Maria.

"What do you mean, Maria? She is just a rogue assigned to me," he said dismissively.

His tone was light, almost careless, as though the question had never mattered in the first place. Yet the way his eyes lingered on mine betrayed him. There was something there, something unsaid, but I chose not to chase it.

I only nodded.

I knew better than to press further. Whatever truth lay beneath his words, I wasn’t strong enough to dig for it, nor was I comfortable enough to demand it. Curiosity could be dangerous in this place, and I had already learned the price of knowing too much.

Silence settled between us again, thick and awkward.

"Alpha Daniel," I said after a moment, forcing calm into my voice as I slowly pushed myself to my feet, "I would love to take my leave now."

My legs still felt weak beneath me, but standing gave me a sense of control I desperately needed. I lowered my gaze respectfully, already preparing myself to walk away.

But I hadn’t even taken a full step when his hand closed around my wrist.

The sudden contact made me gasp.

He rose to his feet in one swift motion and pulled me back toward him. I stumbled slightly, my balance faltering as I was drawn into his space. His grip wasn’t painful, but it was firm, unyielding. Too close.

His breath brushed against my face, warm and unsettling, carrying his scent with it. My heart slammed violently against my ribs, panic blooming in my chest before I could stop it.

"Can’t you stay a little more?" he asked.

His voice was husky, dangerously low, nothing like the gentle tone he had used earlier. It curled around my spine, sending a chill racing down my back.

Every instinct within me screamed one word.

Run.

Fear wrapped itself around my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Memories I didn’t want surfaced uninvited, rough hands, raised voices, pain I hadn’t healed from. I couldn’t stay here. Not like this. Not when my body had already decided for me.

"Maria, I..." he started.

I didn’t let him finish.

I yanked my hand free with more strength than I thought I had and stepped back quickly, putting distance between us. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I fought to steady myself.

"Alpha Daniel," I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound composed, "I have a lot to attend to. Thank you... thank you for saving me."

I bowed my head slightly, the gesture formal and final, a shield against whatever expression crossed his face. I didn’t wait to see his reaction. I didn’t trust myself too.

Turning swiftly, I walked toward the door, my steps hurried but controlled. The moment my hand touched the handle, relief washed through me like a wave.

I slipped out of the room without looking back.

Only when the door closed behind me did I allow myself to breathe again, my heart still pounding as one thought echoed relentlessly in my mind...Staying would have been a mistake.

I paused in the hallway, my steps slowing until I came to a complete stop. The corridor felt unusually quiet, the silence pressing in on me as my thoughts spun restlessly. Galen’s face flashed through my mind,her stiff posture, the tightness in her voice, the way she had looked at Daniel as though she had done something unforgivable. Her reaction earlier was nothing to write home about, yet it unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

How was I supposed to face her now?

I imagined crossing paths with her in my room, the questions hanging between us, unspoken but heavy. I didn’t have the strength for another confrontation, not after everything that had happened. My head still throbbed faintly, my body aching in quiet protest.

I heaved a slow sigh and shook my head.

Whatever Galen was hiding—or whatever I thought I had seen—would have to wait. I needed rest. That was all that mattered now. Drawing in a steadying breath, I forced my legs to move again and continued down the hallway toward my room.

The guest corridor stretched long and narrow, lit by flickering wall torches that cast wavering shadows across the stone floor. Each step echoed softly, the sound oddly loud in the emptiness. I kept my gaze lowered, counting my breaths, willing myself to stay calm.

Then a familiar voice cut through the quiet.

"Maria!"

My heart skipped.

I looked up just in time to see Noah hurrying toward me, his long strides eating up the distance between us. Panic fluttered briefly in my chest. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed him at all.

Before I could react, before I could turn or even think of an excuse, he reached me.

All the plans I hadn’t even fully formed, all the intentions to slip away unnoticed, crumbled instantly as his hands closed around mine. His grip was warm, grounding, and far too real.

"Noah..." I started, but he was already speaking.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his brows drawn together in worry as he searched my face. "I’ve been searching for you."

His words landed heavily, stirring something tight and painful in my chest. I hadn’t realized anyone would be looking for me. I hadn’t realized he would care this much.

I stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. His eyes were filled with concern, raw and unmistakable, as though he had been genuinely afraid something had happened to me. The realization made my throat tighten.

"I..." My voice came out softer than I intended.

I glanced down at our joined hands, then back at his face, unsure how to explain myself. How could I tell him where I had been without opening wounds I was barely holding together?

The corridor suddenly felt too narrow, too exposed, as though the walls themselves were listening. All I could do was stand there, caught between the urge to pull away and the comfort of knowing I wasn’t alone.

"I... nowhere, Noah. Just my regular duty," I said quickly, the lie slipping off my tongue far too easily.

Even as the words left my mouth, guilt curled tightly in my chest. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, afraid he would see straight through me. Noah studied me for a brief moment, as if weighing my answer, but to my relief, he didn’t press further.

Instead, his expression shifted, the worry easing as something bright lit up his face.

"I have a surprise for you!" he announced suddenly, his voice filled with an excitement that caught me completely off guard.

A surprise?

My brows furrowed as confusion replaced my unease. Surprises were not something I was used to. Not from anyone. My mind raced, trying to imagine what he could possibly mean.

"A... surprise?" I echoed, my voice uncertain.

"Yes," he said, grinning as if he were holding onto the most wonderful secret in the world.

I hesitated, then asked the first thing that came to mind. "Where is it?"

"My room!"

The answer landed so abruptly that my mind barely had time to process it. Before I could ask another question, or protest, his hand closed around mine again, firm and determined. I gasped softly as he tugged me along, my feet scrambling to keep up with his pace.

"Noah, wait..." I started, but he was already pulling me down the corridor.

The hallway blurred around us as he led me forward, his excitement infectious yet unsettling. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, each step filling me with a strange mix of curiosity and dread. Why his room? What kind of surprise would require bringing me there?

We stopped in front of a familiar door.

Noah pushed it open slightly, then turned to me with a bright, almost boyish smile. "Come in," he said, stepping aside to let me enter first.

I took one hesitant step forward.

The moment my eyes landed on what was inside the room, all the color drained from my face. My breath caught sharply in my throat, my body freezing as though I had walked straight into a nightmare. The air felt suddenly heavy, pressing down on my chest until it was hard to breathe.

This wasn’t what I had expected.

Not at all.

Before I could even gather my thoughts or react properly, Noah’s movements faltered behind me. The cheerful energy he had carried moments ago vanished instantly. I felt his grip on my hand loosen as his body went rigid.

The silence that followed was thick, suffocating.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice no longer light or playful, but sharp with shock and disbelief.

I stood there, unable to move, my heart hammering violently as the weight of the moment settled in. Whatever surprise he had planned, it was clear now that something had gone terribly wrong, and I was standing right in the middle of it.