A Rogue For The Quadruplet Alpha's. Chapter 114: I will win

Maria.

I closed my eyes.

The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly down the hallway, growing softer... and softer... until they finally disappeared into silence. I stayed still even after they were gone, as though moving would sohow make his words return.

And then the tears I had fought so desperately to hold back slipped free.

They didn’t fall slowly.

They spilled.

Hot and relentless, sliding down my cheeks in uneven trails. My chest tightened painfully as the sob I had swallowed earlier forced its way out. The control I had clung to shattered the mont I was alone.

My legs gave out beneath .

It wasn’t graceful.

It wasn’t controlled.

It was instant.

The strength that had barely kept upright dissolved completely, and I sank to the cold floor, the impact jarring through my fragile body. I didn’t even try to stop myself. I couldn’t.

My knees hit first, then my palms, before I collapsed fully onto the ground.

My legs were too weak to hold anymore.

Too heavy.

Too drained.

I pulled them toward myself, wrapping my arms tightly around them as though trying to hold my broken pieces together. My fingers dug into the fabric of my dress and into my own skin, clutching desperately.

My sobs ca out uneven and choked.

Each breath felt sharp, scraping against my throat as though I had swallowed shards of glass. I pressed my forehead against my knees, trying to muffle the sound, but it only made it worse.

He had always seen as a spy.

Right from the beginning.

From the mont they had saved .

Back then, I had believed it was kindness.

Salvation.

A second chance.

But perhaps to them, I had never been anything more than a suspicion.

First, I was Darren’s spy.

Now, I was Daniel’s.

It didn’t matter what I said.

It didn’t matter what I did.

They would always look at and see soone else’s pawn.

Soone else’s dog.

The mory of Davian’s words made my chest ache again.

If I could turn back the hands of ti...If I could undo that day...I would wish they had never saved at all.

Perhaps it would have been easier.

Perhaps it would have been kinder.

To have never stepped into this place where every gaze felt like an accusation.

Where every act of kindness ca with doubt.

My tears fell harder at that thought, soaking into the fabric of my dress. My shoulders shook uncontrollably as the sobs refused to quiet down.

I felt small.

Smaller than I ever had before.

Lost in my own storm of thoughts, I didn’t hear the footsteps approaching this ti.

I didn’t notice the shift in the air, I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone anymore, not until a pair of hands wrapped gently around my shoulders. They were warm, solid and real.

I gasped sharply, startled, my head snapping up instinctively. My tear-blurred vision struggled to focus for a second before the figure standing above beca clear.

Darren.

Of course.

A bitter thought flickered through .

I couldn’t help it.

I silently cursed my fate.

Why him?

Why now?

Of all the people who could have found like this, broken, crying on the floor, it had to be him.

I pulled away from his grip almost imdiately, scrambling backward until my shoulders brushed against the wall. My hands flew to my face as I wiped at the tears frantically, saring them away as though I could erase the evidence.

I refused to let him see weak.

Not him.

I kept my distance from him, my body tense and guarded.

"You are crying, Maria. What happened?"

His voice was softer than I expected.

Concern laced his eyes as he took a careful step toward .

That look, hat sympathy...It made everything worse.

"I... I am not, Alpha Darren!" I blurted out almost imdiately.

The lie tumbled out clumsily.

My voice was hoarse, unsteady, betraying instantly.

My face was still wet.

My breathing uneven.

There was no hiding it.

But I tried anyway.

"Co on," he said gently, though there was a hint of firmness beneath it. "Don’t lie to ."

He stepped closer again.

And again.

Each step closed the space I had tried so hard to create.

I instinctively moved backward until there was nowhere left to go.

My back hit the wall, cold and unforgiving.

The tears I had wiped away threatened to return, burning behind my eyes. I turned my face slightly, trying to avoid his gaze.

I didn’t want him to read .

I didn’t want him to see how fragile I felt.

But the wall behind reminded of sothing cruelly ironic, no matter how far I tried to run...

I always ended up pinned sowhere.

And I didn’t know how much more of it I could endure.

I didn’t know what to say.

The words simply refused to co.

My mind felt cluttered, tangled in too many emotions at once, fear, exhaustion, humiliation, confusion. Every ti I tried to form a sentence, it dissolved before reaching my lips.

So instead, I lowered my gaze.

And silently, desperately, I wished for ti to move faster.

Twelve days.

Only twelve days left until the competition.

If those days could just pass in a blink, if the hours could fold into each other and disappear, maybe I wouldn’t have to stand here like this. Maybe I wouldn’t have to face him. Maybe everything would finally settle into sothing bearable.

But ti was cruel.

It moved slowly when you wanted it to run.

I felt his fingers under my chin before I realized he had stepped closer again.

This ti, the touch was gentle.

Careful.

Darren cupped my chin softly, lifting my face just enough for him to see properly. His thumb brushed against my skin in a way that felt almost comforting. Then he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

The tenderness in the gesture made my chest tighten in an entirely different way.

"You can tell what’s wrong, Maria," he said quietly. "I would help you no matter what."

His voice lacked the sharpness Davian’s had carried. There was no accusation in it. No hostility.

Only assurance.

He leaned closer.

Too close.

His lips hovered near my ear, his breath warm against my skin as he murmured, "If they aren’t treating you right in this place, you are welco to co back to the pack."

The words sank into slowly.

Back to the pack.

Back to where everything had started.

"No thank you, Alpha Darren!" I said instantly.

The response ca out quicker than I expected, almost defensive.

Before he could react, I bent slightly and slipped out from beneath his hands, stepping aside to create distance between us. I couldn’t allow myself to remain in that space of warmth and false safety.

I couldn’t afford to lean on anyone.

Not anymore.

A slow smile spread across his face.

It wasn’t offended.

It wasn’t surprised.

It was knowing.

"Maria," he said calmly, "follow back to the pack... as my Luna."

My body froze.

Completely.

For a second, I was certain I had misheard him.

Luna?

The word echoed in my head as though it didn’t belong there.

Was he serious?

Was he out of his mind?

My heart began to pound, not from flattery, but from disbelief.

"I can’t, Alpha Darren!" I said quickly, my voice almost breathless. "If you would please excuse , I have sothing to do."

I tried to keep my tone polite.

Controlled.

But my nerves betrayed .

"Sothing to do?" he asked, stepping in front of again, blocking my path without touching this ti. His eyes searched mine carefully. "And does that include crying?"

I flinched.

The accuracy of his words stung more than the teasing edge in his voice.

I couldn’t stop the slight roll of my eyes.

"Alpha..."

"Shush."

His hand ca up suddenly, pressing lightly against my lips.

The gesture wasn’t harsh.

But it was firm enough to silence .

"You can decide not to co with now," he continued, lowering his hand slowly, "but once I win that competition, you won’t have a choice."

My breath caught in my throat.

Panic surged instantly through my veins.

The competition.

Twelve days.

If he won..the implications wrapped around like tightening chains.

I didn’t want that.

I didn’t want to be a prize.

I didn’t want to be claid as though I were sothing to be won.

And yet, the thought that struck hardest was even more disturbing...I would rather the Quadruplets win than Darren.

The realization startled .

After everything.

After the accusations.

After the humiliation.

Still, the idea of Darren winning felt...dangerous.

He stepped closer again, reducing the already fragile space between us. Then he bent slightly, lowering himself so his lips brushed near my ear once more.

"I will win the competition," he whispered softly. "No matter what it takes."

A chill ran down my spine.

"You are mine."

The certainty in his tone unsettled more than anything else he had said.

He straightened slowly and pulled away, flashing a sly, almost triumphant smile.

Then he turned.

And walked away.

Leaving standing there.

Stunned.

My mind replayed his words over and over again.

No matter what it takes.

The phrase echoed the loudest.

I remained frozen long after he disappeared down the corridor, my heartbeat still uneven.

Was Darren trying to play dirty?