Chapter 370: Just say it!
Adrein.
The moment I finally got rid of the annoying and overly persistent Vanessa, I felt a wave of relief wash through me.
At least for now, she was no longer standing in my way.
The hallway stretched before me in complete silence. It was empty, almost eerily so, with nothing but the faint sound of my own footsteps echoing against the walls.
Without wasting another second, I immediately decided to go after Maria.
I didn’t care how awkward the situation was anymore. I didn’t care how upset she might be.
I simply couldn’t let her walk away like that.
My pace quickened as I hurried down the corridor, my eyes searching desperately for any sign of her.
Luckily, just as I was about to lose hope, I spotted her figure ahead.
My heart instantly leapt.
Before I could call out to her, she pushed open a door and disappeared inside a room.
Without hesitation, I followed after her.
The moment I stepped inside, I expected many things, anger, accusations or perhaps even tears— I was still her mate after all.
But I never expected her words. They caught me completely off guard, and for a brief moment, I could only stare at her.
I couldn’t believe it.
Maria was jealous.
The realization hit me harder than I expected.
Strangely, it made me happ and a foolish smile almost threatened to form on my lips, because jealousy meant she cared.
It meant I still mattered to her.
But alongside that happiness came a sharp feeling of guilt. I hated the fact that she had witnessed something like that.
I hated that she had been hurt because of a misunderstanding.
That was why I made that promise, not because I felt obligated to and not because I was trying to escape trouble but because I genuinely meant every single word.
It was a promise I fully intended to keep, no matter what happened and no matter how difficult things became.
I wasn’t letting her go.
I would never give up on what we had.
I would never stop fighting for our bond.
For our love.
The only thing I needed from her was trust.
My gaze remained fixed on her face, more specifically on her eyes, searching, hoping and waiting—desperately waiting for some kind of reaction.
Any reaction—a reply or a change in expression.
But Maria remained silent.
And the silence made it impossible to know what she was thinking.
I couldn’t read her, and I couldn’t understand what was going through her mind.
The uncertainty slowly began to gnaw at me.
Eventually, I released a slow breath and looked away first. Unable to endure the silence any longer, I lowered myself onto the edge of the bed.
Part of me expected Maria to do the same—to stay, to talk, to give me a chance.
Instead, she simply turned around and headed for the door.
My eyes widened.
She was leaving.
I hadn’t even gotten a proper look at her face yet, and she was already trying to walk away.
No.
Absolutely not.
I wasn’t going to allow that.
Reacting instantly, I pushed myself off the bed and closed the distance between us in a few quick strides.
Before she could reach the door, I wrapped a hand around her arm from behind, stopping her in her tracks.
"Stop right there, baby!" I declared firmly, as my grip tightened slightly as I stared at her back. "You really cannot be planning to leave the room right now, right?" I asked, determination clear in my voice. "Because if that’s what you’re thinking, then you’re completely wrong."
I expected Maria to argue, to snap at me or maybe even shove me away.
Instead, she slowly turned around and rolled her eyes so dramatically that I almost laughed despite the tension between us.
"Did your eyes stop functioning?" she asked, her voice dripping with irritation.
The sarcastic remark should have annoyed me.
Under normal circumstances, it probably would have.
But right then, all I could focus on was the distance she kept trying to place between us.
And frankly, I was getting fed up with it—fed up with the avoidance, fed up with the walls she kept building and fed up with pretending that neither of us felt the pull between us.
Before she could say another word, my hand moved on its own. I reached up and removed the golden mask covering her face.
The mask slipped away effortlessly.
My breath caught instantly.
For a moment, I simply stared.
It felt like I was seeing her for the first time after years apart.
Her golden eyes seemed even brighter than I remembered, glowing with emotions she stubbornly refused to voice aloud.
Every expression on her face pulled at me.
And before I could stop myself, my gaze dropped to her lips. The very lips I had missed far more than I cared to admit.
The sight alone shattered whatever self-control I had left.
Before she could react, before she could take another step away from me, I closed the distance between us.
My hand found her waist, and the other settled against her cheek, as I instantly claimed those lips without hesitation.
The action was impulsiv, desperate and possessive, like a man who had been wandering through a desert for months and had finally found water.
Every emotion I had been suppressing crashed into that single moment.
"I miss you, Maria," I murmured against her lips.
The confession escaped before I could stop it. It was raw, honest and painfully sincerely.
I leaned closer, trying to hold onto the moment for just a little longer, while trying to make her understand everything I couldn’t properly put into words.
But instead of melting into the embrace, Maria immediately resisted.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, as her palms pressed against my chest as she tried to create distance between us. "Let go of me!"
Yet my arms instinctively tightened around her waist, not enough to hurt her but just enough to stop her from escaping.
The reaction confused me.
Because despite her words, I could feel the tension radiating from her. Could feel the connection that existed between us.
The undeniable bond that neither of us could erase.
Why was she fighting it?
Why was she acting as though she felt nothing?
I was her mate.
That truth hadn’t changed, and nothing could change it.
"Just say the word, Maria," I muttered, my forehead nearly touching hers, as my voice had grown rough with emotion. "I am ready to give you all of myself." I added, as every word came straight from my heart, without hesitation and without fear.
"Just say you need me," I continued softly. "And I’ll do everything I can to make things right, and make you feel better."
The intensity of my emotions overwhelmed me. Every second she remained in my arms pushed my wolf closer to the edge.
"Just say it," I declared again, my voice low and strained.
My gaze remained locked on hers as my wolf struggled to maintain what little control it had left.
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