Chapter 27: Chapter 28

Chapter 0028 +25 BONUS I walked over to the counter and dug out the mason Jars. One of the jars was sticky on the side, and I found that the lid was loose with juice leaking down the side. Fortunately, none of it had gotten on Zoe’s bag.

I tried to tighten the lid but had to open it for realignment. Looking into the jar at the fruit, I couldn’t help my mouth watering at the juiciness of the plump peach slices. Before I knew what I was doing, my fingers reached into the jar, pulled out a slice, and popped it into my mouth.

To my surprise, my body savored the sweetness of the peach slice. Instead of being revolted, I chewed slowly and swallowed the treat with relish. My stomach did not sting but sang in relief at the small piece of food.

Was my appetite improving? Could this be a blessing from the life blossoming inside of me?

Quickly, I screwed the lid back on the mason jar. I turned to take them over to where Zoe was preparing the crust. the dessert. Her eyes met mine, and she smiled slyly at me before returning her attention to As the guests filed into the dining room, Noah stepped into the kitchen to survey the progress on the meal. Zoe had her back turned, stirring a pot of soup on the stove, as I arranged the deviled eggs on plate.

Noah was silent as he watched me, his arms folded across his chest. I could feel his gaze boring into me.

“Is something wrong?” I finally asked.

“Is this really edible?” he blurted out, picking up one of the deviled eggs and inspecting it closely.

I placed my hands on my hips. “What do you mean by that?”

He shrugged. “You never cooked before and you hardly eat anything. How could you possibly prepare this meal?”

“Can’t I try something new?”

Frowning, Noah popped the deviled egg into his mouth. He made a production of chewing slowly, as though contemplating the quality of the food, but I knew that he had already made up his mind about it before he had even swallowed.

“Well, it isn’t the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted,” he said with a slight chuckle. “You know this is for a family banquet, right?

Not a lowbrow party that’s filled with men who will put pretty much anything in their mouths?”

I felt a gasp escape my lips. Whirling my head around, I saw Zoe stiffen by the stove. She didn’t turn around–therefore, she had no idea about the look on Noah’s face.

But I did. And I could tell from the sharp look in his eyes and the biting smirk tugging at the corners of his lips that he was just saying these things out of jealousy because he still hadn’t gotten over what happened at Viona and Amber’s party.

Asshole.

“It was Zoe’s cooking,” I said. “I’m just helping to serve it.”

+25 BONUS Chapter 0028 I walked over to where Zoe stood and gathered her in my arms, and felt her tremble against me as she tried to contain her tears.

“It’s okay,” I told her. “He didn’t mean it that way.”

As Zoe buried her face in my shoulder, I shot an angry glance back at Noah. He glared at me, and I held his gaze defiantly.

He wanted to mock me in front of Zoe, but it had backfired. Maybe that would teach him to pick on me in order to stroke his own ego.

“Well, since the two of you seem so close suddenly,” he said, “you might want to know that Drake is coming as a member of the Alpha Council.”

Adam, who had popped his head in to see what his mother was doing, smiled broadly at the sound of this news.

“Daddy!” he exclaimed.

Zoe pulled away from me. Her face paled.

“Drake...he’s really coming.”