A Rogue For The Quadruplet Alpha's.

Noah.

I was so profoundly glad that Maria had successfully escaped the agonizing grasp of the Lycan Prince.

When I was trapped back there, I had been completely prepared to sacrifice myself if it meant guaranteeing her safety.

As long as the Lycan Prince remained utterly consumed by holding me, never suspecting for a single second that Maria was actively planning her escape right under his nose, I was more than okay with being his hostage. My freedom meant nothing compared to hers.

But luckily for me, fate had intervened. I had been rescued, and now, against all odds, I was finally going to reunite properly with the woman of my life.

I was no fool, of course. I could easily tell that Aidan didn’t truly want me here. The barely concealed disdain radiating off him was palpable, but despite his obvious resentment, I was still genuinely glad he had pulled me out of that hidden compartment.

However, his rescue didn’t mean I was going to back down. It certainly didn’t mean I would ever step aside or leave Maria to him or any of his brothers.

Determined to close the distance between us, I whipped the reins and urged my horse to run faster, pushing the animal until I caught up to Aidan’s swift pace. We rode side by side through the winding trails, the tension between us thick and unspoken.

After hours of relentless riding, the dense forest around us began to swallow the remaining light. It was getting darker by the minute, casting long, ominous shadows across the path, but we dared not stop to rest. We knew the risks of slowing down while the threat of pursuit still lingered behind us.

Then, after what felt like an absolute eternity of hard riding, we finally spotted the rest of our group up ahead. They had pulled off the main trail into a small clearing to take a brief, necessary break from the grueling journey, tending to their exhausted horses and gathering their strength.

The moment my eyes landed on her figure in the dimming light, my heart leaped in my chest. I immediately spurred my horse forward into a fast sprint, only pulling hard on the reins to bring the animal to a sudden halt once I got close enough.

"Maria!" I called out, my voice filled with overwhelming relief as I dismounted from my horse before it had even fully stopped moving.

"Noah!" Maria cried out, her face instantly lighting up with pure, unadulterated shock and joy.

She abandoned everything she was doing and ran straight toward me, throwing herself into my arms. She wrapped her arms around me in a desperate, tight hug, clinging to me as if to prove I was truly standing there in the flesh.

"You annoying fish," she sobbed out happily against my chest, her voice thick with emotion, "why didn’t you show up when you were supposed to?"

I immediately wrapped my arms tightly around her in return, holding her close against my chest as I patted her back softly to soothe her trembling frame.

"Relax, my love," I murmured, my voice coming out smooth and calm in her ear. "Am I not right here now?" I asked with a light, playful grin, trying to ease the heavy tension that had hung over us for so long.

But Maria clearly didn’t take my words as playfully as I had intended. The second the tease left my lips, her composure completely crumbled, and she broke out into quiet, heavy sobs right against my shoulder.

"You are so annoying," she choked out, using that same tender insult again.

She raised her small hands and began hitting my chest softly, her weak strikes carrying no real force—just the raw, overwhelming weight of her relief and fear.

I let her vent for a moment before reaching up to gently catch her wrists, holding her hands securely in mine. Pulling her slightly closer, I tilted her chin upward and locked my lips with hers without a single second of hesitation.

Maria melted into the touch instantly. She responded with the exact same hunger, returning the kiss with intense, breathless urgency as if trying to convince herself that I was truly standing there beside her.

"I missed you," I whispered against her lips, the words disappearing in between our kisses as I pulled her flush against me and deepened the kiss even further, completely drowning out the rest of the world.

"We still have a long way to go," Adrien’s cold, cutting voice suddenly echoed through the clearing, his words slicing cleanly through the quiet moment with unmistakable firmness.

The sharp interruption instantly shattered the intimacy between us.

With obvious reluctance, I slowly pulled away from the kiss, leaving only the smallest distance between us. Maria released a soft, quiet sigh, her cheeks burning with unmistakable warmth.

Unable to meet anyone’s gaze, she leaned forward and rested her forehead heavily against my chest, hiding her deeply blushing face from view as she remained nestled quietly against me.

I raised my gaze to look at Adrien, who was standing a few feet away. He flashed me a dark, deadly glare, his eyes practically burning with silent threats. Beside him, Davian was standing stiffly, his jaw tight as he clenched his white-knuckled fists so hard his knuckles turned pale. Damien, true to his usual nature, remained entirely neutral, his expression unreadable as he watched the scene unfold. Aidan, however, was visibly fuming, a storm of violent anger radiating off him that he didn’t even bother trying to hide.

Their reactions and looks were actually amusing and beautiful. I really wanted to laugh, but I instantly looked right past every single one of them, completely unbothered by their hostility as I had missed my woman desperately, and if I had it my way, I would be doing far more than just kissing her right now—so as far as I was concerned, they could all mind their own damn business.

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