Chapter 120

Hannah

I burst out into the cool morning air, gasping for breath and clutching my stomach. The image of Drake and Noah pounding each other into a pulp was seared into my mind, both terrifying and sickening all at once.

All I wanted was to learn how to fight again—how to protect myself and my baby, how to prepare for when I would be a single mom and a female Alpha.

But thanks to a couple of Alpha males, I couldn’t even do that. They just had to make today about them, and they had to nearly kill each other in the process.

My car was waiting down the street, but I couldn’t drive right now, and I had left all of my stuff inside. All I could manage to do instead was find a nearby bench and sink onto it, holding my face in my hands and pressing my knuckles into my eyes so I wouldn’t cry.

Goddess, even my shirt was soaked all the way through. I hadn’t even realized how the water splashed all over me in my frenzy to make them stop. There were a couple of small blood splatters on my top, too, although I didn’t know who they came from.

And all for what? So Noah and Drake could finally have their long-awaited pissing contest and duke it out in the ring?

As I sat there, my shoulders shaking with barely-contained sobs, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. I jerked my head up, baring my fangs, to see Drake approaching. Noah was a few paces behind him, and both of them were holding ice packs to their bloodied and swollen faces.

“Fuck off,” I growled, baring my fangs. “I don’t want to see either of you.”

They both paused a few paces away. Drake shifted nervously from foot to foot and Noah remained stoic, staring blankly at the ground in front of him. Much to my chagrin, neither of them moved to leave me alone despite my order.

With a huff, I rose from the bench and went to brush past them. But before I could do that, Noah stepped in the way.

My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him. His eye was swollen, his lip black and blue, his shirt soaked with water and blood. He looked like death as he stared down at me from behind his ice pack.

But he didn’t move out of the way, not even when I pulled my upper lip back to reveal my fangs again—my fangs, which hadn’t retracted since all of this had started.

For a moment, he just blinked at me silently, his stance unwavering. His lips were pressed into a downward line, one corner twitching slightly with unspoken words.

And it was in that moment that I felt myself soften. My fangs involuntarily retreated, my eyes wandering his face. I felt my heart stutter a bit in my chest at the sight of him. I wanted nothing more than to pull him into my arms and take care of him.

But before I could even say anything, Drake was the first one to break the silence.

“I’m sorry, Hannah. This is my fault.”

I whipped my head around to face Drake, who looked even worse than Noah did. His shirt was torn, his hair a disaster and his face covered in blood and bruises. I knew he would heal quickly, just as Noah would, but it still made my knees feel like jelly just looking at him.

“It’s both of your faults,” I growled in response.

Drake sighed and cast a glance over at Noah, who remained silent. “Well…” Drake shrugged. “I’m sorry. Really.”

I looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment and felt my shoulders slump. I felt like a schoolmarm scolding two unruly kids, not two adult men.

“You know I’m inclined not to pick either of you as my sparring partner,” I chided.

Noah grit his teeth and looked away. “Wouldn’t blame you.”

“But…” I sighed, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “You’re both good fighters. I need a good fighter to train me.”

Drake quirked an eyebrow at me. “You’re going to let me train you?”

“I’m going to let both of you train me,” I replied coldly, turning on my heel to make my way back to the training center. “Separately, because you’re clearly both too childish to work together.” With that, I brushed past them and stormed off.

As we stepped back into the training center, Noah grumbled, “What changed your mind?”

I paused in the midst of gathering my things and stuffing them into my bag. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure—that little display was both sickening and infuriating. But it also spoke to their fighting abilities and their passion.

“Just… accept it and shut up,” I finally growled, zipping my bag forcefully and throwing it over my shoulder. “And if either of you fuck up again, I’m calling a real trainer.”

Noah and Drake exchanged glances and paused a moment before they both nodded. But I wasn’t satisfied.

“I expect you two to apologize to one another before I do anything, though.”

There was a weighty silence after that. Both Noah and Drake stiffened, the hairs on the backs of their necks raising. I could see Noah’s nostrils flare, hear Drake intake a sharp breath through his teeth.

“I mean it,” I growled, letting my fangs show just ever so slightly one last time.

Drake was the first to move. He turned toward Noah and thrust his hand out, dropping his ice pack to his side to reveal his full, bruised face. “I’m sorry, man,” he said quietly. “That was too far.”

Noah remained stiff, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Drake’s hand and face. For a moment, I thought he might turn and storm off; but he didn’t.

To my surprise, he shook Drake’s hand. “I’m sorry, too. And…” He paused, clenching his jaw and looking away. “You’re a good fighter. I’ll give you that.”

Drake chuckled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Good,” I huffed, brushing past them again. “Now put it behind you or next time, I’ll be the one to pummel both of you.”

Without another word or even a look back, I stormed off toward the door—although, I was glad to hide the tiny smile that was tugging at my lips. Maybe that apology, especially from Noah, was some kind of progress. I couldn’t be sure.

Before I could reach the door, though, I heard the sound of footsteps pounding after me. Drake skidded to a stop in front of me, dipping his head.

“I have to ask you something,” he said quietly, his voice hardly more than a whisper. “About compensation…”

I frowned, taken aback, and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. “You want me to pay you?” I asked incredulously. “What, are you strapped for cash or something?”

Drake shook his head quickly and lowered his voice even further, glancing up at Noah—who was busy rinsing his face at the sink—as he did. “No, nothing like that. It’s just… I was wondering, if I train you, if you could help me with Zoe again?”

My lips pursed of their own accord. “Zoe…”

“All I ask is for one last date,” he said. “If you can help me set up a date with her, I’ll train you. And I won’t do anything like this again.” He gestured to the blood on his shirt.

I paused for a little while, unsure of how to respond; Zoe didn’t seem interested in him, and frankly, I wasn’t interested in anything to do with her anymore. But despite how I felt, Drake had become a friend to me—and he looked too desperate for me to say no.

And then my gaze fell on Noah in the background, where he was splashing water over his face, and I felt myself soften even further for reasons I didn’t want to admit; and I thought that maybe, just maybe, if I could get Zoe away from him, then…

I shouldn’t have considered it, but I did. Because I saw a part of Noah that day, a part of him that would fight for me. A part of him that might actually… care.

Shoving past Drake, I bit out, “Fine. But this is the last time.”