“She’s going to make it?” Bella asked, more sobs escaping her as she pulled back just enough to look up at him.
“Yes, baby girl, she is,” Jody said with a nod. “Look, she’s right here.”
Bella turned, her tear-filled eyes landing on the hospital bed. There lay her mother, Vera, pale and still, her body covered in bandages. Bella’s heart ached anew as she noticed the wounds weren’t healing.
“Ivy?” Bella asked, her voice trembling as she inquired about her mother’s wolf.
“Wolfsbane,” Jody said gently, his voice steady but filled with sorrow. “It’s still in her system, baby girl. It’ll leave eventually, and she’ll wake up, but not likely until tomorrow. She was hit with a wolfsbane-loaded arrow—almost a lethal dose. But she held on, Bella. She was calling your name before she passed out.”
Bella sobbed again, the weight of his words crushing her, and moved out of his arms. She walked over to her mother’s bedside and sat down, taking Vera’s hand gently in her own. Her forehead bowed to rest on the back of her mother’s hand, as if by being close, her mother would somehow know she was there—that her daughter had come, just as she’d wanted.
Bella knew better, of course. She had felt the effects of wolfsbane herself before and knew how it disconnected a wolf from everything. Still, holding her mother’s hand brought her a small measure of comfort. Being here, by her side, was all she could do now.
She had longed to see her mother for days, and though the circumstances were horrible, she was here now. That had to count for something.
A hand rested lightly on her shoulder. Bella turned to see Benzy, his expression calm but concerned. “Bella, the triplets are exhausted. Let me take them to the pack house to rest for a while, okay?”
“No,” she said softly but firmly, shaking her head. She turned to her father. “Let my father take care of them. I trust him.”
Benzy nodded without argument. “Alright,” he replied calmly. Bella appreciated his lack of resistance. She knew if Benzy took them to the pack house, they would likely end up in the Alpha suite, and getting them back would be a battle she wasn’t ready to fight. She needed them close, and she knew her father would honor that.
She sat by her mother’s side for hours, her gaze never leaving Vera’s unconscious form. Occasionally, Tyler whimpered or whined in shared pain. Eventually, exhaustion caught up with Bella, and she drifted off in the chair.
She vaguely felt herself being lifted and carried again. The familiar scent told her it was Benzy. She leaned into his comforting embrace, too tired to protest. He laid her gently on a bed and tucked her in.
“My babies…” she murmured weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.
“They’re safe with your father, just as you wished. I promise,” Benzy reassured her, his voice soft and steady.
Bella reached out, clutching at his shirt near his ribs, not wanting him to leave. Benzy seemed to understand and settled on the bed next to her.
“I don’t think it was rogues,” Tyler huffed in her mind, still pacing restlessly. “There was a familiar scent on Vera.”
Bella barely registered her wolf’s words as she slipped into sleep, her emotional state finally taking its toll on her body.
When he woke, his head felt heavy, and his body sluggish. He blinked, trying to adjust to his surroundings. His mother sat in a chair beside his bed, looking exhausted. She reminded him of his father on Saturday morning after the chaos at the restaurant—worn and sleep-deprived.
“What time is it?” he muttered, his voice rough. Memories of his father dosing him with wolfsbane flickered through his mind.
His mother stared at him for a moment, as if debating whether to answer. He wondered if he had spoken aloud at all, but then she straightened in her chair. “Son, I need you to remain calm,” she said carefully.
“Why?” he asked sharply, his tone already laced with suspicion. “What did you do while I was poisoned—by my own father!” he grated, his anger bubbling to the surface.
“It was necessary,” she said firmly. “You were blinded by your own rage—just like Maddis gets.”
“What do you expect?” Luke snapped, his voice sharp. “We’re one and the same. My mate was threatened by my brother while she was already in severe distress.”
He sat up in bed, his movements stiff, and looked around. Still in their serviced apartment, he guessed. The events of the past day swirled in his mind, but there was a gap he couldn’t quite piece together.
“Dani called Robyn,” his mother informed him, her tone calm but firm. “We’re all going to meet her family shortly. You’ll be coming with us.”
“Why?” he asked bluntly.
“Because Matt thinks you took Bella again.”
That snapped his attention into sharp focus. “Why would he think that?” he demanded. He hadn’t gone near Bella. In fact, he’d ordered all his warriors to give her space, hoping she would calm down without feeling crowded. But now she was missing. A growl rumbled low in his throat. If she was gone… if the human Feds got involved again…
His mother didn’t flinch. “Because Benzy, Macky, and Lanky found out where she was, went to get her and the triplets, and flew them back to the pack early this morning. The plane left around 8 a.m. Son, you’ve been out for over 24 hours.”
His eyes widened in disbelief. “What? How is that possible?”
“Maddis isn’t with you, is he?” she asked, leaning forward, her gaze scrutinizing him closely. “Your father dosed you with enough wolfsbane to put both you and Maddis down. But since he’s not here, you were out longer than expected.”
“No,” Luke admitted, shaking his head. “He’s gone. But why did they take her back to the pack and not bring her directly to me?” His voice tightened with suspicion. Something doesn’t add up. They would all know better than this.
