Chapter 6 All Show And No Substance

• Noah stared back at me, as though he could not comprehend what I had just told him. Scott’s gaze alternated between the two of us, his expression remaining neutral.
• “Explain,” Noah said simply.
• I glanced at Scott, looking for some support, but he subtly shook his head. Now was not the time for us to reveal our alliance, which meant that I was on my own, for the time being.
• “Tell me, Noah,” I began, “do you think there is any need for our marriage to exist?”
• Noah did not respond.
• I sighed and tucked my hair behind my ear. I glanced away, gathering my courage, then turned my attention back to him.
• “I’m tired of this marriage. It’s all show and no substance.”
• Noah gaped, momentarily at a loss for words.
• “All show and no substance?” he asked, raising his hands at his side. “Are you jealous of Zoe?”
• “Noah, this is not just about Zoe—”
• “We both rejected each other,” Noah pressed on, as though I had not spoken. “Whether Zoe had come back or not, it would not have affected our marriage.”
• “You aren’t listening to me,” I insisted. “Zoe is only a small part of the problem. Our marriage means nothing.”
• “It means something to our people,” he argued. “They look to us as a pillar of strength. It also means something to the Alpha Council.”
• “It doesn’t mean anything to me, not anymore.”
• Noah looked as though I had struck him in the face.
• “Where have you gotten these absurd ideas from?”
• I opened my mouth and then snapped it firmly shut. I couldn’t tell him what had actually happened. He would think I was insane.
• I also would not tell him about my pregnancy, not yet. That would only make things more complicated, and he might try and force me to stay if he discovered that I was carrying his heir. He would not take my child from me.
• “I’ve been thinking about it for some time,” I lied. “I just knew that you were keeping something from me, and that was the last straw.”
• Noah arched his brow at me.
• “What have I been keeping from you?” he asked.
• “Don’t act like you don’t know.”
• “I don’t know.”
• I rolled my eyes. If he wasn’t going to admit it now, then there was no point in confronting him about it any further.
• Noah shook his head.
• “Whatever you think I have been keeping from you, I can’t and won’t let you divorce me.”
• I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head at him.
• “You won’t let me?”
• “No, I won’t, nor can I with the complex interests of the Pack to consider.”
• I knew that he would bring that up, but I was not going to allow him to guilt me out of my decision.
• “That’s not my problem—”
• “Of course, it’s your problem. You’re the Nightcrest Pack’s Luna. You might not have all the same duties that I do, but you are just as responsible for the well-being of the Pack as I am.”
• He stepped closer to me and waggled his finger at my face.
• “And don’t forget, you initiated this marriage. You have no right to take it away.”
• I frowned, and my brows furrowed. I jumped to my feet and got in his face.
• “I did not ‘initiate’ anything,” I said. “As you have pointed out many times, it was a politically arranged marriage. Even if I did initiate it, that gives me all the more right to end it whenever I want to.”
• “Not with all of our obligations.”
• Noah snapped his fingers at Scott, who handed him a color-coded folder with his calendar of upcoming events.
• “Homeless fundraiser at the Moon Goddess temple, the Alpha golf tournament, the opening ceremony of Nightcrest University,” he listed, snapping the folder shut, “all of which involve us attending together. That’s not to mention our application to host the Lunar Festival.”
• For a moment, I thought that I saw desperation flicker in Noah’s eyes.
• “I cannot be without a Luna when the Alpha Council comes to review us.”
• I was drained just listening to all these events. I used to love the spotlight and the exposure, but that was back when I loved Noah, when I wanted to stand by his side, proclaim him as mine to the world, and relished the envy of other women as they basked in our glory. But now I knew that was all just a façade.
• I shook my head.
• “Noah, I’m tired of being a trophy wife and attending these events endlessly.”
• “Since when?”
• “Since I realized that there’s a lot more to life, to myself, than that.”
• Noah’s lips flattened into a thin line.
• “I realized that I needed a man, a husband, not just a business partner to satisfy me,” I continued.
• Noah’s eyes narrowed at me. He closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in close. My breath caught in my chest as I felt his groin press into mine.
• I looked into his eyes. A whirlpool of emotions seemed to swirl within them, drawing me closer to him as I placed my hands on his shoulders. He lowered his head toward mine, as though he were about to kiss me.
• I could not get myself to move away. His square jaw, with just a hint of 5 o’clock shadow, and dark eyes mesmerized me. The scent of oak, freshly cut grass, and musk froze me in place as his lips were about to touch mine.
• Then Noah withdrew, unwrapping his arms from around me, and stepped back.
• I blinked as I came to my senses. A light blush spread across the top of my cheeks, but I did not allow myself to physically react otherwise. I would not give him that victory.
• “Emotional needs?” Noah asked sarcastically. “Is that all you want? I can still fulfill that for you.”
• I glared at Noah briefly. My eyes then relaxed, and I sauntered over to him. I placed my hands gently on his chest, momentarily running my fingertips over his pecs before I stopped near his nipples.
• “Are you sure?” I asked, my voice low.
• Noah’s eyes widened in surprise.
• Certainly, this was something that my old self never would have done. I had focused too much on maintaining my elegant demeanor in my efforts to please Noah to be this spontaneous. I was tired of being that same old Luna.
• I looked past Noah to Scott. The poor man seemed as though he might pass out from all this information that he did not want to know about his Alpha and Luna. I decided to at least have some pity on him.
• “Scott, this really is a private matter between Alpha Noah and me. It has nothing to do with you. You are dismissed,” I said, taking the moment to further overstep my boundaries and give Noah’s Beta orders.
• I was curious to see how Scott would react to my command. It would be interesting to see who he would obey in a case like this, after he had secretly declared loyalty to me. Noah was still his half-brother, after all; there was no accounting for familial loyalty.
• Scott glanced over at Noah. Noah did nothing to disagree with my request, so Scott took this opportunity to make his escape.
• “Thank you, Luna Hannah,” he said. “I will call you later, Alpha Noah.”
• In a flash, he had departed with Noah’s schedule folder in hand. At least neither of them had argued with me on that point.
• Noah did not seem to even notice that Scott had left.
• I grinned to myself. Noah was speechless. Now was the time for the killing blow.
• “Like I was saying,” I said, walking two of my fingers up his left pec, “you had never been able to satisfy me physically, why would you be able to do so emotionally?”
• I felt his muscles tense beneath my hands.
• “You have the hardware, but your technique and attitude are both lacking.”
• I stepped back out of his range, although I was sure that he would never swing on me.
• Noah’s face darkened, and I backed up even farther.
• “What do you mean by that?” he asked through gritted teeth.