Davian.
My steps slowed the instant the scene registered fully in my mind.They were too close to her and it was too familiar.
I watched, rooted to the spot, as my brothers took turns leaning in, their attention wholly fixed on the rogue between them. The sight sent a sharp twist through my chest, something between disbelief and anger tightening its grip. Hunger was written plainly in their actions, in the way their focus narrowed to her alone, as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist.
How could they be so easily betwitched by that rogue? I asked my wolf silently, bitterness bleeding into the thought.
He did not answer immediately, and the silence felt louder than words.
Vanessa's fingers tightened around my arm as she clung to me, drawing closer as if seeking shelter. Then her voice rang out across the garden, soft but unmistakable, cutting through the charged tension.
"Aidan, Adrien, Damien! What's going on here?"
The words trembled at the edges.
I had moved too slowly. I had intended to shield her from it, to spare her the sight before it could take root in her heart. But I was already too late. I felt it in the subtle hitch of her breath, in the way her voice fractured despite her attempt to sound composed. Pain seeped into the air, heavy and unmistakable.
She had seen enough.
We had sworn vows once, silent ones, made in shared looks and unspoken promises. We had vowed to be mated to Vanessa, to protect her, to stand beside her no matter what the Moon chose for us. She had always been there, constant and unwavering, a presence that felt as natural as breathing.
And then everything changed.
The discovery of our mate shattered what we thought was unbreakable, scattering our certainty like dust in the wind. Even now, I struggled to accept it. I couldn't reconcile the truth with what I felt. Vanessa had been our smile, our light, how could the Moon be so cruel as to deny her that bond?
I pulled her fully into my arms, wrapping her close. My hand moved gently along her back, slow and deliberate, grounding both of us. I needed her to feel steady, needed her to know she wasn't alone at this moment.
"Allow me to handle this," I murmured calmly, keeping my voice low and controlled for her sake.
Only after she nodded did I lift my gaze again, this time toward Maria.
My expression hardened.
She stood there at the center of it all, quiet, unassuming, yet somehow powerful enough to unsettle everything we had built. I felt a surge of cold certainty settle in my chest. She was the disruption. The fracture. The wedge slowly being driven between brothers who had never turned on one another before.
She was here to split us apart.
The incident with Anabel had already planted the seed of doubt, and now this, this only confirmed it. Whether by intention or mere existence, she was turning us against each other, unraveling bonds forged long before she ever stepped into our territory.
And I would not allow it.
I stepped forward before anyone could stop me.
My hand moved on instinct, fueled by rage I no longer bothered to restrain. My palm connected with her cheek in a sharp, resounding strike that cracked through the garden like a gunshot. The sound echoed, loud and unforgiving, startling even me for a split second.
"Why are you seducing my brothers?" I demanded.
My voice was low, dangerous, vibrating with barely contained fury. I glared down at her, expecting defiance, excuses, anything. Instead, she just stared back at me, wide-eyed, as though she were somewhere else entirely.
That silence ignited something ugly inside me.
I hated it. Hated when I asked a question and was met with nothing. Silence felt like mockery. Like guilt wearing a mask.
Before she could gather herself, my hand came down again.
The slap landed harder this time. Her already swollen lips split open completely, blood spilling freely as her head snapped to the side. The sight did nothing to cool my temper. If anything, it fed it.
"Don't keep me quiet!" I roared. "Answer me!"
She trembled where she stood, shoulders shaking, breath coming out in short, broken gasps. When she finally spoke, her voice barely held together.
"I didn't…" she began, the words catching in her throat. "I didn't, ask Alpha Aidan. He initiated the first k…kis…kiss…"
The way she stuttered grated on my nerves. Each broken syllable felt like an attempt to twist the truth, to shift blame away from herself.
"Shut your mouth, you demoness!" Aidan shouted suddenly.
The force of his voice rang through the garden, sharp and defensive.
And that was all the confirmation I needed.
If he were innocent, he wouldn't have reacted like that. His outburst only proved how deeply he had been drawn in, how far her influence had already reached. My jaw clenched as realization settled heavily in my chest.
Aidan didn't look at her again.
Instead, he turned sharply and headed straight toward Vanessa, his steps quick, almost desperate. Damien and Adrien followed immediately, flanking him without hesitation, as though escaping the scene—or the truth—was their priority.
I didn't move.
My gaze stayed locked on Maria.
She stood there, bloodied and shaking, yet something about her still infuriated me beyond reason. My hands curled into fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms as violent thoughts clawed their way to the surface. Every instinct screamed at me to tear her apart, to erase the threat she posed before she could do more damage.
She had already sown discord where there had been unity.
Already fractured what we had sworn would never break.
I kept staring at her, chest heaving, fighting the urge to act on the fury roaring through my veins, because if I didn't, I knew I wouldn't stop.
I turned away fully and moved to catch up with my brothers but from the look of things, Vanessa had already left angrily and I had no choice than to chase after her with my brothers.