Macky shifted slightly, glancing at Benzy before speaking. “What happened?” His tone was calm, almost too calm, but there was a flicker of genuine worry in his caramel eyes.
Bella crossed her arms, her green eyes narrowing. “Nothing that concerns you.” She didn’t elaborate. Let them wonder. Let them stew.
Benzy stepped forward slightly, his brows furrowing. “Bella, you look—”
“Tired,” she cut him off sharply. “I’m tired. I’ve had a long night, and I’d like to get inside and see my children.” Her voice was clipped, daring them to challenge her.
The two men exchanged a glance, silent communication passing between them. Whatever they saw in each other’s eyes seemed to settle the moment. Benzy stepped back with a nod, his face unreadable. Macky followed suit, leaning against the wall again but still watching her like a hawk.
Bella didn’t wait for more questions or protests. She unlocked her door, stepped inside, and shut it firmly behind her.
Her chest heaved as she leaned against the door, her heart pounding. She was home. For now. But how long would it last?
Bella moved through her apartment like a ghost, numb and exhausted. She had no idea how much time had passed since she’d fled the rooftop or how long she’d been out on the streets before finally coming home. She wanted to shut the world out, to retreat into the bubble she’d built over the last six years—just her and her babies, no one else.
After unlocking her apartment door, she grabbed Benzy and Macky’s confiscated phones and tossed them out the door without a second glance. She didn’t care if they caught them or if the devices shattered on the floor. With a firm click, she locked the door behind her, shutting them out as effectively as she could.
Suzzy was asleep on the couch, her soft snores a faint comfort in the otherwise silent apartment. Bella gently draped the cream throw over her nanny, letting her sleep peacefully. Suzzy had done her job; she deserved the rest, and Bella would pay her for the whole night.
She made her way through the apartment, checking on her children one by one. The girls were sound asleep, their tiny forms tucked under their blankets, safe and unaware of the chaos swirling around their mother. Bella lingered by their beds for a moment, her chest aching with a fierce love that overpowered everything else.
Moving to Karis’s room, she saw him stir as if sensing her presence. His sleepy eyes opened, and he sat up slightly, rubbing them with one small fist. “Mummy, what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice groggy but concerned.
“Nothing, sweetheart,” she whispered, smoothing his hair. “Go back to sleep.”
He watched her for a moment, his young face serious, before lying back down and letting sleep reclaim him. Bella stood there for a moment longer, her fingers brushing his blanket, before retreating to her own bedroom.
She stripped off her dress and collapsed onto her bed, her body and mind utterly drained. The clock on her nightstand read 1:37 a.m. She stared at it blankly, her thoughts jumbled. How are we going to keep going like this?
Meanwhile, across the country, Luke’s phone buzzed, breaking the stillness of his office. He had been sitting there, waiting for news about the dinner, hoping that Bella would handle the situation with grace. He hadn’t been thrilled to hear that she would unexpectedly be facing his family, but he’d trusted her bond with Dani to keep her level-headed. This dinner wasn’t about Bella, he’d thought. It’s about Robyn and Dani. She’ll see that.
But when his father’s name flashed on the screen, he knew immediately that things hadn’t gone well.
Luke answered with a clipped, “Yes,” skipping any pleasantries.
“Get on your plane and get over here. Now.” His father’s tone was sharp, leaving no room for argument.
Before Luke could respond, the call disconnected.
He stared at his phone, his jaw tightening. Clearly, the dinner had gone sideways, and badly enough for his father to demand his immediate presence. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes briefly. Maddis stirred in his mind, restless and brooding, prowling with an intensity that unnerved even Luke. Calm before the storm, he thought grimly. Maddis’s silence was rarely a good sign.
Luke called the family pilot and arranged for the plane to be ready within the hour. He needed to move quietly, avoiding any chance of being detained by human authorities for violating the court order keeping him in his state. He didn’t need to make an already volatile situation worse.
The flight was a grueling five hours, filled with Maddis’s tension and Luke’s growing dread. When they landed just after 1:30 a.m., a car was already waiting to whisk him to his family’s location. His phone buzzed incessantly with messages as he drove.
She’s missing.
No one knows where she is.
She ran from the restaurant.
Your mother’s been crying for hours.
Luke clenched his phone tightly, his mind racing. How bad could it have been? His father had been terse on the phone, offering only, “It’s bad.” The sound of his mother sobbing in the background had been worse.
Maddis growled low in his mind, his tension now a palpable presence. We find her. Fix it. Protect her. His wolf’s determination burned like a firestorm.
Luke stared out the window as the car sped through the dark streets, his mind locked on a single thought: Bella. Whatever had happened, wherever she was, he would find her. And he would fix this.
Lanky, his loyal Beta, drove the car swiftly through the quiet city streets. Luke had left Abbey in charge of the pack—a first. Abbey’s reaction to the temporary leadership role had been predictably explosive. She had practically glowed with the raw power of command, her dominant, fiery personality coming alive in the absence of Luke’s shadow. Typical alpha. She loved running things, barking orders, and being the center of authority.
As they pulled up to the hotel suite where Benzy and Macky were staying, Luke’s irritation simmered. He fully expected to find them out in the streets, searching for Bella. Instead, they were lounging on the couch, drinks in hand, as though the world wasn’t unraveling around them. His anger flared, Maddis rising to the surface with a guttural snarl that shot both men to their feet instantly.
