Noah.

I had finally finished handling the project that had occupied almost all my attention for the past few hours.

Honestly, the only thing on my mind right now was Maria.

I missed her badly.

So badly that all I wanted at that moment was to pull her into my arms and lose myself in her embrace for a while.

The thought alone eased some of the stress clouding my mind.

A few guards followed behind me respectfully as I made my way toward her room. The hallway was quiet except for the sound of our footsteps echoing against the walls.

But then, from a distance, I spotted the Quadruplets and immediately, irritation surged through me.

My jaw tightened instantly.

Those four had truly become pests. Everywhere Maria went, they somehow managed to appear.

At that point, it was beginning to feel less like coincidence and more like outright stalking.

And honestly, it infuriated me deeply. I suddenly stopped walking, causing the guards behind me to halt immediately as well.

My gaze narrowed slightly as I stared ahead carefully. That was when I noticed another familiar figure standing with them.

Daniel.

The sight of him only made me even more reluctant to move closer.

A dark thought crossed my mind briefly.

If Daniel could somehow be used to eliminate certain threats for me, then perhaps interfering immediately was unnecessary.

After all, the Quadruplets had done nothing but create endless trouble since arriving at Moonfall.

I remained where I stood, silently watching from afar. The tension between them was obvious even from a distance.

Insults flew back and forth between Daniel and the Quadruplets while hostility thickened heavily in the air around them.

I exhaled slowly, waiting impatiently for the whole situation to end so I could finally see Maria in peace.

But then everything changed in a single moment.

Davian suddenly collapsed to the ground.

My brows furrowed instantly.

For one strange second, I remained rooted where I stood.

Almost frozen.

The entire scene happened too quickly for my mind to process immediately. Adrien and Aidan rushed toward Davian frantically while Damien shouted something loudly.

And then Maria’s door opened.

The moment she stepped outside and saw what had happened, shock spread across her face immediately.

Only then did my feet finally move.

I walked forward quickly, my guards following closely behind me. As I closed the distance between us, my eyes instantly landed on the knife in Daniel’s hand.

Blood stained the blade.

My expression darkened immediately, and without wasting another second, I signaled sharply to my guards.

Two of them reacted instantly, rushing toward Daniel before he could even attempt moving.

They grabbed him forcefully and pinned his arms down. The knife slipped from his hand and clattered loudly against the floor.

"Alpha Noah, what’s the meaning of this?" Daniel demanded angrily as he struggled against the guards restraining him.

His face had darkened dangerously while fury burned inside his eyes.

But honestly, I couldn’t care less about his anger at that moment.

"What does it look like I am doing?" I asked coldly as I stepped past him completely.

My attention shifted immediately toward Maria. She still stood there looking completely shocked by everything happening around her. Her face had gone pale while her eyes remained fixed on Davian’s unconscious body.

Without hesitation, I moved closer and held her gently, her body felt tense beneath my touch and for a brief second, I could feel how shaken she truly was.

Behind us, panic still filled the hallway.

Adrien kept calling Davian’s name repeatedly while Aidan tried desperately to stop the bleeding with trembling hands. Damien looked completely unstable, his face filled with fear and rage all at once.

But my gaze remained fixed on Maria.

I tightened my hold on her slightly, silently trying to pull her away from the horrifying scene unfolding before us.

"Are you planning to wage war between our packs?" Daniel asked suddenly, his voice filled with restrained anger as he struggled slightly against the guards holding him down. He paused briefly before adding, "I remember coming here only because I was invited."

I knew exactly what he was trying to imply.

He was trying to remind me that he was a guest in Moonfall Pack. Trying to make it seem like restraining him would somehow become an insult between packs.

But honestly, I couldn’t care less at that moment, not after what he had just done.

I completely ignored the hidden threat in his words as I tightened my hold slightly around Maria. She had barely spoken since stepping outside and witnessing the horrifying scene.

"I really don’t know what to say," I replied coldly after a while, my gaze finally moving toward Daniel. "But committing murder in my Pack... what exactly are you planning?" I asked, raising my brows slightly.

My voice remained calm, but the anger beneath it was obvious.

This time, Daniel kept quiet.

For the first time since everything happened, he had no immediate response His jaw tightened while his eyes darkened dangerously, yet he remained silent.

The hallway suddenly felt heavier because of the tension surrounding us all.

"Take him to his room," I ordered the guards firmly. "He is to remain confined there until I say otherwise."

The guards nodded immediately.

"Oh, and do ensure our guest is treated properly," I added coldly before waving my hand dismissively at them.

Even though Daniel had attacked someone inside my territory, I still had to maintain order.

I couldn’t allow things to descend into complete chaos.

The guards immediately began dragging Daniel away despite the fury written all over his face.

"You can’t just send him off like that Noah!" Aidan suddenly yelled furiously as he stood up abruptly.

The murderous intent in his eyes was impossible to miss as he started walking toward me aggressively.

"I can do whatever I want, Aidan," I replied sharply, completely unfazed by his anger. "This is my territory, and I make the rules here."

My voice echoed firmly through the hallway.

Aidan clenched his fists tightly, his breathing rough with rage, but I ignored him completely.

Honestly, what surprised me the most throughout everything was Maria’s silence.

She hadn’t spoken a single word. She simply stood there staring at Davian’s unconscious body without moving an inch.

Her face remained pale while uneasiness clouded her eyes.

For a brief second, a thought crossed my mind.

Perhaps she believed he deserved it after everything the Quadruplets had put her through. After all, they had caused her endless pain.

Still, something about her silence unsettled me deeply.

Meanwhile, Davian continued bleeding heavily on the floor. The blood around him only kept spreading, staining the hallway darker and darker with every passing second.

And honestly, I was beginning to grow irritated.

What exactly was taking the healer so long?

Adrien suddenly lifted his head sharply, almost as though he had remembered something important.

"Maria... your blood," he said hurriedly, his voice filled with desperation. "...it can save him."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Then I scoffed openly at his stupidity.

What nonsense was he saying now?

How exactly would Maria’s blood save Davian?

Davian was already bleeding badly enough as it was.

Did Adrien expect Maria to start bleeding beside him too?

The whole idea sounded utterly ridiculous to me.