Chapter 253

Hannah

The clinking of cutlery against china blended with the café's soft music. I sipped my coffee, chasing away the rich chocolate flavor of my croissant, and glanced at Viona and Drake, who had joined me for lunch.

“So, I finally did it,” I said, setting down my cup. “I wrote a formal invitation to the Luna Queen and mailed it this morning.”

Drake froze, fork halfway to his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, confused. “I could have invited her myself. She is my aunt, after all.”

I shook my head and dabbed my mouth with a napkin. “Thanks, Drake, but I want to achieve this on my own merits. No special favors, even if she is your relative.”

“I can respect that,” Drake said, around a mouthful of Cobb salad. “I think it shows real character.” Viona snorted from across the table. “Or stubbornness.”

I shot her a playful glare. “Hey, I prefer to call it determination.”

Now that the invitations to the charity gala were sent, we only needed to focus on other details—like décor and the menu. I wanted it to be perfect, not only to end my eating disorder campaign on a high note but also to impress the Luna Queen. After all, I hadn’t forgotten her invitation to her council. And I intended to claim my seat there.

As we ate, I couldn't help but notice Drake's eyes flicking towards me. He'd been looking at me strangely lately, unlike his usual self. Perhaps the events at the waterfall still troubled him. I knew they were still troubling me.

Suddenly, Viona gasped, her eyes glued to her phone. “Oh my god, Hannah. You need to see this.”

She shoved her phone across the table before I could respond, nearly knocking over her water glass in her haste. I leaned in, curious, only to feel my face flush as I recognized the image on the screen. “Is that…?”

“Yep,” Viona hissed, pushing the phone closer.

The screen displayed a photograph of Noah and me, asleep together in the hospital bed. The caption read: “True love overcomes all obstacles. How cute are Nightcrest’s Alpha and Luna?”

“What the hell…?” I hissed, acutely aware of Drake's intense stare. I racked my brain, then it hit me: the morning after Noah and I fell asleep, I awoke to see two nurses fawning over us.

Viona shrugged, taking back her phone. “It’s all over social media. It’s basically viral.”

I felt a surge of anger. “Those damn nurses…” I grumbled. “That’s a violation of privacy. They shouldn’t have been taking pictures of us; we were scared and vulnerable that night.”

“They could get in so much trouble for this,” Viona muttered, scrolling through the comments. “But people are loving it. Look at this one: ‘Relationship goals! I wish my mate looked at me the way Alpha Noah holds his Luna.’”

Drake cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Hannah’s right. It’s a breach of privacy.”

“You could probably get those nurses fired for this,” Viona suggested, finally putting down her phone. “Something like this goes directly against patient privacy. They posted it on a burner account, but if you remember their faces…”

Despite my anger, I shook my head vehemently. “No, I won’t take it that far,” I said.

Viona and Drake both raised an eyebrow. “Why not?” Drake asked.

I shrugged and took another sip of my coffee. “It was a lapse in judgment. I’m not happy, but I’m also not going to ruin someone’s career over it.”