Chapter 181

Noah

The morning sun was bright and the birds were chirping cheerfully, but a dark cloud loomed over Noah’s head as he stormed out of the house. The front door banged shut behind him, echoing in the peaceful air.

“You shouldn’t have locked her up like that,” his wolf growled. “It’s not right. Especially not when she’s carrying our pup.”

“Shut up,” Noah snapped back out loud. He knew it wasn’t right, but his fury had overwhelmed any sense of reason. How could Hannah try to steal his heir? Keep it from him, after years of trying?

As Noah climbed into his car and sped down the driveway, his fingers were white around the steering wheel.

“If she had only talked to me from the beginning, I might have been willing to work out a custody agreement,” he growled. “But she kept it from me! No wonder she’s been so bloody adamant about the divorce. Clearly, she only ever wanted me to get a baby with good genes for her own heir.”

Noah growled softly as the notion hit him: Hannah had used him as nothing more than a stud.

“Was this her plan from the start?” he hissed, the car picking up speed as he swerved down the winding roads. “To use me, get an heir, then run back to Silvermoon and use our child as leverage to become a female Alpha?”

His wolf didn’t deign to respond.

Noah shook his head, feeling betrayed and used. As soon as she had found out she was pregnant, her goal was accomplished, and she wanted out. No wonder the divorce had been sprung on him so suddenly. No wonder she had been acting like a perfect angel lately.

And to think that Noah had wanted to work on their relationship…

Noah found himself at Viona’s new townhouse before he even realized where he was going. He sighed, putting the car in park at the curb.

If anyone else knew about the pregnancy, it would be Viona. She was Hannah’s closest friend in the entire world, after all.

He took a deep breath, schooling his features before knocking on the front door. A moment later, Viona opened it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Alpha Noah?” she said, glancing over his shoulder as though expecting Hannah to be there—only to find that Noah had come alone. “What are you doing here?”

Noah forced a smile. “Viona, I need to talk to you about something important. May I come in?”

Viona hesitated for a moment before stepping aside and opening the door a little wider. “Uh, sure, I guess. Come in.”

Once inside, Noah cut straight to the chase. “Hannah’s pregnant,” he said bluntly, whirling on Viona. “She just told me herself.”

Viona’s face remained carefully neutral, but Noah could smell the slight hint of anxiety in her scent. She knew. Of course she knew.

“I... I see,” Viona said slowly. “That’s... unexpected.”

Noah’s eyes narrowed. “How long have you known, Viona?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Viona said, but her voice wavered slightly.

Noah felt his patience snap. He let a bit of his Alpha power seep into his voice—a little magical nudge to force a member of his pack to tell the truth. He didn’t often like using this type of intimidation, but right now, he felt like he had no other choice. Viona had always hated him, so it wasn’t as if she would tell him willingly.

“Don’t lie to me, Viona. How long have you known?”

Viona’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “A couple of months,” she admitted quietly. “Hannah told me about a month after she found out.”

Noah clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

Viona looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “I urged Hannah to tell you the truth, Alpha. I swear I did. But she was terrified. She kept saying that you would steal her baby.”

Noah felt a pang of hurt at those words. “Steal her baby? It’s my child too.”

“I know,” Viona said softly. “And I told her that. But she was so scared, so convinced that you would take the baby away from her. I knew it was wrong to keep you in the dark, but I couldn’t betray my friend. I’m sorry, Alpha.”

Noah sighed, feeling some of his anger deflate. As much as he and Viona disliked each other, he could understand her position, caught between loyalty to her friend and her duty to her Alpha.

“I don’t blame you, Viona,” he said after a moment. “You were in a difficult position.”

Viona looked surprised for a moment, but then nodded gratefully. “Thank you for understanding.”

As Noah turned to leave, a thought struck him. He paused, looking back at Viona. “Hannah has been… Different lately. Why?”

Viona’s face softened. “You mean the eating disorder campaign, the training, and… Everything else?” Even Viona was no stranger to Hannah’s sudden change in demeanor, apparently.

Noah nodded.

“I think so,” Viona replied after a moment. “The pregnancy was a big part of why Hannah started trying to get healthy. She wanted to do what was best for the baby. And that’s why she’s suddenly started showing an interest in training: just in case she ever needed to protect her child. As for everything else, I think… I think she’s just trying to be better for her child.”

Noah felt something in his chest tighten as he recalled the day that Hannah had shown an interest in training. His wolf bristled slightly, a silent, “I told you so,” playing in Noah’s mind.

Maybe his assumptions about Hannah had been wrong. Perhaps she wasn’t necessarily trying to ‘steal’ his heir for her own gain, but was rather panicking and feeling stuck in a loveless marriage, wanting to do what was best for her child. And maybe all the changes she had been making were genuine attempts at becoming better as a person.

It didn’t make what she did sting any less, but it did make him see the situation in a different light. And perhaps it also highlighted the fact that he hadn’t exactly been changing, for his part. Not that he had been given the chance, considering that Hannah hadn’t told him about the pregnancy.

“There’s something else you should know,” Viona added hesitantly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “Hannah has been suffering from horrible morning sickness. She hides it well, but she gets violently ill every morning. She always puts on a good facade and pretends she’s fine, not just to you, but to everyone. Even I’m a bit worried for her.”

Noah felt a wave of concern wash over him. He had no idea Hannah had been going through that. “How did she hide it?” he murmured, more to himself than to Viona. Hannah had never been the type to hide her discomfort. She had always been a bit of a… whiner.

Viona shrugged helplessly.

Noah nodded, his mind racing. If she was suffering from bad morning sickness, then he needed to go to Hannah’s appointment with her, to ensure that his heir would be healthy.

“You’re worried about her too,” his wolf whispered in his mind.

Noah ignored the voice, but he couldn’t deny the truth in it.

As he reached for the doorknob, Viona’s voice stopped him again. “Noah?”

He turned back to look at her, and her eyes were filled with concern. “What... What are you going to do?” she whispered. “About Hannah, I mean. You’re not going to give her life in prison, are you?”

Noah’s jaw tightened. “That’s the penalty for attempting to steal a pack heir.”

“Please,” Viona begged. “Show her mercy. Hannah doesn’t deserve such a harsh punishment. She didn’t mean any harm, she just wanted to protect her baby. Your baby,” she quickly added.

Noah didn’t respond. He simply turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving Viona’s pleas echoing in his mind.