Chapter 160

Noah & Hannah

Noah’s POV

Noah sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his body aching from the whole ordeal but his mind racing even faster. The doctors had tended to his wounds, patching up the cuts and bruises he had sustained during the rescue, and his arm was in a sling for now—he had dislocated his shoulder grabbing the side of the cliff.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil he was experiencing.

No matter how hard he tried to relax, his mind couldn’t seem to stop replaying the moment Hannah fell over the edge of the waterfall, the terror that had gripped him as he leaped after her without a second thought. He had come so close to losing her, to losing everything.

“I don’t want things to go back to normal after this,” he thought to his wolf.

His wolf bristled in response. “Which ‘normal’ are you referring to? The normal you had before everything fell apart, or the new normal after she announced her decision to divorce you?”

Noah cringed visibly, his face twisting not from pain, but from mental anguish. “Both.”

It was true; their marriage had been falling apart for some time. Years, even. He didn’t want things to go back to the way they were before, when Hannah was hardly more than a trophy wife. But he also didn’t want to divorce her. Not now, when he had just come so close to losing her for good.

A nurse entered the room, interrupting his thoughts. “Alpha Noah?” she asked. “How are you feeling?”

Noah cut straight to the chase, not even bothering to answer the nurse’s question. “How’s my wife?”

“Luna Hannah is being examined now,” the nurse replied as she checked her clipboard. “We’ll update you as soon as we know more. But you both will need to spend the night here so we can monitor you.”

Cringing again, Noah replied, “Fine.”

The nurse shot him an apologetic look. “If it’s any consolation, you two can share a room if you’d like.”

Before Noah could even think about his reaction, he abruptly said, “I would like that.”

As the nurse left, Noah’s mind wandered back to Hannah. The thought of divorcing her now seemed impossible. How could he let her go after everything they had been through?

But he knew, even though he had saved her life tonight, that Hannah’s mind was made up. She wanted out of their marriage, and nothing he did seemed to change that.

Not that he could blame her, of course. No matter how angry it made him, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was still for the best.

At least she would be safe with Drake if we got divorced, Noah thought bitterly. He had seen how Drake had fought tooth and nail tonight to save Hannah; clearly, he cared immensely for her. If Hannah had to choose someone else, maybe Drake wouldn’t be the worst option.

Although Noah would rather Hannah be with him instead. But if he had no choice…

Suddenly, the sound of a knock on the door pulled Noah from his thoughts. Drake stood in the doorway, looking about as battered as Noah felt.

“May I…?” Drake asked, gesturing to the empty space in front of Noah’s hospital bed.

Noah grit his teeth for a moment, then nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to hate Drake anymore, not after tonight.

“How are you holding up?” Drake asked as he stepped into the room.

Noah sighed. “I’ve been better,” he admitted, then paused, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Listen, Drake... I wanted to thank you. Hannah wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t worked so well together.”

Drake nodded, and Noah swore he could see a look of relief crossing his face. “I’m just glad you’re both alive. And for what it’s worth, I think we make a pretty good team when it counts.”

“Yeah. I suppose we do,” Noah agreed, holding out his hand. Drake took it, shaking firmly.

As they broke apart, Noah caught sight of Zoe standing in the hallway behind Drake. “Drake, would you mind giving us a minute?” Noah asked.

Drake looked confused but nodded, stepping out of the room. Zoe entered, her sparkling red dress looking out of place in the sterile hospital environment.

Noah couldn’t help but think back to how sheepish she had looked at the prospect of shifting and joining them in the fight. Not that he expected her to fight alongside them, but there was just something… off about the way that she had acted tonight.

“Noah, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Zoe said, moving to hug him.

Noah held up a hand, stopping her. “Zoe, I need to ask you something. Was it really the case that you simply forgot where the trailhead was?”

Zoe froze and her eyes widened slightly. “What are you implying, Noah?”

Noah watched her carefully, reading her body language. The slight tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes darted to the side... Something wasn’t right here. But he wasn’t going to press further; not tonight, at least.

“Nothing,” Noah finally said. “I just wanted to thank you for your help tonight.”

Zoe nodded, looking relieved. “Of course. I’m just glad that you’re safe, Noah.”

With that, Zoe turned on her heel and headed for the door. Just as she was about to slip away, Noah cleared his throat and called out, “And Hannah, too? You’re glad that she’s safe?”

Zoe stiffened, her hand on the doorknob. Without turning fully, she muttered, “Yes. I’m glad she’s safe, too.”

And then, Zoe was gone.

…

Hannah’s POV

I winced as the doctor cleaned the last of my scrapes. Aside from some bruises and minor cuts, I had managed to escape relatively unscathed. Physically, at least. Emotionally, I was still reeling from the events of the night.

“Alright, Luna Hannah,” the doctor said, removing her gloves. “You’re looking good, but we need to run a few more tests to be sure.”

I nodded, ready to be done with all of this. But then the doctor continued, “Including a pregnancy test. It’s standard procedure in cases like this.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Is that really necessary?”

The doctor looked at me sympathetically. “I’m afraid so. It’s for legal purposes, in case there are any complications down the line. We have to cover all of our bases.”

I swallowed hard, knowing I couldn’t avoid this. “Alright,” I said quietly.

As I waited for the results, my mind raced. This would be the first official confirmation of my pregnancy. Until now, it hadn’t been set in stone. I knew I was pregnant, of course, but seeing it on paper would make it real in a way it hadn’t been before.

The doctor returned with a smile on her face. “Congratulations, Luna Hannah. The test came back positive. Would you like me to bring your husband in to share the news?”

“No!” I said quickly, perhaps too quickly judging by the doctor’s raised eyebrow. “I mean, no thank you. I’d like to tell him in private.”

The doctor nodded, although she looked a bit confused. “Of course. Well, everything looks good, but I want you to come back in a month for a checkup. We’ll monitor the baby’s progress then.”

As the doctor left, I sat on the edge of the bed, chewing my lip. My hand drifted to my stomach, where our child was growing. Noah’s child. The child he had saved tonight without even knowing it.

I thought about how close I had come to losing everything. How Noah had leaped after me without hesitation, risking his own life to save mine. And now, knowing for certain that I was carrying his child, the weight of his actions hit me even harder.

How could I keep this from him any longer? He deserved to know, especially after what he did for me tonight. But the thought of telling him also made me feel like I might be sick.

I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking deeply. The Moon Goddess had given me a second chance at life, bringing me back from death.

But tonight, Noah had given me a third.