Chapter 0446

He didn’t need to tell me twice. The miniature goats—one pure white and the other white with brown spots—were the cutest little things, and I couldn’t resist.

“Come here, little guy—”

The moment I stepped into the pen, cooing at the goats, I must have struck a nerve; because the white one, with a wild bray of dissatisfaction, charged me as if it weren’t a quarter of my size. And it hurt like hell, despite its small stature. Friendly, indeed.

“Ow, ow, ow!” I cried, hopping on one foot as I gripped my injured shin. “You little—”

“Hannah, watch out!” Noah exclaimed, running in after me just as the other goat grabbed my scarf, pulled, and ran off with it.

“Oh—Hey! My scarf!”

I took off after the goat, which was trailing my favorite lavender scarf through the mud. The little thing was fast, even faster than the white one. And that’s how I found myself running around the pen, chasing a goat as if my life depended on it.

It was only after nearly five minutes and fifteen laps that I finally got my half-chewed scarf back and realized the goats’ braying, the chickens’ squawking, and my shouts of contempt weren’t the only sounds in that pen. Noah and Melody were both laughing at me. Hard.

“Ha ha, laugh all you want,” I said, hands on my hips. “But I’ll be the one laughing last when I’m having roast goat for dinner.”

Noah snorted and shook his head. “Come on, killer. Let’s check out the rest of the house.”

The inside of the house was as beautiful as the outside; the entryway opened into a cozy living room, complete with a plush sectional and two enormous armchairs arranged around a stone fireplace. The kitchen was filled with state-of-the-art appliances, surprising given how quaint the house was.

Then, there was the master bedroom: a large four-poster bed piled high with pillows and blankets, as well as an en suite bathroom with a huge claw-foot tub and a sliding glass door that opened onto a private back patio. There was a hot tub out there as well, which I could already picture myself soaking in tonight once Melody was asleep.

I turned, still in shock, to see Noah laying Melody down on the bed and fussing with her shoes. I watched his back for a moment, my brow furrowed. He’d never mentioned taking a trip like this—not even a passing comment.

But now here we were, six months in, and he was taking us to a little paradise in the forest when I knew for a fact he had to have been swamped with even more work than I was. And yet, there was nothing but a serene smile on his face.

“Things are in the works,” he’d said on more than one occasion in recent weeks. What sort of things, I wondered?

“What?” Noah asked, glancing at me over his shoulder. “I can feel you staring.”

I shook my head and strode over to him, still clutching my ruined scarf. “I feel like you’re not telling me something,” I said. “The Noah I know doesn’t just up and leave his pack—with no Beta at home—to go on an impromptu vacation.”

Noah blinked at me for a moment, his mouth opening and closing as if caught in the act. But just like that, the look of surprise was quickly replaced by that same serene smile.

“It’s just for fun,” he said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.

“But—”

“Oh, would you look at the time.” Noah checked his watch with an impish grin. “Looks like our chef should be here any minute now.”

My eyebrows shot up, my earlier apprehension giving way to surprise.

“Chef?”