A Rogue For The Quadruplet Alpha's.

Maria.

"Tell me, Maria, who the hell was that?" Vincent asked, his voice low but demanding as he continued pressing forward.

With every step he took toward me, I instinctively took one backward—Once. Twice. Again.

My pulse quickened as the distance between us disappeared little by little.

Until there was nowhere left to go.

My back hit the wall behind me.

The cold surface pressed against my shoulders, instantly reminding me that I was trapped.

"There is no escape, Maria. You just have to tell the truth," Vincent added.

Before I could move away, his hand settled firmly around my waist, keeping me in place.

My breath caught, as he leaned closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Speak," he said firmly. "Or I can make you speak."

The confidence in his voice only irritated me more. And I was more than determined to shift the conversation to anything else, just to make sure I don’t speak.

Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t want Vincent to control what I say.

"I never would have imagined you to act this way, Vincent," I said, unable to hide the irritation and disgust in my tone.

His breath fanned lightly against my chin, making me turn my head away slightly.

For someone who constantly acted calm and reasonable, he was being unbelievably impossible right now.

Vincent chuckled, the sound was rich and entirely too amused for my liking.

"I am easy-going and loving, Maria," he said.

His eyes held mine for a moment before he reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

The gesture was surprisingly gentle, which somehow made it even more annoying.

"You just have to ask to see it."

I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt, and then I immediately tried to push myself away from him but it was pointless.

The man barely moved.

"I heard the Lycan Prince hates dirty work," I said instead, finally deciding to change the subject before he could continue with whatever ridiculous game he was playing. "How did you manage to do those dishes and obediently work with the heads?"

Vincent laughed again. "Oh, come on, Maria. It was easy." he said, his hold tightened just enough to stop me from slipping away. "I did everything for two reasons."

That immediately caught my attention.

Despite myself, curiosity flickered inside me.

I raised an eyebrow.

"And what are they?" I asked.

Vincent’s grin widened instantly, as though he had been waiting for that question all along.

He slowly lifted my chin, forcing me to look directly at him. His eyes sparkled with unmistakable amusement.

"Of course, one reason is to see your pretty face every day, Maria..."

His voice softened slightly at the end, carrying a teasing warmth that made it impossible to tell how much of it was a joke and how much of it he genuinely meant.

And judging by the satisfied look on his face, he clearly enjoyed every second of watching my reaction.

I snorted loudly. "We both know you approached me because of the quadruplets, so quit it," I said, rolling my eyes dramatically.

I tried lowering my chin and breaking the eye contact he was forcing on me, but Vincent refused to let me.

His fingers remained firmly beneath my chin, keeping my face tilted upward.

"I know, Maria," he said calmly.

The lack of embarrassment in his voice only irritated me further.

"But I couldn’t help falling in love with you."

His gaze lingered on me, searching my face so intensely that it almost felt like he was trying to read every thought running through my head.

For a brief moment, his expression softened.

"You can only blame yourself for being this pretty," he added.

Then, finally, he lowered my chin and released it.

The moment he did, I took a small step backward.

"Pathetic," I muttered.

The compliment did absolutely nothing to soften my mood. If anything, it irritated me even more.

His sudden confession, his ridiculous reasoning, his confidence—everything about it made me want to throw something at him.

Instead, I folded my arms across my chest.

"What’s the second reason, you jerk?" I asked.

Vincent immediately clicked his tongue. "Sshhh."

And before I could react, he placed a finger against my lips in an exaggerated attempt to silence me.

"Be careful what you say," he added, his expression far too amused for someone who was supposedly being serious.

I slapped his hand away with an annoyed glare but Vincent only chuckled. Then, to my surprise, he finally stepped away from me completely.

The distance was immediate and noticeable, and he released my waist entirely and casually walked toward the bed, like he owned the place.

Like this was his room and not mine.

Well technically, it wasn’t really mine.

With a smug expression, he sat down comfortably at the edge of the mattress and leaned back slightly.

"The other reason," he said, a slow smirk spreading across his face, "was because I wanted to cause a bloodshed."

The words instantly wiped the irritation from my face and my stomach tightened.

"Haven’t you heard?" he asked.

I frowned.

Heard what?

The confidence on his face made me uneasy.

"I thought you were well informed," Vincent continued, and then he suddenly broke into laughter.

The sound echoed through the room, making the situation feel even more unsettling.

"How come you haven’t heard?" he asked again.

I stared at him.

The amusement in his expression didn’t match the words he was saying—not at all.

A strange feeling settled in my chest—unease, suspicion and concern.

"What exactly have you done, Vincent?" I asked slowly.

This time my voice was far more serious, as my eyes remained fixed on him, carefully studying every change in his expression.

Vincent only continued smirking.

And somehow, that made everything worse.

Whose blood had he shed this time?

The question echoed loudly inside my head as I stood there staring at him, waiting for an answer I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to hear.