Chapter 78

Hannah

I fidgeted nervously as the stage assistant guided me and Noah through the bustling backstage area, leading us toward the other contestants. The whole place was like a cacophony of noise—almost too much for my frayed nerves.

The games were to be held on a large, flat athletic field, and each of the contestants was asked to wear athletic gear. The thought of that made my stomach churn a bit; I wasn’t exactly in the best shape, not with my anorexia and the pregnancy.

But I had to perform well today. This was it, after all: the impromptu couples competition that would determine which pack would be hosting the Lunar Festival this year.

“You ready for this?” Noah’s gruff voice made me startle, and I glanced up to find him watching me with an inscrutable look on his face.

I opened my mouth, aiming for some appropriately witty retort, but the words got lost on my tongue as movement over Noah’s shoulder caught my eye. My steps faltered as I registered the two figures crossing the field toward us.

“...Drake? Zoe?” I muttered, turning.

Sure enough, the tall, muscular form of Alpha striding alongside the petite blond Luna could be no one else. Drake and Zoe were here, and they were dressed to compete.

But why? Drake was on the Alpha Council this year, which meant that he wasn’t in the running to host the Lunar Festival. After all, whoever was on the Alpha Council—which rotated every year in order to avoid the same Alphas making all the decisions each year—wasn’t allowed to compete to host the Lunar Festival.

It was only fair, and it was how we had done it for… well, forever. So why did they look like they were competing, with numbers on their shirts and everything?

“Are they competing?” Noah asked, clearly sharing in my confusion.

“I don’t know,” I replied, plastering on that award-winning smile of mine and waving at the two of them. Drake easily returned my smile, although Zoe could hardly seem to manage more than a stiff nod.

“Luna Hannah,” Drake said, nodding his head politely as he stopped in front of us. He then turned to Noah, and his smile faltered ever so slightly. “Alpha Noah.”

“Drake.” Noah’s tone was like ice.

I turned to Zoe then. “Zoe, it’s so nice to see you. I was actually hoping to speak with you for a moment, if you wouldn’t mind…”

She shrugged. “Not at all.”

Without waiting for Drake to protest, I looped my arm through Zoe’s and tugged her away, weaving through the maze of equipment crates and clothing racks until we were relatively isolated a little ways away.

“Zoe, what’s going on?” I asked without preamble, cutting straight to the chase. “Why are you and Drake here? I didn’t think Drake could compete this year, and you… well, you’re a part of Nightcrest now.”

She sighed, her lips turning down. “I didn’t want to do this, trust me,” she said, glancing over at her shoulder at Noah and Drake, who seemed to be in the midst of a rather stiff conversation. “But…”

“But what?”

“Adam found out about the competition and got so excited.” She shook her head and bit her lip. “You know how kids can be—he got so excited over the prospect of his mommy and daddy being TV stars for a day. He begged me to do it.”

“And you couldn’t say no to your son,” I finished for her.

Zoe offered a thin smile. “Exactly.”

I was quiet for a moment as my other question was left unanswered. Zoe, however, seemed to read my mind and continued for me.

“I know what you’re thinking. And… no, Drake is not competing to host the Lunar Festival. Neither am I.”

“So what are you doing?” I asked.

She shrugged, splaying her hands out at her waist. “Who knows? I think his aunt insisted. I didn’t bother to get the details.”

Understanding settled over me as Zoe spoke. It all made sense, then—Luna Alanna, the Luna Queen, adored Drake. Ever since her own daughter had died years ago, she hadn’t ever had another child. But she did treat Drake as her own son.

And perhaps…

“Zoe, you don't think that the Luna Queen wanted you and Drake to compete together so you could…” My voice trailed off, but I didn’t need to finish. Zoe sighed, seeming to understand what I was implying: that the Luna Queen forced Drake and Zoe to compete as a ploy to make them get together.

“I had the same thought cross my mind,” she admitted. “But I didn’t want to sound—”

“—Ladies! If I could have you join the others, we’re about to begin!”

The announcement cut me off, and Zoe and I both startled, whipping around to see one of the assistant directors waving us towards center stage. With a resigned look, Zoe tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and strode off toward Drake. I did the same, avoiding Noah’s gaze as I walked up to join him.

…

No sooner had the final couple taken their place on the field than a hush fell over the space. The camera panned over to a platform off to the side, where a lone figure stood holding a microphone. Luna Alanna.

“Alphas, Lunas... welcome,” the Luna Queen announced. “You have all been gathered here today to prove your worth—to show the people which is truly the best couple to represent the Lunar Festival this year.”

Her piercing gaze swept over the contestants, seeming to linger just a fraction longer on me, Noah, Zoe, and Drake before moving on.

“We will start with a game of agility and coordination,” she stated, then paused for dramatic effect. “The egg pass.”

A low murmur rippled through the contestants, broken only as a pair of attendants emerged carrying baskets of eggs, which they passed out to each couple. As the rules were explained, I felt Noah shift ever so slightly next to me.

I glanced up at him, taking in the clench of his jaw and the tense set of his shoulders, and felt a spark of my own competitive spirit inside of me. Noah seemed to be laser-focused on this; utterly determined to win.

I admired that about him.

The egg pass commenced, each couple passing the egg back and forth and taking one step back. Soon, the eggs were no longer being passed, but tossed—and couple after couple was eliminated when their egg would fall and crack on the ground.

But not us. Not Drake and Zoe, either.

Finally, the buzzer went off, leaving just a handful of couples still in the game. The crowd cheered for that round’s winners, and then the Luna Queen announced the next round: the staring contest.

Each couple had to hold hands and sit cross-legged in front of each other, holding one another’s stares for a full five minutes. Contestants could blink, but they could not look away, laugh, or fully shut their eyes.

I cursed inwardly as I sat down, feeling Noah’s warm hands wrap around mine and our knees brush as we settled across from one another. Holding his green-eyed stare was difficult, especially as other couples broke out into laughter around us, eliciting more laughter from the audience.

But once again, not us. I wasn’t sure how I did it, but I held Noah’s stare easily, my hands steady in his palms. I breathed slowly, steadying myself, and lost myself in those green depths.

He seemed to do the same. Not a single flicker of amusement passed over his chiseled face as he stared at me.

I couldn’t decide whether it was a lack of interest in me that made this challenge so easy on his end, perhaps he was in another place in his mind, or perhaps he was simply that comfortable with me.

It was just as I was going for the second option that the buzzer went off.

Blinking against the sting in my eyes, I quickly released Noah’s hands and looked around. There were only four couples left: us, two couples from neighboring packs, and… Drake and Zoe.

How? How the hell had they made it this far? How the hell had they even been allowed to make it this far for people who weren’t supposed to be competing? My gaze slid over to the Luna Queen, who was still sitting in her plush chair on the platform, and her face was inscrutable—although I still had the inkling that she wanted this, that she wanted Drake and Zoe to compete just long enough to rekindle their love. I could just feel it.

But before I could dwell too long on that thought, Luna Alanna stood, raising the microphone to her lips once more.

“Now,” she announced, “for the final round… The race!”