Maria.

For a single, foolish heartbeat, I thought Anabel was the surprise Noah had been so eager to show me.

That maybe this—her—was what he had meant. That this was some poorly thought-out attempt to explain something, to confront something, to fix something between them with me standing awkwardly in the middle.

But that illusion shattered the moment Noah spoke.

"What are you doing here?"

The words were sharp, stunned, nothing like the warm excitement he had worn just moments earlier. They weren’t meant for me. They were meant for her.

Anabel’s lips curved slowly, incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She took a step toward him, her movements controlled, deliberate, every inch of her posture screaming wounded pride.

"What am I doing here?" she echoed, her voice rising. "Noah, are you seriously asking me that?" Her eyes flicked briefly to me, cold and assessing, before returning to him. "Or are you asking because you decided to bring this rogue into your room?"

Her gaze slid back to me again, this time with open disdain. I felt it like a slap, like my skin had been peeled open and exposed.

"She is nothing more than a trophy every Alpha wants to claim," Anabel continued, her tone venomously calm. "Don’t you know what she is?" Her lips curled. "A whore."

The word hit me hard, knocking the air from my lungs.

She stepped even closer to Noah now, close enough that I could see the intensity in her eyes as she searched his face. "I know you’re confused. I know whatever you think you feel for her seems real right now." She reached for him, desperation threading through her voice. "But it’s a fling, Noah. That’s all it is. It will fade. It always does."

I stood frozen, my hands clenched at my sides, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure they could hear it. From the way Anabel spoke, from the tension hanging thickly between them, it was clear this wasn’t the beginning of a fight.

It was the aftermath of one.

And somehow, I had walked straight into the wreckage.

Noah’s jaw tightened. His body stiffened, every trace of hesitation draining from his face as something firm and unyielding settled into his expression.

"Get out, Anabel."

The command was immediate. Final.

She blinked, startled.

"Leave my room," he repeated, his voice louder now, sharper. He stretched his arm toward the door, his finger pointing unmistakably in its direction. "And don’t you dare go crawling to your brothers. It won’t work this time."

The words struck harder than any shout could have.

Anabel’s shoulders sagged, the fire in her eyes dimming as defeat crept into her posture. For the first time since she spoke, she looked... small.

"Noah," she said softly, her voice breaking as she reached for his hand. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I did earlier." Her fingers curled around his wrist, her eyes glistening. "Please don’t try to spite me by bringing this rogue into your room. Not like this."

Her grip tightened, as if holding onto him might anchor her, might undo what had already been said.

Noah didn’t look at her.

"Leave, Anabel," he replied coldly. "I don’t want to get mad."

The warning was quiet, but it carried weight, final and irreversible.

For a moment, she hesitated, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say more. Then slowly, she let go. Her hand fell back to her side, her face hardening as she straightened.

Without another word, she turned and walked toward the door.

As she passed me, her shoulder brushed against mine, deliberate, sharp, filled with resentment. I swayed slightly from the impact, my chest tightening as the door opened and closed behind her with a dull thud.

Silence followed.

Thick, heavy and unforgiving.

I remained standing where I was, my mind spinning, my heart aching in ways I couldn’t name. I felt exposed, humiliated, painfully aware of my place in this room and in their world.

Whatever Noah had intended as a surprise had unraveled into something far more complicated.

"Did you both get into a fight?" I asked, my voice cutting through the heavy silence that had settled in the room.

Noah turned to me almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for any excuse to steer the conversation away from what had just happened. His expression softened, the sharp edge in his eyes fading.

"It’s nothing to worry about, Maria," he said gently. "You shouldn’t let her behavior bother you. I apologize on her behalf." He paused, then added lightly, "She’s still a kid."

A kid?

The word echoed in my head, loud and unsettling. I frowned slightly, studying his face, wondering if he was serious or simply trying to brush everything aside. From where I stood, Anabel didn’t look like a child. She carried herself with too much confidence, too much entitlement. And if I was being honest, we were about the same age.

Did he see me as a child too?

"She isn’t a kid, Noah," I said quietly, choosing my words carefully. "I think she’s just spoiled... like my step-sister, Patricia. Their behavior is way too similar."

The moment the name left my lips, a familiar heaviness settled in my chest. Memories stirred, unwanted, sharp-edged, and bitter.

Noah’s lips twitched, and before I could stop him, he let out a small chuckle.

"If you say so," he replied. "But I think your sister is even more spoiled than Anabel." His eyes lit up with amusement. "I still remember the day she lost her locket at the Academy and decided to take yours instead."

Before I could react, he burst out laughing.

The sound rang in my ears, too loud, too careless.

I didn’t laugh.

I couldn’t.

That day wasn’t funny. It had never been funny. The humiliation, the accusations, the way everyone had looked at me like I was the one who had stolen something that belonged to me in the first place, it was a memory I had buried deep, one I never wanted dragged back into the light.

My fingers curled slowly into fists at my sides.

"Stop it, Noah," I said, my voice firm despite the tightness in my throat. "It’s not funny."

He paused, but only for a second.

"I’m sorry," he said, though he was still laughing softly. "But honestly, that day was..."

"Enough." I glared at him, my eyes burning. "It wasn’t funny to me."

That did it.

Noah raised both his hands in surrender, his laughter finally fading as he took a step back. "Alright, alright," he said quickly. "I won’t talk about it again. I promise."

I watched him closely, making sure he meant it. When I didn’t respond, he shifted, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Now," he said, his voice taking on a playful tone, "close your eyes."

I hesitated.

"What?" I asked, suspicious.

"Just trust me," he insisted, smiling. "Close them."

After a brief pause, I sighed and slowly shut my eyes. Darkness enveloped me, and suddenly I was acutely aware of every sound, the soft rustle of fabric, his footsteps moving away, the faint scrape of something being adjusted.

My heart began to pound.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Patience," he replied. "Almost there."

I stood still, my hands clenched nervously in front of me. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, each more uncertain than the last. I wondered if this was the surprise he had been talking about, and whether I even wanted to see it anymore.

"Okay," Noah finally said. "You can open them now."

I did.

"Surprise!" he echoed.

My breath caught instantly.

I gasped, my eyes widening as they took in what was in front of me. For a moment, I forgot how to speak, forgot how to move. Shock rooted me in place as my mind struggled to process what I was seeing.

I stared, blinking once... twice... just to be sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

"This..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "This is..."

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Emotion swelled in my chest, warm and overwhelming, pressing against places that had been empty for far too long. Whatever I had expected, it hadn’t been this. And for the first time since walking into his room, the tight knot in my stomach loosened just a little.

Noah watched me closely, his earlier tension replaced with quiet anticipation, as if he was waiting to see whether the surprise had done its job.

And standing there, heart racing, breath uneven, all I could do was stare, completely and utterly stunned.