A Rogue For The Quadruplet Alpha's.

MARIA.

The heavy silence that followed my outburst felt suffocating. I pulled back from Noah’s chest entirely, wiping the hot, bitter tears from my cheeks with the back of my trembling hand.

Both Noah and Damien stood frozen, their bodies tense, their glares locked onto each other with enough venom to poison the entire hall, but I couldn’t care less about their petty rivalry.

My world had just shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, and they were treating my grief like a battleground for their pride.

"Just stop," I whispered, my voice raspy and devoid of any strength, as I looked back and forth between them, feeling an overwhelming exhaustion settle deep into my bones. "Both of you...just leave me alone."

"Maria, listen to me—" Damien stepped forward, his expression softening, but the possessive fire in his eyes remained entirely unextinguished, as he reached out toward my arm, his movement tentative yet demanding. "You don’t have to carry this by yourself, the truth is out now." He paused. "Once we bring Patricia here, everything can finally be resolved. You can claim what is yours, and I can—"

"You can what, Damien?" I cut him off, my voice rising sharply as fresh rage flared through the numb haze in my mind. "You can finally mark me? Is that all this is to you? A grand calculation to get what you want?"

Damien’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "That isn’t fair Maria...and I was just trying to help you find the truth!" he sighed. "I brought the truth!" He added.

"You brought me a nightmare!" I spat, taking a heavy step backward, putting distance between myself and both of them. "You dug up a past that was buried for a reason! Do you have any idea what it feels like to learn that the person who made my life a living hell, the girl who humiliated me, beat me down, and made me feel utterly worthless at the academy, is my own twin sister? My own blood?"

Noah shifted, moving instinctively to place himself between me and Damien. "Maria, come on. Let’s get you away from him. You need to rest."

"Don’t tell me what I need, Noah!" I snapped, turning my glare onto him. He flinched, hurt flickering across his features, but I was too overwhelmed to care. "You’re no better! You keep treating me like I’m fragile, like I’m some prize to be protected and kept away from the world. I don’t need a savior, and I don’t need either of you fighting over me while my entire life is falling apart!"

Beta Torin stepped forward cautiously, holding out his hands in a peacemaking gesture. "My lady, please. The hallway is no place for this. The records are clear, but how you choose to proceed is entirely up to you. No one can force your hand."

I looked at the old Beta, seeing genuine concern in his eyes, but even his presence felt like a reminder of the cruel fate documented on that blood-stained scroll.

The image of the midwife’s written testimony burned in my mind—the storm, the stolen child, the severed tongues, and my mother bleeding to death in the dark. It was too much. It was a monstrous web of deceit that had spun out of control nineteen years ago, and now I was expected to just pick up the pieces and play the dutiful child.

Never! I won’t ever play that pathetic, forgiving role they expect of me.

Patricia might have been manipulated by forces beyond her control, but at the end of the day, she still had a choice. She made her decisions. She could have chosen to be good, or at the very least, she could have chosen not to be a monster.

I immediately turned around and walked away from them, not bothering to offer an explanation or even announce that I was leaving.

I just desperately needed somewhere quiet to breathe. Somewhere I could gather my thoughts without having Noah’s presence pressing against me, because Noah’s chest simply wasn’t quiet anymore.

It was filled with too much conflict, too much protective rage, and far too many unsaid words. Every emotion seemed to clash violently against the next, creating a storm of tension that I could practically feel radiating from him.

And somehow, that turmoil only added to the deafening roar already filling my own head.

I needed a moment where I could finally breathe without feeling overwhelmed by everything I was trying so desperately to understand.

And as for the the quadruplets, they are really selfish—every single one of them. But does Damien seriously think that by getting to the root of everything and unearthing this tragic past, I will just fall into his arms and allow him to mark me?

He is so incredibly delusional!

If anything, this whole nightmare has only pushed me further away. I would gladly reject this mate bond without a second thought. Once everything is laid bare and cleared out, there would be no hindrance left stopping me, after all.

I increased my pace, my boots striking the hard stone floor as I roughly wiped my hot tears away with the back of my hand and continued wandering aimlessly through the winding hallways.

I kept walking into the deeper, unfamiliar wings of the estate, my mind spinning, until I suddenly saw a tall, shadowy figure approaching slowly from the dark end of the hall.

I froze dead in my tracks, my heart leaping into my throat.

But the moment the figure stepped out of the heavy shadows and came into the light, I realized it was Daniel.

I was so sure my face was still an absolute mess, red and stained with bitter tears, but regardless of what I was going through internally, I didn’t want to announce my pathetic weakness to everyone in the world.

I immediately used the long sleeves of my dress to aggressively wipe my face clean, putting up a guarded facade as I forced my feet to move forward, continuing to walk while trying my absolute best to completely ignore Daniel’s presence.

"Maria!" he called out sharply, his eyes locking onto my flustered state as he immediately changed his trajectory and came straight toward me.

"How may I help you?" I asked, keeping my tone as cold and detached as possible without even sparing him a single glance as I tried to brush past him.

"Relax, Maria," he said calmly, stepping directly into my path to block my way. "I know you no longer want to have anything to do with me." He paused, his expression softening as he looked down at me. "I respect your decision, I really do, but can we at least go back to being friends like we used to be?" he asked, reaching out to immediately grab my hands in his, his warm touch causing me to snap my head up and stare straight at him.

His eyes held an overwhelming sense of genuine sincerity, making him look almost entirely harmless, but I actually didn’t think I was ready to play with fire again.

I opened my mouth to speak, preparing to tell him to back off and let me go, but I didn’t get the chance to say a single word before Daniel’s voice echoed softly in my ears.

"Maria!" he called out, his tone dropping as the smooth, persuasive expression on his face was instantly replaced with raw, unscripted concern. "Your eyes..." He paused, his gaze scanning my flushed cheeks and bloodshot eyelids as a dark shadow crossed his features. "...What on earth happened to you?" he questioned.

I remained completely silent, clamping my jaw tight because I certainly wasn’t about to spill my heart out and let him pity me.

"Tell me, Maria, who hurt you?" he asked, his grip on my hands tightening slightly as a protective anger flared in his eyes.

"I will strongly advise you to mind your own business, Daniel!" I said firmly, using all my strength to pull my hands out of his grasp. "I really don’t have time for any of this nonsense right now!" I added without a single second of hesitation, taking a defensive step backward.

"But how can I?" Daniel asked, throwing his hands up in genuine frustration as he took a step toward me. "I really can’t just stand by and do nothing, especially after seeing you like this and knowing you are in so much pain!" he added, his voice laced with desperation.

I rolled my eyes instantly, completely unimpressed by his sudden display of deep affection and heroic concern.

"You, Daniel!" I paused, pointing a stern finger at his chest to keep him in place. "Just focus on your own mess and mind your own life!" I added, letting my tone cut through his persistent attempt to get close to me.

And without sparing him another second or giving him the chance to speak another word, I brushed past his shoulder, left him standing alone in the dark hallway, and kept walking straight down the corridor.

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