Chapter 0269

Hannah

I awoke with a start, the warm sun against my cheek doing little to quell my sudden jolt. The white sheets felt soft and warm, but unfamiliar, and for a moment, panic gripped me. This wasn’t my bed. These pillows, though plush and down-filled, weren’t mine. The curtains were sheer, not thick and heavy with velvet and tassels.

And then it hit me. Slowly, memories of the previous night trickled back: the gala, the nightmare, and then… Noah. My cheeks flushed as I remembered him carrying me upstairs, his lips on mine, the heat of his body against mine. His taut muscles as he moved above me, his long fingers gripping the headboard, his tousled hair falling into his eyes, my name on his lips. The scent of him still lingered on the pillows, indicating he’d only recently left, although I was mercifully alone now. Alone in the wake of a night of passion I’d never intended. A profound feeling of guilt immediately washed over me, my wolf whining softly in confusion. What had I done? This was only going to complicate things further. We were supposed to be getting divorced, not… whatever this was. My hand unconsciously drifted to my stomach, where our child was growing—still unbeknownst to Noah, even though we had made love just hours ago. The secret felt heavier than ever. Liar, a little voice in the back of my head seemed to say. Manipulator.

I sat up, ensuring Noah was truly gone. His side of the bed was cold, the sheets neatly tucked. Always the early riser. It used to drive me insane when we slept together every night, but it felt like a mercy this morning. I slipped out of bed and quickly went to my room, which was nearby. Once inside, I showered in scalding water, almost as if it would wash away what we’d done, make it unreal, clean. Finally, I got dressed, my fingers fumbling clumsily with the buttons of my blouse. The mirror reflected a woman I barely recognized—flushed cheeks, tousled hair, eyes bright with lingering pleasure. Down below, in the pit of my stomach, a pleasant emptiness lingered—like a weight had been lifted. My inner thighs still burned with the sensation of his touch, my knees blissfully weak and soft.

It had, of course, been like heaven. It was the first time we’d made love outside of our monthly intimacy nights in… well, I couldn’t even remember. A long damn time. But it would be the last time. It had to be.

As I made my way to my office, I tried to focus on the tasks ahead: Luna duties, paperwork, anything to take my mind off the night I’d spent with Noah. But my thoughts kept drifting back to him, to the way he’d touched me, the way his green eyes grew husky and his eyelids drooped as he looked at me.

Did he think about Zoe the entire time? I didn’t think so; it was my name he’d said, after all. But then, he’d gotten up and left before I even woke. Maybe it was all routine to him; a quick release, something to quell the urges of his wolf. Yes, that was what it was for me, too. Relief.

My office was a sanctuary of order amidst my chaotic thoughts. I settled behind my desk, determined to lose myself in work. The expense reports Scott had completed lay in a neat stack, demanding my attention. As I pored over the numbers, however, I frowned. Something wasn’t adding up. I double-checked the figures, my irritation growing as I lifted the page to the light to ensure I hadn’t missed anything. Scott had messed up. Again.

“Dammit, Scott,” I muttered, reaching for a pen to make the corrections. This wasn’t the first time he’d made mistakes like this recently, and the incidents were growing more frequent. Noah needed to know about this; Scott’s errors could cost us dearly if left unchecked.

With the corrected report in hand, I made my way to Noah’s office. My heart raced as I approached his door, memories of our night together flashing through my mind for the millionth time. I didn’t want to look him in the eye right now, but this was important; so, I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and knocked. Part of me hoped he wasn’t there and that I could just leave the papers on his desk.