“Show me, child.”
Bella froze for a moment, but then nodded. She knew of Tomas’s unique ability to see into someone’s mind if they were willing. At this point, she had nothing to lose. She closed her eyes and conjured an image of her children playing in the living room, their laughter filling the space as they always did.
She felt his mind reach out, pulling the memory toward him, and let him take it.
It lasted only seconds before Tomas withdrew, standing back up.
“Please,” she begged again, her voice shaking as she bowed so low her forehead touched the floor at his feet. “Don’t let them become motherless.”
Before Tomas could respond, Luke’s voice roared through the room, filled with unbridled fury.
“Get her up!”
Bella flinched at the sound, but soon felt hands gently pulling her to her feet. Benzy’s touch was surprisingly soft as he helped her stand, though her legs barely held her weight.
The tension in the room was suffocating. The wall-mounted TV flickered to life, capturing everyone’s attention. Bella’s blood-soaked hair fell into her face, and Benzy brushed it aside with a tenderness that surprised her. She looked up into his stormy grey eyes, pleading silently as she mouthed the word please.
But it was no use.
Unless Luke gave the command, Benzy wouldn’t release her. She remained a prisoner, her fate in Luke’s hands, even though she had just proven her children’s existence.
She could only hope Tomas’s intervention might sway him. Until then, she was at his mercy.
Bella’s attention snapped to the television as a familiar voice filled the room. Ben Billy, standing at the company’s press conference podium, his expression carved in stone, radiated pure fury. A shiver ran down her spine. Even as a human, Ben was a formidable man when angered, a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom and beyond. Few in the human world dared to challenge him, and now his ire was directed at the wolves who had taken her.
Her stomach twisted as she listened, her heart racing with every word.
Ben was talking about her.
The screen shifted, showing grainy surveillance footage of her abduction. Two men grabbed her outside her apartment building, a cloth was shoved over her face, and a syringe jammed into her neck. She watched as her limp body was dragged into a dark, unmarked van. The scene played out before her eyes like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
The camera cut back to Ben, his expression darker than before. His voice was sharp and commanding.
“I believe I know who took Miss Freeman,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. “I have provided the details to the Federal Police, and an investigation is underway at this very moment.”
Bella’s breath caught as Ben raised the Black Envelope—the very one she had been sent by Alpha Luke. He turned it over in his hand, and the cameras zoomed in on it. The text was clear for anyone watching to read.
Ben continued, his voice unwavering. “Mr. Luke Cupper of Cupper Corporation, I believe this letter is a direct threat against my employee, Bella Freeman. Let it be known that I have named you as the prime suspect in her abduction. You have taken her against her will.”
Bella’s pulse quickened as he leaned closer to the microphone, his words cutting through the air like a blade.
“When I find the truth—and I will—my entire team will be coming for you and your corporation. No harm must come to Miss Freeman. You will return her at once. Do not orphan her three children.”
Her heart clenched as she heard Ben’s words. He knew.
Ben Billy’s stubborn streak had always been his defining trait. He believed himself untouchable, and in this moment, Bella was grateful for his audacity, his absolute refusal to back down. His commanding presence, his need to control every situation, was now working in her favor. For once, she was glad to call him her boss, and she silently swore she would hug him if she ever made it back to work.
She sent up a silent prayer of gratitude to the goddess. The letter she had left in her office, not on purpose but in her panic and distress, had become the key to her survival. Ben’s quick thinking and determination had turned it into evidence, and now he was using it as a weapon against the wolves who had taken her.
Bella glanced at Alpha Luke, whose jaw was clenched so tightly she thought it might shatter. The mention of her three children had hit like a grenade, the tension in the room palpable.
But a pang of doubt crept into her mind. How would the human Federal Police retrieve her from wolfen society? She knew how the two worlds operated—separate, secretive. Humans wouldn’t dare challenge wolves on their own ground.
Yet, for the first time since this nightmare began, she felt a sliver of hope.
Ben Billy didn’t know the meaning of defeat.
The room was silent, the tension thick as if the air itself had grown heavier. The TV had been turned off, its screen now black and unassuming, but the gravity of what had been broadcast lingered like a storm cloud.
Alpha Luke cursed out loud, his frustration cutting through the silence, while Benzy let out an audible huff. It was clear they were communicating through their mind-link, likely strategizing about the press conference and how to handle the damning accusations Ben Billy had made.
Bella stood still, her tears momentarily halted, a spark of hope ignited by Ben’s relentless determination. Memories of her time working for him flooded her mind, a reminder of the man she owed so much to.
She had worked for Ben Billy her entire career, starting as an intern in the last two years of her law degree. Even then, she had refused to let the pregnancy or the birth of her triplets interfere with her work. She had put in long hours, tirelessly pushing herself, determined to prove she wasn’t weak and that she deserved the career she was building.
Ben had been shocked when he discovered how far along she was, amazed at her resilience. Despite the grueling schedule, she had finished her degree at the top of her class and passed the Bar Exam with flying colors. Her dogged determination had intrigued him, and he’d been even more surprised to learn she was fluent in Mandarin, French, and Korean, with a knack for languages that had her learning German in her spare time.
She remembered how Matt and Nina had stepped in to help her, acting as surrogate family when she’d had no one else. Ben had known, of course. He always knew. And now here he was, stepping up for her once again, risking his reputation and influence to help her.
Her thoughts were snapped back to the present by Luke’s sharp voice.
