Chapter 127

Hannah

I settled down on the cushion next to Noah with a soft sigh, tucking my legs underneath myself and casting my eyes over the chaos of papers spread out in front of us. Noah hummed to himself beside me and picked up one of the papers, muttering something before crumpling it up and tossing it into a nearby pile of other papers that had also been discarded.

“Okay, where do you want to start?” I asked, picking up the nearest sheet to me and scanning it quickly.

Noah ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. “Honestly?” he asked with a surprising amount of candor in his tone. “I’m not even sure anymore. It feels like everything’s falling apart at the last minute.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line, but nodded sympathetically. “Okay, um… Let’s just take it one thing at a time, then. What’s the biggest issue right now?”

“The entertainment,” Noah groaned. “Our main act canceled last week, and I haven’t been able to find a decent replacement on such short notice.”

I frowned, thinking for a moment. Sifting through the papers, I found nothing that would help—so, grabbing my phone, I opened Instagram and began to scroll.

Noah shot me a withering glare. “You’re already giving up?” he growled. “It’s been, like, two seconds, Hannah.”

“Have a little faith in me,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively. “I’m looking at some of the local entertainment accounts I follow. Oh… What about the local circus troupe? They could do dances in costume, maybe some acrobatics. It would fit the mood, don’t you think?”

Despite himself, Noah’s green eyes instantly lit up with a mixture of relief and surprise. “That’s... actually a great idea,” he muttered, furrowing his brow as he jotted the information down on a nearby blank sheet. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

I shrugged, feeling a small spark of pride and folding my arms across my chest. “You’re very welcome.”

We spent the next few hours going through the plans, with me offering advice and help wherever I could. Noah seemed surprisingly grateful for the assistance, and I found myself enjoying the collaborative process more than I had initially expected.

As the afternoon wore on, I got hungry, so I brought out some snacks and tea. We munched on cookies as we worked, the atmosphere surprisingly comfortable given our recent… tensions. It was as if, for just a little while, things were ‘normal’—whatever that meant anymore.

“Oh, here’s that damn vendor list,” I said, fishing out the folded paper we had been looking for from beneath a stack. “Have you confirmed all of these?”

Noah nodded, leaning over me to look at the paper. The smell of his cologne momentarily overwhelmed me, but I quashed the instinct to lean closer to him by taking a sip of my tea. “Most of them,” he replied. “There are a few I still need to follow up with.”

I made a note on the paper, then reached for another cookie. My hand brushed against Noah’s as he reached for the same one—the last one on the plate.

“Oh. Sorry,” I said, pulling back. “You can have it.”

There was a pause, but then Noah was shaking his head and leaning back. “No, you take it. I’m… glad to see you eating more lately.”

Something in his tone made me stop. Glancing up, I saw that he had already directed his attention back to the paper in his other hand, but I could see the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

I couldn’t help myself. Maybe the scent of his cologne had gotten to me after all, or maybe I was feeling a little bit evil, or maybe I was feeling… just plain hopeful.

I knew I shouldn’t feel that way, truly. There was nothing to hope for anymore—there was only a tense wait before the inevitable crash.

But, deep down, something stirred in me. And I couldn’t help but act up, even if only a little bit.

“How about we share it?” I suggested, picking up the cookie. I put half of it in my mouth, leaving the other half sticking out, and leaned close to him on my palms. “Bite the other half off,” I mumbled around the cookie.

Noah’s eyes widened slightly, and he leaned back. “No, that’s alright—” he began, only for his voice to die in his throat when he saw the intensity in my gaze.

For a moment, he floundered there, the tips of his ears reddening… But then, finally, he leaned in. Our faces were inches apart as he carefully bit his half of the cookie.

I felt a familiar flutter in my stomach at his proximity; he lingered there for several long moments, carefully biting the treat. A few crumbs fell to the carpet between us, but I hardly noticed.

All I could do was slowly lower my eyelids until his broad form was lost amongst my lashes, and hope—even though I knew I shouldn’t—that…

But it was over just as quickly as it had begun, and there was no way I could go without noticing how he took the utmost care not to let our lips touch. The realization stung more than I expected, especially when he pulled away quickly and ate his cookie without a word, instantly averting his gaze back to the papers.

As we chewed, an awkward silence fell between us. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump forming in my throat and the fact that the sugar now tasted like soot.

It’s almost over, I reminded myself. I shouldn’t be upset; I should be glad that there are no more hard feelings. That our relationship won’t be missed.

“So,” Noah said after a moment, his voice slightly strained. “What are your plans after... you know.”

I tensed, suddenly made wary by the unexpected question. “After the divorce, you mean?”

Noah nodded, not meeting my eyes.

I sighed, picking at a loose thread on my sleeve. “I was thinking of returning to my pack. Might take up my position as female Alpha there.”

There was a tense silence before he cleared his throat. “I see. Is that the only reason?” Noah asked, his tone unreadable. “For the power of being an Alpha?”

I felt a flash of pain at his assumption, and I couldn’t help but wince. “No, of course not. If we didn’t have... issues, I wouldn’t be leaving at all. I gave up my status as female Alpha to be with you, remember?”

Noah’s face reddened slightly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. He remained stiff and silent for several long moments, and during that time, I thought he might not speak again at all.

“I... thank you,” he finally said, then cleared his throat, running his hand through his hair. “For your help today, I mean. But it’s getting late, so I should probably head to bed.”

I nodded stiffly, watching through heavily lidded eyes as he stood up and gathered a few papers from the floor. “Goodnight, Noah,” I said softly.

He paused there in the doorway, glancing back at me with tense shoulders. For a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—regret, maybe? Longing? Or something else? But then it was gone, and he was turning away.

“Night,” he murmured tersely before disappearing down the hallway.

I sat there for a long time after he left, surrounded by the remnants of our day’s work… And I couldn’t help but feel more alone than ever.