Chapter 0061

And she looked… scared. Leaning in close, I murmured in a low voice, “Are you alright?”

For a long moment, the girl simply stared at me, her eyes red-rimmed and tired. Then, finally, she gave a small nod, biting her lip.

“We… we had to leave. My husband, he…” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard. “He wasn’t a good man.”

She didn’t need to elaborate; I knew what she was implying. Wordlessly, I took her by the elbow and guided her to a secluded corner.

Hardly daring to breathe, I fumbled in my pocket for my checkbook and a pen, hastily scribbling out a check for five thousand dollars. It wasn’t much money for me or Noah, and it certainly wasn’t, in the grand scheme of things, even for her, but it would be enough to get them into a decent apartment and buy some basic furnishings and necessities.

“Here. Take this,” I murmured, pressing the folded check into the girl’s trembling hand and closing her fingers around it. “And here’s my number. Use me as a reference if you need to—it’ll make sure no one gives you any trouble about getting a place.”

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, her mouth falling open at the sudden gesture. “You… You mean…”

I nodded. “It’s yours. Just promise you’ll use the money wisely, and… you’ll keep this between us?” Between us, I thought to myself as I saw the girl nod profusely and scurry away with her daughter. Acts of philanthropy didn’t seem so useful for my reputation when kept secret, did they?

But maybe this wasn’t about my reputation. Maybe this was about helping someone else, nothing more.

By the time the last tray had been cleared away and the kitchen tidied up, I felt both exhausted and yet somehow lighter and more energized than I had in longer than I could remember.

Viona and Amber immediately pounced on me the second the volunteers were dismissed, bombarding me with enthusiastic questions and comments.

“Did you see how happy everyone looked when you showed up?” “What happened with that little girl and her mom? What did you say to her?”

“I just gave her my business card,” I lied with a wave of my hand. “So she could put me down as a reference to get an apartment.”

Viona and Amber exchanged glances but didn’t press the issue further. Finally, Viona took a step closer and nodded her head toward Emma, who was chatting with one of the other volunteers off to the side. “She got along well, didn’t she?” she whispered.

Amber smirked. “Maybe you were right, Hannah—about a new leaf and all that.”

I smiled faintly, giving a short nod of acknowledgment. Emma had gotten along splendidly that day. But aside from her, or anyone else for that matter, I felt… good. Why had I waited so long to do this?

Suddenly, my introspective little bubble was abruptly burst as a tall, broad-shouldered figure stepped through the front doors, his expression pinched with obvious concern. Scott.

“Luna Hannah, there you are,” he huffed as he approached. “I’ve been looking for you.”

I turned to him and tilted my chin up. “Hello, Scott. Did you need me for something?”

Scott’s face twisted a bit as he nodded. “Alpha Noah requested me to bring you to his office.”

“Why?”

“He didn’t say. He just said it was urgent.”

My heart stuttered in my chest for reasons I wasn’t about to admit, but I didn’t let it show on my face. “Alright. Let’s go.”

It wasn’t long before I was stepping into Noah’s office—a sleek, modern corner space on the top floor of Nightcrest’s tallest high-rise. Scott opened the door for me, revealing Noah sitting behind his glass-topped desk, silhouetted by the setting sun coming in through the massive windows behind him. “Hannah,” Noah said, looking up from his computer. “Take a seat.”

Chapter 0062