared at the woman standing before me.

"Lower the clothes, let me—"

I didn’t even get to finish.

"Forgive me, Luna, but I am afraid I might infect you with my deadly disease," she interrupted quickly.

I raised a brow immediately.

Deadly disease?

Did she seriously think I was that fragile?

And what kind of disease required covering her face like this?

But that wasn’t even what bothered me the most, it was her voice.

That voice.

I knew it.

I was almost certain I did.

My brows furrowed slowly in annoyance as suspicion crept deeper into my mind.

Could it be her?

No.

It can’t be.

And yet, the familiarity refused to leave me alone.

"Remove the clothes now," I declared firmly, my patience thinning rapidly as my eyes reddened instantly.

The authority in my voice echoed sharply between us. Her shoulders trembled slightly and before anything else could happen...

The quadruplets appeared out of nowhere.

"Maria!" they echoed in unison.

It was only then that reality crashed back into me with full force. I still had something important to do, something urgent, that could no longer be delayed.

I needed answers from the healer.

And more importantly...I needed this bond dissolved.

The thought alone made my chest tighten painfully.

Without sparing the Quadruplets another glance, I turned away from them immediately. My mind was still unsettled from the strange woman I had bumped into earlier. Her voice... her scent... the way she hid her face the moment our eyes almost met...

Everything about it felt suspicious but I forced the thoughts aside.

This was not the time.

I could always search for her later and confirm my suspicions. Right now, the mate bond was the bigger issue.

The burning pain from earlier still lingered faintly around my neck, and every second that passed only increased my frustration.

I took a deep breath and continued walking down the hallway.

"Maria, wait!"

The Quadruplets’ voices echoed behind me almost instantly.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Honestly, their presence alone was beginning to irritate me beyond words. Just hearing their footsteps behind me made my emotions spiral all over again.

"Let’s all go together," Damien added quickly.

I didn’t respond immediately.

My jaw tightened as I kept walking, my expression cold and unreadable.

Part of me wanted to yell at them to stay away from me forever, and another part of me wanted to run far away from all of this madness.

But then, after a few seconds of silence, I slowly reconsidered. Perhaps it would actually be better if we all went together.

The healer would need to examine every one of us anyway if we truly wanted to understand why the rejection was failing. And if there really was a solution, then it would save me the stress of going back and forth looking for them.

I slowed down my pace slightly.

Almost immediately, they caught up to me.

None of us spoke afterward.

An awkward silence settled heavily between us as we walked side by side through the long corridor leading toward the healer’s quarters.

I could feel their gazes drifting toward me every now and then, but I ignored them completely.

The only thing on my mind was ending this bond once and for all. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Finally, we arrived.

The healer’s quarters stood quietly at the far end of the pack grounds, surrounded by tall herbs and bundles of dried plants hanging near the entrance. The familiar scent of herbs filled the air instantly.

Before we could step further inside, the healer’s apprentice suddenly came out.

The young omega immediately bowed his head respectfully the moment he saw us.

"Greetings, Luna," he said politely.

I gave a small nod.

"My master is currently in Miss Sonia’s room," he continued carefully. "He would be back soon."

At the mention of Sonia, my brows furrowed instantly.

"Sonia?" I repeated slowly.

The apprentice nodded his head again.

"Yes, Luna."

A strange feeling immediately settled inside my chest again, uneasiness, restlessness and suspicion.

I stared blankly ahead for a moment after the apprentice left.

What exactly was Sonia up to now?

She wasn’t sick.

At least not that I knew of.

So why exactly would she need the healer?

And why now of all times?

My thoughts immediately began spiraling again.

Was she trying to interfere with the wedding?

Or worse....

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself down, but it barely helped.

Beside me, the Quadruplets remained unusually quiet, almost as though they too were sensing the tension building in the air.

I rubbed my forehead slowly before letting out a deep sigh.

Everything was becoming more complicated with each passing second.