But it was, Bella thought grimly. This wasn’t just about wolves. It wasn’t just about the Mate Bond. It was about years of pain, fear, and distrust. Tyler might have already accepted Maddis as her Mate, but Bella wasn’t ready to extend that acceptance to Luke—not yet.
When Luke was fully dressed, he turned back to face her. His expression was softer now, though his intense blue eyes seemed to pierce straight through her. “Shift for me, Bella,” he said gently. His voice carried none of the Alpha authority she’d been dreading—it was a simple request, nothing more.
Tyler’s ears perked up, her tail swished once, but she didn’t move to comply immediately. Bella hesitated, unsure if she wanted to face him like this. Tyler nudged her gently from the inside. “He’s your Mate, Bella. Trust him. Please.”
With a deep, trembling sigh, Bella allowed Tyler to recede. Her body shifted back, leaving her naked and vulnerable in the center of the Alpha’s office. She crossed her arms over her chest instinctively, her cheeks flushing as she avoided Luke’s gaze.
Luke didn’t push her. He walked over to a chair and picked up a blanket, draping it over her shoulders without a word. His hands lingered for a moment, warm and steady, before he stepped back to give her space.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice barely audible.
He nodded and sat down across from her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, the room was filled with silence, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace in the corner. Bella could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to meet his gaze. Her hands gripped the edges of the blanket tightly.
“I’m not here to force you into anything,” Luke said finally, his voice calm but firm. “I know this is overwhelming. I know you’ve been through hell because of me—because of us.”
Bella flinched slightly at his words, but she didn’t respond. He continued.
“Maddis and I… we’ve wanted this moment for a long time. But I need you to know something, Bella. I’m not the same man I was back then. I’m not here to hurt you, or punish you, or take anything from you. I’m here because I want to fix what’s broken between us. For you, for our pups, and for us.”
His words were earnest, and Bella could feel the truth in them. But the wall around her heart was still firmly in place. She had spent years building it, and she wasn’t ready to let it crumble just because he said the right things.
“I don’t know if I can believe you,” she whispered, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”
Luke’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “That’s fair,” he said softly. “I’ll earn it, Bella. I promise.”
For the first time, Bella saw a flicker of vulnerability in him, and it made her chest ache. But she couldn’t let herself fall for it—not yet. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and looked away again.
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Luke said after a long pause. “I’m not going anywhere, Bella. And neither are you.”
Bella hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest as she glanced from Luke to the couch near the fireplace. The room was warm, cozy even, but there was a tension lingering in the air that made her want to run. Tyler’s calm presence in the back of her mind was the only thing stopping her.
“Bella,” Luke’s voice softened, pulling her attention back to him. He was still standing by the couch, his posture relaxed, though his eyes betrayed his unease. “I know you’re scared, and I know I’ve given you reasons to be. But this isn’t the same. I’m not the same.”
Her gaze flicked to his face again, searching for any hint of the anger she remembered. All she found was a calm, determined expression. He wasn’t pushing her, wasn’t using his Alpha tone to force her compliance. That, at least, was something.
She took a deep breath and stepped further into the room, her bare feet brushing against the soft carpet. Tyler’s steady encouragement in her mind kept her grounded as she moved closer to the couch. Luke didn’t move toward her, didn’t try to close the gap between them. He simply waited.
Finally, she sat down on the farthest corner of the couch, pulling her legs up beneath her and wrapping her arms around herself. The oversized shirt she wore smelled like him, and it was both comforting and unnerving at the same time.
Luke sat down on the opposite end of the couch, giving her as much space as possible. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The crackling fire filled the silence, casting warm light across the room.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Luke said finally, his voice steady but laced with regret. “More than I can count. But sending you away… Bella, that was the worst one. I’ve regretted it every day since.”
She looked down at her hands, gripping the fabric of the shirt tightly. His words hung in the air, heavy with emotion, but she didn’t know how to respond.
“I thought I was doing what was best,” he continued, leaning forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees. “I thought… I don’t know. I thought I was protecting you from something worse. But all I did was hurt you, and I can’t take that back.”
Bella swallowed hard, her throat tight. “You didn’t just hurt me,” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “You broke me.”
Luke’s head bowed, and for a moment, he looked completely undone. “I know,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I hate myself for it.”
Silence fell between them again, but it was different this time. The weight of their shared pain lingered, but so did something else—something tentative and fragile. Hope.
