Maria.

The healer finally finished what felt like endless hours of treatment, and slowly, very slowly, Davian’s fingers twitched against the sheets.

The moment that tiny movement happened, the tension in the room shifted instantly.

Adrien let out a breath that sounded almost broken with relief. Damien closed his eyes briefly, while Aidan gripped the edge of the bed tightly like his strength had nearly abandoned him completely.

And me?

I just sat there silently, staring at Davian’s pale face while exhaustion weighed heavily on my body.

I felt weak.

My head throbbed painfully, and my body felt cold despite the warmth inside the room. The healer had taken so much of my blood that even breathing properly suddenly felt like a task.

At this rate, I really might end up looking like a ghost on my wedding day.

The thought irritated me instantly.

"Are you okay, Maria?" Adrien asked softly.

His voice carried genuine concern, and when I looked up, his eyes were fixed entirely on me.

I frowned immediately.

"I don’t need your concern," I replied sharply, even though my voice lacked its usual strength.

For a brief second, hurt flashed across Adrien’s face. He lowered his gaze almost immediately and nodded faintly before turning all his attention back to Davian, as though he was forcing himself not to look at me anymore.

And strangely enough, I felt relieved.

The atmosphere in the room had already become suffocating enough.

Davian was alive.

That should have been the only thing that mattered.

Noah’s hand suddenly rested gently against my shoulder, drawing my attention toward him.

"Maria, would you be okay staying here alone...?" he asked carefully.

I noticed the way his eyes briefly drifted toward the window afterward, and I instantly understood.

Something urgent must have come up.

Honestly, I was surprised he had stayed this long already. Considering everything happening in the pack, he definitely had responsibilities waiting for him outside this room.

"There’s no need to stay," I said softly, forcing a reassuring smile onto my face. "I’ll be fine."

Noah studied my face for a moment, as if trying to confirm whether I truly meant it.

Then he nodded slowly. "Alright."

His gaze shifted toward the quadruplets afterward, and the atmosphere instantly became tense again.

But after a few seconds, Noah finally turned back to me, gently squeezing my shoulder once before walking toward the door.

And then he left.

The moment the door shut behind him, silence filled the room completely. An awkward silence, the kind that made every tiny movement feel louder than normal.

Nobody spoke.

The only sound was Davian’s faint breathing and the occasional clinking sound from the healer arranging his tools.

After a few more minutes, the healer finally straightened up properly.

"I have tried all I could," he said respectfully while wiping his hands carefully. "Now we simply have to wait for him to wake up."

I nodded slowly.

The healer bowed politely before walking toward the door alongside his apprentice.

And just like that, they left too.

The moment the door closed again, reality crashed into me heavily.

My eyes slowly moved toward the bed—toward Davian. Waiting for him to wake up, means he had to be in my room till then.

My heart skipped instantly, and then my gaze fell toward the other three standing inside my room.

My breath caught instantly.

I had acted on impulse, I shouldn’t have let them bring him in here.

My eyes widened slightly as panic slowly crept into my chest.

No! No way.

I was still lost in my thoughts, when I felt a strange movement, and then, when I lifted my head....

I froze completely.

Every single one of them had surrounded me so suddenly that it made my breathing uneven. The room that had already felt small now seemed suffocating, their scents mixing together until my head spun slightly.

"What are you doing?" I asked immediately, my voice sharper than I intended the moment I realized they had formed a circle around me.

Aidan’s jaw tightened as though he was holding himself back from saying something worse.

"Maria, the oath we took only said we can’t tamper with your wedding with Noah," he said slowly, each word sounding forced out through clenched teeth. His fists remained tightly curled by his sides, the veins on the back of his hands visible from how hard he was restraining himself.

I frowned deeply at him.

"How does that have anything to do with you suddenly surrounding me?" I asked, raising my brows in irritation as my eyes moved from one brother to another.

None of them looked away.

That alone made my heartbeat uncomfortable.

Adrien suddenly lowered himself to one knee before me, and before I could even react, his fingers brushed lightly against my thigh, and then his plam rested as he began moving his hands upwards.

A sharp shiver rushed down my spine instantly.

"It means..." he began softly, tilting his head slightly as his fingers slowly traced against my skin, "...it doesn’t stop us from serving you."

My breath hitched.

Damn this stupid mate bond. My body reacted so strongly that it irritated me to my bones.

I immediately held my breath for a few seconds, forcing myself not to make a sound.

Were they seriously trying to seduce me right now?

Because it was working far more than I wanted to admit.

"Yes," Damien said quietly from beside me, his voice unusually calm and low. "We are willing to be your second choice." He paused briefly before adding, "Even your bed warmer... just don’t neglect us."

Before I could process those outrageous words, I suddenly felt his lips brush lightly against the side of my neck, and then his tongue traced down my neck to the collarbone.

A gasp nearly escaped my lips.

I gripped the armrest of the chair tightly, my fingers digging into the wood as I tried to steady myself.

The mate bond was reacting wildly.

My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, and it took every ounce of self-control not to lean into the touch.

This was bad.

Very bad.

Aidan moved closer then, placing his palm gently against my stomach. His fingers slowly drew circles there, the motion calm and deliberate, and then he slid his hands under my top. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Allow us to show you our worth," he said quietly.

I froze instantly.

Heat crawled through me so suddenly that I almost hated myself for it. My pulse quickened violently, and I could feel my own heartbeat pounding loudly inside my chest.

Why was this bond reacting this way?

Why now of all times?

I swallowed hard and looked away from them, trying desperately to regain control over myself.

But the worst part was the way they were staring at me.

None of them looked arrogant anymore.

None of them looked prideful.

Instead, they looked desperate, like men terrified of losing the one thing keeping them alive.

My entire body had gone stiff.

Because at this point....I genuinely needed help.