Chapter 168

Hannah frowned at the spot where Zoe had been standing moments ago. Her bag and jacket were gone, leaving only a half-eaten pretzel on her chair. She must have slipped out unnoticed. But why? As far as she knew, Adam was still with his grandparents for a couple more days; there was no need to rush home.

Turning to Noah, she glanced up at his strong jawline. Seeming to notice her gaze, he looked down. His eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, his fingers tightening around her waist. The tension radiating from him was palpable, causing her to smirk.

"What's got you so affectionate all of a sudden?" she asked, rising onto her tiptoes. Her breath brushed his ear, causing his face to redden slightly. Good. She would tease him for his sudden sentimentality.

To her chagrin, he merely shrugged, regaining his cool indifference. His green eyes scanned the crowd, settling on a group of men leaning over the railing, beers in hand, their eyes occasionally flicking toward her.

Ah, jealousy.

"You're still my wife, for the time being," he growled. "I can't have strange men ogling you."

She curled her lip. "You're jealous?" she asked, a part of her hoping he was.

"I just don't need to be embarrassed by my wife getting stared at and hit on, especially when I'm right here."

She returned her attention to the fight—the man in red shorts was delivering a final, decisive combo. It was all about Noah's ego, as usual.

Even so, as the bell rang, and she tried to pull away, Noah held her tighter. She frowned, glancing at him. He didn't look at her, but she saw his throat bob as he swallowed.

Sighing, she leaned against him, resting her head on his chest. She heard his racing heart, a delighted thrill running through her. Was he nervous? Or was it just the excitement of the fight? Probably the fight. It couldn't be anything else.

"Where did Zoe go?" she asked Drake, noticing Zoe still hadn't returned.

Drake paused, glanced around, shrugged, and sighed. "She left," he said. "Called an Uber. Said she was tired."

Chapter 166 + 25 BONUS

"Oh." Hannah glanced at Noah, who also seemed surprised. Yeah, you miss your girlfriend, don't you? she thought, glaring at him. Maybe Zoe had left because she saw him holding Hannah.

"Well…" Drake glanced at his watch. It was nearly midnight, and the fight was over. The crowd was leaving, leaving behind a mess for the staff to clean up. "I guess it's time. That was fun, guys."

Hannah nodded, finally feeling Noah loosen his grip enough to pull away. "Yeah, it was. We should do this again."

Drake raised a curious eyebrow, shooting Noah a quick glance. "Really? You'd want to do this again?"

Hannah nodded, but before she could speak, Noah chuckled. "What's got you so interested in fighting all of a sudden, Hannah?"

Frowning, she glared at him, arms crossed. "I've always been interested."

"No, you haven't. Don't lie." How very much like Noah, she thought, to always correct me.

"It's okay if you don't want to, Hannah," Drake said, gathering his jacket. "It's not for everyone."

She sighed. "Alright, alright. It's true; I never cared for this before. But…" she paused, momentarily wanting to touch her belly, but stopping herself. "I don't know. I guess I've changed."

Drake grinned. Noah blinked in surprise.

"Actually," she continued, "I might consider taking up sparring training again."

Both men looked dumbfounded. She threw up her hands. "What? Is that so preposterous?"

Noah scoffed. "For you? Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…" He shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "You've never shown any interest in any sort of physical activity, let alone…"

"That's bullshit, Noah. You know how much I like walking, Pilates, cycling…"

"Sure, sure. But sparring?" Noah scoffed. "Where did that come from?"

She started to retort, then stopped. She couldn't tell Noah the truth: that she wanted to prepare herself to be a single mom and a female Alpha, to protect herself and her child without a man's help.

"Hey, come on now," Drake said, putting on his jacket. "If you want to start sparring, Hannah, then you should go for it. Don't let anyone stop you."

+25 BONUS Chapter 160

Hannah smiled at Drake. "Thanks, Drake," she said, then worried her lip. "I'll need a sparring partner, though."

"I'll do it."

Both Noah and Drake spoke simultaneously, causing Hannah to blink in surprise. Even they looked at each other in shock.

"Sorry, Drake, but I'll train my own wife," Noah said dismissively. "Thanks for the offer."

"Suit yourself," Drake replied, "but I'm a certified personal trainer. And besides, ultimately, it's up to Hannah."

Noah grumbled. Both men looked at her expectantly, and a mischievous idea took root. She grinned, hands on hips.

"Who said I would pick either of you?" she teased. "Maybe you're the ones who need to prove worthy of training me."

Noah grumbled again. Drake, understanding, smirked at Noah.

"What do you say, Noah? Shall we each train Hannah for one session and see who she prefers?"

For a long moment, Noah glared at Drake before looking at Hannah. She held his gaze, challenging him silently. Finally, he sighed.

"Very well."