Chapter 213

Hannah

“How did the meeting go?”

Noah pulled out of the driveway leading to Luna Alanna’s vast estate, the car tires crunching on the pebbles. He turned onto the main road, which wound through rolling hills topped with thick forests of tall pine trees.

Luna Alanna’s words rang in my head—“In the event of a divorce, I will vouch for you”—and for a moment, I considered telling him that the meeting was fine and nothing else. There was no real need to tell him about the conversation the Luna Queen and I had had in private.

But then I remembered that I had made a promise. We both had—for the sake of our child.

No more lies. No more secrets.

I took a deep breath. “It went... surprisingly well,” I began, recounting the details of the meeting.

I told him about the other Lunas’ reactions to the forum scandal, how they had been unexpectedly supportive and understanding.

I told him about my presentation, how my penpal program would be implemented in the children’s summer program in just a few weeks.

When I got to the part about my private conversation with Alanna, I hesitated for a moment, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my blouse.

“There’s something else,” I said slowly. “Luna Alanna... She figured out that we’re going to get divorce. And she said she would vouch for me when it happens.”

Not if, like she had actually said.

When.

Because even though I had fallen for him, I still planned on divorcing him.

Noah was silent, his expression unreadable as he drove. The only sound was the soft hum of the engine and the occasional click of the turn signal, the only indication that he had even heard me a slight tightening of his fingers around the steering wheel.

I felt my stomach clench, worried that I had hurt his feelings, that I had upset him. The silence stretched on for far too long, becoming almost unbearable.

But to my surprise, he simply pulled off the main road and into a parking lot. A sign for a restaurant came into view, the scent of food already making my mouth water.

“Noah?” I asked, confused not only by his lack of response but also by this unexpected detour.

“Come on. Let’s eat,” was all he said.

Inside, we were seated at a booth near the back of the restaurant. The waitress took our drink orders and left us to decide what we wanted to eat, but the words on the menu swam before my eyes.

Nothing. He had said… nothing. He hadn’t even gotten angry. Somehow, this was worse.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I said, “What’s this for?” I gestured to the restaurant around us.

Noah set his menu down, his eyes finally meeting mine for the first time since we had arrived. “It’s congratulatory,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Clearly, your Luna Council meeting went very well. I’m happy for you, Hannah.”

I felt an unexpected warmth spread through my chest at his words, a flutter in my stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. This man, so different from the cold, distant husband I had known for years, was becoming harder and harder to reconcile with the idea of divorce as the days went on.

I had indeed fallen for him, hard, and moments like these only made it more difficult to remember why we needed to end our marriage.

“You’re not… upset?” I found myself asking.

He cocked his head to the side. “Why would I be upset?”

“Because Luna Alanna promised to vouch for me in the divorce.”

He simply shrugged and said nothing.

Blissfully soon, our meals arrived. I ordered a pasta dish dripping with alfredo sauce and golden shrimp, the smell making my mouth water. I hadn’t realized how hungry I had gotten during my meeting.

“So,” Noah suddenly said as we ate, his voice low and serious, “I still can’t find anything concrete about WhiteRabbit.” His brow furrowed with concern, a shadow passing over his features. “I’m worried about your safety, Hannah. I think it would be best if you stayed close to me for now.”

His words made me blush. “We’ve already been through the whole stay-by-my-side thing, Noah. I’ll be fine,” I said. Then, without thinking, I added, “Besides, now that we’re sharing a bed again, I feel safer than ever.”

Noah’s eyes widened slightly, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth. “You feel safe with me?”

My face heated as I realized what I had just admitted, but there was no denying it. The warmth of his body next to mine each night, the steady rhythm of his breathing—it had become a comfort I looked forward to.

“Well, yes,” I said softly, averting my gaze. “It’s no secret that sleeping next to one’s mate makes a woman feel safe.”

Mate.

It wasn’t a word either of us used often. I never really saw myself as much of a mate to him, and I don’t think he did, either. Not since he and Zoe…

But we were. Not fated like him and Zoe, perhaps, but mated on the day that we had married.

To my surprise, a slow smile spread across Noah’s face, his eyes darkening slightly. “Is that so?” he murmured, his voice dropping.

The atmosphere between us suddenly shifted, becoming charged with a familiar tension. I was quickly reminded of how it felt to have him inside of me last night, his lips pressing aching kisses to my neck.

Suddenly, the food in front of me wasn’t what was making my mouth water.

…

The moon was rising by the time we walked in through the front door. My feet ached, but something else ached, too.

Over our meal, the tension had reached a breaking point. Coy looks had turned into flirtatious comments, brushes of ankle against ankle under the table had shifted into long, lingering touches.

My body thrummed with desire for him—for the man I was meant to divorce. For the man who the Luna Queen herself said she would help me get away from.

We barely made it through the front door before Noah’s lips were on mine in the darkness, his mouth hungrily devouring mine despite our recent meal. I responded eagerly, my fingers tangling in the fine hairs at the nape of his neck as he pressed me against the hallway wall.

“Hannah,” he growled against my neck, his hands roaming my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I arched into his touch, a soft moan escaping my lips.

“What?”

“Our contract—the bedroom—”

I huffed as I felt his cool hand shove my skirt up around one thigh, his fingers digging into my flesh—so soft now compared to how bony I had been not long ago. Lifting my leg, I hooked it around his hips, dragging him closer to me.

“Here,” was all I could manage through the husky breaths that were heaving in and out of my lungs. “I want it here tonight.”

And just like that, we were lost in each other, right there in the hallway. Clothes were hastily discarded, hands exploring familiar curves and planes with renewed hunger. Noah lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist as he entered me in one swift, ravenous motion.

The feeling of him inside me, filling me completely, was exquisite. We moved together in a frenzied rhythm, our gasps and moans echoing in the empty house.

As we reached our peak together, I couldn’t help but think how right this felt, how perfectly we fit together despite… everything.

And for a moment, I let myself forget about divorces and pack politics, losing myself completely in the taste of Noah’s skin.