Chapter 8 On One Condition

• “What is it?” Noah asked. “Just name your condition.”
• “After the one month ends, you must divorce me,” I replied, “and I get to choose anyone or anything from within the Nightcrest Pack to take back to the Silvermoon Pack. You must never interfere.”
• Noah arched his brow at me. I could tell that he was trying to figure out the motive behind my condition, but he would never be able to.
• All I wanted was to keep Noah from fighting for custody of our child after I left the pack. There was no way that I would let him take my child from me. This promise was the only method I could think of to prevent him from even trying.
• “All right,” Noah said. “I promise.”
• “No,” I said firmly. “Swear upon the Moon Goddess.”
• Noah’s eyes widened, but he nodded.
• “You must as well,” he replied.
• I nodded.
• “I swear upon the Moon Goddess that I will delay divorce proceedings and continue to play at being your wife for one month,” I declared.
• “And I swear upon the Moon Goddess that at the end of one month, I will grant you a divorce and allow you to take anyone or anything from within the Nightcrest Pack back with you to the Silvermoon Pack without my interference.”
• A chill ran down our spines as the promises were completed.
• Noah shook off the sensation and grabbed his messenger bag.
• “If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do,” he said as he headed for the door.
• “Of course, you do,” I muttered. “You always do.”
• The door had already closed behind him.
• One more month, I thought as I stared at the spot where Noah had been standing moments before. That’s one more month to repair my reputation and win more public support. I can do this.
• I opened my phone to find that I had several more messages from Viona. I sighed. I thought that I had settled her fears with our last phone call.
• Don’t watch TV, one of the messages read.
• Seriously, DON’T, said the one right after it.
• You aren’t going to like what you see, the third message said.
• I should have known to listen to Viona. She was only looking out for my emotions. Instead, I let my curiosity get the better of me and turned on the TV.
• “We have exclusive footage of the heartwarming reunion between Alpha Noah and his former bonded mate, Zoe,” the anchorman stated. “You can see the love is strong between them—”
• I quickly switched channels.
• “With the return of Alpha Noah’s former bonded mate, it’s only a matter of time before he leaves his current Luna,” a host in a roundtable gossip show argued.
• “I don’t know. I think that he has too much honor for that,” the second host countered.
• “But there’s clearly no love in that relationship.”
• “Love or no love, Alpha Noah is all about duty and the Pack—”
• I tried a third channel, hoping that it would bring me better news, perhaps something focusing on my reception of Zoe.
• “I have something you won’t believe,” the head reporter of a TMZ-type paparazzi team declared, “actual footage of Alpha Noah sleeping in his office.”
• The team leader lifted his brow, impressed.
• “If it’s true, then that might be proof that Hannah and Noah’s relationship is on the rocks,” he remarked. “When combined with Noah’s behavior at the Acceptance Ceremony, it might just be the lifeline that many Noah/Zoe fans have been looking for. Let’s take a look.”
• I watched, speechless, as they played a clip spying on Noah through a set of blinds as he slept on the couch of his office’s waiting room. He had a blanket and a pillow, which suggested that this was not the first time that he had done this. His shoes were also kicked off, implying that it was more than just a brief nap.
• Before they could finish the clip, I turned off the TV. I could not believe that Noah had been so preoccupied with the Lunar Festival that he had been living like a bachelor outside of public appearances. Now, people knew that our relationship was in trouble.
• In my previous life, I would have become so depressed that I would have gone straight to my purging pills. Not now, though. No one—no man—was worth that.
• Besides, I had my child to think of. I would not let what happened in my last life happen again. Not if I could help it.
• My phone rang, drawing me out of my thoughts. It was Viona.
• “Hello?” I answered.
• “Hey, sweetie,” Viona said. “How are you doing?”
• I thought momentarily about the news segments.
• “I’ve been better.”
• “I was worried about that. You didn’t watch any TV, did you?”
• “A little—”
• “I told you not to.”
• She sighed.
• “I guess there’s no undoing that now,” she continued. “Do you want to go out and have some fun? Get your mind off of all that?”
• I smiled slightly.
• “That sounds great.”
• A half hour later, we were having a drink at The Tipsy Wolf, the best bar in the Nightcrest Pack. It was a nice, cozy place with all-wood furnishings and a large fireplace burning in the back. Our seats were near the fire, far enough back where we could have some privacy while still enjoying the warmth.
• Viona ordered a beer, I had a soda, and we got a plate of nachos to share. Viona wanted us to have separate dishes, but I was still working myself up to eating enough for myself, let alone for two.
• I filled Viona in on my divorce agreement with Noah, and she seemed relieved.
• “It’s just hard to believe that it’s really going to happen,” she said as she spread some cheese around with a chip. “Your deep affection for Noah is well-known. He doesn’t seem at all afraid of losing you.”
• “Yes, well, I told him that I would only play at this for one more month—” I took a sip of soda— “and then I’m done. We swore upon the Moon Goddess.”
• Viona’s eyes widened.
• “I guess that he’ll have to stick to it, then.”
• She ate her chip, chewing on it thoughtfully before swallowing.
• “At least you’ll finally be able to start looking for a decent man.”
• “I guess so, but that’s not really my focus right now.”
• “Oh?” Viona smiled coyly from behind her beer cup. “If that isn’t, then what is?”
• I mentally debated for a moment on whether I should let Viona in on my Alpha ambitions. I could use more allies in that plan, but I wasn’t sure whom I could trust. After all, Noah was still Viona’s Alpha.
• “Well,” I began, “you know the pack that I came from, Silvermoon Pack?”
• Viona nodded.
• I leaned in closer and dropped my voice.
• “You know how I—”
• I stopped suddenly when I thought that I saw someone familiar out of the corner of my eye. He sat just a couple tables away and kept glancing nervously at our table from behind a newspaper. He looked so familiar…
• “Is that Scott?”