Tim blinked, clearly confused. “Now? It’s late, Bella. Can’t it wait?”
“No,” she said firmly, softening her tone as she forced a small smile. “I wish it could, but it’s urgent. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
He hesitated, searching her face for answers she wasn’t giving. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, avoiding his gaze. “Just tired, and this thing needs my attention. I promise we’ll catch up soon.”
Reluctantly, Tim nodded, gathering his things and heading for the door. As the door clicked shut behind him, Bella picked up the phone again. “He’s gone,” she said curtly. “Are you happy now?”
There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a heavy exhale of relief. “Thank you,” Benzy said, his tone softer. “You just saved a life, Bella.”
“Yeah, well, don’t think this means I’m doing you any favors,” she shot back, her anger bubbling to the surface. “I’m done letting your pack dictate my life.”
The line went dead, and Bella slammed the phone down on the counter. Her hands were shaking as she leaned against the counter, trying to steady her breathing. She felt Tyler stirring in the back of her mind, agitated and restless, but she shoved her wolf down, refusing to give in to the storm of emotions brewing inside her.
Luke and his pack had been a constant shadow over her life for far too long. Tonight was just another reminder that as long as they were around, she’d never truly be free.
Bella waited until Tim stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut. She exhaled a shaky breath, her hand gripping the phone tightly. The background noise of growling and snarling on the other end of the line was relentless, and she could feel the tension in Benzy’s voice when he spoke again.
“Is he gone?” Benzy demanded, his tone sharp and urgent.
“Yes, he’s gone,” she snapped, frustration seeping into her voice. “Are you happy now?”
“You just saved his life, Bella,” he replied, his voice softening slightly. “Thank you.”
She scoffed, the anger bubbling to the surface. “Don’t thank me. I’m sick of you and your pack interfering in my life. You don’t get to control me. None of you do.”
There was silence on the line for a moment, broken only by the faint sound of fighting in the background. Then Benzy spoke again, quieter this time, as if trying to steady himself. “I know you don’t understand right now, but trust me, it was necessary.”
“Necessary?” she repeated bitterly. “You drag me into whatever mess you’ve got going on, threaten my life, my peace, my friends—and you call it necessary?”
Benzy sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Bella. Truly. But Maddis…” He trailed off, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice. “Maddis is out of control. We’re barely holding him back.”
Her heart clenched at the thought of Luke’s wolf in a blind rage, but she pushed the feeling away. “That’s not my problem,” she said coldly. “And if he’s so dangerous, maybe you should keep him on a tighter leash.”
Another pause, and then Benzy said, “You’re his mate, Bella. You always have been. Whether you like it or not, you’re connected to him, and this affects you just as much as it affects him.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut, but she refused to let them show. “I don’t care,” she said firmly. “I don’t care about your Alpha or his wolf or what you think I am to him. I care about my kids and keeping them safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“You might not care about him, but he cares about you. That’s why this is happening,” Benzy said, his voice strained. “He can’t control his rage when he feels threatened, and you having another man in your apartment? It’s a trigger.”
Bella’s jaw tightened. “That’s his problem, not mine.”
She hung up before Benzy could say another word, her hands trembling as she set the phone down on the counter. Tyler stirred in the back of her mind, agitated and restless, but Bella shoved her wolf aside, unwilling to let herself spiral any further.
Her children’s laughter echoed faintly from their bedrooms, a soothing reminder of what truly mattered. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her. Luke, Maddis, Benzy—they were a problem for another time. Right now, she needed to focus on the life she’d built, away from the pack and the chaos they represented.
Robyn froze at the sound of the Alpha’s voice booming through the phone, his hand trembling slightly as the order registered in his mind. The sheer force of the command was enough to send a ripple of submission through him, and Bella could see the moment his wolf reluctantly complied.
Robyn’s jaw clenched as he looked at her, anger still simmering in his eyes. “This isn’t over,” he muttered through gritted teeth, before turning and heading for the door. His movements were stiff, his pride clearly wounded by the sudden intervention.
Bella stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. She watched as Robyn yanked the door open and stormed out, slamming it shut behind him. The sound echoed through the apartment, making her flinch.
She let out a shaky breath and leaned against the wall for support. Tyler was still at the surface, her protective instincts on high alert. That was too close, she thought to herself, feeling the tension in her body slowly begin to ease.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she looked down to see Luke’s name on the screen. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice trembling slightly.
“I didn’t do it for you,” Luke’s deep voice came through the line, calm but laced with underlying frustration. “I did it for him. Robyn’s bond with Dani is already strained; you making things worse doesn’t help anyone.”
“I didn’t mean to make things worse,” Bella snapped back, her guilt and anger bubbling to the surface. “I didn’t ask him to come here and yell at me!”
