Page 196 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
Zoey burst out laughing, the sound like music to my ears. She turned to face me, her hazel eyes sparkling with mirth and affection.
“You’re incorrigible, you know that?” she teased, wrapping her arms around my waist.
I grinned. “Yeah, but you love me for it.”
As we walked to the car, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. Tonight had been a success, not just for Ky and Heather, but for Zoey and me as well. For a few hours, we had been a normal couple on a normal date. For a few hours, we had been able to forget about the dangers lurking in our future.
It was a reminder of what we were fighting for, and I was more determined than ever to make sure we got our happily ever after.
The drive home was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. I held Zoey’s hand. Her presence beside me was a constant source of comfort, a reminder that I wasn’t alone in this fight.
My thoughts drifted to George and the challenge that lay ahead. I wished we didn’t have to deal with him, that we could just focus on building our life together without him looming over us. But once he was no longer a concern, this was what our life would be like. We’d be able to be together, free from the fear and uncertainty that plagued us. We’d be a family.
I’d do whatever it took to make that a reality.
I glanced over at Zoey, taking in her profile as she gazed out the window. She looked lost in thought, her brow slightly wrinkled. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, drawing her attention back to me.
“You okay?” I asked, stroking the back of her hand with my thumb.
She turned to face me, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, I’m just thinking about tonight. It was nice, wasn’t it? To be out with friends and forget about everything else for a little while.”
I returned her smile. “It was. And it’s just a taste of what’s to come. Once this is all over, we’ll have plenty of nights like this.”
Zoey’s smile widened, and she leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder. “I can’t wait for that.” Her breath tickled my neck.
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. “Me neither, babe. Me neither.”
When we walked into the house, the silence that greeted us was almost jarring after the lively conversation and laughter at the restaurant. I put on some music, the gentle melody filling the room as I pulled Zoey into my arms. We swayed together, our bodies moving in perfect sync as if we’d been dancing together for years. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of her warm body pressed against mine, the scent of her perfume enveloping me like a comforting blanket.
After a few moments, Zoey pulled back slightly, her fingers tracing the line of my jaw. “You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind. What’s going on?”
I hesitated, not wanting to ruin the peaceful moment. But she deserved to know the truth.
“I had some things to take care of this morning,” I said. “I met with my attorney to make sure that all my assets are left to you and Roland if anything happens to me. And I gave Kyler the paperwork for my shares in the gym.”
Zoey’s eyes widened, and she took a step back, her expression shifting from contentment to sudden fear. “What are you talking about? Why would you do that?”
I tried to tug her back into my embrace, but she resisted. “It’s not that I’m expecting to die,” I said. “But I need to know that you and Roland will be taken care of if anything happens to me. I was going to do this eventually anyway, because you’re my mate.”
She shook her head. “No. This means you think you might not come back. You can’t... Noah, you can’t leave me.”
Her words were like a knife to my heart. I hated seeing her so afraid, so vulnerable. I wanted nothing more than to promise her that everything would be okay, that I’d always come back to her. But I couldn’t make that promise.
I stepped closer to her, gently cupping her face. “Zoey, I know you’re scared. I am, too. But this has to be done, and I’m the one who has to do it. George needs to be stopped. For you. For Ro. For the pack.”
She closed her eyes, leaning into my touch even as a tear slipped down her cheek. “I can’t lose you. I’ve lost too much already.”
I brushed away the tear with my thumb. “I know, baby. But I’m not going into this expecting to die. I’m going to fight likehell to come back to you and Roland. You’re my family, my future.”
Zoey’s eyes opened, meeting mine with a desperate intensity. “Then call it off. We can find another way. Please...”
She clung to me, her fingers digging into my back as if she could anchor me to her.
“I can’t. This has to end now,” I murmured, stroking her hair. “But I need you to trust me. I’m going to come home to you, I promise. I have no doubts about that.”
She pulled back just enough to look up at me. “How can you promise that?”
I held her gaze, willing her to see the determination in my eyes. “Because I have to be smart about this. I have to think about all the possibilities, even the worst-case scenarios. That’s why I’m making sure you and Roland are taken care of. But I’m going to do everything in my power to come back to you. I won’t let George take our future from us.”
