Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth

I blinked, temporarily taken aback by his admission of fault. The great Alpha Noah, admitting he was wrong? Perhaps Hell had frozen over after all.

"You don't say." I said flatly when I found my voice, falling back on the protective barrier of sarcasm rather than betraying how his admission had actually softened me a bit.

"Forgive me for being a fool, Hannah: I'm sorry. But I only ever wanted to protect you. He told me that it would be painful for you, and..."

Noah's words trailed off as he dropped his gaze. I opened my mouth to retort but closed it again, unsure of what to say other than: 1... see."

Noah took a hesitant step closer. It was only now that could pick up the scent of his cologne and could see the way his tie was loosened around his neck, the first button of his shirt undone to reveal a taut vein beneath.

"That's why I only had intimacy with you once a month, he said softly. "Because I didn't want to hurt you. And..." He paused, clenching his jaw and looking away. That's why I always left the house at night,

I furrowed my brow. "Explain."

The faintest pink color tinged Noah's cheeks as he spoke. "I know you don't want to believe me, but I'm attracted to your body," he muttered. "I get more turned on by you than you realize. Even just being in the same house would make me feel feral, so I slept in my office." He paused, then laughed wryly. "My own body paid the price for that. Sleeping on a couch for years isn't exactly the best thing for a man's back."

"You couldn't even manage to stay in a spare room here?" I scoffed.

Noah shook his head. "I couldn't. I didn't want to risk losing control and trying to have sex with you when it hurt you."

For a moment, I was flattered, and maybe even elated my husband had, after all, admitted that he could barely control himself around my body.

But that was just it: my body. Not me. I was still incompatible with him. Compatible sexually, perhaps, but completely incompatible in every other way. A piece of meat.

"Well then." I stood, crossing the room if only to put some distance between us as I got to work taking my hair down in front of the vanity mirror. "I don't want you to hurt your precious back. So you should stay here."

Noah's eyes

widened fractionally as they flickered to our bed-no, my bed. "You mean-"

"Not in my bed," I said flatly, tossing a bobby pin down on the vanity. "Use one of the spare rooms. I'll lock my door at night."© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

For a moment, Noah was silent, I chanced a glance at him in the mirror, only to see him clenching his jaw harder than ever as he stared at the bed canopy. I thought he might refuse, that he might insist on sleeping in our marriage bed-and if I was being honest, maybe a part of me did want that.

Maybe a part of me got off on the idea of him finally acting like a husband, finally putting his foot down

and saying, "No, I'm sleeping in our bed... And I'm making love with you, because I'm your husband and I want you."

But of course he didn't say any of that, because that was only a fantasy. He simply nodded, muttered, Goodnight, then," and slipped out of the room.

I watched the door click shut behind him, and only then did I finally let out the breath I had been holding. Only then did I allow myself to show the fact that my hands were trembling.

Huffing, I crossed over to the door and slid the lock over. I nodded to myself and turned on my heel to finish getting ready for bed.

But then I froze, chewing on my lower lip. No. Maybe... Just maybe...

I turned and unlocked the door again,

Just in case..