Chapter 180

Hannah

“Then prove it,” Leonard hissed, taking a step closer to me. “Take the serum.”

I was up against the wall now, my claws and fangs extended, but fear stopped me from moving. Before I could even react, Leonard was suddenly lunging forward, grabbing a fistful of my hair.

I stifled a cry of pain as he yanked my head back, bringing the vial to my lips. The cool glass pressed against my mouth, and I clenched my teeth, refusing to open.

“Stop fighting,” Leonard whispered, his breath hot against my ear. “Just drink it!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. The fear for my baby overwhelmed me in those moments, and I knew I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“I’m pregnant, Leonard” I blurted out. “I can’t take that serum!”

Leonard froze, his eyes widening in shock. His grip on my hair loosened slightly, but the vial remained pressed against my lips.

Suddenly, the door flung open with a thunderous bang, falling from its hinges and hitting the floor with a splintering crash. Noah stood in the doorway, his eyes blazing with fury, his chest heaving. A crushed bouquet of roses sat forgotten behind him.

“You’re pregnant?!” he roared.

Caught in the act, Leonard dropped the vial, the glass shattering on the floor. He mumbled something unintelligible and quickly slipped past Noah, practically running down the hallway. Neither Noah nor I paid him any attention, too focused on each other to notice his escape.

My heart raced as I stared at Noah, terrified of his reaction. For several long moments that felt like an eternity, we just looked at each other in silence, both stunned.

“Is it true?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Noah, I—”

“Don’t lie to me, Hannah,” he cut me off, taking a step forward. “Are you really…” His eyes flicked to my belly. “...Pregnant?”

For a moment, I almost considered saying that I wasn’t—that it had just been a lie to keep Leonard from forcing that serum down my throat. But I knew that it would have been a futile effort, because Noah would be able to see through my mask. There was no more hiding it.

So, I nodded slowly, hot tears welling up in my eyes. “Yes,” was all I could manage to whisper.

Noah’s face flickered through a range of emotions, each one more obvious than the last—surprise, anger, betrayal, and something that looked almost like hope, but he finally seemed to settle on betrayal in the end.

“How long have you known?” His voice was hardly more than a whisper, which was somehow even more terrifying than if he had yelled.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction. “About three months,” I admitted, my throat raw. “Although I had it confirmed at the hospital after Jake…” I shook my head, unable to say the words. “I’m supposed to go for my first check-up tomorrow morning.”

Noah’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Three months?” he growled. “You’ve known for three months, and you have a fucking appointment tomorrow, and you didn’t tell me?”

I flinched at the venom in his voice. “I was… scared,” I said softly.

“Scared?” Noah scoffed. “Of what? Me?”

I nodded, unable to meet his gaze. “I was afraid you would try to take the baby in the divorce.”

“Fuck, Hannah,” Noah growled, clutching his hair—two words that he had muttered so sensuously when we had slept together, but now… “That’s why... So that’s why you specified that you wanted to take any Nightcrest members with you when you left.”

All I could do was nod, too frozen to speak. Still pressed up against the wall, I felt my fingernails dig into my palms.

Noah’s face darkened with rage. “You were going to steal my child from me?” he snarled, closing the remaining distance between us. “After everything we’ve been through, after all the years we’ve tried for a baby, you were just going to run away with my heir?”

I felt a surge of anger at his words, which momentarily blotted out my fear. “Your heir?” I spat. “Is that all this baby is to you? An heir?”

“You know how important this is to me, to the pack!” Noah shouted. “We’ve been trying for years, Hannah. Years! And you were going to keep this from me?”

Noah was inches away from me now, so close I could feel his hot breath on my skin. But I stood my ground, my own voice rising to match his. “I was protecting my child!”

“From what?” Noah demanded. “From having a father? From growing up in their rightful pack?”

“From being treated like nothing more than a pawn in your political games!” I shot back.

Noah’s eyes flashed dangerously. Wordlessly, he whirled, slamming his fist on the desk, and I flinched. For a moment, I just watched as his shoulders trembled, soft growls rumbling in the back of his throat. I had never seen him this furious, not even when I had initially announced my intent to divorce him.

Then, whirling back to face me, he grabbed my wrist—gently, but firmly enough so that I couldn’t pull away. “We’re done talking,” he growled.

With that, he practically dragged me out of the office and down the hallway, his grip tight around my wrist. Too stunned to fight back, I stumbled along behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides.

“Where are you taking me?” I snarled, yanking viciously at his arm.

But he ignored me, continuing to pull me along until we reached my bedroom. Flinging the door open, he gestured for me to enter.

“Go,” he said, his voice low.

“Why?”

His face was a mask of cold fury as he crowded me through the doorway, blocking the exit with his broad shoulders. “I’ll be back later. And you’re not leaving this room until I figure out what to do,” he said flatly. “I can’t trust you not to run off with my child.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “You can’t keep me locked up! I’m your wife!”

“Watch me,” he growled. “Stealing the heir of a pack is a felony, Hannah. Life in prison. Did you know that?”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “It’s my child.”

“Yeah, well, it’s my child too.” His jaw clenched tightly. “You can’t just spend years trying to get an heir out of me and then run back to Silvermoon like it’s your prize.”

“You know that’s not what this is about,” I hissed.

Noah shook his head, his throat bobbing as he swallowed and turned away. “I don’t know anything anymore, Hannah.”

“Noah, wait!” I cried as he started to close the door. “Please don’t leave me alone. We need to talk about this!”

But Noah’s face remained impassive. “I’ll be back later. We’ll talk then,” he said too quietly, too hoarsely.

Without another word, he shut the door firmly. I heard the click of the lock, and then his quick footsteps retreating down the hallway.

I stood there in shock for a moment, unable to believe what had just happened. Then, as the reality of my situation sank in, I rushed to the door and began pounding on it with my fists.

“Noah!” I screamed. “Let me out! You can’t do this!”

There was no response. I continued to beat on the door, my fists aching from the impact, but no one came—not Noah, not even a servant. Tears streamed down my face as I shouted myself hoarse.

Finally, exhausted and overwhelmed, I sank to the floor, my back against the door. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, feeling utterly alone and terrified.

I thought about the baby growing inside of me, the little life that had already caused so much turmoil. I had wanted to protect them, to give them a life free from the pressures and politics of living with parents who despised each other.

But now, it seemed like I had only made things worse.

My body shook with sobs as I curled up on the floor, feeling more trapped and alone than ever before.