Aidan. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

I woke to a familiar scent beneath my nose, warm and soothing, the kind my wolf recognized instantly. My arms were already wrapped carefully around her waist, holding her close as if my body had done it on instinct long before my mind caught up. I inhaled slowly, letting her scent fill my chest, grounding me in the quiet of the morning.

I should have felt peace.

I should have felt whole.

I finally had her by my side.

Vanessa—soft, warm, real, and ours.

But instead of calm, there was a dull, persistent ache sitting heavy in my chest. A restlessness that refused to settle no matter how tightly I held her. My wolf shifted uneasily beneath my skin, not aggressive, not angry, just unsettled. As though something was missing. As though something wasn’t right.

I told myself I loved Vanessa. I repeated it like a vow, like a truth I needed to reinforce. I wanted no one else. I chose her. I wanted this. And yet, even with her body pressed against mine, my thoughts betrayed me.

Maria.

The name surfaced without warning, slipping into my mind as easily as breath. Her face. Her voice. The way her presence lingered even when she wasn’t near. I tried to push the thought away, but it clung stubbornly, weaving itself into the quiet moments between heartbeats.

"Hey, good morning," Vanessa said softly, turning in my arms until she was facing me.

Her eyes were bright despite the early hour, her lips curved into a gentle smile that should have been enough to chase every other thought away.

"What are you thinking about this early?" she asked.

Her question pulled me back sharply, like a hand snapping in front of my face. I blinked, forcing myself to focus on her, on the warmth of her skin beneath my hands. I smoothed my expression into something lighter, something believable, and plastered a smile onto my face.

"I was thinking about how beautiful you are," I said, the words coming easily even if they didn’t carry the weight they should have. "I was thinking about how I’d like to have you in my arms every day."

Vanessa’s cheeks flushed instantly, pink spreading across her face as she laughed softly. She lifted a hand and tapped my chest, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to tease.

"Come on, Aidan, stop it," she said, clearly pleased.

Her fingers lingered for a moment, light against my skin, and despite everything, a quiet chuckle slipped from my throat. The sound felt automatic, almost reflexive.

"Alright, darling," I said, before thinking too deeply about it. "I’ll walk you back to your room."

The words were barely out before I noticed the subtle change in her expression. Just a flicker—easy to miss—but it was there. Something unreadable passed through her eyes before she smiled again, masking whatever had stirred beneath the surface.

"Alright," she replied, pushing herself up from the bed.

I rose beside her, the morning air cool against my skin as we moved toward the door. Neither of us spoke as we stepped into the corridor, our footsteps echoing softly in the quiet halls. I walked her all the way to her room, my hand occasionally brushing hers, my mind strangely distant despite my body being present.

When we reached her door, she paused, turning back to give me another smile before slipping inside.

I watched the door close behind her, the click of it sounding louder than it should have.

And as I stood there alone, the silence settled once more, the restlessness returned, stronger now, more insistent, whispering a name I wasn’t ready to confront.

And without thinking, my legs moved.

The decision wasn’t formed in my mind. There was no careful reasoning, no pause to weigh consequences. My body simply reacted, surging forward as though pulled by something stronger than logic. Faster than I thought possible, I found myself striding through the corridor, my steps long and urgent, my heart pounding hard against my ribs as I headed straight toward her room.

Halfway there, I tried to stop.

I told myself to turn back. To slow down. To pretend I hadn’t felt that pull tightening in my chest the moment I left Vanessa behind. I told myself this was reckless, that my brothers would see this as weakness if they knew. They wouldn’t understand why the thought of Maria could unsettle me so deeply, why she had this power over my instincts, over my wolf.

But no matter how many times I tried to reason with myself, my feet refused to obey. I kept moving. Straight ahead. Toward her.

I hadn’t even reached her door when the sight ahead of me brought me to an abrupt halt.

There, just a few steps away, stood Noah.

My vision narrowed instantly, my focus locking onto the way his hand rested on Maria’s shoulder. Not rough. Not possessive. Gentle. Familiar. He was patting her shoulder lightly, as though offering comfort, as though he had every right to touch her that way.

Something ugly twisted in my chest.

My blood boiled so fast it felt like it scorched through my veins. My wolf surged forward, snarling low in my head, and for a split second I had the overwhelming urge to cross the distance between us and rip his hand away from her. To make it clear, brutally clear, that she was not someone he should be touching.

But I didn’t move.

I forced myself to stay rooted where I was, my fists clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms. Noah wasn’t just anyone. He was family. More than that, he was practically my brother. Soon enough, he would be my brother-in-law. His engagement to Anabel was only a matter of time; we were just waiting for the right moment, the right arrangement to make it official.

I trusted Noah.

That trust was the only thing keeping me still.

But questions flooded my mind, sharp and relentless. How did he know Maria? When did they get close enough for her to stand there so calmly with him? Why didn’t she pull away? Why did she look... comfortable?

The thought made my jaw tighten.

I shook my head slightly, forcing the questions away. Noah wouldn’t compete with me. Not for anything. That much I was sure of. He knew better. He respected boundaries. Whatever this was, it had to be harmless. It had to be.

I stood there longer than I realized, watching them from a distance. Their voices were low, carried away by the corridor before they could reach me. I couldn’t make out their words, but I watched the subtle movements, the way Maria’s head tilted slightly as if listening, the way Noah leaned just a fraction closer, his posture protective.

It took everything in me not to step forward right then.

Finally, Noah straightened. He said something that made Maria look down briefly before nodding. Then he stepped back, gave her one last look, and turned away.

The moment he disappeared down the corridor, something inside me snapped.

I didn’t wait. I didn’t hesitate. The restraint I had been clinging to shattered completely.

I closed the distance between us in seconds, my strides sharp and purposeful. Maria barely had time to react before I reached her. My hand shot out on instinct, wrapping firmly around her arm.

"Maria," I said, my voice low and tight as I stopped her in place.

The heat of my grip contrasted sharply with the cold fury simmering just beneath my skin.

Her scent hit me all at once, sharp and confusing. It wasn’t pure. It was tainted, threaded unmistakably with Noah’s presence. I didn’t know when it happened or how it lingered so strongly on her skin, but the realization stirred something dark and possessive in me. Before I could stop myself, my hand lifted, brushing over her shoulder as though I needed to confirm she was real, that she was still here.

There were other traces too. Adrien’s scent clung faintly to her, familiar and irritating, yet I found I didn’t care about that one. Not the way I cared about Noah’s. My jaw tightened as my thumb grazed her collarbone, my wolf restless beneath my skin, pacing, growling, demanding.

I didn’t give myself time to think.

The moment stretched thin, fragile, and then I closed the distance between us and claimed her lips in a kiss. It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t hesitant, it was driven by a single, overwhelming thought that drowned out everything else.

She belongs to us.

The kiss deepened as I pulled her closer, my grip firm, unyielding. This wasn’t about tenderness or comfort, it was about certainty. About making a statement without words. I poured every unspoken warning into that kiss, every boundary drawn in invisible lines.

No one else was allowed here.

My lips moved against hers with deliberate intent, marking what was ours, reinforcing what should never be questioned. The world narrowed to the heat between us, to the way my heartbeat thundered in my ears, to the silent vow burning in my chest.

She was our territory and she is under our claim.

And no one, no matter how close, no matter how familiar, was permitted to cross that line.