Chapter 4
883 Words
Jonah and Aurora exited the bar, and Hanna quietly let out a sigh of relief. With Aurora gone early, it looked like she might be spared from any more drama tonight.
She glanced over at Sophia and noticed her friend’s eyes hadn’t moved from the door. Sophia was still staring, her expression unreadable, gaze fixed and distant.
Curious, Hanna asked, “Do you know that guy Aurora was with?”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Sophia blinked and looked at her. “What?”
Hanna gave her a knowing look. “You’ve been spaced out ever since he showed up. You clearly recognize him.”
Sophia hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah… that’s Jonah Donovan.”
Hanna’s eyes widened. “Wait—the Jonah Donovan? From the Donovan family? I didn’t even know he was back in Moonville!”
“Neither did I,” Sophia said quietly. “We went to high school together. Same class.”
“Seriously? Then why didn’t you go say hi?”
Sophia shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “It’s been years. I doubt he even remembers me. Besides… he’s way out of my league.”
She glanced at Hanna briefly before lowering her gaze, letting out a soft sigh.
Hanna offered a nod, deciding not to press her further. “Well, high school was a blur for me anyway.”
Sophia glanced at her, then looked away again, clearly still deep in thought.
Trying to steer the conversation, Sophia asked, “So, have you seen the news? It’s all anyone in Moonville is talking about.”
“I don’t really have time for that,” Hanna said over her shoulder as she headed off to serve a new table.
The following day after school, Hanna had to head straight home since her mother had called earlier, saying she’d forgotten her purse, which held the spare keys she needed for work.
Once she retrieved the keys, she rushed off to the royal packhouse, making her way quickly toward the workers’ quarters at the back of the building.
In her rush, she suddenly collided with something solid. The impact slammed into her shoulder with a sharp crack. Hanna cried out in pain as she hit the ground.
“OW!” she gasped, her face contorted in agony. She clutched her right shoulder, already knowing it was broken.
“Are you alright?”
Through shallow breaths, Hanna squinted upward, her vision blurry from the pain. Standing above her was a tall, striking man. She struggled to sit up, cradling her injured right shoulder with a frown.
Then she saw his silver eyes glinting down at her, and her eyes went wide in shock.
“Oh my—it’s…” she stammered, quickly scrambling to her feet and bowing her head. “Forgive me, Alpha King. I’m so sorry for bumping into you.”
Alan tilted his head, observing the small girl in front of him. She looked fragile, average in height, thin, and weak. From his perspective, she resembled an ant. And something about her was… missing.
She had no wolf scent.
But despite that, something stirred in him. He could hear her heart pounding, sense the pain and fear radiating off her. And for a reason he couldn’t explain, he felt… concerned.
“You don’t look okay,” he said at last, his tone surprisingly gentle.
Hanna looked up at him and gave a small shake of her head, standing straighter and releasing her shoulder. “I… I’m fine, Alpha King. C-can I leave now?”
Alan shook his head firmly. “No. Not until someone checks that shoulder.”
He could already tell she wouldn’t heal on her own.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the royal infirmary,” he said, reaching for her right hand before she could react.
“Ah!” she gasped, wincing in pain.
He quickly let go. “Oh, sorry. The other one,” he muttered, then gently took her left hand and started walking toward the infirmary just beside the royal house.
With no other option, Hanna followed, stealing confused glances at him along the way. Everyone said the Alpha King was cold and ruthless… but he was being oddly gentle.
Alan’s brows drew together, equally puzzled. Apologizing wasn’t something he ever did, yet the word had come out effortlessly, even sincerely.
Along their path, several pack members stopped and stared, their eyes widening at the sight of their Alpha holding hands with a girl.
No one had ever seen him with a woman in public before.
At the infirmary, inside one of the wards, a doctor stepped forward to examine her. He blinked in confusion as his gaze moved from the girl to the Alpha King who leaned against the wall. She looked… human?
Let me take a look at that shoulder,” the doctor said.
Hanna shrugged off her school jacket, wincing slightly, all the while glancing nervously at Alan, who, for some reason, was still standing nearby.
He didn’t speak. He didn’t even blink.
He just kept watching her.
Feeling a wave of awkwardness, Hanna quietly cleared her throat and began to lower her top just enough to reveal her injured shoulder.
But before she could fully expose it, a loud voice suddenly echoed through the ward.
“STOP!”
- Writer
