Chapter 0037

Hannah

With a fresh scowl etched onto my face, I strode away from Noah, the rapid clicking of my heels against the marble floor echoing the pounding of my heart. "Are you drunk already?" he had said. All because I was polite to Drake? Because I was affectionate toward him? Bastard, I thought. Bastard.

Before I could escape into the crowd, a light tap on my shoulder brought me whirling around. Speak of the devil—there stood Drake himself, his lips curved into that handsome, albeit serpentine, smile.

“Luna Hannah,” he murmured, dipping into a shallow bow. “Might I have the pleasure of this dance?” A refusal danced on the tip of my tongue, but something in Drake’s glacial stare gave me pause. With a curt nod, I extended my gloved hand. “Of course, Alpha Drake.”

Sweeping me into his arms, Drake guided us seamlessly into the waltz. We moved in sync, my body following his lead with ease despite the tension thrumming between us. I felt a blush color my cheeks when he tilted his chiseled jaw to regard me, a pleasant smile on his face.

“So,” Drake said after a measured silence, “while I must say I’m honored to be dancing with you right now, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have an… ulterior motive.” I arched a brow at his words. “And what would that be?” Drake’s mouth twitched ever so slightly, and he leaned in closer, his breath tickling my ear as he spoke. “My wife,” he said, his voice taking on a melancholy tone at the mention of Zoe. “Is she…?”

I knew where this was going. “I don’t think she wants to talk to you, Drake,” I said, pulling back a little. “I’m sorry.”

“I see.” Drake’s tone remained light, but I could see the flicker of regret cross his features—and it made me soften. “I’m just worried about her, that’s all. I… miss her. And Adam.” My steps faltered for the briefest moment as I saw the sad look behind his eyes. I tightened my grip on his shoulder ever so slightly and shot him a thin smile. “She’s okay,” I said softly, “She’s safe. And Adam is doing well.”

Drake let out a soft breath and nodded once. “Good. I’m glad.” We lapsed back into silence as the song swelled around us. I could practically hear the gears turning in Drake’s head, though, and I knew this wasn’t over. Finally, he spoke again, his voice even lower this time. “I know she doesn’t want to speak to me, but…” His eyes flicked across the crowd, obviously searching for Zoe, before returning to me. His eyes seemed a little wetter now, although I knew that Alphas like him never shed a tear. “I’d like to at least see my son.”

“I’m not sure if I can help you with that,” I replied.

Drake sighed. “I understand. But… I have to admit, you two seemed so friendly on television during your acceptance ceremony. I thought…” His voice trailed off, and he clenched his jaw and looked away, falling silent once more.

As I watched the muscles tick in the side of his face, I found myself wavering. Drake’s plea tugged at something deep within me—that innate drive to help, to nurture. He seemed so earnest, so heartbroken. He just wanted to see his son. And as someone who had already lost her unborn child in her last life, and who now wanted nothing more than to ensure the safety of the little fetus blooming in her belly, I felt myself crack just a little bit. Perhaps I had misjudged him.

“…” I began haltingly. “I’ll speak with Zoe. But I can make no promises, Alpha Drake.” Drake’s grip on my waist tightened ever so slightly as he dipped his head. “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Luna.”

With that, the song came to a close. Drake released me with one final bow, and then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared. I watched him go, my mind whirling.

It didn’t take me long to locate Zoe after that. I found her by herself in a quiet alcove by the corner, pensively looking out the window and nursing a glass of deep red wine. Her eyes snapped up warily as I approached.

“There you are,” I said, forcing lightness into my tone as I sidled up beside her and followed her gaze out the window, toward the sprawling gardens below. “I was looking for you.”

Zoe’s brow furrowed. “Is something wrong?”

“Well…” I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. “I just had an interesting conversation with Alpha Drake.”

Her entire body went rigid at the mention of his name, her knuckles paling around the glass. “I see,” she bit out. “And how did that go for you?”

Bristling at her venomous tone, I cleared my throat and forced myself to keep my tone steady. “He said he just wants to see Adam. Just for a few minutes.”

“Is that so?” Zoe barked out a harsh, mirthless laugh, swirling the wine in her glass. “As if I’d let that beast anywhere near my son.”

My frown deepened. “Zoe, I don’t mean to overstep… But if there’s more to it—”

“You want the truth, don’t you?” She whipped her gaze up to mine, her eyes blazing. “The truth is that that man is a womanizer who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants if his life depended on it.”

My eyes widened. “You mean… he cheated?”

“Constantly.” A muscle in Zoe’s jaw ticked as she drained her wine in one gulp. “I caught him with so many different women over the years, I lost count. Finally, I walked in on him with some vapid little thing while my son was sleeping in the next room over, and that was it for me. I took Adam and left that very night.”

I felt my heart clench at her words, at the bitter look in her eyes. “He… He brought a stranger into your home while your son was right there?”

She nodded. “He did. He never cared about Adam.” She paused, taking a big swig of her wine. “I’m sure Drake wants to get his hands on him for appearances’ sake, nothing more. If he truly cared about Adam, he wouldn’t have done what he did.”

With my cheeks flushing with shame, I reached out to grip Zoe’s arm. “Zoe, I’m so sorry. I should never have entertained his lies, not even for a moment.”

She sighed, the anger draining from her face as she patted my hand. “It’s alright, Hannah. I know how persuasive he can be when he wants something.” A wry smile curved her lips. “I’ll give him this—the wolf certainly knows how to don sheep’s clothing.”

Offering her a weak smile in return, I gave her arm a final squeeze. “Would you like to join me?” I asked, nodding my head toward the bar.

Zoe paused, following my gaze—and for a moment, I saw her move to follow me. But then she returned her gaze to the window and shook her head, an apologetic look crossing her features. “I think I’d like to be alone for a few minutes, if you don’t mind.”

“I understand completely.”

With that, I left Zoe standing by the window. Assuming that what she said was true and I hadn’t been played by both of them, then I felt for her, truly—and I intended on giving Drake a piece of my mind, or something akin to it, once I had powdered my nose and composed myself.

But just as I was rounding the corner to the corridor, I heard raised voices. I stopped in my tracks, carefully peering around the wall. There, just up ahead, stood Drake and Noah in the hallway—seemingly in the midst of a heated discussion. I couldn’t quite make out Noah’s words, but Drake’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“You have such a beautiful wife at your side, yet you feel the need to steal mine?”