Chapter 38: Chapter 39

Chapter 0039 Hannah I led Drake over to the bar, my heels clicking decisively against the marble floor with each step. Part of me felt like I was betraying Noah somehow, despite the fact that he was the one acting unreasonably jealous.

He has no right to be jealous, I thought to myself. He’s the one with the hots for his ex–girlfriend.

Still, I pushed those thoughts aside as I claimed two empty stools, gesturing for Drake to take a seat beside me. The bartender materialized in front of us almost immediately.

“What can I get for you, Alpha Drake?” he asked.

“I’ll have a whiskey, neat,” Drake replied coolly before looking over at me. “And for you, Luna Hannah...?”

My lips twitched faintly. “Just a water for me, thanks.”

Drake blinked once in apparent surprise, but didn’t question it further as the bartender moved to fill our orders. An awkward silence fell between Drake and I–one I felt compelled to break.

1, ah... I spoke with Zoe, like I said I would.”

Drake’s eyes sharpened with interest at that. “Oh? And what did my darling wife have to say?”

I hesitated, pinning him with a measured look as I considered how to respond. Finally, I opted for the truth -or some version of it, at least.

“She wasn’t too keen on seeing you, or letting you see Adam, I’ll be honest. She said...” My brow furrowed as I chose my words carefully. “She said you were unfaithful, Drake. Multiple times over the years. With... well, with other women.”

To his credit, Drake didn’t so much as flinch at the blunt accusation. He merely sipped his whiskey, his gaze carefully impassive.

“I see,” was all he said after a long pause.

I arched a brow at his nonchalant reaction, “Is it true, then? What she said?”

“Does it matter if it’s true or not?” he asked with an idle shrug. “Clearly Zoe has made up her mind about me either way.”

Letting out a humorless puff of air, I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? Do you honestly think for even a minute that I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?”

Drake froze, seemingly shocked by my words; and truthfully, I was shocked by my candor, too. But I was tired of keeping my mouth shut, of being the demure Luna who never spoke her mind.

But much to my surprise, Drake’s lips curved up into a smile. “You’re a lot like your husband,” he said.

I bristled at his words. “I’m nothing like him.”

“I didn’t mean offense,” Drake replied. “It’s just that both of you are brutally honest. I like that.”

Honest, I thought to myself. Yeah, right. Noah was anything but honest. “Yeah, well, maybe you could take 1/3 Chapter 0039 a page out of my book,” I retorted. “And stop cheating on your wife.”

+25 BONUS Drake sighed. “I know I fucked up, okay?” he asked, lowering his voice and leaning in closer. I just want to apologize to her. And to see my son.”

At the mention of little Adam, my shoulders slumped, my righteous anger deflating just a little. “Look, Drake...” I began carefully.

“Whatever happened between you and Zoe is your own business, I suppose. But I can’t help you win her back, even if I wanted to.”

“Can’t?” Drake repeated, refocusing on me with that infuriatingly smug look. “Or won’t?”

I scowled at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Leaning in conspiratorially, Drake’s lips curved into a slow smile that made my skin prickle.

“Come now, Luna,” he murmured, holding my gaze intently. “You and I both know our interests here align more than either of us would like to admit.”

My mouth went dry, panic fluttering in my chest as I searched his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Drake merely tsked, shaking his head in a mockery of sympathy. “The lovely gown,” he drawled, letting his stare trail slowly down the lines of the black silk draping my body. “The diamonds at your throat that seem to weigh so heavily. The tension between you and your husband that’s so thick, I could cut it with a knife...”

Heat flooded my cheeks as I averted my gaze, my nails digging into my palms. How could he possibly know...?

“Word travels fast among the elite circles, I’m afraid,” Drake continued. “Talk of trouble in paradise in the very heart of Nightcrest and all that.”

My jaw clenched hard enough to make it ache. Drake’s reputation certainly preceded him–but so did mine, it seemed.

“So you see,” he went on, unperturbed by my stony silence, “you want Noah’s attention just as badly as I want Zoe’s affection again. Perhaps we could... help each other out?”

I swung my head around to gape at him, hardly able to believe what I was hearing. “Attention?” I hissed.” You’re mistaken.”

But Drake just leveled me with a knowing gaze. He said nothing for the longest time, and finally, I felt as if he had seen straight through to my core–maybe even more than I had ever seen myself. I quickly looked away, gritting my teeth.

“So what are you suggesting?” I asked, taking a sip of my water.

“We can make them jealous,” he whispered. Upon seeing my eyes widen, he held up his hand in a placating gesture. “Nothing too indecent, I assure you. But a little flirting can go a long way, you know?”

When my withering glare didn’t falter, he pressed on in a low tone.

“Just think about it, Hannah. It could work perfectly–you make Noah jealous and I soften Zoe up again. We can win our respective partners back without any.. emotional entanglements getting too messy.” My head was whirling even as my instincts screamed at me to shut this down immediately. I didn’t want +25 BONUS Chapter 0039 Noah back; I didn’t love him anymore. And Drake was everything I despised–a playboy only looking out for himself.

“Who says I want Noah back?” I said.

Drake raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “Well then what do you want?” he asked. “I assure you, your words here will not be repeated.”

I paused, worrying my lower lip between my teeth. I had no grounds to trust Drake on, and so I decided to keep it simple.

“I want a good reputation for myself,” I said. “For my own future.”

Drake blinked for a moment, and then realization seemed to dawn on him. “Very well. How about this: if you help me make Zoe jealous and win her back, then I’ll assure that Nightcrest is voted as the pack to host the Lunar Festival–and I’ll be sure to make it known that your pack’s success in this endeavor is because of you, the illustrious Luna.”

I felt my heart skip a beat at his words. Now that... that was an intriguing prospect. But still...

“Why should I trust you?” I demanded. “You’re a playboy, Drake–everyone knows it, except for me, apparently.”

He spread his hands in an all too casual display of innocence. “I give you my word, Luna: No under–the- table deals, no indecent proposals. Just an alliance of mutual benefit between two people who want something.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but the words died in my throat as Noah’s familiar figure materialized beside me. My husband’s presence was like a sudden, suffocating weight in the air, and I felt myself stiffen.

And I felt myself stiffen even more when I felt his arm snake around my waist. “Hannah,” he murmured in my ear, his voice a combination of annoyance and something more–something huskier. “Let’s dance.”

Before I could so much as blink, Noah was already steering me away from the bar–away from Drake. As I was pulled back into the crowd, I chanced one last glance over my shoulder.

Drake raised his glass in a subtle salute, his lips pulling into a wicked smirk.

“Don’t forget, Hannah,” he called out, just loud enough for me to hear. “You promised to give me a tour of the pack tomorrow, didn’t you?”

I nodded in agreement without thinking.