HannahThe sounds of laughter and music faded somewhat as I made my way into the kitchen, an empty snack bowl in hand. The staff tonight had offered to refill it, but I’d insisted, saying that I needed a few moments to myself.Apparently, they had taken that as meaning that I needed the entire kitch
I blinked, shocked. “I had no idea.”His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “It made me realize that she might not have our best interests at heart, even though she claims to be our friend. I’ve been distancing myself from her since then.”He paused, then added, “I’m glad that Drake was there that night
HannahNoah’s body tensed beneath me as he finished with one last resounding growl, his fingers digging deeply into the soft flesh of my hips.I collapsed onto his chest, panting and heaving, my heart racing. The cool night air kissed my sweat-dampened skin, and I became acutely aware of the fact that the forest had gone silent around us—the nighttime creatures going quiet at the sound of two predators howling in the clearing.As I caught my breath, I realized that my flower crown had slipped off during our passion. Noah’s chest rumbled with a soft chuckle as he sat up, cradling me in his lap. He reached over, plucking the crown from where it had fallen on the grass beside us.With gentle hands, he placed it back on my head, adjusting it carefully. “A crown for my queen,” he murmured, his green eyes twinkling in the moonlight.I couldn’t help but giggle, feeling giddy and lightheaded. “I thought I was your princess,” I teased, running my fingers through his tousled hair.“After that p
The next morning, I woke with another beaming smile on my face.My lower belly still radiated with warmth, a delicious reminder of the night’s activities. We had made love well into the night after the party had ended, over and over until we were both sore.Now, with sunlight streamed through the curtains, my eyes found my pink dress from the party hanging on the back of the closet door. It was miraculously intact despite Noah’s feral passion last night. We’d hardly made it back to the room before he was growling in my ear and ripping my dress off of me.I rolled over, reaching for him, but found his side of the bed empty and cool.Frowning, I sat up, wrapping the sheet around me as I looked around the room. “Noah?” I called out, but there was no response.Slipping on a robe, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee filled the air, and I found Ana bustling about, cleaning up some remaining platters and bowls from the party.“Good morning, Luna,” she greeted m
HannahMy mind reeled as I stared at those words.Notice of Divorce.The world seemed to tilt on its axis as I read them over and over and over again. If I’d had the strength to do so, I might have even pinched myself to find out if I was having some kind of nightmare. But I just stood there, frozen
I turned to head upstairs and pack my things, but then paused at the foot of the staircase. My fingers curled around the banister, my arm trembling.“I died and came back for you,” I said softly, my voice breaking. “Now I just see it was a waste.”Noah simply shrugged, unmoved by my revelation. “The
HannahIt was well past midnight by the time I stumbled into my family’s mansion, my vision blurred by tears and my throat raw from sobbing.The familiar scent of the home I had grown up in barely registered as I collapsed to the floor just inside the doorway. My claws extended involuntarily, scrapi
My father’s fists clenched. “I’ll kill him,” he growled, his eyes flashing gold. My mother put a hand on his arm, but that fire didn’t go out.“No,” I said firmly. “I don’t want anyone to do anything. I just want to put it all behind me.”A heavy silence fell over the room. Finally, I looked up at m
Noah pushed himself harder, letting out a playful howl as he gained on her, the hunt pulsing through his veins like a drug. She glanced back, her ears twitching, and he saw her eyes flash with excitement before she put on an extra burst of speed. It became a game of cat and mouse, each of them pus
Noah For the millionth time that morning, Noah’s gaze drifted from the stack of papers on his desk to the stretch of forest that was visible through the office window. The afternoon light filtered through the trees, casting that familiar, deep green hue over the landscape. Just seeing the expans
Noah didn’t say anything, just looked at it with a faint smile, his hand sliding over Melody’s stroller handle. I could tell that he liked it. A lot. “That’s beautiful,” I said, glancing at the price tag. “If you want it, you should buy it.” I gestured to my own bags sitting in the back of the str
Hannah Amber’s big move weighed on me for days. I was happy for her, genuinely. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss her like hell. And with her going-away party coming up, I wanted to do something special before she left. I thought about finding her a small going-away gift, just a
Amber shook her head, blinking quickly to dispel her tears. “It’s like this weight I can’t shake. No amount of therapy is helping. And I realized... I think I just need to get away. I need to start over, somewhere far from here. Somewhere I can figure out who I really am, without all the... the bagg
Hannah When Amber called and said she wanted a girls’ night, I nearly dropped my phone. The last time we had all had a proper girls’ night, just us, had been… Well, I actually couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe not since Melody had been born. Of course I said I would go even though it was a
Noah took a deep breath, nodding. “You’re right.” “And then there’s your father,” he mused after a beat of silence. “He thought he was protecting you, setting you up for a safe future by arranging our marriage, but… he never really stopped to think about what you were getting into. He never took t
Hannah It took some time to get Melody to bed that night, what with all the sugar and excitement of the overwhelming day. Noah and I had to take turns pacing back and forth across the nursery, bouncing her and cooing to her until she finally gave up and let her eyes flutter closed. By the time s
Sighing, I said softly, “I could say the same for myself. But people change.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “Yeah, I guess they do. Thank you, Hannah. Really. I wouldn’t have even thought about it if you hadn’t put in a good word for me.” I shrugged, brushing it off with a smile. “I just suggested th