Maria.
Everything felt... wrong.
The air, the voices, the tension, it all pressed against at once, making it hard to breathe. My head spun as I tried to process everything that had just happened. Adrien poison has been cured, that alone should have been enough shock for one day.
But it wasn’t.
He rescued and right after that, he had kissed .
And now...Now he was standing there, his voice sharp, possessive, echoing through the space as he spoke to his brothers like I was sothing to be claid.
"Count out of it." Adrien said. "Because the only person I want is my mate."
What exactly was his plan? Why is he suddenly revealing that I am their mate to others?
"...I don’t want her with anyone else," Adrien added, his tone leaving no room for argunt. "She’s not going to be with anyone else but ."
My heart skipped.
What...?
I blinked, my mind struggling to catch up with reality.
I tried to stand, to say sothing—anything—but my legs betrayed . My body swayed, and for a brief second, I lost my balance.
"Maria!" voices echoed at once.
Hands reached for from different directions, trying to steady .
But the mont their fingers touched , Davian and Adrein, I snapped.
"Don’t touch !" I pushed them away, my voice rising sharply with anger.
The sudden outburst froze everyone.
Silence followed.
They all stared at , confusion written across their faces.
But I didn’t care.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I turned to Adrien, my eyes blazing with frustration and disbelief.
"Adrien, I don’t understand what you’re talking about," I said firmly, each word laced with restrained anger. "Please don’t put in the middle of your... whatever this is. Your ga. Your chaos."
My voice trembled slightly, but I didn’t stop.
"We already know you’re about to get married to Vanessa," I continued, my gaze hard. "So if you’re trying to drag into all this, you’re only bringing trouble into my life."
I took a step back.
"So please," I added coldly, "keep out of it."
There was a pause.
A heavy one.
"...And thank you," I said finally, my tone softening just a fraction, though it still carried distance. "For saving ."
I turned, intending to leave, to escape the suffocating tension but then a weak laugh broke through the silence.
Patricia.
She was still on the ground, her body looking fragile, weakened from earlier. Yet her lips curved into a mocking smile.
"Maria..." she chuckled faintly. "You’re so good at this... acting all innocent." Her eyes glead. "It’s almost enough to make all of them fall for you."
I didn’t respond, I didn’t even look at her.
She wasn’t worth it.
I kept walking.
"STOP!!!"
The command ca sharp and firm.
I paused.
Slowly, I turned back.
Aidan, Damien, and Davian stood there, their gazes fixed on , unreadable yet intense.
"What?" I asked, irritation slipping into my voice. "All of you...right? Of course, it’s all of you. Can you let be?"
I let out a short, humorless breath.
"I’m just one person, arguing or talking against four isn’t fair." I added, my voice quieter now, tired. "So if you’ll excuse ... I need to leave."
"Maria...wait," Adrien called out quickly, stepping forward.
"There are dangerous areas beyond this point, this is the forbidden area," he continued, his voice urgent now. "You could run into sothing you won’t be able to handle..."
I didn’t wait to hear the rest.
I couldn’t.
Before another word could be said, before anyone could try to explain, justify, or make sense of the chaos twisting inside my chest, I turned on my heel and walked away. Fast and determined.
Each step ca quicker than the last, my heartbeat loud in my ears, drowning out everything else. I didn’t look back. I didn’t hesitate.
I ignored it all.
Ignored the tension still hanging in the room.
Ignored the weight of their stares burning into my back.
Ignored him.
Adrien.
He could keep his concern to himself. I didn’t need it. I didn’t want it. Not now. Not after what I had just seen.
My jaw tightened as I pushed forward, my pace almost bordering on a run, like if I slowed down, even for a second everything I was holding in would co crashing down on .
Behind , there was movent, the faint but unmistakable sound of footsteps following .
Adrien.
Of course he was.
But I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop.
Not when my thoughts were spiraling, closing in, suffocating with every passing second. Not when my chest felt too tight, like there wasn’t enough air in the world to steady .
I just needed distance and space.
I turned the corner and froze.
Noah.
He was standing there.
For a mont, everything stilled. The noise in my head faltered, my steps halting completely as my eyes locked onto his.
And the instant he saw , his expression changed.
Concern flashed across his face so quickly, so openly, that it caught off guard.
"Maria?" he called, already moving toward , his voice filled with urgency. "Are you alright? What happened?"
I didn’t answer.
Not imdiately.
Because before I could stop myself, before I could think, or reason, or hold myself back, I found myself moving toward him.
His hands ca up almost instinctively, settling gently on my shoulders, grounding in place. His touch wasn’t forceful, wasn’t overwhelming,just there, warm and steady, as his eyes searched mine with quiet worry.
And for a second, just one second everything else faded.
The anger.
The confusion.
It all blurred at the edges, leaving only this mont, this fragile sense of calm I hadn’t realized I needed.
Until...
"She’s fine." Adrien’s voice cut through sharply, breaking the mont apart like glass.
The tension snapped back instantly as he stepped forward, his presence pressing in.
"Now get your hands off her!"
Noah’s brows furrowed as he looked past , his gaze landing on Adrien.A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Adrien?" he said. "You’re... okay?" he let out a small breath. "That’s great..." then his expression shifted slightly. "But how exactly do you expect to take my hands off my fiancée?"
The shock on Adrein face was visible and I couldn’t help but smile.
"What? How is that possible?" Adrien asked.
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