MARIA.

I reluctantly dragged myself upright from the bed, my bones feeling heavier than they should, and forced my aching feet toward the door. There was no point lying around or pretending I could hide forever, duties were duties, and I still had to serve guests whether my chest felt tight or not.

The hallway was loud, the air thick with footsteps and murmurs, and I slipped into the tide of rogues headed toward the kitchen.

I dashed down the corridor, my breath uneven, wishing the floor would swallow me, wishing the evening would simply vanish into thin air.

When I reached the kitchen, my mood sank even lower. There was a line, a very long, snaking, miserable line, filled with weary rogue servants already ahead of me. I stopped behind the last person and exhaled deeply, trying to steady the annoyed flutter inside my chest.

Figures.

If I had left when Galen did... if I hadn’t lingered in my own frustrations... I would have been halfway done by now. Instead, I was stuck, waiting, hungry, irritated, and already regretting every second wasted.

My gaze drifted automatically along the line until I spotted her, Galen standing closer to the front, almost ready to collect the tray for her assigned guest. Her head was slightly bowed, her shoulders relaxed.

Untouched by stress, by embarrassment, by the weight pressing on me.

Lucky her.

"I should’ve followed her," I muttered under my breath. But regret didn’t change anything. All I could do was wait.

The kitchen hummed around us, pots clanking, voices bouncing, steam rising, the smell of roasted meat and herbs filling the air, warm, comforting, and almost mocking.

"Did you see Ms. Anabel?" A voice ahead of me sliced into the noise, sharp, curious.

Two rogues at the front were whispering, rather loudly for people with nothing to whisper about.

"Yes, I did," the other replied quickly, sounding almost offended. "I cannot believe she is still clinging to that Alpha of a guy."

I perked my ears, though I kept my head down.

"Ssshhhh, lower your voice," the first rogue hissed. "I think I heard they were engaged."

My heart thudded.

Engaged?

"Oh really?" the second rogue gasped, eyes widening even though I could only see her profile.

"Yes. The last time he came here, they were discussing marriage." A pause. "The quadruplet Alphas’ laughed it off then, telling him to get married quickly. I think they’re in support of it."

My tongue moved before my brain could stop it. "What?"

The word shot out of me like a spark leaping from dry wood.

Both rogues turned sharply, staring straight at me.

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I swallowed, forcing myself to appear casual, invisible, indifferent, anything but emotional.

"I mean..." I scrambled for words, waving my hand like I didn’t care, "how could you be so sure? Ms. Anabel is still little."

"No, she isn’t," the first rogue said immediately, lifting her chin like she had been waiting for someone to challenge her.

"She already turned eighteen. But she hasn’t found her mate yet," the other added, shrugging as if discussing bread prices.

"And from the look of things, it seems she doesn’t want to find him." Another shrug.

"She just wants to be with Alpha Noah."

The name hit me hard, like someone had shoved their fingers inside my chest and twisted.

Of course.

Of course it would be like that.

Before I could scrape together a response, a loud voice boomed across the kitchen:

"ORDER!"

An official stood near the serving table, arms folded, glaring at everyone.

Instantly, the line straightened, backs stiff, eyes forward, mouths shut. Silence swallowed the chatter like it had never existed.

But inside me?

The noise only got louder.

Anabel, engaged, supported, wanted, and Noah.

I shut my eyes for a second, steadied my breath, and locked my emotions away, deep, deep down, where no one could see them.

Even if they hurt.

Even if they threatened to split me apart.

It didn’t matter.

I was just a rogue in line, nothing more.

But on second thought... Were they really already engaged?

My mind wrestled with the rumor even as I forced myself to stay still in the long line.

It couldn’t be true. Noah and Anabel... engaged?

They couldn’t....they shouldn’t.

But the whispers replayed anyway, knotting themselves into a tight coil inside my stomach. I shook my head sharply, as though I could rattle the horrible idea loose and let it fall to the ground.

Focus, Maria.

You don’t belong in that story.

The line inched forward at the pace of a dying snail, time dragging until minutes felt like hours. My feet throbbed, shoulders stiff, nerves worn thin. All I wanted was to finish my job quickly and disappear for the night.

After what truly felt like eternity, my turn finally came. I stepped toward the serving table, took the carefully prepared meal, the roasted meat, the vegetables simmered in herbs, and the covered bowl of hot broth, and set them gently on my trolley.

My palms were slick with sweat, not from heat, but from dread. Serving the Alphas alone always puts pressure on me, but tonight, it wasn’t the Alphas’ but two people I never want to see and it felt like stepping into a battlefield I already knew I would lose.

Please, let there be no drama.

No yelling.

No humiliation.

No unexpected run-ins.

The words weren’t spoken out loud, but they echoed with desperate insistence inside my skull. I whispered the prayer silently in my mind, clutching onto it like a lifeline as if the universe might hear me and decide to be merciful for once. My palms were slightly damp, and I wiped them against my trousers before nudging the trolley out of the kitchen. The metal wheels rattled faintly against the tiles, loud enough to make my nerves spike. I forced myself to breathe slowly, trying to settle my pounding heart before it gave me away.

My first stop was Darren’s room, and just the thought of his face already made me want to turn around, crawl into my bed, and pretend none of this existed.

But duty was duty.

I pushed down the unease and made my way down the corridor, the wheels of the trolley rattling softly against the polished wooden floor.

Outside his door, I paused, exhaled deeply, and knocked.

Once.

Twice.

The door swung open.

My heart dropped into my feet.

Darren stood bare-chested, water dripping down his sculpted torso, his hair still damp from a shower. The droplets rolled down his neck, trailing slowly over muscles that flexed with each breath, as though mocking me with their perfection.

My throat went dry.

For a ridiculous, shameful heartbeat, I couldn’t look away. Those same muscles had once pulled me against him, once made me believe I meant something, once made me stupid enough to hope.

He leaned against the doorway, a lazy, knowing smirk curving his lips.

"You like what you see?" he murmured, voice low, intimate, dangerous.

Heat flooded my cheeks, and not the pleasant kind. Embarrassment and anger burned up my spine.

"I... I..." Words twisted uselessly on my tongue. I swallowed, forcing composure.

"Alpha Darren, your food."

His smirk deepened, like he knew exactly how flustered I was, and enjoyed every second of it. But before he could say another word, reality slammed back into place.

"Baby, who is there?"

Patricia’s syrupy voice spilled from inside the room, each syllable layered with smug territorial sweetness.

The haze shattered.

Whatever foolish reaction I had felt evaporated instantly.

I schooled my face into a cold frown, dropped my gaze, and held the tray toward him stiffly.

He chuckled, soft but satisfied, and reached for it. His fingers brushed my hand deliberately, slowly dragging down my skin, leaving a trail of tingles I despised myself for feeling.

I jerked slightly, but he didn’t let go until he had made his point.

"Meet me at the garden," Darren said, voice low and hushed, for me alone. "Where the event will be held, by nine. I have something for you."

Before I could react, ask why, demand how dare you, or spit out never, he shut the door.

Just like that.

The latch clicked.

Silence swallowed the corridor.

I stood there, frozen, shocked, speechless, my fingers still tingling where he touched them. My heart thudded erratically, but not with excitement.

It was filled with anger, confusion, disgust, humiliation.

What game was Darren playing?

He had Patricia, bold, loud, proud Patricia, inside his room, calling him baby, fitting perfectly into the place I once thought I wanted.

So why call to me?

Why ask me to meet him? 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Why drag me back into shadows I had crawled out of?

My breath trembled as I finally stepped away from the door.

No words could form in my throat, only a storm spinning loud and directionless inside my mind.

One thing was certain: Whatever nine o’clock brought... It wouldn’t be peace.