Page 56 of Noah

I thought back to the way Noah had looked at me—angry, yes, but also overwhelmed. Suffocated.

I’d done that to him. I hadn’t listened when he needed me to.

“What do I do now, Beck?” I asked quietly.

Beck shrugged. “I haven’t been in love with anyone before, but…isn’t the proper thing to apologize?”

I huffed out a tired laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Because it is,” Beck said simply. “Three days have passed. It won’t hurt to try.”

I nodded slowly, feeling a small spark of hope. Beck was right. I had nothing to lose by trying.

The town was bustling, but I barely noticed. My focus was on my mission—to make things right.

I stopped at Noah’s favorite pie shop and bought him a fresh peach cobbler, then picked up a small bouquet of wildflowers.

I wasn’t sure if he even liked flowers, but hell, I was desperate.

Armed with my peace offerings, I made my way to his apartment.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I knocked on his door. Would he pretend not to be home? Ignore me entirely?

The idea made my chest tight, but I stood my ground, inhaling deeply.

I heard footsteps. My heartbeat picked up. Maybe he was looking through the peephole, debating whether or not to open the door. I swallowed hard.

“Noah,” I said, my voice rough with nerves. “I just…I want to apologize for what happened three days ago. I was a jerk.”

For a long moment, there was silence. Then, to my surprise, the door opened.

Noah stood there in his pajamas, his dark hair a little messy, like he’d just woken up from a nap.

His eyes were guarded, but the fact that he’d even opened the door was a good sign.

My wolf stirred, desperate to close the distance between us, to touch, to hold. But I restrained myself.

I held up the flowers and pie like an offering. “I come bearing gifts.”

Noah’s lips twitched, but he didn’t smile. “Peach cobbler?”

“Your favorite,” I said. “Figured you might be willing to hear me out if I bribed you.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before stepping aside. “Come in.”

I didn’t hesitate. The second I was inside, his familiar scent wrapped around me, comforting and warm.

But there was still tension between us, an invisible wall that I had to break through.

I set the pie and flowers on his counter, then turned to him.

“I was wrong,” I admitted, my voice softer. “I should’ve listened to you that night instead of pushing. I was too caught up in my own feelings to respect yours, and I hate that I made you feel like you weren’t being heard.”

Noah’s eyes flickered with something—hesitation, maybe—but he didn’t interrupt me.

“I let my wolf get the best of me,” I continued. “Seeing you with Adrian…it messed with my head. But that’s not an excuse. You don’t need me hovering over you like you can’t handle yourself. You’re not the same boy from back then, and I should’ve known that.”

Noah crossed his arms, studying me for a long, tense moment. “You really mean that?”

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