Chapter 0276

I raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Well, it’s no secret you’ve been on the up and up lately,” Drake said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t think Zoe hasn’t noticed.”

Despite my urge to smirk self-satisfactorily, I simply nodded. “I see. Well, I won’t say anything.”

As Drake moved away, I headed toward the refreshment table for a refill. Halfway there, Leonard stepped into my path, a smug look on his face.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our mighty huntress,” he drawled sarcastically.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, Leonard?”

He scoffed. “Oh, nothing. I just find it hard to believe you actually made that kill. It was too clean for a female.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Hannah,” Leonard continued, oblivious to my growing irritation. “Females have smaller teeth than males, and their spatial abilities are less pronounced. There’s no way you could have made such a precise kill.”

That was it. Without warning, I bared my fangs, leaning close to Leonard’s face. “Why don’t you take a closer look, then?” I growled. “See how small my fangs really are. If you want, I can even test my spatial abilities on your throat.”

Leonard’s eyes widened at the sight of my fangs. He took a step back, his face paling slightly. “I… uh…”

Satisfied with his reaction, I retracted my fangs and brushed past him, slamming my shoulder into him. “Next time, think twice before you question my abilities, Leonard,” I called over my shoulder.

Refilling my drink, I saw Zoe standing alone by a nearby tree, looking lost. On impulse, I grabbed two plates of deer meat and approached her. I knew I shouldn’t bother, but I couldn’t help it. I kept trying to tell myself I was just being nosy, but I knew that wasn’t true. Seeing her alone reminded me of my own ostracism before my rebirth. As much as I detested Zoe, I didn’t want the same for her.

“Hey,” I said, offering her a plate. “Thought you might be hungry.”

Zoe looked at me warily before accepting the plate. “Oh. Thanks,” she said quietly.

We stood in awkward silence, picking at our food. The meat was fragrant and juicy; it was an effort not to devour it like an animal.

Finally, I broke the ice. “So, how have you been? I saw Adam earlier. He seems happy to be back with you.”

Zoe’s face softened at the mention of her son. “Yeah, things have been better. I got a steady job as a lounge singer, and my parents finally agreed to let me have Adam back.”

“That’s great,” I said, shocking even myself with my sincerity. “I’m happy for you.”

She nodded, taking a bite of the deer meat. I noticed she didn’t mention her shifting troubles, and I didn’t push. If Drake was right about the stress, the last thing she needed was to feel like she had to explain herself to me. Goddess knows I knew how that felt.

“How about you?” Zoe asked, surprising me. “How have things been?”

I shrugged. “Busy, as always. But good. The hunt today… it felt really nice to reconnect with that side of myself.”

Zoe nodded, a flicker of something—envy? longing?—passing over her face.

Suddenly, Zoe’s eyes widened as she focused on something behind me. She pointed, fork still in hand. “Is Noah drunk already?”