Chapter 222

Hannah

The sounds of laughter and music faded somewhat as I made my way into the kitchen, an empty snack bowl in hand. The staff tonight had offered to refill it, but I’d insisted, saying that I needed a few moments to myself.

Apparently, they had taken that as meaning that I needed the entire kitchen cleared, because there was not a soul there when I walked in. Not that I minded.

But I wasn’t alone for long before footsteps sounded behind me, followed by a familiar scent reaching my ears. A moment later, warm hands covered my eyes.

“I wonder who that could be,” I purred, smirking. I felt Noah shift behind me and heard something being set down on the counter.

“Open,” Noah’s deep voice rumbled near my ear.

I blinked as his hands fell away, my eyes adjusting to find a small box sitting in front of me on the counter. Grinning, I lifted the lid and gasped softly at the contents. Inside was a delicate silver picture frame, empty and waiting to be filled with a photograph.

“I thought it would be nice for our baby’s first picture,” Noah explained as his arms wrapped around me from behind. “We can fill it with a photo of all three of us once the little one arrives.”

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I pulled the frame out, feeling its weight beneath my fingers. It was heavy, pure silver. I brushed my thumb across the delicate engravings. “Noah, thank you,” I murmured. “It’s perfect. I can’t wait.”

I set the frame down and turned in his arms. He smiled, thumbing away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. “Happy tears, I take it?”

I nodded, laughing softly. “Very happy tears. I’m a bundle of emotion lately with these hormones.”

“I can tell. Come on,” he said, taking my hand and nodding toward the back door. “Let’s get some fresh air. Just you and me.”

We slipped out into the gardens, the cool night air a welcome respite from the warmth of the house. Crickets chirped in the darkness, and the sweet scent of night-blooming jasmine filled the air. As we walked hand in hand along the winding path, the muffled sounds of the party drifted out to us.

Suddenly, the music inside grew louder as someone turned it up, the beat pulsing through the night air. Noah turned to me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “May I have this dance, my Luna?”

I laughed, allowing him to pull me close. “You may, Alpha.”

We swayed together slowly for a little while. The stars twinkled overhead, and for a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world. I rested my head on Noah’s chest, just listening to the steady thump of his heart.

But as we turned, movement caught my eye. I stiffened slightly, my eyes narrowing as I lifted my head. “We have an audience.”

Noah lifted his own head from the top of mine and followed my gaze to the window where Zoe stood watching us. She was blatantly staring at us, arms crossed, lips pursed. Had she even talked to anyone at this damn party or had she been brooding all night?

As soon as she realized we’d spotted her, she quickly turned away, pretending to be engrossed in conversation with another guest.

Noah shrugged, pulling me close again. If it bothered him, he didn’t mention it. But I’d had enough; the party—my party—had been filled with nothing but coy looks and saccharine smiles. It was time to be honest.

“Noah, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He pulled back slightly, concern etching his features. “Something wrong?”

I took a deep breath. “If we’re going to work on our marriage, I need to be honest with you. I... I want to be kind toward Zoe, I really do. But I’m at the end of my rope.”

Noah’s brow furrowed. Before he could say anything, I continued.

“I’ve tried to make her feel welcome, to include her, to be kind. But she always seems to get in some little dig at me or act strange in some way. It’s exhausting, and…” I hesitated, my hand coming to rest on my stomach. “I don’t want that kind of negative energy around our child.”

Noah was silent, his steps slowing. My heart raced, worried that I had hurt him with my confession.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” I said quickly. “I just felt like I should be honest about how I truly feel.”

To my surprise, Noah’s face softened. “Hannah, you don’t need to apologize. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for some time.”

“You have?”

He nodded, guiding me to a nearby bench—the same one we’d sat on earlier that morning.

We sat down, and Noah took both of my hands in his. “When you were kidnapped, Zoe’s behavior… It was strange. She kept giving wrong directions to where you might be, and she didn’t seem all that concerned about your safety.”

I blinked, shocked. “I had no idea.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “It made me realize that she might not have our best interests at heart, even though she claims to be our friend. I’ve been distancing myself from her since then.”

He paused, then added, “I’m glad that Drake was there that night. If it had just been Zoe who was ‘helping’ me look for you, I fear… I fear I wouldn’t have found you at all. Drake was relentless in trying to find you, even putting his own life in danger. It made me see him in a whole new light. And it made her behavior all the more stark.”

I leaned against Noah’s shoulder, warmed by his confession—and his understanding. “So, what are you going to do about Zoe?” I found myself asking.

“I’ll talk to her tomorrow,” he said firmly. “I’ll tell her that if she doesn’t clean up her behavior, she can’t be part of our inner circle anymore. No more parties, no more dinners, no more visits. She can be a part of Nightcrest, but not a part of… us.”

Relief washed over me, thick and heavy. I must have let out a loud breath, because Noah straightened, cocking his head. I shook my head and murmured gratefully, “You’ve changed. In a good way.”

Softening, he placed his hand on my belly, right over my own fingers. “I had to change,” he murmured. “For both of you.”

Then, Noah stood, offering me his hand. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

He led me into the nearby woods, along a familiar trail. My mind flashed back to the night I had told him I didn’t want to have his baby, right here in this very spot. But now, as we walked hand in hand, those memories felt like they belonged to someone else. Worlds away.

We emerged into a small clearing that I hadn’t visited in some time. It had a large oak tree right in the center, its branches thick and full with summer leaves. Fireflies danced through the air, lazily resting on the grass between shafts of pale blue moonlight. The grass appeared freshly mown, dipping in some spots where deer had rested overnight.

“I was out for a walk the other day and stumbled upon this place,” he said as we stepped into the clearing. “I haven’t been out here for so long, I’d almost forgotten about it.”

I turned slowly, taking it in. “I haven’t been here in a while, either,” I said. Although I did remember walking here with him when we first moved in. He seemed to remember, too—apparently, only our shared past leading up to our marriage went forgotten in his mind.

Noah smiled, shrugging off his jacket and laying it on the ground. He sat down, patting the space beside him. I lowered myself carefully, nestling against his side as we both looked up at the night sky.

“I was thinking we could build a little treehouse in that oak tree someday,” he mused, his fingers tracing lazy circles on my arm. “Once our kid is old enough.”

I grinned at the thought. “That sounds… perfect.”

Noah turned on his side, his eyes sparking with those tiny fires. He grabbed my chin and gently pulled me closer, our lips meeting in a tender kiss.

Tender at first, at least. But soon it grew more fervent, more yearning. Before I knew it, I was sitting up and straddling him on the ground, hiking my gauzy dress up around my hips. His eyes widened.

“Hannah, what are you—”

“I want you,” I murmured, leaning down to brush warm kisses against his cheeks, his jaw, his neck. “I need you.”

Noah let out a soft growl. I felt warm fingers slip beneath my skirts, brushing against the fabric of my lacy panties. He stroked me there in slow, gentle circles until my legs were trembling, the lace soaked.

Just before I reached my peak on top of him, he unfastened his pants and slipped into me, swift and lethal.

I sat up, back arching, a shuddering howl slipping free from my throat as he filled me. Gasping, I clamped my hand over my mouth, eyes widening as I realized what I had done in my moment of ecstasy.

But Noah just continued to thrust himself deeper and deeper, inch by glorious inch, into me.

“Howl all you want, baby,” he huffed as he pushed himself all the way to the hilt, until I thought I might split in half from the size of him. “I want everyone to know what we do when they’re not watching.”