Noah.

I had been buried under piles of work for what felt like forever, yet not once had my mind truly remained on the documents in front of me.

Every few seconds, my thoughts drifted back to Maria, and most especially her expressions whenever the quadruplets surrounded her.

My jaw tightened unconsciously as another thought crossed my mind.

What exactly were they doing to her now?

Were they still shamelessly chasing after her?

Still trying to covet what belonged to me?

I exhaled sharply and leaned back slightly in my chair, the document in my hand suddenly feeling far less important than it had a few seconds ago.

The words written across the pages blurred before my eyes, as I couldn’t focus anymore, not when my mind was elsewhere.

Not when those four were constantly around her like hungry wolves waiting for the slightest opportunity.

I placed the document down harder than intended and rubbed my temples slowly.

At this point, remaining in my study was becoming unbearable.

Rather than sitting here imagining nonsense, I would rather take every single file and continue my work in Maria’s room instead.

At least that way I could keep an eye on things myself.

At least I would know those idiots were not trying anything ridiculous behind my back.

The thought alone made my chest relax slightly.

Without wasting another second, I stood up immediately and gathered the files scattered across the table into my arms.

My movements were quick, impatient, as I just wanted to see her. Even if she complained, even if she rolled her eyes at me.

At least I would know she was fine.

I had barely reached the door when it suddenly swung open from outside.

An omega stumbled in hurriedly, panting heavily as though he had run across the entire pack grounds.

"Alpha Noah!" he called out breathlessly.

The moment I saw the panic on his face, my heart skipped violently inside my chest.

Maria.

My mind immediately went to her.

Had something happened?

Did the quadruplets do something again?

My expression darkened instantly.

"What’s the problem?" I asked sharply, my voice filled with impatience.

The omega swallowed nervously before speaking quickly. "Lady Sonia... she... the healer asked that you be called immediately."

The tension in my chest loosened slightly, and a slow breath escaped my lips before I could stop it. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

As long as Maria was alright.

That was all that mattered for now.

Still, my brows remained furrowed.

Sonia was an important guest.

Whatever happened to her could affect the relationship between both packs, and unfortunately, that meant I could not simply ignore it no matter how little I wanted to involve myself.

"What’s wrong with her?" I asked coldly.

The omega shook his head immediately.

"I-I don’t know, Alpha... the healer only said you should be called at once."

I stared at him for a few seconds silently.

For some reason, reluctance settled heavily inside me, as something about this felt exhausting already.

Knowing Sonia, this could easily be another one of her ridiculous stunts.

Another attempt to force my attention onto her.

Another excuse just to make me remain by her side.

My grip around the files tightened slightly.

Honestly, the last thing I wanted right now was to deal with Sonia.

Not when my thoughts were consumed by Maria already. Not when I had been fighting the urge to abandon my work entirely just to go sit beside her.

I looked away briefly, irritation flashing through my eyes before I finally inhaled deeply.

"Fine," I muttered at last.

The omega immediately straightened in relief.

I placed the files back onto the table slowly, though every part of me resisted doing so.

My mind was still elsewhere, as it was still with Maria. Still wondering what those quadruplets were doing around her at this very moment.

And strangely enough, that thought irritated me far more than Sonia suddenly falling sick.

And honestly, if this truly turned out to be another one of Sonia’s ridiculous stunts, then I swore to myself I would definitely punish her for wasting my time.

"Lead the way," I said coldly to the omega standing before me.

The omega immediately bowed his head and hurried ahead, his steps quick and nervous.

I followed silently behind him, my expression dark and unreadable as we walked through the hallway.

The farther we moved away from my study, the more irritated I became internally.

My mind kept wandering back to the quadruplets. I keep having a bad feeling.

Even though they had already taken the oath, I still could not trust them completely.

Especially Adrien.

That man was unpredictable.

And the thought of leaving Maria alone around them for too long unsettled me deeply.

My jaw tightened unconsciously.

The omega eventually stopped in front of Sonia’s room before pushing the door open carefully.

I stepped inside immediately.

The strong scent of herbs filled the room instantly, making my brows furrow slightly.

The healer was standing nearby with his apprentice arranging different bowls and bottles on a table close to the bed.

So this wasn’t a stunt after all.

At least not entirely.

My eyes briefly swept across Sonia’s unconscious figure laying on the bed before I looked away almost immediately.

I had no interest in staring at her.

"What’s going on with her?" I asked flatly without even bothering to move closer.

The healer turned toward me respectfully and bowed slightly. "She suddenly developed a strange illness, Alpha," he explained carefully.

I remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"She keeps regaining consciousness," he added after a pause, "and after a while, she falls back into a coma again."

My expression remained unchanged.

Honestly, I still did not understand why exactly my presence was required here.

"So how does that require my attention?" I asked with visible irritation.

The healer hesitated slightly before speaking again.

"I need to conduct more research regarding her condition, Alpha," he explained cautiously. "And I do not know who can remain by her side at the moment in case things suddenly worsen."

For a second, I simply stared at him, then disbelief settled across my face.

"Are you insane?" I snapped instantly, my voice echoing sharply through the room.

The apprentice flinched immediately.

"Can’t you simply assign any female omega around to stay with her?" I continued coldly.

Why exactly was this suddenly my responsibility?

I was an Alpha, not a caretaker.

The healer lowered his head further immediately. "I am very sorry, Alpha Noah," he said quickly. "But the moment Lady Sonia regained consciousness... she specifically asked for you."

My eyes darkened instantly.

Of course.

Of course she did.

I let out a sharp breath through clenched teeth as irritation coiled violently inside me.

Even unconscious, Sonia still found a way to become troublesome.

"Do you have a death wish?" I asked quietly, my voice colder this time.

The healer’s shoulders stiffened instantly.

The room suddenly fell into complete silence.

Even the apprentice looked too frightened to breathe properly.

Meanwhile, all I could think about was Maria.

Whether she was resting.

Whether those quadruplets were still hovering around her like obsessed fools.

And strangely enough, the more I stood inside Sonia’s room, the more suffocated I felt.

Because deep down, every second spent here felt like a second wasted away from Maria.