Chapter 261: Chapter 276

Chapter 0276 Chapter 0276 I raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Well, it’s no secret that you’ve been on the up and up lately,” Drake said with a sheepish grin, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Don’t think Zoe hasn’t noticed.”

Despite my urge to smirk in a self–satisfied manner, I simply nodded. “I see. Well, I won’t say anything.”

As Drake moved away to join another group, I decided to head to the refreshment table for a refill. I was halfway there when Leonard stepped into my path with a smug look on his face.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our mighty huntress,” he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, Leonard?”

He scoffed. “Oh, nothing. I just find it hard to believe you actually made that kill. It was too clean for a female.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Hannah,” Leonard continued, seemingly oblivious to my growing irritation. “Females have smaller teeth than males, and their spatial abilities are less pronounced. There’s no way you could have made such a precise kill.”

That was it. Without warning, I let my fangs drop, leaning in close to Leonard’s face. “Why don’t you take a closer look, then?” I growled, baring my teeth. “See how small my fangs really are. If you want, I can even test my spatial abilities on your throat.”

Leonard’s eyes widened at the sight of my fangs, and he took a step back, his face paling slightly. “I... uh...”

Satisfied with his reaction, I retracted my fangs and brushed past him, taking care to slam my shoulder into him. “Next time, think twice before you question my abilities, Leonard,” I called over my shoulder.

As I refilled my drink at the refreshment table, I caught sight of Zoe standing alone by a nearby tree, looking a bit lost. Making a split–second decision, I grabbed two plates of deer meat and approached her. I knew I shouldn’t bother, but... I couldn’t help it.

(2 I kept trying to tell myself that I just wanted to pry and be nosy, but I knew that wasn’t really the case. Seeing her standing alone like that... Well, it sort of reminded me of how ostracized I used to be before my rebirth. As much as I detested Zoe, I didn’t want the same for her.

“Hey,” I said, offering her one of the plates. “Thought you might be hungry.”

Zoe looked at me warily for a moment before accepting the plate. “Oh. Thanks,” she said quietly.

We stood in awkward silence for a few moments, both picking at our food. The meat was fragrant and juicy, and it was an effort to not bury my face in my plate and eat like an animal.

Finally, I decided to break the ice. “So, how have you been? I saw Adam earlier. He seems happy to be back with you.”

“Zoe’s face softened at the mention of her son. “Yeah, things have been better. I got a steady job as a lounge singer, and my parents finally agreed to let me have Adam back.”

Chapter 0276 +25 BONUS “That’s great,” I said, shocking even myself with my sincerity. “I’m happy for you.”

She nodded, taking a bite of the deer meat. I noticed she didn’t mention anything about her shifting troubles, and I didn’t push. If Drake was right about the stress, the last thing she needed was to feel like she had to explain herself to me.

Goddess knows that I knew how that felt.

“How about you?” Zoe asked, taking me by surprise. “How have things been?”

I shrugged. “Busy, as always. But good. The hunt today it felt really nice to reconnect with that side of myself.

Zoe nodded, a flicker of something–envy? longing?-passing over her face.

But then, suddenly, Zoe’s eyes widened as she focused on something behind me. She pointed, her fork still in her hand.

“Is Noah drunk already?”