Maria.

"What a jerk!" The words ripped from my throat before I even realized they formed.

My footsteps slapped against the hallway floor as I stormed away, more fury in each step than strength in my legs. I kicked at nothing, a random pebble, a loose tile, the air, anything to release the building storm inside me.

But it wasn’t enough.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks in messy, angry streams, blurring the corridor into streaks of color.

"I didn’t ask him to kiss me," I hissed to myself, voice choked with shame. My hand came up to wipe the tears but more replaced them. "I didn’t ask him to make me feel that way!"

The embarrassment burned hotter.

My cheeks flushed.

My wolf howled inside me in humiliation.

"You are a jerk, Aidan!" I shouted to the emptiness, uncaring whether anyone heard.

My voice vibrated back at me off the walls, too loud, too raw, too exposed.

"Arrrrrrrrghhhh!"

This time the scream dragged from my lungs like claws scraping my insides. Anger at him, yes, but also at myself.

Why did I melt into him like that?

Why did my body betray me?

Why did the moment his lips crashed into mine, the world disappeared like I’d been waiting for it all my life?

I dragged my hands down my face, nails digging slightly into my skin as if physical pain could scrub out the memory.

"For a split second," I whispered bitterly, "I actually wanted him."

The admission made my stomach twist.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to force the image away, his hot breath on my mouth, his hands gripping my waist, the way his lips claimed mine like I belonged to him.

No.

No, I couldn’t think about that.

My steps continued, frantic and unsteady, with my eyes still closed, like running blind would erase what I felt, what I did.

Until I hit something solid.

My breath caught, my eyes flew open, and I found myself stumbling into a broad chest.

A familiar scent washed over me, woodsy, strong, almost painfully nostalgic.

"Maria?" Darren’s voice reached me, but distant, as though underwater.

I blinked several times before his face sharpened into focus, his dark brows knitted together in worry, his jaw tight.

"Darren," I croaked, my throat sore from screaming.

I tried to straighten, but he had already reached for me.

"What’s the issue? Why are you crying?"

Concern laced every word as he cupped my shoulders gently.

Before I could form a lie, before I could swallow the storm inside me, he pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me.

Warmth.

Familiarity.

A comfort I had spent so long craving, and resenting.

I froze for a heartbeat, instinct screaming to step back, to shove him away, to deny him the intimacy he once didn’t think I deserved.

But my willpower had been shattered minutes ago. I let myself sag into the hug, my forehead pressing against his chest as soft sobs racked my body.

He held me, steady and unshaken, like someone who never let go.

Which made the irony twist harder.

After a long breath, Darren slowly loosened his embrace, carefully, gently, as though afraid I would crumble without his arms.

"Come on," he murmured.

His hand skimmed down my arm until it found my wrist, and he guided me toward the exit hall.

The next thing I knew, we were stepping into the garden, the cool night breeze washing over my burning skin, the moon perched high above the trees like a silent witness.

He turned to face me fully, searching my eyes like they held answers he’d long been hunting.

"Maria," he said, voice gravelly with emotion. "I am sorry for what I did."

I swallowed, the ache in my throat returning.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, though the question trembled, already knowing.

Darren inhaled deeply, bracing himself.

"I should have confirmed the bond before casting you out," he said slowly, each word cutting deeper than claws. "I was wrong."

He paused before delivering the blow I wasn’t prepared for. "You are my mate."

The world tilted.

My heart jolted once, then went eerily still.

I tore my gaze away, shaking my head, a sad little laugh slipping from my lips, not out of humor, but disbelief, and exhaustion.

"Alpha Darren," I whispered, forcing strength into each syllable, "I am no longer your mate."

The words tasted like ashes.

I kept my eyes fixed on him, even as pain clawed inside me.

"That was in the past," I said firmly. "Just... reject me fully now. Please." I shook my head again, slower this time. "Free me from more torture."

I didn’t plead for him to want me.

I didn’t beg for his love.

Just freedom.

The last thing I had the strength to ask for.

"No, Maria. I won’t reject you." Darren’s voice thundered with a certainty that made the air tremble.

He reached forward and held my shoulders, his fingers firm, almost anchoring me in place. Before I could twist away, he turned me fully toward him, forcing me to meet his gaze.

His eyes, those familiar storm-gray eyes I once adored, were burning with determination.

"See, I am ready to make things right!" he declared, as though those few words could erase all the wounds and humiliation of my past.

"Darren!" My voice cracked, slicing the moment in half. "The only thing you can do to make things right is to reject..."

But my sentence never got the chance to breathe.

In a flash, he lunged forward and captured my lips in a kiss.

My body jolted like a trapped animal. I sealed my teeth instantly, pressing my lips tight together so he wouldn’t find an opening.

My hands came up, pushing at his chest, trying desperately to create distance.

But he only leaned harder, forcing his mouth against mine, trying to pry his way in.

It was all wrong.

There was no heat, no spark, no destiny pulling our souls together, just pressure, insistence, and a desperation that left a sour taste on my tongue.

Finally, he tore away, gasping for air as if he had been denied oxygen instead of me.

"Give me a chance, Maria," he whispered, breathless, his eyes flicking wildly over my face, searching for something, hope, love, surrender, I didn’t know. "Immediately after the birthday banquet, I would take you away."

I froze.

His words just hung there between us like smoke, thick, choking, unbelievable.

Take me away?

Was he sick? Delusional?

Did he really think I was still that girl who dreamed of his arms, who would have set the world on fire for one smile from him?

I stared at him, dumbfounded, lips trembling, not from longing but from sheer disbelief.

I once loved him. Goddess, I had. I had worshipped him with every tear, every heartbeat, every foolish hope I had carried.

But that girl was gone, buried under rejection, humiliation, and exile.

Now, all I wanted was freedom, from him, from the quadruplet Alphas, from every chain that claimed to own me. I wanted my life back. A life that didn’t revolve around begging someone to see my worth.

"Maria, please..." Darren stepped toward me again, voice softer, almost breaking.

"Give me a second chance."

"I can’t," I breathed, shaking my head, feeling a thickness clog my throat.

"Just rej..."

But again, he cut me off.

He grabbed my lips once more, this time with more urgency, more hunger, more command. His mouth moved against mine greedily, insistently, as if he could force history to bend and reshape itself beneath his touch.

Revulsion crawled over my skin.

All I felt was disgust, raw, immediate, suffocating.

I twisted and squirmed, but his hand moved behind my head, fingers tangling in my hair. He yanked slightly, tilting my head, angling me for deeper access, trying to open me like I was something he had the right to take.

My stomach churned.

And then...A voice cracked through the air like lightning, slicing the moment in two.

"MARIA!"

It wasn’t just a shout.

It was a roar.

A thunderous, furious command that vibrated through the garden stones.

"What the hell are you doing with our guest!?"

I jerked away from Darren as if scorched, heart slamming painfully inside my chest.

Standing a few feet away, eyes blazing like wildfire, was Damien.

His glare was sharp enough to cut flesh, fury vibrating off him in waves. For a heartbeat, there was nothing else, no breath, no night breeze, no world, just the burning intensity of his stare.

I swallowed hard.

In the chaos of my own emotions, I had almost forgotten. I wasn’t supposed to be out here. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near Darren.

I was supposed to be serving Damien his meal. I still had to serve Adrien and Davian but I got pissed. And from the look on his face, I had just broken every unspoken rule under the moon.