Chapter 262

Hannah

My heart was practically on fire as I burst out of the trial chamber. Finally, Alvin, the man who sought to abort my baby and even contributed to the cause of my death, would be in prison where he belonged…

“We did it,” I whispered, turning to Viona and throwing my arms around her. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

Viona squeezed me back, her heart pounding against my own. We stood there like that for a while, both of us too relieved to even speak.

But the day was far from being over. There was still much to do.

As we pulled apart, I saw Noah standing a few feet away, leaning against the wall. Without hesitation, I went to him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. His familiar scent enveloped me, and I felt safe for the first time in what felt like forever.

“You were amazing in there,” Noah murmured, his hand gently stroking my hair. “It must have been difficult, working with David after everything he did.”

I pulled back slightly, meeting his eyes. “Yes, well, sometimes an Alpha must do what’s difficult for the good of their pack.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue, and I had to suppress a shudder at the thought of making a treaty with someone who I utterly despised, but I knew they were true.

Noah nodded, then pulled back and smoothed down his rumpled shirt. “And now it’s my turn,” he said with a rueful smile on his face.

A knot of worry formed in my stomach. “If Zoe tries to—”

Before I could finish, he just smiled and leaned down to kiss me gently. His lips tasted sweet and inviting, and I didn’t even have time to be surprised by the sudden affection before he was pulling back.

“Don’t worry, Hannah. Alvin is not the only one going to prison today.”

And with that, he was gone.

I watched as Noah entered the chamber, my heart racing. I hoped that he was right… that this chapter of our lives could finally come to an end and we could both move on to the next obstacle.

As if reading my mind, Viona glared at me. “You still didn’t tell him.”

I felt my face redden. “I… I couldn’t…”

My Beta shook her head and looked away. “You spoke to the Alpha Council like it was nothing. Let yourself be taken into a Darkmoon compound just to keep your baby from crying. You’ve done so much, and yet you can’t have an honest discussion with the man you love.”

My eyes widened. “I—”

“I know you love him, Hannah. He’s your fated mate.” Viona strode over to the chamber door, her hand resting on the handle. “No more hiding. Talk to him. Today.”

Without another word, Viona stepped back into the chamber to watch the trial. I stood there and stared at the door for a moment, my heart pounding. She was right, of course… He deserved to know.

No more hiding.

Taking a deep breath, I made my way into the room, settling into a seat beside Viona near the back where we could observe the proceedings.

Zoe was already seated at the defendant’s table, her posture perfect and her expression serene as ever. She was even… smiling. Sipping coffee. Chatting with her lawyer like nothing was amiss.

It was eerie how composed she looked, given the circumstances. And it just made me realize how horrifyingly evil she really was.

As Noah presented his evidence, Zoe’s lawyer—much better than Alvin’s lawyer, who seemed to want him to go to prison—objected at every turn.

“Objection, your honors. This evidence was obtained under duress.”

“Objection. This is hearsay.”

“Objection. This is pure speculation on the part of Alpha Noah.”

With each objection, I saw more and more doubt flicker to life across the faces of the Council members. My stomach churned as I realized they might actually let her go free.

That she might get away with what she had done.

But then, just as hope seemed to be slipping away, Noah pulled out his final piece of evidence.

“I would like to submit this DNA test along with this recording of my half-brother’s confession,” he said. “It proves conclusively that Scott, not Drake, is Adam’s biological father.”

A collective gasp went through the room as Noah played the audio tape of Scott confessing along with the DNA test to prove that Scott wasn’t lying.

For the first time since the trial began, I saw her composure crack. A little sliver of that monster that hid beneath the surface started to slip out in the form of a curled lip.

“Combined with my half-brother’s confession about their plot as well as the words that Zoe spoke at our wedding—talking about killing Hannah—I believe that the truth becomes clear,” Noah said. “Zoe was planning to plant Adam as my heir and get rid of me, eventually using his birthright as Scott’s biological son to gain even more claim to Nightcrest. This was a long-term plan to overthrow me and take control of my pack.”

The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. I was practically on the edge of my seat, my knuckles white around the arms of my chair as I watched Zoe’s perfect mask crack just a little bit more.

With that, the Council members retreated to deliberate, leaving the rest of us to wait in tense silence.

…

They were in there for hours this time.

The courtroom grew restless, people murmuring amongst themselves, pacing, some even leaving. I could hardly move from my seat, my body frozen as I stared back and forth between Noah and Zoe.

Zoe remained stiff. Impassive.

But I could practically smell her fear from here.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Council members filed back in. One of the Alphas stood, tapping a gavel on the panel to quiet the murmuring crowd.

“After careful consideration of all evidence presented,” the Alpha began, “we find Zoe guilty of treason against an Alpha. She is hereby sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole.”

The room erupted into chaos, but I barely heard it. All I could see was Zoe’s trembling, beet red face, her mask of perfection finally shattering as the reality of her situation set in.

As Zoe was led away in handcuffs, silent and seething with barely-contained rage, I made my way to Noah. He opened his arms, and I fell into them, feeling the last of my tension melt away.

“It’s over,” I whispered, my voice muffled against his chest. “They’re really gone. All of them.”

Noah held me tightly, his chin resting on top of my head. “Yes, they are. We can finally move forward.”

As we stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I knew he was right. But I also knew that there would be many other obstacles in our path.

And there was one big one that we needed to tackle sooner rather than later.

I glanced at Viona, whose jaw was set hard. I could practically feel her annoyance radiating off of her as she turned to leave.

Once we were alone in the chamber, I pulled back, and it was only then that I realized that my hands had begun to shake.

“You alright?” Noah asked, noticing my discomfort.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to say. “Noah, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you the truth about a long time ago.”

His face fell, and the expression broke my heart. “What is it?” he all but whispered.

I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my courage. When I opened them again, it wasn’t easy, but somehow I managed to meet his gaze directly. “Remember that night we went out for dinner, and I told you that I’d died and come back to life?”

Noah nodded slowly, realization dawning in his eyes. “Yes…”

I swallowed hard.

“I wasn’t joking, Noah,” I said softly. “What I said that night is true... A year and some change ago, I died and came back to life. And I can’t go another day without telling you my story.”