The Feds had presented him with undeniable evidence: video footage of her killing one of his men and photos of her injuries. Stripped down to her underwear, her right hip was bruised and torn, her chest a patchwork of dark bruises and scratches. The images seared into his mind, each one a reminder of the consequences of his actions.
Maddis growled low in his chest during the interrogations, his fury barely contained. The officers painted him as a monster, their words making it sound as though he had hurt her himself, deliberately and maliciously. Luke hated their judgment.
But most of all, he hated himself for giving them a reason to be right.
Luke found himself wrestling with the weight of his choices as he sat behind human bars for the first time. Though the stay had been brief—just one day—every moment felt like a trial of patience for both him and his wolf, Maddis. The human cell was stifling, the confined space barely containing Maddis’s simmering rage.
His wolf had been so close to the surface that the other inmates had instinctively kept their distance, pressed against the far wall of the cell, avoiding eye contact. A low growl from Maddis was enough to send fear coursing through them, their wide eyes betraying their terror. Luke couldn’t help but smirk; humans were so easy to intimidate, their fear a sharp contrast to the confident facade the two officers questioning him had managed to maintain.
Despite their fear, the officers had been professional, masking their unease as they questioned him about the charges. Luke could see it in their eyes—the flicker of hesitation every time Maddis’s frustration bled into his expression. In another world, in his territory, such boldness wouldn’t have been tolerated. Maddis would have ensured they paid dearly for their insolence. But here, bound by human laws and rules, Luke had no choice but to cooperate. He had hoped enduring this would send a message to Bella and her wolf, Tyler: he was willing to face punishment for her sake, even if the events that had led to this point weren’t entirely his fault.
The charges against him were grave—kidnapping, grievous bodily harm, and transporting Bella across state lines. While he hadn’t laid a hand on her personally, the men he’d sent after her had injured her severely, making him culpable in the eyes of human law. It stung, knowing he bore the blame for something that could have been avoided. Yet Maddis’s focus wasn’t on the legal complications; it was on Bella.
Maddis’s anger wasn’t just about the accusations—it was about the separation. Bella was his Mate, the one he was destined to protect and cherish, and she was now beyond his reach, hidden away with her three pups. The thought of those children gnawed at Luke’s mind. Were they wolfen or human? Boys or girls? How old were they? He hadn’t seen them, hadn’t even known about them until recently. The idea that Bella had faced motherhood alone, far from the pack, sent a pang of guilt through him.
When Maddis had first seen her on television, her image had struck him like a lightning bolt. She looked confident yet vulnerable, her voice soft but assured. It had awakened a primal need within him, an ache that refused to be ignored. Maddis hadn’t revealed the depth of his longing to Luke at first, but the truth had eventually surfaced. Seeing Bella, even through a screen, had reminded Maddis of what they had lost. The desire to bring her back, to make her whole again, had consumed them both.
But the situation was far more complicated than Luke had anticipated. Bella wasn’t just a runaway wolf; she was a mother now, with ties to the human world. If her pups were half-human, what would that mean for their place in the pack? And what of their father? The thought of Bella with another Mate, possibly a human, sent a wave of jealousy through Maddis. How could they reclaim her without upending her life entirely?
Luke’s attempts to bring Bella back had been poorly executed, a fact he now regretted. Maddis’s urgency had driven them to act without fully considering the consequences. Bella hadn’t even known they were Mates at the time, and her treatment at the hands of his men had only deepened the chasm between them. Now, Luke faced an uphill battle—not just with the human legal system, but with Bella herself.
She was beyond his reach, protected by human authorities and possibly by allies in her new world. Yet, despite the obstacles, Maddis’s determination burned brighter than ever. They had to find a way to bridge the divide, to bring Bella and her pups home. The question was how to do so without causing further harm. Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. This wasn’t just about reclaiming a Mate—it was about redemption, about proving that he could protect and cherish Bella in a way he had failed to before.
The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: Luke and Maddis would stop at nothing to make things right.
Luke might have gone to her in person—he might have—but deep down, he doubted it. If he had, it’s more likely he’d have sent Benzy or Macky in his stead. After all, he had hurt her that day, and there was no guarantee she’d even agree to see him.
Perhaps he could have apologized for what happened six years ago. Yet he also knew, the moment they stood face-to-face, the undeniable truth of what they meant to each other would have been laid bare. Problem solved—or so he liked to imagine in his current daydreams. The revelation that she was now a single mother of three had rattled him, but he believed he could handle it.
It had only been a week since this bombshell dropped on him, a complete surprise. The shockwave of her announcement had left everyone in the room—his father, his Beta, and himself—utterly stunned. Her sudden plea and the mention of her children had weighed heavily on his conscience.
He hadn’t conducted a thorough investigation before having her brought back. Simply tracing her address through her company had seemed sufficient at the time. It hadn’t even occurred to him to consider that she might not be alone.
