Chapter 237

Noah

Noah stood in the foyer of his spacious home, listening to the sound of Zoe’s laughter fading as she left for her bachelorette party, tiara askance on her head.

“See you later, honey!” she called out, waving as she climbed into the waiting limousine, where all of her friends were already drinking and laughing. “Have fun with Adam!”

Noah smiled tightly and waved back.

The wedding was just a couple of days away, and while Zoe had been eager to celebrate with her friends, Noah had opted for a quiet night at home with Adam. The house felt eerily quiet without Zoe’s constant chatter and the clacking of her heels on the hardwood floors, but Noah didn’t mind. It was sort of nice to have the space.

Shutting the door, Noah turned, placing his hands on his hips.

“Alright, little man,” Noah called out, his voice echoing through the house. “Ready or not, here I come!”

He heard a muffled giggle coming from upstairs and grinned. Adam wasn’t the best at hiding yet, but Noah loved playing with him all the same.

But as he climbed the stairs, the plush carpet muffling his footsteps, he couldn’t help but wonder what Melody would be like once she was older.

Would she squeal like Adam did whenever Noah growled and chased him around the house? Would she be good at hiding? Would she play along and jump out of closets, baring her little fangs and crying out “Daddy, Daddy, it’s just me!” when Noah pretended to be terrified of the monster?

Melody.

His daughter.

The thought of her little face, of those green eyes and that little scrunched up nose, sent a pang through Noah’s chest.

But Noah shook his head, trying to focus on the present. He crept down the hallway, exaggerating his footsteps.

“Hmm, I wonder where Adam could be?” he called out.

Another giggle came, this time from behind a heavy velvet curtain. Noah pretended not to notice, instead opening the nearby linen closet with a dramatic flourish.

“Not here!” he exclaimed, rustling the sheets and towels for effect.

He heard Adam’s excited breathing quicken as he approached the curtain, the fabric rustling slightly with the boy’s movement. Noah paused, dramatically sniffing the air. “Hmm… I smell a little boy!” he cried out in a deep, monstrous voice. The curtains shuddered again as Adam stifled another giggle.

In one swift motion, Noah pulled the curtain back. “Got you!”

Adam squealed with delight, trying to run around Noah. But Noah scooped him up, throwing him in the air and tickling his sides. Adam’s laughter filled the air, pure and uninhibited.

“Again! Again!”

“Okay, buddy,” Noah said, setting Adam down. “But find a better hiding spot this time, okay?”

Adam nodded eagerly. “I’ll be the best hider ever!” he declared, scampering off down the hallway.

Noah closed his eyes and began to count, leaning against the wall. “One... two... three…”

But his mind wandered as he counted, the numbers becoming a distant murmur in his own ears.

The past few days had been filled with an increasing sense of apprehension about the wedding. Zoe had been mentioning making Adam the heir to Nightcrest more and more frequently, her voice filled with excitement every time she brought it up.

“Just think, Noah,” she had said at breakfast that very morning, her eyes gleaming. “Adam will be the perfect heir. He’s already so smart and strong.”

“Of course, honey,” Noah had said. “I’d love to make Adam the heir once we’re married.”

But Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. What about Melody?

Ever since he had seen her for himself, his wolf howled her name at night, a mournful sound that echoed in his dreams, recognizing her as his blood. How could he jump into a marriage so quickly when his daughter, his true heir, was out there without him?

Guilt gnawed at him as he remembered accusing Hannah of cheating all those months ago. The memory of that night, of Hannah slapping him so hard he had fallen, played on repeat in his mind, fresh as ever despite how much time had passed.

He could still feel the sting of her palm against his cheek if he thought hard enough, the unbridled rage in her eyes as he had stumbled back.

But he couldn’t even be angry about it. Zoe said that Hannah was a cold bitch who deserved to be punished for hitting the Alpha of Nightcrest, but Noah often wondered if he had deserved that slap. He had said some awful things that night, and now he knew that he had been wrong.

And if he was being honest, he was kind of proud of her for hitting him so hard. She was tough, that was for certain.

Zoe would never dare ruin her own manicure with such a thing…

Noah’s eyes snapped open, realizing he had stopped counting and that his mind had begun to wander. He shook his head, quickly dispelling the negative thoughts about Zoe. No. Zoe was his fiancee, and he loved her, and she would be his wife in just a few days.

She was perfect for him. His eternal moonlight. Wasn’t she?

“Ready or not, here I come!” he called out, pushing away the nagging thoughts.

He searched the guest rooms first, making a show of looking under beds and in closets. This time, Adam seemed to have indeed found a better hiding place after all. “Adam?” he called out, his voice echoing in the empty rooms. “Where are you, buddy?”

As he approached the master bedroom, he heard a faint rustling coming from Zoe’s wardrobe. A smile tugged at his lips. Adam wasn’t very good at being quiet.

Noah crept toward the wardrobe, his footsteps light on the plush carpet. He paused for a moment, building the suspense, before flinging the doors open. “Found you!”

Adam looked up, startled, a box in his lap and papers scattered around him. His eyes were wide, like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t.

Noah furrowed his brow, confusion replacing his triumphant grin. Pictures? He leaned over, curious. “What do you have there, buddy?”

Adam beamed and scooched aside to let Noah see. “I’m playing with Mommy’s favorite pictures! See how pretty this girl is? She’s like a doll!”

“Yes, your mommy is very pr—”

Before he could finish, Noah felt the air leave his lungs. These weren’t pictures of Zoe at all.

They were of him and… Hannah.

As teenagers.

With shaking fingers, Noah picked up a strip of photo booth pictures. In the first frame, a younger Hannah was pointing at the camera, her face alight with laughter. Her golden hair was longer then, falling in waves around her shoulders. Noah was beside her, smiling with his eyes closed, looking more carefree than he could remember feeling in years.

But Noah never took pictures like this with Hannah. How was this possible?

The second picture showed Hannah putting bunny ears behind Noah’s head, and he was rolling his eyes, but the affection in his expression was unmistakable. He didn’t remember this… Did he?

In the third picture, Hannah was sitting in Noah’s lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. They looked so happy, so… So in love.

Noah’s throat tightened as he stared at their younger selves. It was certainly him and Hannah, just younger. Much younger; Hannah looked maybe fifteen, and Noah maybe a couple years older.

And in the final frame…

Noah’s heart stopped as he stared at the image of his younger self kissing Hannah’s cheek. Her eyes were closed, a soft smile on her lips.

In that moment, Noah remembered.

He remembered everything.