Chapter 425: Wife.
Maria.
I was so overwhelmingly happy to see Noah standing right here beside me. In that blissfully surreal moment, I didn’t even mind the fact that I was currently surrounded by the quadruplets; all the lingering fear and anxiety from the wedding vanished, leaving only a desperate desire to simply feel his warmth and know he was real.
I rested my head firmly against Noah’s chest, taking in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. A warm flush spread across my cheeks, and I blushed softly, burying my face into his shirt to hide my expression from the watchful eyes around us.
I slowly lifted my head from his chest, lingering for the briefest moment before finally pulling away completely. Taking a quiet breath, I turned my gaze toward the quadruplets, meeting each of them in turn.
Without saying a single word, they immediately turned away and headed back toward their mounts. Their movements were silent and deliberate, as though nothing more needed to be said. Adrien reached his horse first and effortlessly swung himself up into the saddle. Once settled, he turned his head and cast an expectant glance in my direction, his eyes remaining fixed on me as he quietly waited for me to walk over and ride with him, just as I had done before.
I noticed the look, and I understood exactly what it meant but I deliberately ignored it.
Without the slightest hesitation, I shifted my gaze away as though I had completely misunderstood his silent request, refusing to acknowledge the expectation lingering between us.
Instead, I turned directly toward Noah. Reaching out without a word, I took his hand, accepting the steady support it offered before immediately climbing onto the horse behind him. Once I was seated securely, I slipped both arms tightly around his waist, holding on without loosening my grip.
After everyone had settled onto their respective mounts, we finally departed from the clearing. The horses moved forward together, carrying us straight into the shadow-drenched woods. Their powerful hooves pounded steadily against the ground, kicking up loose dirt along the winding trail as we disappeared beneath the dense canopy.
The air remained thick with an awkward, heavy tension as we rode beneath the dark canopy of trees. After what felt like an eternity of silent travel, Noah finally broke the quiet, his deep voice carrying over the sound of thundering hooves.
"We will be heading back to Moonfall pack," he stated firmly, declaring our destination with absolute certainty.
"What?" Adrien snapped, his head whipping toward us as he pushed his horse to ride alongside ours with equal speed. "We are all heading back to Moonbridge pack."
Noah let out a short, low chuckle, a trace of sharp amusement lacing his tone as he kept his eyes on the path ahead. "And why on earth should we do that?" he countered smoothly. "I am taking my wife back to our own pack."
A sudden heat rushed to my face, and I blushed furiously at the word ’wife’ rolling off his tongue so naturally. My heart fluttered in my chest. He was right—we still had our own wedding ceremony to complete, the bond we had started to build before everything spiraled into chaos.
Why should we go to Moonbridge pack when our home was calling us back?
"She isn’t your wife, Noah!" Davian shouted from the other side, his harsh voice slicing through the cool, rushing night air as he drew his horse closer, refusing to let the claim stand.
"Are you really the one to tell me what I have and do not have in my life?" Noah asked coolly, his voice dripping with smooth defiance as he pulled gently on the reins, motioning his horse to slow down a little and meet their aggressive gazes head-on.
"Look here, Noah, we are talking about Maria’s safety!" Damien’s sharp voices echoed through the night air, cutting through the low rumble of hooves. "The Lycan Prince is a absolute madman."
"And if he managed to take Maria right out from under your nose in the Moonfall Pack once..." Aidan paused, pulling his mount alongside Noah’s with a dark, mocking sneer. "...then he can easily do it again."
Noah’s grip on the leather reins stilled completely. The lighthearted amusement vanished from his posture, replaced by a rigid, dangerous stillness. "I am not incapable of protecting my woman," he paused, his tone dropping an octave into a low, warning rumble. "...So you should all just mind your own damn business."
Adrien let out a soft, dry chuckle, shaking his head with infuriating composure. "This isn’t about capability, Noah..." he said calmly, though the edge in his voice was razor-sharp. "...Because if it was, you would have protected her back then."
"That was a cowardly sneak attack!" Noah yelled, his temper finally snapping as he instinctively reached back with one arm and wrapped it securely around my waist, holding me tightly against him on the moving horse.
"And another sneak attack could happen at any second!" Davian shouted from the other side, leaning over his saddle to glares across at us. "Don’t you get it? Are you really that blind?"
"What now?" Noah snapped back, scoffing loudly in complete disbelief. "Are you all seriously sitting here praying for another sneak attack to happen? Why don’t you just mind your own business and back off?"
"You—" Davian opened his mouth to bark out a fierce retaliation, his face contorting with anger.
But before the words could leave his lips, a heavy, thunderous sound echoed through the trees. The rapid, pounding rhythm of multiple horses sprinting straight toward us vibrated through the ground, growing louder and closer by the second.
’What the hell was that?’ I thought, a sudden spike of icy terror piercing straight through the heat of our argument.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I tilted my head to peer past Noah’s broad shoulders, turning frantically toward the dark path behind us to look into the direction of the approaching sound.