Chapter 268

Hannah

I couldn’t help but feel guilty as I stared out the car window.

The tall trees passing by were a dense green blur, the scent of pine and fresh air filling my nostrils even from inside the car. The sky was the clearest blue, perfect for an outing in the countryside. Melody was cooing happily in the backseat without a care in the world.

Noah was taking us on a weekend trip, just the three of us, and I should have been elated beyond measure.

But instead I just felt… tired. Panicky. A little confused.

“Quit picking at your lip,” Noah suddenly said, the sound of his voice ripping me out of my reverie. “I swear, Hannah, if you’re thinking about work right now—”

“It’s just so unexpected, that’s all,” I replied as I quickly sat on my hand to keep myself from nervously picking at the dry skin on my lower lip. “If I had a couple weeks’ notice, I could have prepared things ahead of time, worked some late nights to get more done—”

“And that’s precisely why I didn’t tell you.” Noah glanced at me from the driver’s seat, a look of mild disappointment crossing his features. “You’ll work yourself to the bone, you know. I don’t even have a Beta and I’m not half as stressed as you.”

I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. “Keeping respect as a female Alpha is enough to make anyone stressed,” I quipped. “One weekend vacation could be enough to paint me as a ‘lazy housewife’ in the other Alphas’ eyes.”

Speaking of eyes, Noah looked like he wanted to roll his—I’d brought up my issues with being a female Alpha on more than one occasion—but instead sighed and said, “I know. But you’re still Hannah, beyond being an Alpha. And I just so happen to know Hannah well enough to know that she needs time to recharge just like anyone else.”

I almost retorted, but quickly shut my mouth again and slid down a little further in my seat. “You’re right,” I admitted, shaking my head. “I guess I have been a workaholic lately, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you have. And I’d appreciate it if I could still see my girlfriend and daughter on occasion.”

There was no arguing that—especially not when he reached over and placed his hand on my thigh, giving it a squeeze. That gesture alone was enough to set me on fire, and suddenly, the idea of a weekend getaway in the countryside, away from work and my rather nosy family, did seem rather tempting.

Finally, around lunchtime, we made it to the rental Noah had picked out. The GPS took us up a narrow dirt road riddled with potholes, causing Melody to whine in protest in her car seat, but once we pulled up to the front of the house, even she seemed to realize that the bumpy ride was worth it.

“Oh, Noah… Where did you find this place?” I breathed as we climbed out of the car.

Noah beamed and draped his arm across my shoulders. “It took a lot of rental-hunting, trust me.”

I didn’t even have the words to describe how beautiful it was; it was a sweet little cottage nestled into the edge of a forest clearing, a little stone path up to the front door wending between a garden full of wildflowers. Baby blue shutters lined the whitewashed walls, birds chirping on the windowsills.

“Come over here,” Noah said before we could head inside, carrying Melody in one arm with his other still wrapped around my shoulders. “You’ll want to see this.”

My eyes widened as we rounded the house and saw, in the back, the world’s tiniest farm.

It was just a little pen with two goats and a few chickens, really. But being the spoiled rich girl I was, even this felt like home on the range.

I turned to Noah, my mouth agape as I pointed at the goats. “You—How—What—”

“They’re just pygmy goats, Hannah,” Noah laughed, adjusting Melody in his arms. “You can pet them if you want. The rental owner says they’re very friendly.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. The miniature goats—one pure white and the other white with brown spots—were the cutest little things, and I couldn’t help myself.

“Come here, little guy—”

The moment I stepped into the pen, cooing at the goats, I must have struck a nerve; because the white one, with a wild bray of dissatisfaction, charged me like he wasn’t a quarter of my size.

And it hurt like hell, despite his small stature.

Friendly, indeed.

“Ow ow owww!” I cried out hopping on one foot as I gripped my injured shin. “You little—”

“Hannah, watch out!” Noah exclaimed, running in after me just as the other goat grabbed my scarf, pulled, and fucking took off with it.

“Oh—Hey! My scarf!”

I took off after the goat, who was currently trailing my favorite lavender-colored scarf through the mud. The little thing was fast, too, faster even than the white one.

And that was how I found myself running around the pen, chasing a goat like my life depended on it.

It was only once, nearly five full minutes and fifteen laps later, that I finally got my half-chewed scarf back and realized that the goats braying and the chickens squawking and my shouts of contempt weren’t the only sounds in that pen.

Noah and Melody were both laughing at me.

Hard.

“Ha ha, laugh all you want,” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “But I’ll be the one having the last laugh while I’m having roast goat for dinner.”

Noah snorted and shook his head. “Come on, killer. Let’s check out the rest of the house.”

The inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside; the entryway opened up into a cozy little living room, complete with a plush sectional and two enormous armchairs set up around a stone fireplace.

The kitchen was filled with state-of-the-art appliances, surprising given how quaint the house was.

Then, there was the master bedroom: a large four-poster bed piled high with pillows and blankets, as well as an en suite bathroom with a huge claw-foot tub and a sliding glass door that opened up to a private back patio. There was a hot tub out there as well, which I could already picture myself soaking in tonight once Melody was asleep.

I turned, still in shock, to see Noah laying Melody down on the bed and fussing with her shoes. I watched his back for a moment, my brow furrowed.

He’d never mentioned taking a trip like this—not even so much as a passing comment.

But now here we were, six months in, and he was taking us to a little paradise in the forest when I knew for a fact that he had to have been swamped with even more work than I was.

And yet, there was nothing but a serene smile on his face.

Things are in the works, he had said on more than one occasion in recent weeks.

What sort of things, I wondered?

“What?” Noah asked, glancing at me over his shoulder. “I can feel you staring.”

I shook my head and strode over to him, still clutching my ruined scarf in one hand. “I feel like you’re not telling me something,” I said. “The Noah I know doesn’t just up and leave his pack—with no Beta at home—to go on an impromptu vacation.”

Noah blinked at me for a moment, mouth opening and closing as if caught in the act.

But just like that, the look of surprise was quickly replaced by that same serene smile as before.

“It’s just for fun,” he said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

“But—”

“Oh, would you look at the time.” Noah checked his watch with an impish grin. “Looks like our chef should be here any minute now.”

My eyebrows shot up, my earlier apprehension giving way to surprise.

“Chef?”