Chapter 438

Hannah and Noah walked out of the courtroom side by side. Viona and Drake, waiting in the hallway, turned. Their eyes widened at the sight of their intertwined hands and the flush on Hannah's cheeks.

"Before you start asking questions," Hannah said, raising a hand to stop Viona, "it's true. Noah and I have decided to make things official again."

Viona's face paled with shock. Drake's lips curled into a cheeky grin. "I guess that means I've officially missed my shot with you, Hannah," he teased, earning a well-deserved smack on the chest from Viona.

Hannah grinned, looking up at Noah. My mate. My boyfriend. She leaned against him, savoring the warmth of his arm around her waist.

Noah came over for dinner that night—to celebrate their dual victories in court, of course. But unbeknownst to her parents and sister, they had something else to celebrate.

They waited until the dinner plates were cleared and dessert was served to tell them. Under the table, Hannah felt Noah's hand around hers, warm and reassuring. She caught Lily's eye across the table; a knowing look was in her gaze—but if she knew what Hannah was about to announce, she didn't say it aloud.

"I—we—have an announcement," Hannah said, her fingers tightening around her glass of white wine. "Noah and I…" She glanced at Noah, who squeezed her hand. "We're back together. Officially."

Her parents' faces lit up; her father's eyes widened. Lily leaned back in her chair with a tiny "I knew it" smirk and sipped her wine.

"That's wonderful news!" her father practically shouted. "When did this happen? Today?"

Hannah nodded and glanced at Noah. "I asked her this afternoon," he replied. "After the trials. It took some convincing, but she agreed to be my girlfriend."

Hannah blushed, averting her gaze to her lap, recalling those moments. Her emotions had warred between elation and terror, with elation finally winning. "Yes," she'd finally said, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes. Let's give this another go. A real one this time."

In her heart, during those moments, she knew she couldn't be without him any longer. She kept thinking back to the night they played frisbee, to the feeling of those invisible threads slowly reforming between their hearts. He was her mate, and he had almost been taken from her forever. She couldn't refuse his request. Not anymore.

"Well," her father said, lifting his glass, "this is joyous news. Perhaps we can set up a time and date to discuss the merger."

Hannah's eyebrows shot up. "The merger?"

Her father sipped his wine and nodded. "Yes. You will want Nightcrest to absorb Silvermoon, no?"

Despite her best efforts, Hannah felt her shoulders slump. She knew she was foolish for not expecting this reaction—he was old-fashioned, and even if he weren't, most people would have scoffed at the idea of two Alphas maintaining their statuses.

But hearing it now… seeing Noah's lack of reaction… it was hard not to want to cry.

"We talked about this, Dad," she said simply, trying to sound relaxed.

Her father shrugged. "Yes, yes, I know you want to remain Alpha, dear… But it's simply unheard of for two Alphas to marry without one taking on the role of Luna. It's a logical outcome. Tradition, you know?"

Hannah swallowed hard and looked away, blood pounding in her ears. Logical. Traditional. Unheard of.

Across the table, she heard her mother say something about dessert, clearly trying to keep the conversation light. Her sister's apologetic gaze, however, wasn't lost on her.

And all the while, Noah remained silent. Contemplative, or…