Bella felt hot tears prick her eyes as her big brother’s voice came through the line. “Hi,” she managed to whisper, her voice trembling. She feared that if she said anything more, she might burst into tears—tears of both joy and sorrow.
“I need you to come home, Bella,” Brad said. “It’s Mum. She’s really badly injured and might not make it. She’s asking for you.”
Bella frowned at his words, something about his tone didn’t sit right. It lacked the weight of grief or urgency she would expect in such a situation. “I don’t believe you,” she said bluntly. If their mother were truly near death, Brad’s voice would be laden with distress, and she would feel it. Tyler agreed, stirring uneasily in her mind but sensing no genuine pain or sadness from Brad’s words.
“What?” Brad exclaimed, his voice laced with apparent shock. “Why would I lie to you?” Now, he sounded a touch annoyed.
“Brad,” Bella said firmly, “if Mum were as badly injured as you say, you’d be upset. I would hear it in your voice. This is a trick by the Alpha to get me to come home. I know it. There’s no way you could have gotten my number without the Alpha’s units giving it to you—likely Benzy.”
“Look, Bella,” Brad replied, his tone defensive, “he’s not even here. The Alpha and all his units are over there with you. There was a rogue attack early this morning, and a lot of us were injured. Mum was one of them.”
“I don’t believe you,” Bella said again, her voice calm but firm. “I’m sorry, Brad. It’s nice to hear your voice, but all I hear are lies.”
Brad sighed, but even his sigh sounded false to her ears. “I’m sorry you don’t believe me,” he said, but the insincerity was obvious.
Bella ended the call and immediately sent a text message to Benzy: “Nice try. But Brad can’t lie for shit. Like I would believe that story.”
Benzy’s reply was swift: “What are you talking about?”
Bella shook her head, sighing in frustration. Of course, he would deny involvement, but she wasn’t buying it. Benzy had been the one who always called her and somehow had her new, unlisted number. If anyone was involved, it was him.
An hour later, Bella started to feel an odd discomfort in her chest. At first, it was a vague tightness, but it quickly became irritating. She rubbed at the ache, but it only seemed to intensify, refusing to go away.
“Tyler?” she asked internally, seeking her wolf’s insight.
“I don’t know,” Tyler replied, her voice uneasy. “It’s… odd.”
Tyler was pacing inside Bella’s mind, her unease mirroring Bella’s growing discomfort.
“Something’s wrong, but I can’t figure out what,” Bella said, her voice laced with frustration. She began pacing the kitchen, unable to sit still. Her children, seated at the table for breakfast, watched her with wide, curious eyes. They were clearly concerned by her restlessness.
Bella was no longer just rubbing her chest—she was pressing hard against it now. The ache had turned into a sharp, radiating pain that was beginning to genuinely alarm her.
Nina walked into the kitchen, her usual bright morning smile fading into concern as she took in Bella’s condition. The doctor in her was instantly alert. “What’s wrong?” Nina asked, stepping closer.
“I don’t know,” Bella admitted, her voice strained. “My chest just… it aches. It’s getting worse, like actual pain now.” She leaned on the counter, trying to steady her breathing as the pain intensified.
Her phone rang on the counter beside her, but she ignored it, too focused on the sensation gripping her chest. She pressed harder, her breaths shallow and uneven.
“Am I having a heart attack?” she wondered, panic creeping into her thoughts.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tyler snorted dismissively. “We’re wolves. We’re tough. If you were, I’d know. This is something else.”
But Tyler’s reassurance did little to calm Bella. The pain continued to build, unrelenting and inexplicable, and Bella couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
Bella glanced at the caller ID on the incoming call—Benzy, again. She sighed, shaking her head. Somehow, he had managed to get her new number and now seemed to think he had free reign to use it whenever he pleased. She dismissed the call, declining to answer. She had far more pressing concerns right now.
Moments later, a text came through. Nina, who had vanished briefly, returned with her medical bag, determined to help. She tried to get Bella to sit still long enough to take her blood pressure and heart rate, but Bella couldn’t stop pacing. Every nerve in her body demanded movement; sitting still felt impossible.
Another text arrived. Bella hesitated before picking up her phone to glance at it.
The first text read: “Bella, pick up quickly. – Benzy”
The second one followed immediately: “Bella, pick up! Your mother is hurt, possibly dying. PICK UP!”
Bella shook her head again, dismissing it with frustration. They were pulling out every trick they could think of to get her to return. The persistence was grating, but she refused to believe them.
“I don’t know…” Tyler whined softly in her mind. Bella’s wolf was visibly distressed, lying curled up and trembling. The mysterious pain that had started earlier was worsening, escalating to unbearable levels. It was affecting Tyler now, too, intensifying her discomfort.
“Bella, sit down!” Nina demanded, following Bella around the kitchen with a hand on her wrist, trying to get a proper reading of her heart rate. Bella ignored her, still pacing restlessly.
“Damn it, Bella!” another text came through. This time, it wasn’t just words—it was a video. Bella sighed heavily, resigning herself to the fact that Benzy wasn’t going to give up. She tapped the play button, bracing herself for whatever new tactic he was trying to use.
What she saw froze her in place. The video showed her mother, Vera, lying motionless in a hospital bed. Bloodied dressings covered her body, stark against her pale skin. Her father, Jody, sat at her bedside, holding her hand with his head bowed low, his expression steeped in sorrow.
Bella’s breath hitched. Her chest pain suddenly multiplied a hundredfold, and agony ripped through her entire body. A piercing scream tore from her throat, raw and unrestrained, the sound of her anguish filling the room.
