Chapter 157

Hannah

The stars twinkled over our heads as Noah and I lay on the roof of mine and my sister’s rental house. The air was warm with a slight breeze, just cool enough to be comfortable inside of Noah’s oversized hoodie.

At fifteen, I felt both young and old, caught between childhood and adulthood. Noah, at seventeen, seemed so much more mature, so much more certain of his place in the world. We had only just met a week prior, and already I looked up to him.

And maybe more than that. I found him to be quite handsome, although I was too shy to say it just yet.

Either way, we had practically spent every minute with each other since that day at the lake. He had showed me and my sister around Nightcrest pack, taking us to all of his favorite spots. While my sister eventually grew tired of the company and went off to do her own thing, Noah and I were inseparable.

“Look!” I whispered, pointing up at a streak of light flashing across the sky. “A shooting star!”

Noah smiled, although I couldn’t help but notice that the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Make a wish,” he said softly.

I turned to look at him, immediately able to sense that something was off. The moonlight cast shadows across his face, highlighting the worry lines that seemed out of place on someone so young.

“What’s wrong, Noah? You’ve been quiet all night.”

Noah shot me a perturbed look. “Nothing. Why?”

I shrugged and rolled to face him fully. Even though we had only just met, we had clicked so easily that I felt as if I had known him for a long time already. “You just seem sad, that’s all,” I said.

He stared at me for a long moment, clearly trying to decide whether to tell me the truth or not. Finally, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You got me,” he admitted with a tiny smile. “It’s... it’s my mom.”

“Is she okay?” I asked, propping myself up on an elbow. The rough shingles of the roof dug into my skin, even through his hoodie, but I barely noticed.

Noah shook his head, his green eyes fixed on the stars above us. “She’s… sick. Really sick. And my dad... he put her in a facility a couple weeks ago.”

My heart sank. “Oh, Noah, I’m so sorry,” I said, sitting up fully now. “What kind of facility? Can you visit her?”

“No,” he said, his voice cracking ever so slightly. “My dad won’t let me. Says it’s for the best, but... she might die soon, Hannah. And I won’t even get to say goodbye.”

I reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. His skin was cool in the night air. He stiffened slightly, casting me a sidelong glance, but didn’t pull away. “You should visit her anyway,” I said.

“I can’t. I just said that.”

“There has to be a way. Can’t you sneak in or something?”

Noah let out a humorless laugh. “It’s not that simple. The place is locked down tight. Security everywhere.”

“But surely they would understand if you explained—”

“Look, I appreciate the thought, but you don’t understand,” Noah cut me off, sitting up abruptly. “My dad… he’s not just my dad. He’s important. Powerful. When he says no, it means no. End of story.”

I sighed, wrapping my arms around my knees. “That’s not fair. She’s your mom. You have a right to see her.”

Noah’s shoulders slumped. “Try telling him that.”

We sat in silence for a moment, watching as more meteors streaked across the sky. Finally, I spoke up again. “What if... what if I helped you see her?”

Noah turned to look at me with confusion written across his face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if we snuck in together? Two heads are better than one, right?”

“Hannah, no. It’s too dangerous. If we got caught—”

“So we’ll be extra careful not to get caught,” I said, a plan already forming in my mind. I stood, holding my hand out to him. “Come on, Noah. Don’t you want to see her one last time?”

…

As the memory faded, I found myself back in the present, staring at Jake as he hung up the phone. The rushing waterfall practically drowned out my thoughts, the constant droning serving as a reminder that soon, whether Noah sent the money or not, I would wind up falling down that very waterfall and being impaled on the rocks below.

“Well done,” Jake sneered as he pocketed the burner phone. “Your husband seems willing to pay. Now we just have to wait.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry from fear and thirst. “So, what now? Will you kill me now?” I muttered.

Jake laughed, the sound echoing off the rocks around us. “Not yet, sweetheart. We need you alive for the next call. But after that…” He drew a finger across his throat, his eyes glinting with malice.

I felt sick, my stomach churning. Thirty minutes. That was all the time I had left in this second chance at life. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t give me and my baby a third chance.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I said suddenly, feeling like I might throw up from the fear.

Jake eyed me suspiciously for a few moments, then nodded to one of his men. “Take her. And watch her closely. No funny business.”

The guard roughly pulled me to my feet, his grip painfully tight on my arm. As he led me toward a cluster of trees, I scanned the forest, looking for any sign of... what? Hope? Escape?

The woods were dark and dense, shadows dancing between the trees in the moonlight. Even in the distance, I could still hear the roar of the waterfall, although now it was mixed with the sound of owls hooting and leaves rustling.

“Hurry up,” the guard growled, shoving me forward so roughly that I almost fell. “And don’t try anything stupid.”

I stumbled, pretending to squat behind a nearby bush. In reality, I was focusing on my senses, trying to awaken my wolf. To my surprise, I felt a stirring inside of me, a faint echo of my power returning.

I could shift and run, I thought to myself, my eyes sharpening as I scanned the forest.

But even if I could shift, I knew I wouldn’t get far. My head was still fuzzy from the chloroform, and my body ached from the beating I’d taken. Besides, it had been years since I had fully transformed into my wolf form. I wasn’t sure I could do it quickly enough to escape.

As I pretended to finish, a breeze rustled through the trees, carrying with it the scents of the forest—pine, damp earth…

And something else. Something familiar.

My heart skipped a beat, my head jerking up as I realized what it was. Noah.

He was close.

“Time’s up,” the guard barked, circling back around the bush and yanking me back to my feet.

“Hey!” I sputtered, struggling against his grip. “I still could have been peeing, creep.”

“But you weren’t. Now move,” he growled, shoving me forward.

As we walked back to the group, I had to fight to keep a small smile off my face. Maybe, just maybe, Noah was coming for me after all.

Jake looked up as we approached, his eyes narrowing. “Everything good?”

The guard nodded. “No problems.”

I settled back onto the hard ground, my mind racing. Noah was close, I was sure of it. But how close? And would he be able to find us in time?

“Twenty minutes until the next call,” Jake announced, checking his watch. “And then…” He whistled, pointing over the edge of the waterfall in an exaggerated manner before making a soft explosion noise.

I bit my lip, trying to keep my expression neutral. Yeah, right, I thought to myself.

We’d see who would really be going over that cliff tonight.