Hannah

“You’re embarrassed,” Noah’s low voice brushed against my ear, making me flinch. “I can tell from the redness in your cheeks.”

I recoiled, blinking up at him as he smirked, one hand braced against the wall beside my head. His cheeks were flushed from drinking, his breath faintly sweet with champagne.

“I-I’m not embarrassed,” I stammered, cursing the waver in my voice. “You’re just seeing things because you’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk yet,” Noah narrowed his eyes. “And besides, you look sheepish. Was it what I said earlier? Calling you a good girl?”

The mere mention of those words made my thighs clench. A blush crept down my chest, and I pressed my lips together, looking away.

“You’re imagining things,” I muttered, avoiding his piercing green gaze. “Whatever you think you saw, it wasn’t… that.”

A low hum escaped Noah’s throat as his free hand reached out, his fingertips grazing my jawline. I froze, my pulse quickening. “You’re sure about that?” His thumb traced my lower lip, sending a shiver down my spine. “Because your pupils are dilated, your breathing is heavy… signs of arousal, if I’m not mistaken.”

My mouth worked uselessly. No words came; I couldn’t even force myself to move.

“Go on,” he murmured. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

I swallowed. He was right—the feeling of desire lingered, like embers in my core. All because of a few words he'd spoken while trying to convince me to eat.

But with that realization came shame. Getting worked up over a few words from a man who never wanted me? It was pathetic.

Noah, noticing the shift in my expression, nodded. “I see.”

He dropped his hand from the wall and stepped back, leaving me chilled. He tapped his phone, opened his calendar app, and studied it with furrowed brows.

“Are you… checking your schedule?” I sputtered.

“Just cross-referencing dates,” he muttered. “What in the goddess’s name are you—”

Before I could finish, he pocketed his phone and fixed me with a serious look. “Your ovulation period ended recently. And you’re still… interested?”

His words hung in the silence. Had I really heard that? Or was I going mad?

Noah cocked his head, genuinely confused. “Shouldn’t you only be interested in sex when you’re fertile?”

At first, I could only blink. But when his frown deepened, the realization hit—he was serious.

“Are you… are you kidding me?” Outrage surged, snapping me out of my stupor. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”

Noah shrugged. “I’m not. I thought you were—”

“Women have sexual urges at any point in their cycle,” I said through gritted teeth. “Not just during ovulation.”

He cleared his throat. “I know women have sexual urges, but not you. Because of your body.”

I gaped, half-convinced this was an elaborate prank. But the earnest look on his face revealed the truth. He believed it.

“And where did you hear such an asinine thing?” I demanded. “Because I know you’re not that dumb.”

He shifted his weight. “It’s what our family doctor told me when we first married,” he said gruffly. “He gave me the dates of your ovulation cycle, stating your body was too frail for intimacy at any other time. That you couldn’t even become aroused due to a lack of hormones.”

My jaw dropped. The sheer absurdity… did he not realize how ludicrous, demeaning, and objectifying that was? My hands clenched.

“You didn’t think to ask me if that was true?” I hissed, stepping closer. “That’s the most outrageous, misogynistic thing I’ve ever heard, I… I can’t believe this, Noah. That you would—”

The tinkling of a glass cut me off. We both turned as the Luna Queen’s voice rang out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention…”

Noah glanced at me, almost a grimace. “We’ll discuss this later. For now…” He jerked his chin towards the ballroom. “It seems we’re needed.”

Fuming, I brushed past him without a word, tossing my hair over my shoulder. Discuss this later, I thought. Oh, we would be discussing it.

The audacity of my husband believing such nonsense. And the audacity of my doctor saying it without even speaking to me! Was I some broodmare, only aroused during ovulation to get pregnant? The thought enraged me.

But I didn’t show it. I plastered on a smile, lifted my glass during the Luna Queen’s toast, and added this transgression to the list of reasons to leave Noah.

The reception resumed. I waded through the crowd, searching for Noah.

I froze. There, on the dance floor, was Noah—with Zoe. His hand was on her back as they swayed together. She smiled at him, and I felt sick.