Maria.
I slipped into my room quietly, my body begging for even a mont of rest. The door closed behind with a soft click, and only then did I allow myself to breathe properly. As my eyes drifted around the room, a strange detail caught my attention almost imdiately, the other bed was untouched.
Galen’s bed was nearly as neat as it had been earlier, the sheets barely disturbed, the pillow uncreased. She hadn’t slept here.
The realization settled slowly. It was surprising... and yet, not entirely. Galen had been acting strange for days now, coming in late, leaving early, her eyes always guarded, her movents tense. Still, seeing the physical proof of her absence made sothing uneasy twist in my chest.
I didn’t have the strength to dwell on it.
I lowered myself onto my own bed and rested my head against the thin pillow, my eyes closing almost instantly. My body ached in places I didn’t want to think about, my limbs heavy, my cheek still tender and slightly swollen, my heart exhausted from carrying too much fear for too long. I told myself I would only rest for a few minutes. Just enough to gather myself.
It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes when a knock echoed against the door.
My eyes flew open.
For a brief, foolish second, I thought it might be Galen. That hope vanished the mont I pushed myself upright and opened the door to see a guard standing there instead.
Panic crawled up my spine.
A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind all at once. Had I missed a duty? Breakfast—there was still breakfast to serve the guest Alphas. The gathering preparations were ongoing. I wasn’t supposed to be resting. My body throbbed in protest, my head pulsing dully, but none of that mattered here. Rest was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
I swallowed hard, bracing myself.
Before I could speak, the guard straightened and delivered his ssage in
a flat, practiced tone.
"Rogue 456, Alpha Aidan has ordered for you to serve him personally at the Alpha’s gathering this evening. You are also to be in his room two hours before the gathering comnces."
The words landed heavily, one after the other, each one tightening sothing around my chest.
Personally.
His room.
Two hours before.
I didn’t trust my voice to respond, so I simply nodded, a small, stiff motion to show I had heard and understood. The guard didn’t linger. He turned and walked away as if he hadn’t just altered the course of my evening, perhaps more than that.
The door closed.
My legs gave out.
I sank slowly to the floor, my back against the door, my breath uneven as the reality of the command settled in. The Alpha’s gathering. The very gathering ant to celebrate their engagent with Vanessa. The thought alone made my stomach churn.
Why would he want there?
Why would Alpha Aidan summon to his room on a night like that?
A cold shiver slid down my spine, my arms tightening around myself as if that could shield from what was coming. My mind raced through every possible reason, every possible outco, none of them comforting. His room wasn’t a place of safety. It never had been.
I lowered my head, staring blankly at the floor as dread wrapped itself around my heart. Tonight wasn’t going to be simple. It wasn’t going to be quiet.
And whatever awaited behind that door later, I already knew one thing for certain, I was afraid.
I gathered myself together, forcing my thoughts into order, and went to have my bath. The warm water soothed my aching body, easing the stiffness in my limbs, though it did little to calm the restlessness churning inside . When I was done, I dressed quickly and headed straight to the kitchen. No matter how heavy my body felt, duty waited for no one. It was ti to serve breakfast.
The kitchen was already alive with quiet movent and clinking dishes. I pushed my trolley forward, the wheels creaking softly as I collected Darren’s al first, then Noah’s, arranging everything neatly the way it was expected of . My hands moved on instinct, my mind drifting even as my body rembered every step of this routine.
With the trolley before , I left the kitchen and made my way down the corridor. Darren’s room was closer, so I went there first. I knocked lightly on the door, waited, then knocked again. There was no response. Thinking they weren’t inside, I pushed the door open and stepped in.
The sight that greeted made freeze for a brief second.
Darren and Patricia were tangled together on the bed, bare skin against bare skin, limbs entwined without sha or care. The room slled faintly of sleep and intimacy. I imdiately averted my gaze, my eyes snapping away as heat crept up my neck. I hadn’t ant to see that. I never wanted to see that.
Yet in that split second before I looked away, I caught Darren’s expression. His eyes were wide, his face caught in that awkward mask that scread it’s not what you think, as though any explanation could undo what was already obvious.
I scoffed inwardly. There was nothing to misunderstand.
Without a word, I moved forward, placed their food carefully on the table by the wall, and turned around. I didn’t wait for apologies or excuses. I wasn’t in the mood for drama, and I certainly didn’t have the energy to play witness to anyone’s guilt or embarrassnt. All I wanted was to finish my duties and rest.
I left the room quietly and pushed my trolley down the corridor again, stopping in front of Noah’s door. I knocked once.
The door opened imdiately, as if he had been standing right behind it, waiting. He looked at with a calm expression that made my chest tighten. What had happened in the early hours of that morning lingered between us like an unspoken secret, heavy and uncomfortable. It was sothing I had no intention of talking about.
And as though he could hear my thoughts, Noah’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.
"Thank you, Maria. Please, co in," he said, stepping aside and gesturing with his hand.
I hesitated for only a heartbeat before entering. I wheeled the trolley in, placed his al neatly on the table, and turned to leave imdiately. I had done my job. There was no reason to linger.
"Maria," he called.
My na stopped in my tracks.
I stood there, torn between opening the door and walking out or turning around to face him. My heart pounded as I weighed my options. Leaving felt safer. Staying felt dangerous. After a mont that stretched far too long, I slowly turned back.
Noah was suddenly close—too close.
He was only a few inches away, so near that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin. Instinctively, I took a step back. He followed, closing the distance again. My pulse raced as I took another step, and once more, he matched it, never breaking eye contact.
Step by step, he advanced and I retreated, until my back hit the door with a soft thud. There was nowhere else to go. My hands curled at my sides, my breath shallow, my senses painfully aware of how close he was.
The room felt smaller, the air thicker. I was trapped between the door and his presence, my heart hamring as I waited, uncertain of what he would do next, and even more uncertain of how I would react.
From the look on his face, I knew he wasn’t himself anymore. The calm composure he usually carried had shattered, replaced by sothing raw and unrestrained. His jaw was tight, his eyes darker, stormier. I noticed the way his fists clenched at his sides, fingers curling into his palms as though he was trying to hold himself back, fighting sothing deep within him—an urge, an obsession, a battle he was clearly losing.
He took a sharp breath, and before I could fully understand what was happening, his hands were on . He grabbed my waist firmly, pulling closer to him, leaving no space between our bodies. The strength behind his grip wasn’t entirely his own; I could feel it, his wolf lending him power. In a swift, almost dizzying movent, I was laid flat on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath my weight as he lood over .
My heart began to pound so loudly I was certain he could hear it. Each beat echoed in my ears, wild and frantic. I lay there, frozen, still caught in his gaze, searching his eyes desperately, hoping to find sothing familiar, regret, restraint, affection, anything that would tell what he was feeling.
But I couldn’t.
There was nothing I could read there, no emotion I could na, only intensity that left breathless.
In the next still second, he claid my lips. The kiss was sudden and hungry, stealing the air from my lungs. Shock overwheld , my senses reeling as his mouth pressed against mine, warm and insistent. I could taste him, feel the urgency behind the kiss, and it sent a strange tremor through my body.
Sowhere between the press of his lips and the way his breath mingled with mine, I heard him murmur, almost like a plea, "Forgive , Maria." And then the kiss deepened.
He devoured my lips with an unrestrained hunger, as though he was afraid to stop, as though stopping would break him. His mouth moved against mine with desperate intensity, seeking more, demanding more. His fingers traced slowly along my thigh, the touch deliberate, sending shivers up my spine.
I wanted to resist. I truly did. I wanted to push him away, to tell him no, to remind both of us of the line we were crossing. My lips parted, the word hovering on the edge of my tongue.
But then a foolish thought crept into my mind, soft and dangerous.
I would rather give myself to soone who loves than to soone who doesn’t.
That thought unraveled what little resistance I had left.
I let go. I released myself to the mont and allowed him to devour my lips. I kissed him back, tentatively at first, then with growing urgency. I surprised myself, shocked by how naturally my body responded, how easily desire took control. Passion clouded my senses, drowning out reason, and for those few seconds, I truly surrendered to him.
Then, just as suddenly, it ended.
He pulled away abruptly, breathless and panting, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He stared at for a fleeting mont before straightening, stepping back as though burned by his own actions. He stood up imdiately, running a hand through his hair, his expression now filled with turmoil.
"I am sorry, Maria. I shouldn’t have done that. Please don’t hate ," he said, his voice low and strained.
And before I could respond, before I could even gather my thoughts, he turned and left the room in a hurry, the door closing behind him.
My heart ached, heavy and confused. I remained there on the bed, unmoving, staring at nothing, completely lost.
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