“You held everything in until we knew Saben was safe,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I think you deserve to cry a bit,” I add, earning a smile from Hannah.
“Are you hungry? I can smell Jiya’s soup from here, so it must be done,” Hannah asks, changing the subject.
I nod sheepishly, and Hannah motions for me to exit the room. She follows after me, turning off the lights before leading me toward the living room, where the smell of food awaits us.
“Claira linked me while you were with Saben,” Jiya calls as we round the corner. “Both of the captured hunters are secured in cells. Dr. Grace checked on the female’s broken wrists and commended you on a clean break. We can interrogate them tomorrow morning,” the Indian woman continues, placing bowls onto a small table in the corner of the living room under another large window.
“Good. Did they find anything useful from the gear that was confiscated from the four hunters?” Hannah asks, her ability to shift into an alpha mindset surprising me.
“They did. We can look at it all later,” Jiya confirms before pulling out a chair. “Now, both of you come eat. You worked hard today.”
Hannah takes the seat, thanking Jiya and letting out a sigh. I quickly join her, fumbling with the chair for a moment before managing to pull it out and sit down.
“Did you eat, Jiya?” Hannah asks.
Jiya nods, giving Hannah a reassuring smile. “I did, and I even have a thermos to take home with me,” she answers, and Hannah grins.
“Then you can head home if you want. Julian and I have some things to discuss.”
“Of course. I will come by tomorrow morning to check on Saben and keep an eye on him if you want. Have a good night, Hannah.”
With that, Jiya leaves the cottage, and Hannah immediately starts to eat. Taking the hint, I enjoy the meal prepared for us, deciding to wait and see what Hannah has to say to me, even though I want to beg her for another chance once again.
37
Hannah
The silence feels awkward as Julian and I eat the roasted red pepper and chicken noodle soup that Jiya prepared. I resolved to have nothing to do with my ex earlier in the day, but it seems my resolve crumbled the moment I learned my son was in danger. Hunters have tricks to hide their scent; only the smell of gunpowder would reveal their locations, and even then, it might be too late to find them, as their bullets would have pierced our bodies, leaving fatal wounds.
I knew that if they captured Saben, they would do their best to hide his scent along with their own, and I would need a wolf with strong senses to help me rescue him. We just got lucky that Julian decided to come to Haven Trail first. Goddess only knows what those hunters would have done once they managed to sneak away with Saben in their grasp.
“I won’t accept you back as my mate,” I state once I can find my voice.
Julian’s hand pauses just as he is about to bring the spoonful of soup to his lips. He sighs, lowers the spoon back into the bowl, and sits with his head bowed.
“Hannah, please. I need you,” he whimpers.
“I can’t accept you, Julian, because you hurt me deeply. You never listened to me in the past when I tried to explain that the rumors were false,” I say, closing my eyes and leaning back in the dining chair. “You were so angry that day your rut ended that you couldn’t recognize my scent as your mate, and you physically struck me with the intent to harm me. I bet you haven’t even done anything to stop the rumors about me either, and it’s been five years since you banished me,” I finish explaining, opening my eyes to find that Julian has hung his head in shame, not daring to look at me.
“I would do anything to win you back, Hannah. To give you the spot of luna queen that rightfully belongs to you,” he says quietly, his voice quivering.
“I know. I can sense that through the broken bond, but I can’t accept you. Not unless you can prove to me that you deserve me as your mate.”
His head snaps up at this, his green eyes wide with hope as he looks into my blue eyes. “I can prove myself to you?” he echoes, and I shake my head in exasperation. Who would have thought the quiet and brooding alpha king would look like a lost puppy in front of me?
“I’m not sure yet. But I know I need you to help me raise Saben. He needs you, his father, as he grows older, and I can’t keep him safe on my own now that we know hunters are watching my pack.” I sigh, looking out the window at the setting sun falling below the tree line. “Today made me realize that I can’t keep him from you any longer, and it hurts because I don’t want to lose the only blood family I have left.” I can feel the defeated mood coming off Julian at my attitude toward him proving himself to me. I know he regrets hurting me now that he has come to realize his mistakes, but I am still not ready to accept him back.
“So, you won’t keep Saben from me?” His voice is hoarse and full of disappointment from my blatant rejection once again.
“No, I won’t keep our son from you,” I confirm.
“Okay then. I will do everything I can to take care of Saben and prove to you that I can be a good mate and father.” Julian declares, his passion making me turn to look at him.
My eyes widen at the intensity in his gaze, and it feels like my stomach is full of butterflies. “We’ll see about that,” I whisper, pushing away from the table and standing up. “If you are done eating, I would like you to head back to the guest house. It’s been a long day, and I just want to curl up beside Saben and sleep.”
Julian looks down at his nearly empty bowl awkwardly, and I sigh, heading into the kitchen and quickly putting a thermos together. It takes three minutes, but I return to Julian’s side, holding out the thermos.
“It will still be hot by the time you make it back to the guest house,” I state, feeling Julian hesitantly take the thermos from my hand and jumping when his fingers brush against mine. Thesparks from the mate bond ignite little dancing flames along my skin, and a heat so strong engulfs me without warning. Fuck. “Y-you need to leave!” I say, backing away from Julian, who looks at me in shock.
