Maria.

I stayed completely still by the side of the bed, my body locked in place as though even the slightest movement would give me away. I focused on my breathing, slow, shallow, controlled, afraid that if I breathed too loudly, he would hear it. My chest felt tight, each inhale scraping painfully against my ribs, but I forced myself to endure it. Silence was my only shield.

Adrien stood by the window, his back to me, unmoving. The faint glow of moonlight outlined his tall frame, stretching his shadow across the floor like a silent threat. He didn’t speak. He didn’t turn. He simply stared outside as though the night held answers meant only for him. The room felt suffocating, thick with unspoken tension, every second stretching longer than the last.

I watched him carefully, my eyes barely blinking. My muscles ached from how rigid I was holding myself, but fear kept me frozen. Time lost its meaning. Minutes blurred into something heavier, slower. My eyelids began to burn, exhaustion creeping in despite my determination to stay awake.

I don’t know when it happened.

One moment, I was staring at his back, counting my breaths. The next, my head tilted slightly, knocking softly against the edge of the bed. The dull impact jolted me awake instantly.

My eyes flew open.

My heart leapt straight into my throat as panic surged through me. I turned my head sharply toward the window, expecting to see him still standing there, watching, waiting.

But Adrien was gone.

The space by the window was empty. The curtains swayed gently, stirred by the night breeze, as though no one had ever stood there at all.

Relief washed over me so suddenly it almost made me dizzy. I released a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, my fingers trembling as they relaxed against the mattress.

But the relief didn’t last.

Fear followed immediately, crawling up my spine, cold and sharp. Where had he gone? How long had he been gone? Had he left quietly, or had he been watching me sleep before disappearing?

My chest tightened again.

I shifted slightly, preparing to sit up, and that was when I noticed it.

A blanket was draped over my body.

I froze.

My eyes dropped slowly to the fabric covering me, thick and neatly placed, as though someone had taken their time. For a split second, I thought I should feel warmth. Comfort, even. But instead, paranoia settled deep in my bones.

He had covered me.

At some point while I slept, he had come close enough to touch me.

The thought made my skin crawl.

I pushed the blanket aside immediately and sat up, my movements quick and restless. Staying in that room suddenly felt unbearable. The walls felt too close, the air too heavy. I needed to leave—now.

I slipped off the bed and moved toward the door as quietly as possible, my bare feet barely making a sound against the floor. My hand hovered on the door handle for a moment as I listened, my heart hammering loudly in my ears. When I heard nothing, I opened it slowly and slipped outside.

The corridor was dimly lit, shadows stretching long and eerie along the stone walls. It was deep into the night, the pack house unusually quiet, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was my room. My space. Somewhere I could breathe.

I walked quickly, my steps light but hurried, my senses on high alert. Every sound made me tense, the faint flicker of a torch, the distant rustle of leaves outside, the echo of my own footsteps.

I was almost there.

As I turned into the corridor leading to my room, I slowed abruptly.

Two figures stood ahead.

They were pacing.

My steps faltered as recognition hit me like a slap.

Vanessa.

Anabel.

They stood a few feet apart, moving back and forth with sharp, agitated steps, their voices low but tense. Even from where I stood, I could sense their frustration, their agitation vibrating through the quiet hallway.

My heart sank.

What were they doing here?

At this hour?

I shrank back without thinking, my body moving on instinct as I pressed myself slightly against the wall. The cold surface seeped through my clothes, grounding me even as my breath hitched in my throat. Every warning inside me flared at once. This wasn’t random. It never was. In this place, nothing happened by chance.

I stayed still, watching them from the shadows, my silence heavy as dread pooled in my stomach. My thoughts raced, tangling over themselves as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Vanessa and Anabel, together, here, at this hour. The unease twisted tighter with every passing second.

What could possibly bring them together in the dead of night?

And why did a sinking, unmistakable certainty settle deep in my chest, telling me that whatever this was, whatever they were whispering about when they thought no one was listening, it somehow led back to me?

I hadn’t moved. I couldn’t. My feet felt rooted to the floor as my mind struggled to catch up with the danger humming beneath the surface. Then, suddenly, Vanessa’s gaze snapped in my direction.

Her eyes locked onto mine.

They narrowed instantly, sharp and knowing, as though she had been waiting, watching, for me to reveal myself.

"And where are you coming from at this time of the night?" Anabel asked, her voice cutting cleanly through the silence, leaving no room to hide.

She brushed past Vanessa and stepped forward, closing the distance between us with deliberate, measured steps. Her posture was rigid, her chin lifted in a way that screamed accusation. Vanessa followed immediately, her heels clicking softly against the floor as she came to stand beside her sister, both of them forming an unspoken wall in front of me.

"Where did you go?" Vanessa added, her tone colder than the night air. "Or rather..." her lips curled slightly, "...what exactly are you planning?"

Their questions pressed in on me from both sides, tightening around my chest like a snare. My throat went dry instantly. Words rose to my lips, but none of them dared to leave. What was I supposed to say? That I had just left Adrien’s room? That I had been trapped there, silenced, watched, covered with a blanket like some twisted act of mercy?

No.

I couldn’t say that.

Not when the person standing in front of me, eyes sharp with suspicion, was his newly engaged fiancée.

So I said nothing.

I stood there, silent, my fingers curling slowly at my sides as I kept my gaze lowered. The corridor felt unbearably narrow, the walls closing in as the weight of their stares bore down on me. I could feel their impatience thickening the air, could sense their irritation sharpening with every second that passed without an answer.

My silence only seemed to provoke them.

Anabel’s expression hardened. Her jaw tightened, and before I could react, before I could even lift my head, she stepped forward and struck me.

The slap echoed loudly through the corridor.

Pain exploded across my cheek, sharp and stinging, snapping my head violently to the side. My vision blurred for a moment as the force of it sent a shock through my entire body. I staggered slightly but managed to stay on my feet, my hand instinctively flying up to my face.

The sting burned deep, spreading across my skin, but the pain wasn’t what hurt the most.

It was the humiliation.

The Powerlessness.

"You better start talking, Maria," Anabel hissed, her voice low but dangerous, "if you know you want to have a peaceful night."

Peaceful.

The word echoed bitterly in my head as I slowly turned my face back toward her. My cheek throbbed violently, heat radiating from where her palm had struck me. I could feel Vanessa’s eyes on me too, watching closely, judging, waiting for me to break.

Peaceful?

Even if I spoke, would it truly be peaceful?

I searched Anabel’s eyes, really looked at her this time. Rage burned brightly there, raw and unfiltered, twisting her features into something almost unrecognizable. This wasn’t curiosity. This wasn’t concern.

This was jealousy.

Possession.

And something far uglier beneath it.

My heart pounded hard against my ribs as I held her gaze, refusing, if only for this moment, to look away again. I knew then that whatever answer I gave would never satisfy her. The truth would destroy me. A lie would only enrage her further.

Either way, peace had never been an option.

The corridor remained silent except for my uneven breathing. Vanessa shifted slightly beside Anabel, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes scanning me from head to toe as if searching for proof of something she had already decided was true.

I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling as they dropped slowly back to my side.

I was trapped.

Between their questions. Between their anger. Between truths I couldn’t speak and lies that wouldn’t save me.

And as I stood there, my cheek burning, my heart racing, one thing became painfully clear...this night was far from over.