Chapter 96
Chapter 0096 Noah
Noah strode into the conference room, his brow furrowed in thought as he took his seat at the hea the long table. It was early, far too early for most, but his team had grown accustomed to his prope for pre-dawn meetings over the years. One by one, the others began to file in-Simon, his head of security, Margaret, his chief of staff; Leo his lead event coordinator. They muttered good-mornings and took their respective seats, blinking r to stave off sleep. Only once they were all seated did Noah break the heavy silence, clearing his throat.
"I've called this meeting to discuss the plans Hannah has been working on for the upcoming Lunar Festival celebrations," he began, withdrawing the notes he had taken from Hannah's office out of his briefcase and splaying them out on the table. "Take a look at these and let me know your thoughts." The others leaned in, scanning over the pages covered in Hannah's handwriting. Detailed outlines, proposed event schedules, lists of potential vendors and entertainment acts-it was all there, meticulously plotted out.
After a few moments of silence, Margaret was the first to speak up. "These are... very impressive, Alph She glanced up at Noah over the rim of her fashionable glasses. "I had no idea the Luna had such an e for this sort of t hing."
Me neither, Noah thought to himself. Seriously, where did this come from? It sometimes felt as if the meek, pouty little Hannah he had come to know over the years had been completely replaced by someone else.
A murmur of agreement rippled around the table as the others slowly began to nod, their expressions a mixture of surprise and begrudging respect.
Even Leonard, typically one of Hannah's most vocal critics, couldn't seem to find anything overtly negative to nitpick as his sharp gaze raked over the plans again and again.
"Where is the Luna this morning?" Simon asked rather abruptly. "Shouldn't she be here?"
"Yes, Alpha," Margaret added with a curt nod. "Perhaps, with the Alpha Council choosing a host for this year's Lunar Festival quite soon, she should be here-after all, she seems to be taking an interest in the matter."
"You think she should have a seat on my council?" Noah couldn't keep the slight edge of disbelief from creeping into his tone, although he did his best to keep his expression neutral.
Simon and Margaret nodded in unison, although Leonard remained momentarily quiet.
The idea hadn't been one that Noah had honestly entertained before. After all, Hannah had only just recently begun taking an interest in the pack. Normally, she spent all of her time drinking and shopping and going out with her friends. But lately. Lately something had changed. Almost like a switch had been flipped. Now, all of a sudden, she was interested in all kinds of things.
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Noah couldn't deny the truth of the matter: these plans really were damn good, better than anything his own team could have hoped to put together. If Hannah could channel this same dedication and skill on a more consistent basis, then..... Well. He would have been a fool to simply dismiss the Idea from the start, no matter how angry she made. him sometimes.
"I must say," Leonard piped up unexpectedly, pulling Noah from his reverie, "Luna Hannah has been improving in leaps and bounds of late, that much is undeniable."NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.
There was a pause, during which Leonard's deep set eyes seemed to bore straight through Noah. Noah. knew what was coming. However.
"However..." The word hung heavy between them for a moment before Leonard continued. "I must question the wisdom of giving her too much responsibility, too much power. Particularly where you are concerned, Alpha. If I may..." Noah's jaw clenched instinctively at the "Put simply," Leon
n's jaw card continued grimlytle insinuation in Leonard's tone-but he nodded, waving his hand toward Leonard. "Go ahead, Leonard. Speak your mind."
rift between yourself and the Luna has not gone unnoticed by the pack despite your efforts to preserve a unified front. Word travels, whispers of an impending separation and even a divorce grow louder by the day. You would do well to consider whether inviting volatility into the heart of y of your inner circle would be prudent, given the circumstances." The words hung heavy between them all, a stark truth given voice that could no longer be ignored or pushed aside. Noah felt a muscle ticking in his cheek as he mulled over Leonard's words.
He was right, damn him. For all of Hannah's recent competence in her Luna duties, from planning events to volunteering and handling social issues with grace, at the end of the day their distance between one another posed a very serious threat. position with the Alpha Council if Noah wasn't careful.
Noah hadn't been close close enough with Hannah for 101 a
And that not knowing could completely undermine thy long time, and thus he didn't even truly know where her loyalties lay. He didn't truly know what was going on in her head, or what her plans were once their three-month agreement was up.
Slowly, Noah swept his gaze over the other members of his team. He could see the conflict flickering in their expressions, the silent acknowledgment that Leonard was right. Noah's relationship with Hannah was a bit of a loose cannon, and rumors... Well, rumors held a lot of weight. A lot, especially if they were true.
With a resigned sigh, Noah placed his hands flat on the table in front of him and rose to his feet abruptly.
"Thank you for your candor, Leonard," he said. "I need to think for a while. You're dismissed."
With that, he watched as his team got up and left. Only once he was alone again did he sink back down into his chair and pinch the bride of his nose.
"Hannah, Hannah," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.
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He knew what he needed to do. If rumors about their impending divorce really were beginning to throughout the pack... spread
He would have to take drastic measures to salvage what little remained of his and Hannah's public image -even if it meant deluding everyone, himself included, if only for a little while longer. Just long enough to host the Lunar Festival, boost their approval ratings, and then divorce one another quietly. I hopefully, peacefully.
And
Noah wasn't sure if he knew what that meant anymore when it came to his wife. But if she wasn't happy, the people could tell-and the people seemed to love her of late. If Noah wasn't careful, she very well might take the whole damn pack with her when they got divorced.
Peace
And then he would not only be the Alpha who had lost his Luna, but the Alpha who had lost... well, everything.
No. That couldn't happen, and Noah knew what he needed to do in order to keep it from happening: damage control. In public, where everyone could see.
Shaking his head sharply, Noah fished his phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and tapped out a quick message to his assistant.
"Book The Eclipse for this weekend. Invite everyone we know."