Chapter 264

Hannah

Noah and I walked out of the courtroom side by side.

Viona and Drake, who were waiting in the hallway, turned. Their eyes widened the moment they saw our intertwined hands and the flushed color to my cheeks.

“Before you start asking questions,” I said, holding up my free hand to stop Viona, “it’s true. Noah and I have decided to make things official again.”

My friend’s face went pale with shock. Drake’s lips curled into a cheeky grin. “I guess that means I’ve officially missed my shot with you, Hannah,” he teased, to which Viona gave him a well-deserved smack in the chest.

I couldn’t help but grin myself as I looked up at Noah.

My mate.

My boyfriend.

I leaned against him, savoring the warmth of his arm as it snaked around my waist.

…

Noah came over for dinner that night—to celebrate our dual victories in court, of course.

But unbeknownst to my parents and my sister, we had something else to celebrate.

We waited until the dinner plates were cleared and dessert was being served to tell them. Beneath the table, I felt Noah’s hand around mine, warm and reassuring. I caught Lily’s eyes across the way, and there was a knowing look in her gaze—but if she knew what I was about to announce, then she didn’t say it out loud.

“I—we—have an announcement,” I said, my fingers tightening around my glass of white wine. “Noah and I…” I glanced over at Noah, and he gave my hand another squeeze. “We’re back together. Officially.”

My parents’ faces lit up, my father’s eyes immediately going as wide as saucers. Lily just leaned back in her chair with a tiny ‘I knew it’ smirk and sipped her own wine.

“That’s wonderful news!” my father practically shouted. “When did this happen? Today?”

I nodded and glanced over at Noah. “I asked her this afternoon,” he replied for me. “After the trials. It took some convincing, but she agreed to be my girlfriend.”

I couldn’t help but blush a little, averting my gaze to my lap, as I recalled those moments. My emotions had warred between elation and terror, with elation finally taking over. “Yes,” I’d finally said, throwing my arms around his neck. “Yes. Let’s give this another go. A real one this time.”

In my heart, during those moments, I knew that I couldn’t be without him any longer. I kept thinking back to that night we played frisbee, to the feeling of those invisible threads slowly reforming between our hearts.

He was my mate, and he had almost been taken from me forever. I couldn’t refuse his request. Not anymore.

“Well,” my father said, lifting his glass, “this is joyous news. Perhaps we can set up a time and a date to discuss the merger.”

My eyebrows shot up at that. “The merger?”

My father sipped his wine and nodded. “Yes. You will want Nightcrest to absorb Silvermoon, no?”

Despite my best efforts not to show my disappointment, I felt my shoulders slump a little when my father said that. I knew I was foolish for not expecting this sort of reaction—he was old-fashioned, and even if he wasn’t, most people would have turned their nose up at the idea of two Alphas keeping their statuses.

But hearing it now… Seeing the way that Noah hardly reacted to the comment…

It was hard not to want to cry.

“We talked about this, Dad,” I said simply, trying my best to sound relaxed.

My father merely shrugged one shoulder. “Yes, yes, I know you want to remain Alpha, dear… But it’s simply unheard of for two Alphas to marry without one taking on the role of Luna. It’s a logical outcome. Tradition, you know?”

I swallowed hard and looked away, blood pounding through my ears.

Logical. Traditional. Unheard of.

Across the table, I heard my mother say something about dessert, clearly trying to keep the conversation light. My sister’s apologetic gaze, however, wasn’t lost on me.

And all the while, Noah remained silent. Contemplative or…

Perhaps he was simply unsurprised. Because perhaps he had planned on suggesting the same thing.

It was the most logical outcome, after all.

…

Melody’s soft coos filled the air as I gently bounced her in my arms, pacing back and forth across the carpeted nursery floor. Quiet lullabies played on her little moon-and-stars mobile, a gentle purple glow cast on the crib from the low LEDs lining the walls.

Before Melody was born, I’d painstakingly designed this nursery to be a relaxing space—not just for her, but for me as well. I’d picked out the most comfortable chairs I could find, filling the room with plush pillows and stuffed animals and soothing lighting. I knew that I would be in here a lot, often in the middle of the night, so I’d wanted to make it a space that I enjoyed being in as well.

But tonight… I felt anything but relaxed.

Melody was sweet as ever tonight, drinking her milk and getting ready for bed like a champ. She wasn’t the source of my anxiety.

Rather, it was my father’s words that kept roiling inside my head.

The most logical outcome…

I was elated to be back together with Noah, don’t get me wrong. But I never wanted to give up my status as Alpha. Maybe I wasn’t the best at the job, maybe I made a lot of mistakes, but it was the one thing in this world—aside from being a mother to Melody—that I felt was meant for me.

How could I give it up so soon?

“You don’t have to do it, you know.”

The sound of Noah’s voice caused me to jerk my head up. He was leaning against the door frame, his hands in his pockets, hair slightly mussed from drinking downstairs with my father.

I flushed and looked away, setting Melody in her crib.

“Noah, if we wanted to get married again at some point…”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” Noah whispered, crossing the room to meet me. He placed both hands on my shoulders, his eyes serious. “We’ve figured everything else out so far. Why not this?”

“This feels different.”

“Why?”

I shrugged and went to turn away again, but Noah wouldn’t let me. Rather, he wrapped his arms around me and tugged me close. It was impossible not to inhale his sweet scent, and it made my wolf yip with excitement.

“My father was right,” I murmured into the warmth of Noah’s chest. “It’s tradition. Challenging tradition is… difficult. Especially when it comes to anything that has to do with what a woman is expected to be.”

Noah fell silent for a moment, although his arms tightened around me.

Finally, he said, “I would give up my title, you know. For you.”

My eyes widened, and I pulled back. “You… You would do that?” He nodded, and I quickly said, “I don’t want you to do that. I’d rather give up my own title.”

Noah chuckled. “Then it appears as if we’re at an impasse, because I don’t want you to give it up, either. So we’ll have to find another way.”

I bit my lip and stared at the floor. Maybe he was right… Maybe we could find another way.

Just like how we found our way back to each other, even though the odds were all stacked against us.

“I love you, Hannah,” Noah murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “And Melody. As long as I have you two… I know I can handle anything.”

My heart skipped, then, as he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. He tasted like sugar and whiskey, a heady combination of the cake we’d had earlier and the drink he’d shared with my father.

But I didn’t need alcohol to feel intoxicated tonight. Because being here with him, hearing him say those words…

It left my head feeling pleasantly dizzy.

Which was why, without a word, I took his hand and led him from the nursery.