Chapter 303

Hannah

I picked up my phone, my heart racing as I dialed a number I hadn’t called in months. As it rang, I paced in my bedroom, my free hand nervously fidgeting with my shirt hem.

My sister, Lily, still lived at home with our parents. We hadn’t spoken much since my marriage to Noah; our visits were infrequent. But that didn't diminish our love; life simply intervened.

Not anymore. With my father’s birthday approaching, Noah and I would be making our annual trip to Silvermoon. Once there, I would tell Lily everything, and I was certain she would help me escape. I wouldn’t be returning to Nightcrest.

“Hello?” My sister’s voice, slightly surprised, came through after a few rings.

“Hey, Lily. It’s been a while.”

“Hannah! Oh my goodness, is everything okay? It’s so late!”

I sighed and sank onto the edge of my bed. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was well after midnight—a fact I hadn’t realized. But lately, after that dinner with Noah—even though it had been nearly a week—I was finding it harder and harder to sleep.

“Yeah, everything’s… fine,” I lied, unsure how much to tell her yet. “I just wanted to catch up. Is Dad throwing a birthday party this year?”

“Yes,” Lily replied, sounding incredulous; our father always threw enormous birthday parties, making my question rather ridiculous. But she continued, “I’m so excited to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I said softly. More than you know.

She paused, and I could hear her infectious smile through the phone. “And from what I understand, you have a lot to update me on.”

My face paled, but then I realized she wasn’t referring to the pregnancy; she meant my eating disorder campaign, my gala, and my recent public achievements.

“Oh. We’ll catch up when I get there,” I said. I bit my lip, hesitating before asking the question that had been gnawing at me: “Hey, Lily… how are things at home? I mean, with Dad’s businesses and all?”

Another pause, longer this time. “What do you mean?” Her voice sounded strained.

“I just… I heard some rumors that things weren’t going so well. Is that true?”

Lily’s sigh crackled through the phone. “Hannah… I don’t know how you heard about that, but… yes. Dad’s been having some trouble lately.”

My stomach dropped. “What kind of trouble?”

Chapter 30J

“He made some bad investments,” Lily explained, her voice low. “He had to liquidate a few businesses. It’s… it’s not great, Hannah. A lot of people lost their jobs.”

I cursed under my breath. So Noah wasn’t bluffing after all. I’d hoped he’d been manipulating me, but he wasn’t. I couldn’t decide which was worse: his lying to control me, or the truth—that he might actually have leverage over me.

“How bad is it?”

“Bad enough that you shouldn’t bring it up when you visit,” Lily warned. “The pack’s upset, and Dad’s stressed enough as it is. Just pretend you don’t know, okay?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I won’t say anything, I promise. I just… I needed to know.”

“Why the sudden interest?” Lily asked. “No offense, but it’s not like you to care about Dad’s businesses.”

I cringed; it was true. Even before the marriage, I’d always been somewhat disconnected from our father’s pack life, even though I possessed the female Alpha gene that made me his heir.