Chapter 183

Hannah

I woke up early the next morning, fully intending to slip away to my appointment without Noah. I showered and dressed quickly, my hands shaking slightly as I grabbed my car keys. As I crept down the hallway, I listened for any sign of Noah, but the house was blissfully silent.

Good, I thought as I quietly made my way outside. He was still asleep, which meant that I’d be able to leave without him. That would teach him to try to control my life. This appointment was for me and my baby, not for him.

And then, when it was all said and done, I would find a way to escape with my baby. To hell with staying married to him, stuck in this loveless marriage. I didn’t care if it caused a war between Nightcrest and Silvermoon. I was going home, where I belonged.

My heart pounded as I quickly bolted down the path, where my car was waiting. Opening the car door as quietly as I could, I started the engine and began to pull out of the driveway. Every crunch of the gravel under the tires left me tense, wondering if he could hear me from inside the house. Freedom was so close I could taste it.

But just as I was about to turn onto the main road, a large silver wolf leaped in front of my car, its lone growl echoing through the quiet morning air.

Gasping, I slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to a halt mere inches from the tip of Noah’s snout.

“Fuck!” I cursed, slamming my palms so hard against the steering wheel that it sent a wave of pain up my arms.

Noah shifted back to his human form, not bothering to hide the annoyance on his face as he strode to the driver’s side door. He yanked it open, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Get out,” he growled. “Now.”

I glared at him but complied, knowing that there was no point in arguing. “Pig,” I spat as I forcefully unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

Noah merely stared at me, not saying a word as I stomped around to the passenger side. Only once I was buckled into my seat did he finally climb in and put the car in drive, as though I would try to make a break for it across the lawn.

And honestly, for a moment, I almost did. But his legs were far longer than mine, and I knew he could easily outrun me.

The entire drive to the appointment was tense and silent. I folded my arms across my chest and stared out the window, refusing to look at him.

“You shouldn’t have tried to run like that,” Noah said, breaking the silence.

I scoffed. “What did you expect? That I’d just sit around and wait for you like a good little prisoner?”

Noah’s jaw clenched, his knuckles tightening around the steering wheel. “You’re not a prisoner, Hannah. You’re my wife, and you’re carrying our child.”

“And yet I’m trapped with you,” I muttered viciously. Noah opened his mouth, likely to bite out a retort, but then seemed to think better of it and snapped it shut again.

We lapsed back into a tense silence until we reached the doctor’s office, not even saying a word to one another as we checked in and were shown to our examination room.

But as soon as the ultrasound technician moved the wand over my belly, I felt my anger fade, quickly replaced by the rapid pounding of my heart for other reasons.

“There’s your baby,” the technician said softly. “Looks to be about three months along, just as you thought.”

The moment the technician turned the screen toward us, I felt a surge of emotion that I wasn’t prepared for. It was all I could do to clamp my hand over my mouth before a strangled cry of shock, awe, and glee ripped out of me.

That tiny blob on the screen was my child—our child. Three months ago, before my rebirth, I had seen that fetus on the bathroom floor. Unmoving, a little red puddle of blood and tissue.

And now… Now here it was, healthy and alive, with the tiniest beating heart that I could have ever imagined.

I was vaguely aware of Noah gripping my arm tightly, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen.

For a moment, I almost reached for Noah’s hand, seeking some sort of connection in this overwhelming moment. But I stopped myself at the last second, remembering all the reasons I was angry with him.

The ultrasound came to an end and the technician left us alone. It was only then that I realized that Noah was still gripping my arm. “Hannah, I—”

Before he could finish, I bared my fangs at him and roughly pulled my arm away from his grip. His face hardened instantly, the brief moment of connection shattered. Our baby was inside of me, but I still hated him.

The doctor, oblivious to the tension, smiled brightly as he strode into the room and reviewed the results.

“It looks like the pregnancy is progressing beautifully,” he said. “However, given your history of anorexia, Luna Hannah, I would like to put you on a strict weight gain and vitamin plan. You have made some impressive progress, but we need to ensure you’re gaining enough for a healthy pregnancy.”

I nodded stiffly. He scribbled out a prescription, which Noah immediately snatched up. “I’ll make sure she takes everything as directed,” he said firmly.

The doctor beamed and handed the prescription to Noah without a second thought. “Such a doting Alpha,” he remarked, shooting me a wink.

I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping at both of them. Doting? More like controlling. Bastard.

As we checked out, Noah immediately scheduled another appointment for three weeks later—an appointment which, of course, he would be attending alongside me whether I liked it or not. Once we were back in the car, I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“So I guess I’m a prisoner for another three weeks,” I said bitterly.

Noah sighed. “Like I keep saying, you’re not a prisoner. And we’re in this for life, not just for three weeks.”

“I’m not allowed to leave, so I’m a prisoner,” I shot back with a snort. “And you just turned my sentence into life.”

Noah fell silent, his jaw clenching as he focused on the road. I found my hand moving to my belly, a protective gesture that I could, at least, finally act on; that was one benefit to all of this, at least. Not having to hide it anymore.

But then, without warning, Noah reached out and placed his hand over mine. As if he had a right to. As if, just because I carried his DNA inside my belly, he thought he could touch me.

The sharp slap that followed was instinctive. I curled my upper lip back, noting with satisfaction the red mark I had left on the back of his hand. Noah clenched his jaw again, but remained silent.

After a few more minutes of tense silence, Noah tossed his phone to me. “Put in two-hour slots in my calendar,” he instructed. “Every day. We’ll spend that time together—doing whatever you want. We can go out, watch movies, play games, anything.”

I took the phone, a sly idea forming in my mind as I scanned his calendar app. Carefully, I selected times I knew he would be at work before handing the phone back. Perfect. He wouldn’t skip work for a couple hours with me. Maybe then he’d learn not to try and force me to socialize with him.

“There,” I said, my voice unnaturally sweet. “All done.”

Noah nodded, still too focused on driving to notice. He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Good. We’ll start tomorrow.”

I folded my arms and turned to glare out the window, a small, satisfied smile playing on my lips. I might have been Noah’s prisoner, whether he admitted it or not, but one thing was for certain:

I wouldn’t deign to spend quality time with my warden.