Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth (Hannah and Noah)

When I returned, Noah was half-asleep, his breathing slow and deep.

"Here," I said softly, setting the milk and cookie on the coffee table. "This might help."

Noah opened his eyes and blinked at me, surprise evident in his tired features. "Oh. Thank you."

I hesitated for a moment as he bit into the cookie, then found myself moving behind the couch. Slowly, tentatively, I reached out and began to rub his shoulders, feeling the knots of tension beneath my fingers. His muscles were like steel cables, wound tight with stress and worry. Noah let out a soft groan, the sound sending an unexpected shiver down my spine. "I should be the one doing this for you," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Not the other way around." "Shh," I hushed him, my fingers working deeper into the knots. "Just relax."

As I worked the tension out of his muscles, I realized how much I had softened toward Noah lately. The thought startled me, and I found myself wondering when this change had occurred. If it weren't for the situation with Silvermoon, I might even consider...

No. I couldn't let myself think that way.

Later that night, as we got ready for bed, Noah turned to me. The soft lamplight cast a warm glow on his face, softening his tired features.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Do you want to fulfill our contract tonight?" he asked, his voice gruff with exhaustion.

'I hesitated, biting my lip for a moment. The thought of sleeping with him tonight in that way... It wasn't appealing to me. Not for lack of attraction, but...

I shook my head. "Not tonight. I just want you to... hold me. If that's okay." The words surprised me as much as they seemed to surprise him.

Noah blinked at me, surprise flickering across his face. "You don't want to have sex? Even though we didn't last night?"

"No," I said softly, feeling suddenly vulnerable. "I just want you to hold me."

For a moment, Noah just stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Okay," he said, his voice gentle, almost tender.

We climbed into bed, the sheets cool against my skin. Noah switched off the lights, plunging the room into darkness.

In the quiet night, I felt his warm arms wrap around me tugging me flush against his body. His chest was solid against my back, his breath warm on my neck. The scent of his cologne, faint after a long day, enveloped me like a familiar cocoon.

As we lay there in the quiet darkness, I felt something shift inside of me. This felt more intimate, more emotional than any of our recent sexual encounters. I could feel Noah's heartbeat against my back, steady and strong, a comforting rhythm in the stillness of the night. 1.2 Chapter 0342

I woke the next morning expecting to find Noah gone as usual, but the bed was still indented beside me, those warm arms holding me close against his chest. At some point during the night, I had turned to face

him.

I flicked my eyes open, my breath catching in my throat as I saw him still asleep beside me, his expression softened in sleep. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room.

In the gentle morning light, I studied his face. He looked younger in sleep, the lines of worry smoothed away, his features relaxed and peaceful.

Without thinking, I reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. My fingers grazed his skin, warm and smooth beneath my touch. As I watched him sleep, memories of the past months flashed through my mind-the tender moments, the shared laughter, the quiet understanding that had grown between us. None of the pain or the fighting or the anguish.

Suddenly, a realization hit me like a thunderbolt. My heart stuttered in my chest, and I felt a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the morning sun or the blankets wrapped around us. Dammit. I had fallen for him.