Chapter 41

Hannah

I squared my shoulders, steeling myself as I approached Noah’s idling SUV. With a sharp rap on the tinted window, I made my presence known, watching as he startled slightly before rolling it down.

“Can I help you?” he asked, his tone clipped.

I arched a brow. “You’re the one lurking outside the pub like some kind of creep. I should be asking you that question.”

Noah’s jaw tightened fractionally. “I wasn’t lurking,” he countered. “I just happened to come here for a drink.”

I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. “Right. And I’m the Alpha of Nightcrest.”

His eyes narrowed at my sarcasm. “Believe what you want, Hannah. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Smirking, I leaned down until I was eye-level with him through the window. A piece of my hair caught the breeze and ruffled toward his face.

“You’re right, you don’t,” I agreed, my voice low. “But if you were so desperate to see me, you could have just asked me out on a date yourself instead of following me around like some kind of stalker.”

Noah’s brows hiked upward at that. “A date?” he echoed, something that almost looked like amusement flickering in his steely gaze. “Is that what you think this is about?”

I shrugged one shoulder, feigning nonchalance even as my heart hammered in my chest. “Well, since you’re clearly too in love with Zoe to care about me anymore, I decided to go on a date with a real man instead.”

The words had barely left my lips before Noah threw his head back, letting out a loud burst of abrasive laughter that made my face instantly flush with humiliation. I straightened up, clasping my hands tightly in front of me as I waited for his amusement to subside.

Finally, he shook his head, regarding me with mock pity. “You really are something else, you know that?” he mused. “But I saw you come out of there with Emma, so I know you weren’t on a date. If you want to play games and make up stories to get my attention, be my guest. But don’t insult us both by lying about it.”

I sighed, suddenly feeling very weary. “Alright, fine. You got me,” I admitted with a shake of my head. “I was bluffing about the date. But then why are you really here, Noah? Don’t tell me you just randomly decided to stop at this dingy little pub for a drink.”

He studied me for a long moment before responding. “You’re right, I didn’t just randomly end up here,” he confessed. “I was going to stop for a drink at the bar down the street, but I saw you through the window here and decided to wait.”

I frowned, folding my arms across my chest. “Wait? For what?”

“To make sure you got home safely,” he said matter-of-factly. “How were you planning on getting back, by the way? Were you going to call the chauffeur?”

I nodded, still feeling utterly perplexed by his sudden concern for my well being—but I knew it was utter bullshit. “Yeah, I was going to have him come pick me up,” I said, not bothering to mention the fact that I wasn’t drinking anyway.”

Noah grunted. “I can drive you home instead, if you want me to. But I’d like to have my drink first.”

I hesitated for only a moment before nodding again. “Sure. I guess that would be alright.”

With a nod of his own, Noah pulled the key out of the ignition and pushed open the door, gesturing for me to lead the way back into the bar. I did so, trying to ignore the way my pulse seemed to quicken at the thought of spending more time in Noah’s company—although, I couldn’t decide if it was juvenile excitement or bitter loathing that made me feel that way.

We settled onto a pair of stools at the bar, Noah ordering a whiskey neat while I simply asked for a soda. As the bartender set our drinks down in front of us, Noah cast a sidelong glance in my direction.

“No alcohol for you tonight?” he asked, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. “You haven’t had anything to drink in a while.”

I shook my head, running my finger idly through the condensation on my glass. “No, I just... don’t really like the taste anymore,” I lied smoothly. “And I like feeling clear-headed.”

Part of that was true—the clear-headed part. I had picked up a slight obsession with alcohol since Noah and I had gotten married, and had often used red wine to dull my frayed nerves. But not anymore.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw Noah’s eyes flick briefly to my belly before returning to my face, but when I turned to look at him fully, his expression was carefully neutral.

We lapsed into silence after that, the awkwardness hanging heavy in the air between us as we slowly nursed our respective drinks.

I found myself stealing furtive glances at Noah, taking in the strong line of his jaw, the way his brow furrowed ever so slightly as he stared down into his glass. He looked... pensive, I realized.

Troubled, even.

But then, suddenly, he cleared his throat. “So. What were you doing with Emma earlier? I thought you hated her.”

I gave a casual shrug. “I don’t hate her.”

Noah quirked an eyebrow. “That’s news to me. What changed?”

I hesitated, suddenly reluctant to divulge the true nature of our meeting without Emma’s explicit permission. She had, after all, asked me to keep the divorce a secret for now. And although we had a troubled past, I truly felt for her—seeing as how we were in similar positions—and there was no way I was going to break my promise already.

“It was just... a personal matter,” I said, taking a sip of my soda.

Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly at my evasiveness, but to my surprise, he didn’t press the issue further. “Fair enough,” he said with a nod, returning his gaze to his whiskey.

Another stretch of silence passed between us, this one slightly less strained than the last. As I studied the bubbles in my glass, I found myself mulling over the words Emma had spoken to me earlier that evening about leadership.

“Noah?” I finally asked, unable to keep my thoughts fully to myself any longer. “Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” he asked somewhat curtly.

I drew in a deep, steadying breath. “Do you think... I mean, have you ever thought that maybe I could be a good leader? For the pack, I mean?”

Noah went perfectly still beside me, his glass frozen halfway to his lips. For a long, agonizing moment, I didn’t think he was going to answer me at all. Then, finally…

“I’ve always thought that about you,” he said rather matter-of-factly before taking a sip of whiskey.

My head whipped around at that, my eyes widening with surprise. Talk about news. “You... you have?”

He nodded, knocking back the rest of his whiskey with a slight grimace, then rapped two knuckles on the bar to signal a refill. “Yeah. Just as long as you actually apply yourself, and you don’t—” He stopped suddenly, snapping his mouth shut as though he was about to say something nasty but then thought better of it.

I narrowed my eyes. “If I don’t what?”

Noah paused, sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth before he spoke. “As long as you don’t let people’s opinions of you beat you down,” he finally said.

For a moment, I was angry at his words. But then, I realized that they were true; in the past, I had never applied myself, not really, to the position of Luna. And… well, people’s opinions of me had been the thing that had killed me in my past life.

“You’re right,” I said.

Noah blinked rapidly at me, his gaze finally meeting mine for the first time since we had sat down. “Really?” he blurted out.

I nodded. “I haven’t applied myself. And I do let others’ opinions of me get the better of me. But I want to change that.” I paused, inhaling deeply before continuing. I turned and face him on my stool. “I want to work with you.”

“Work with me?”

“Yes. I want to start getting involved more.” I quickly looked away, suddenly feeling an undeniable heat rise to my cheeks at the sight of his green-eyed gaze on me. “If you wouldn’t mind that, I mean.”

Noah was silent for a long time, and if I was being honest, I felt like a fool. You shouldn’t have asked for permission at the end, I told myself. You sound weak.

But then, his response—short but sweet—shocked me like a jolt of electricity.

“Sure.”