Chapter 0426
For a moment, I thought we might kiss right there on the field. But then I caught sight of the jumbotron, our tangled forms displayed for all to see. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I quickly scrambled to my feet, offering Noah a hand up.
He took it, a grin spreading across his face as he stood. “You really have changed, Hannah,” he said, shaking my hand formally. “That was impressive.”
I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, still feeling flushed. “Thanks. That was a lot of fun.”
As the crowd began to disperse, Noah gestured toward a quieter area of the festival. “Want to take a walk?”
I nodded, falling into step beside him. We walked in comfortable silence for a while, the sounds of the festival fading into the background.
Finally, once we were alone, Noah spoke. “How has it been? Being a female Alpha, I mean.”
I took a deep breath, considering my words. “It’s… intense. I love it, I really do. The sense of purpose, the ability to make a real difference for my pack. But…”
“But?” Noah prompted gently.
“But there are a lot of struggles too,” I admitted. “Sometimes, I wonder if I’m even cut out for this. It feels like so many people expect me to fail, and… I make so many mistakes. Like not having enough security around me and assuming I’ll be fine on my own, or doing stupid things that just make matters worse. I want to be perfect, to prove to everyone that I’m not just some inexperienced baby playing at being an Alpha. But it feels impossible.”
“You know, I once thought I wasn’t cut out for being an Alpha, too.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Really? But you’ve always seemed so… confident.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “It was all an act, at least at first. I never told you, but when we first got married, I really doubted myself. Hell, I still doubt myself a lot now.”
“You do?” I couldn’t hide my shock. Noah had always seemed so sure of himself, so in control. The perfect Alpha.
“Of course,” he said. “Being an Alpha is being a leader, and leaders are not perfect. What matters is that we do our best for our people whenever we can. If we mess up sometimes, as long as we try our best to do what is right, our people will understand.”
His words settled over me, soothing some of the anxiety I had been carrying. “I guess I never thought of it that way,” I murmured.
We walked in silence for a few more steps before I gathered the courage to ask the question that had been on my mind. “Noah… do you think we could ever be together and both be Alphas at the same time? I don’t want to go back to being a Luna.”
Noah was quiet for a long moment, and I felt my heart rate pick up as I waited for his response. I hoped I hadn’t hurt him somehow. Finally, he turned to me, his expression serious.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It’s not something that’s been done before, at least not that I know of. But Hannah…” He took my hands in his, his touch sending sparks through my body. “If I had no choice but to give up my station to be with you again, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
His words, so sincere and heartfelt, broke down the last of my reservations. Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him like he was the last man on earth. He smiled against my mouth, tangled his fingers in my hair, and kissed me back just as fiercely.
And I swore I felt that invisible string reform just a little bit more.