Chapter 396

“No! No, I want Hannah! Get off of me!” Too many hands held him down. Too many… “Scott, let me go! You’re my brother! How could you let this happen?!”

“I’m sorry, Noah. But it’s for the best…”

“Nooo!”

“Shh…” Zoe crouched, silver knife glinting in the light. She cut the seashell necklace first, smirking as she held it up. “You will soon forget this all happened, Noah,” she’d said. “You won’t even remember Hannah at all…”

Noah’s hands clenched into fists, anger bubbling inside him. By the time he saw Hannah again, at the event where their parents announced their arranged marriage, Zoe’s little ceremony was already complete. She hadn’t expected their parents to pair Noah and Hannah, however, and she had been arranged to marry Drake. That’s why she’d returned to Nightcrest—to reclaim what had never been hers.

“Adam,” Noah’s voice was urgent. “Does your mommy know you play with these?”

Adam shook his head, his eyes widening. “No… am I in trouble?”

Noah knelt, placing his hands on Adam’s shoulders. “No, buddy. You’re not in trouble at all. In fact…” He paused, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “Thank you for showing me these. You’ve helped me remember something very important.”

“I remember.”

Hannah relaxed into the kiss for a moment before shoving him away, her eyes blazing with confusion and anger.

“What was that for?! What are you talking about?!” She wiped her mouth.

Noah held her, refusing to let her go. “Hannah, I remember everything. Everything about… us.”

Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about, Noah?” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“Hey!” The guard rattled his keys. “Hey, no touching!” They didn’t have much time.

“I never had a mate bond with Zoe,” Noah explained, the words tumbling out. “She’s not my fated mate. It was you, Hannah. You’re my mate.”

“Noah, what—”

“My mate bond with Zoe was never cut. My bond with you was cut, and then my memories of you were replaced with false ones.”

Hannah shook her head, trying to pull away, but Noah held on tight. The guard grunted, cursing about having the wrong key, the door rattling in its frame.

“Noah, this is insane. You can’t expect me to believe—”

“It’s true, Hannah. Zoe… she’s behind all of this. She’s the one who cut my bond with you and wiped my memories. Here. Like a sunrise… Remember?” Noah pressed the seashell into Hannah’s hand, and her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open.

But then she looked up, and her eyes narrowed. “But a few months ago…”

“When I suddenly kicked you out, that was all Zoe, too. I went to her to tell her to leave us alone, but she messed with my mind and changed my memories, making me believe I hated you and that you were a cheater. I never truly wanted to divorce you.”

Hannah stared at him, seashell in her palm. The guard found the right key and turned it, bellowing at them to separate.

“All these years,” Noah pleaded, “I thought Zoe was my eternal moonlight because she placed memories of herself into the empty spaces where my real memories of you had been. She had kept the pictures and letters as trophies, but I found them, and it jogged my memory.”

“Noah…”

“You are my mate, Hannah. Not Zoe. You are my eternal moonlight, and I am a fool for not remembering you. But I remember now, and I love you. I always have. I will make things right.”

Before Hannah could respond, the guard grabbed her arm and yanked her away. “Time’s up!”

“Hannah, I will get you out of here!” Noah called out as Hannah was dragged away. “I love you!”