Maria.

I barely remembered how I got to my room. My legs carried me there on pure instinct, moving faster than my thoughts, faster than the ache pounding in my chest. The moment I shut the door behind me, whatever strength I had been clinging to shattered completely.

The tears I had been fighting so hard to hold back spilled freely, hot and relentless. I stumbled to the bed and collapsed onto it, curling into myself as silent sobs wracked my body. I pressed my face into the pillow, biting down hard to keep the sounds in, as if the walls themselves might turn against me if they heard.

Images replayed over and over in my head, faces staring, lips whispering, fingers pointing. The slap. The words. The way everyone looked at me like I was filth dragged into the light. Each memory struck like a fresh blow, and with every one, my chest tightened further.

I hadn’t asked for any of it.

I hadn’t asked him to kiss me.

He was the one who came for me. He was the one who dragged me away from Vincent, away from the one moment I felt safe. He was the one who pressed his mouth against mine without asking, who took and took until I could no longer think straight. And then, like it meant nothing, he slapped me. Cast me aside. Let them tear into me as though I was the only one at fault.

My fingers curled into the sheets as another sob tore through me.

I was tired. So deeply, painfully tired.

Tired of being pulled, claimed, rejected.

Tired of being punished for things I never chose.

Tired of being treated like an object passed between powerful hands.

All I wanted now was a way out.

A real one. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

If staying here for one year already felt like this, then five years would kill me. Slowly. Quietly. They wouldn’t need to raise a hand, I would simply fade away under the weight of it all. The thought sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I couldn’t let the competition decide my fate.

I wouldn’t wait around to be handed over like a prize, passed into the arms of any Alpha who thought he owned me. They all had blood on their hands. Scars in their pasts. Darkness I didn’t think I could survive anymore.

I wanted to run.

Even if it meant risking my life.

Even if the forest swallowed me whole.

At least then, the choice would be mine.

My tears continued to fall without restraint, soaking the pillow beneath my face. My shoulders shook violently now, my breathing uneven as I began to choke on my sobs. I turned onto my side, dragging in shallow breaths that did nothing to ease the ache in my lungs.

Why did everything hurt so much?

Why did caring—even a little—always end like this?

The sound of the door opening startled me.

I flinched and lifted my head slightly, my vision blurred as I looked toward the entrance. Galen stood there, frozen in place, her eyes fixed on me. For a brief moment, neither of us moved.

It was too late to hide anything.

Fresh tears welled up instantly, spilling over as my control slipped even further. Embarrassment burned through me, sharp and cruel. I quickly lowered my head, my gaze dropping to my knees as I pulled myself upright on the bed.

I didn’t want her to see me like this.

Weak. Broken. Unraveling.

But she did.

I felt her presence as she walked closer, her footsteps slow and careful, as if she were afraid I might shatter if she moved too fast. The bed dipped slightly as she sat beside me, close enough that I could sense her warmth.

"Soon enough, Maria," Galen said softly, her voice steady in a way that surprised me. "It’s going to be okay."

I swallowed hard, my throat tight as she extended a hand toward me, offering a neatly folded handkerchief. I stared at it for a second, stunned. No accusation. No judgment. Just... kindness.

I hesitated before taking it, my fingers brushing against the fabric as another wave of tears threatened to fall. I dabbed at my eyes clumsily, my hands shaking.

For the first time since everything had happened, I felt something unfamiliar stir inside me.

Confusion.

I had thought I understood who Galen was. I had placed her neatly into a box in my mind, cold, distant, someone to be wary of. But sitting there, offering me comfort when I was at my lowest, she didn’t fit that image at all.

Maybe I had been wrong.

Or maybe this place had a way of twisting everyone until it was hard to tell who was truly an enemy and who wasn’t.

I said nothing. I couldn’t. My voice felt broken beyond use.

So I just sat there, clutching the handkerchief, tears still slipping free, wondering, quietly, desperately, if this moment of kindness was real... or just another illusion waiting to hurt me.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, me curled in on myself, Galen sitting beside me, her presence quiet but steady. The room smelled faintly of herbs and clean linen, yet my chest still felt too tight to breathe properly. My tears slowed only because my body seemed too exhausted to produce more.

Galen was the first to move.

She reached out gently, patting my back in slow, rhythmic motions, the way one might soothe a frightened child. There was no rush in her touch, no impatience. Just patience. Just calm.

"It’s alright," she murmured softly. "Let it out, Maria. Holding it in will only make it hurt longer."

Her words undid something in me.

A fresh sob tore out of my chest before I could stop it. I bent forward slightly, clutching the handkerchief in my hands as my shoulders shook again. Galen didn’t pull away. If anything, her palm pressed a little firmer against my back, grounding me.

"I feel so tired," I whispered at last, my voice hoarse and uneven. "I don’t even know what I did wrong anymore."

Galen sighed quietly, not in annoyance, but in understanding. "You didn’t do anything wrong," she said firmly. "Sometimes... being kind in a cruel place is enough to make people target you."

I lifted my head slowly, my eyes swollen and burning. "But they all looked at me like I was filthy. Like I asked for it. Like I planned everything."

"I know," she replied, meeting my gaze. "This pack has a habit of blaming the weakest voice in the room. It’s easier that way."

Weak.

The word stung, even though she hadn’t meant it as an insult. Maybe because it felt true.

"I just wanted peace," I admitted quietly. "For once. Just a little peace."

Galen’s hand paused for a second before resuming its gentle motion. "Peace is not a crime, Maria," she said. "And wanting it doesn’t make you foolish. It makes you human."

Her words settled into me slowly, like warmth spreading through frozen fingers.

She shifted slightly closer, her shoulder brushing mine. "Listen to me," she continued. "What happened today, this humiliation, this pain, it won’t last forever. I know it feels endless right now, like you’re trapped in it. But nothing in this pack stays the same forever. Nothing."

I let out a shaky breath. "It feels like it will. Every day it gets worse."

"That’s because you’re in the middle of it," Galen said gently. "Storms always feel endless when you’re standing under the rain. But they pass. Even the worst ones do."

I stared down at my hands, fingers twisting together nervously. "What if I don’t survive it long enough to see it pass?"

Her hand stopped again, this time gripping my shoulder firmly. Not painfully, just enough to force me to look at her.

"You will," she said, her tone stronger now. "You’re stronger than you think. You’ve survived things that would have broken others completely. The fact that you’re still standing, even after today, proves that."

I wanted to believe her.

I really did.

"But I’m scared," I confessed. "All the time. I feel like no matter what I do, I’m wrong. If I speak, I’m punished. If I stay quiet, I’m still punished."

Galen nodded slowly, as if she had expected that answer. "Fear doesn’t mean you’re weak," she said. "It means you’re aware. And awareness is power, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet."

She reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from my face, her touch careful. "For now, you take things one breath at a time. One day at a time. You don’t need to solve everything tonight. You just need to survive today."

I swallowed hard, my eyes stinging again, but this time, the tears didn’t fall as easily.

"Everything will be over soon," she added softly. "One way or another, this Chapter will end. And when it does, you won’t be the same frightened girl who walked into it. You’ll be wiser. Stronger. Harder to break."

Silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t heavy anymore. It felt... safe.

I leaned back slightly, letting my shoulders rest against the headboard. My breathing slowly evened out, the tight knot in my chest loosening just a little.

"Thank you," I whispered. "For not yelling at me. For not looking at me like I’m disgusting."

Galen gave a small, sad smile. "You’re not disgusting, Maria. You’re just surrounded by people who don’t know how to handle gentleness."

Her hand gave my shoulder one last reassuring pat before she stood. "Get some rest," she said. "Your heart has been through enough for one day."

As she turned toward the door, I watched her with new eyes.

Maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

And maybe, just maybe, everything wouldn’t always hurt like this.