Chapter 281

A soft growl rumbled in Noah’s chest, but he didn’t respond. Maybe his wolf was right; maybe he was a schemer who only wanted to keep his forlorn wife around for his own needs.

But a tiny part of Noah—the same part that had leaped over that waterfall, thinking only of holding her in his arms again—did care for her. That part wanted to rekindle their love, have children, grow old together.

As he approached Hannah’s office, Noah cleared his head and rehearsed what he would say, one last time: “Hannah, I was thinking… why don’t we go out tonight? Just the two of us. No pressure, no talk about the future. Just a nice dinner and maybe a walk?”

He could almost see her hesitation, the way she would bite her lower lip as she considered his offer. But he was confident she would say yes. She always had a hard time resisting his charm.

But just as he was about to knock, he heard voices inside. He slowed his steps, unwilling to interrupt if she was in a meeting. As he drew closer, however, he realized it wasn’t a friendly conversation.

“Just take the serum, Hannah,” a male voice demanded from the other side of the door. Noah immediately recognized it as Leonard’s. “Prove you’re not lying, and then I won’t bother you again. But I need to protect our Alpha.”

Noah’s wolf stirred, bristling at the threatening tone. Leonard had been a problem lately, accusing Hannah of taking favors from Drake. Was he harassing her?

Before reaching for the handle, Noah pressed closer to the door, straining to hear Hannah’s response.

“I’ve already told you, Leonard,” Hannah’s exasperated voice replied, “I’m not taking any strange substances you give me. For all I know, it could be poison!”

Noah’s brow furrowed. What was going on? His grip tightened on the bouquet, crushing some delicate petals. He reached for the doorknob, but his hand faltered as he heard Leonard’s next words.

“I can assure you, it’s not poison,” Leonard insisted. “It’s a simple truth serum. One sip, and you will have to tell the truth about you and Drake.”

Noah’s brow furrowed at the mention of Drake. Once, he’d only felt jealousy; but ever since that night at the waterfall, he’d developed a begrudging respect for Drake. And Noah knew, now, that Drake was truly nothing more than a friend to Hannah. She had even said so herself that night they slept together, openly admitting that it was Noah’s name she had moaned all those times she touched herself.

Even if she had been lying, why was Leonard harassing her? It wasn’t his place. She was still his Luna. Noah grabbed the doorknob, trying it; it was locked. Leonard and Hannah, too engrossed in their argument, didn’t notice.

“There’s nothing to tell, Leonard!” Hannah exclaimed. “How many times do I have to say it? Drake and I are just friends!”

“Then prove it,” Leonard said, his voice low and threatening. “Take the serum.”

There was a sound of a scuffle, and Noah dropped the bouquet, reeling back his leg to kick the door down. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding. His wolf urged him to burst in, to protect Hannah from whatever threat Leonard posed. But he held back, just for a moment…

Then Hannah spoke again, and the words she said next nearly made Noah’s knees buckle.

“I’m pregnant, Leonard! I can’t take that serum!”