Chapter 351

I couldn’t breathe. “I can’t do this,” I gasped, sitting up abruptly. “I can’t… need…” My wolf roiled inside me. “Mate,” she growled. “Mate… need… mate…”

The nurse said softly, “It will all be over soon, if you’ll just relax.” But her words were lost in the roaring in my ears. My claws and fangs extended; my wolf surged to the surface. The room spun; everything was too bright, too loud, overwhelming.

“I need my mate!” I snarled, jumping from the table. My arm swept across a surface, sending instruments crashing to the floor. “I can’t do this without him!”

The nurses whimpered and cowered. I raged, shoving equipment and snarling like a feral beast.

“Luna Hannah—”

“Get away!” I roared. “Where is he?!” I knew I was terrifying them, but I couldn’t stop. Terror consumed me. My wolf howled, desperate for our mate. I heard someone shout for security, but it barely registered. Footsteps pounded in the hallway; someone banged on the door. “Luna Hannah!” I hardly heard it. I couldn’t do this without him.

Suddenly, the door burst open. A familiar scent preceded strong arms wrapping around me.

“Hannah, I’m here,” Noah’s voice rumbled, deep and comforting. “I’m here… It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

I froze, inhaling—not for air, but for his scent: pine and fire, like the wildfires burning in his fir-green eyes. I needed it more than air.

Slowly, the panic subsided. The exam room was a mess; instruments littered the floor, my feet bare, my hair tangled. How long had I been raging?

“Noah,” I whispered, clutching his shirt. “You came…”

He pulled back slightly, his green eyes meeting mine. He cupped my face, forcing me to look at him, away from the scrambling nurses and security guards.

“I couldn’t let you go through this alone,” he said softly.

“But the meeting—”

“F***k the business meeting. This is the most important thing. You’re the most important thing, Hannah.”

My claws and fangs receded; my wolf settled at our mate’s presence. In that moment, I knew I had fallen back in love with Noah. I never wanted to be without him again.

“Noah, I lo—”

“I know,” he cut me off, guiding me back to the table. “I do, too.”

With Noah beside me, I calmly climbed back onto the table. A doctor swept in; a nurse checked my pulse. Someone spoke to me, then to Noah. I think I mumbled an apology, but it was a haze. Noah held my hand, never letting go. I barely felt any pain; I only felt him, smelled him, heard his words echoing: “I know. I do, too.”

He loved me. I loved him.

The procedure ended before I knew it. I was dressed—or someone dressed me—without realizing it. It was over.

“Let’s get you home,” Noah said gently, helping me up. His arm wrapped around my waist as we left the examination room. I looked up at him; warmth spread through me. Home. Not just a place, but wherever Noah was.

“Home…”