Maria.

Trust me when I say the Quadruplets had clearly gone mad.

Because honestly, what other explanation could possibly justify this sudden behavior toward me?

Nothing about them made sense anymore.

These were the same men who once carried themselves with overwhelming pride and arrogance. The same men whose egos could barely fit inside a room.

Every word they spoke used to carry authority and every action they made screamed dominance.

And now?

Now they were following me around like lost puppies begging for affection.

It was completely absurd.

Where was their pride now?

Their ego?

Their superiority?

Everything I had once known them for seemed to have disappeared overnight and somehow, instead of making me feel touched, it only irritated me more deeply.

Because I could not stop thinking about one thing...they were pretending.

They had to be.

There was no way four powerful Alphas could suddenly become this obedient and desperate overnight.

Such hypocrisy.

The thought alone made my chest tighten with frustration.

"I am not responsible to or for any of you," I said coldly.

This time, I deliberately forced my voice to remain calm, because yelling at them clearly changed nothing. If anything, it only worsened my headache.

And right now, my head already felt like it would split apart at any moment.

"Shhhh... don’t say that, Maria," Aidan said immediately, his expression turned almost alarmed. "The Moon Goddess would be angry at you," he added seriously.

At that point, I genuinely wanted to laugh.

The Moon Goddess?

Honestly, I could not care less about her anger anymore. She was the one who placed me in this terrible situation to begin with.

The one who created this cursed mate bond tying me endlessly to these impossible men.

A stupid bond that refused to break no matter how desperately I tried. A bond that kept dragging my emotions into chaos.

I was slowly losing my mind because of it and somehow, the Moon Goddess still expected gratitude?

Ridiculous.

I inhaled slowly before speaking again, but before I could speak, they all simultaneously held my hands again.

"Remove your hands," I said tiredly. "You are hurting mine."

Immediately, all four of them obeyed simultaneously. Their hands pulled away from mine at once before they each took two steps backward obediently.

The speed of their reaction caught me off guard slightly. It was almost unsettling how quickly they listened now.

Finally free from their touch, I slowly glanced from my red hands and then to their face.

And the moment I did...I froze slightly because somehow, despite all my irritation, the expressions on their faces looked unexpectedly pitiful.

Adrien looked nervous.

Aidan looked worried.

Davian looked strangely guilty.

And Damien, surprisingly, looked almost anxious.

Together, they resembled little puppies desperately waiting for attention from their owner.

The image was so strange that for a second, I genuinely did not know whether to laugh or scream.

These were powerful Alphas, feared men and respected warriors yet somehow, standing before me now, they looked almost... adorable.

And honestly, that realization only made me even more uncomfortable because no matter how much I wanted to stay angry...the mate bond reacted dangerously to moments like this.

I shook my head repeatedly, forcing myself back to reality before those ridiculous expressions on their faces could affect me any further.

No.

I refused to let myself be deceived.

’All these are fake, Maria,’ I told myself firmly. ’It’s all an act. The moment you give in to them and let your guard down, they will return to the same people that destroyed you.’

The thought alone hardened my resolve again. I drew in a slow breath, then lifted my gaze to stare at each of them carefully.

Adrien looked restless, Davian looked wounded, Damien looked determined and Aidan...he looked almost desperate.

The sight irritated me even more.

How dare they suddenly act like devoted mates after everything they had done to me?

I folded my arms tightly across my chest, trying to ignore the strange ache building within me because of the mate bond.

"Can you all just leave?" I asked, forcing myself to sound calm and reasonable despite the frustration clawing at me. "I am getting married soon, and I need my reputation to remain intact."

They remained silent, watching me closely.

I exhaled sharply before continuing.

"Think about it carefully," I said slowly, making sure every word sank in. "Imagine Vanessa was found inside another man’s room barely three days before your wedding. How do you think the entire pack would react?"

Their expressions darkened instantly at the mention of Vanessa.

I continued before any of them could interrupt me.

"And tell me honestly," I added, raising my brows slightly. "How would you all feel if she was alone with another Alpha behind closed doors?"

For a second, the room became completely quiet and then suddenly...

"That would be her business."

I blinked.

The four of them answered together without hesitation.

"We wouldn’t care."

My mouth parted slightly in disbelief.

"As long as it isn’t you, we don’t care," Damien added firmly.

"We would never even get to the point of planning a wedding with her," Davian muttered coldly.

Adrien nodded immediately. "Exactly. It’s different when it comes to you."

Aidan stepped forward slightly, his eyes fixed on me with unbearable intensity. "You are our mate, Maria," he said quietly. "No other woman matters."

I stared at them completely dumbfounded.

Were they actually serious right now?

I only used Vanessa as an example because I thought it was something they could relate to, but instead of understanding my point, they completely dismissed it like it meant absolutely nothing.

Honestly...The quadruplets were truly hopeless.

I pressed my fingers against my forehead as another headache threatened to form.

"Now get out of my room!" I snapped loudly, finally losing the little patience I had left, my voice echoing through the room sharply. "If you all want to behave like complete idiots, then do it somewhere else!"

Surprisingly, none of them argued, they simply stared at me, almost like abandoned puppies and somehow, that irritated me even more.

Because I couldn’t help but to feel they were deliberately doing this and they enjoyed seeing me pissed.

I marched toward the door immediately and pulled it open forcefully.

"Out!"

Adrien looked like he wanted to say something, but one glare from me shut him up instantly.

I grabbed his arm first and pushed him outside, then Davian, then Damien followed after and Aidan was the last to leave, though he kept looking back at me like he was unwilling to go.

"Maria—"

"Out!" I repeated firmly.

Finally, he stepped outside too.

The moment all four of them crossed the doorway, I slammed the door shut loudly behind them.

Silence filled the room instantly.

I stood there breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling rapidly as irritation coursed through me.

Then after a few seconds, I groaned softly and rubbed my temples again.

"Geez..." I muttered under my breath tiredly.

Honestly, I should have done that much earlier.