MARIA

Everything was becoming far too complicated for my liking. At this point, the only thing I truly wanted was simple—that is to end this bond.

To finally free myself from the Quadruplets and all the chaos that came with them, yet instead of getting a solution, things only kept getting worse.

First, I discovered I could not reject them, then came the incomplete mark, and after that, the alternating bond and now suddenly, I apparently had a twin.

It all sounded absurd.

From everything I had experienced throughout my life, never, not even once, had it been mentioned that my mother gave birth to twins.

So where exactly was this supposed twin coming from?

The whole thing was beginning to make my head ache terribly.

I watched silently as the healer disappeared into his quarters to gather some things before leaving to attend to Sonia.

And honestly, the moment Sonia’s name was mentioned again, an uneasy feeling settled heavily inside my chest.

Something about her behavior lately felt wrong, and too suspicious, almost like a calculated move but before I could dwell further on it, my gaze shifted back toward the Quadruplets.

And instantly, disgust rose within me again.

Honestly, their presence alone was exhausting.

"Even the Moon Goddess knows we are a match made in heaven, Maria!" Adrien suddenly said, his face brightening so much it almost irritated me further.

He genuinely looked happy.

Happy that I was still bound to them.

Happy that I could not reject them.

And somehow, that only made me feel even more trapped, and before I could move away properly, Adrien suddenly came closer and grabbed my arm lightly.

The action almost resembled a child begging desperately not to be abandoned.

"Get your hands off me!" I snapped immediately, yanking my arm away from his grip.

Adrien instantly looked hurt by my reaction, but honestly, I did not care anymore. This entire situation was already draining enough.

"Maria, can we talk?" Aidan asked after a moment of silence.

Unlike Adrien, his tone was calm and even gentle. He lowered his head slightly before continuing.

"Please... do consider us."

The pleading in his voice almost caught me off guard for a second but then memories of everything they had done returned immediately.

All of it.

"There is nothing for us to talk about, Aidan," I replied coldly. "I have important matters to attend to."

Without waiting for another response, I turned my back and started walking away from them.

I truly did not have the strength to continue this conversation.

But I barely got far. Suddenly, a strong hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me backward firmly.

My breath hitched instantly.

I turned sharply only to realize it was Davian, his grip around my waist was firm and possessive yet somehow, that only made my heart beat faster against my chest.

"Davian, that is not a proper way to hold a lady," I said sternly, trying desperately to ignore the strange warmth spreading through me because of the mate bond.

Honestly, this bond was becoming a complete disaster. It kept betraying my emotions, because no matter how angry I became with them, my body still reacted to their touch.

And I hated it.

I immediately pulled myself away from Davian’s grip before taking several steps back.

Then my eyes drifted toward the others and for the first time, I noticed the expressions on their faces clearly.

Adrien did not look happy, neither did Aidan even Damien’s expression had darkened slightly.

It was almost as though they disliked seeing Davian touch me that way and honestly, I could not care less about the expressions on their faces anymore.

Whether they were jealous, angry, hurt or unhappy, it has nothing to do with me, none of it mattered to me.

All I wanted at that moment was simple, to get away from them as quickly as possible. Their presence alone was already overwhelming my thoughts.

"Maria, just some minutes... let’s just..." Damien started this time, stepping slightly forward.

But surprisingly, he could not even complete his sentence. It was almost like the words themselves refused to come out properly.

I stared at him blankly.

"I do not even have a second to spare," I replied coldly. "So allow me to leave you all."

Disgust dripped clearly from my tone and fortunately, for once, none of them stopped me.

The Quadruplets remained silent, no arguments, no grabbing, no blocking my path and honestly, that alone felt strange.

Still, I did not bother questioning it.

I simply turned and walked away from them as fast as possible. The moment I created enough distance between us, I finally inhaled deeply.

But somehow, even then, I could not relax completely.

My mind was still troubled.

I still had to tell Noah the truth.

The bond could not be broken easily and now there was this entire twin issue involved.

Just thinking about it alone made my head ache again.

I kept walking down the hallway until my room finally came into view and relief washed over me slightly.

At least once I entered inside, I would finally have some peace and quiet.

Or so I thought.

I had almost reached my room when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

I frowned instantly.

How had I not noticed them earlier?

The footsteps were close but honestly, I was already too exhausted to care.

I decided to ignore whoever it was completely.

I pushed my door open and stepped inside quickly...only for another figure to barge in right after me.

I froze instantly before turning sharply.

Adrien.

I immediately rubbed my forehead in frustration.

"Adrien, can you allow me to breathe?" I asked tiredly, rolling my eyes as irritation crawled through me.

Honestly, I was exhausted.

Emotionally exhausted.

Mentally exhausted.

And now one of my supposed mates was forcing himself into my room while I was trying to figure out how to explain everything to Noah.

Adrien shut the door slowly behind him before staring at me intensely. There was desperation written all over his face.

"Maria...please don’t marry Noah," he said suddenly, his voice strained and almost broken. "I promise to do whatever you ask of me... just don’t marry him."

I closed my eyes briefly before taking a deep breath.

At this point, I truly did not know what to do with him anymore. Everything he was saying now should have been said long ago before they all treated me like I was disposable.

"Adrien, just leave," I said firmly.

But he refused to move, instead, he took another step closer toward me.

"I am really ready to do anything for you, Maria," he continued desperately. "Even if I have to give up my title as Alpha...I will."

His words caught me off guard slightly.

Adrien?

Giving up his Alpha title?

That alone sounded unbelievable, yet the look in his eyes told me he was serious.

"I just want to be with you," he whispered softly, then his gaze locked onto mine completely. "Maria...please give me another chance."

The pleading in his eyes was unmistakable.

But somehow, instead of softening my heart, it only made me feel even more conflicted inside.