Not going to happen. Bella’s resolve hardened. If Luke forced the situation, it would undoubtedly backfire. The humans wouldn’t hesitate to vilify him again. After all, her children had human birth certificates, and that was proof enough to shield them—for now.
“I’ll take questions now,” Luke announced to the reporters, his tone calm and composed.
“You said you grew up as childhood friends? Is that actually true?” a voice called out from the crowd.
“Yes,” Luke replied smoothly, flashing that devastatingly charming smile of his. “Bella and I were once very close.” The subtle insinuation in his tone wasn’t lost on Bella—it hinted at a deeper connection, one more intimate than mere friendship.
“How close?” another reporter, a woman, pressed eagerly.
“We dated for a time,” Luke admitted, his mouth curving into a slight, suggestive smile. “Just over a year, if my memory serves me correctly.”
Bella felt her jaw tighten as the implications of his words sank in. He was carefully crafting the narrative, playing on their history to sway public opinion.
“Then how did it come to this?” a male reporter called out. “Kidnapping and grievous bodily harm—you’re charged with those, yes?”
Luke’s smile disappeared instantly. “Correct, those are the charges.” His tone was firm, unyielding, and he didn’t deny it.
“However,” he continued, his gaze steady, “I would like Bella and me to sit down and mediate the matter. This situation is not what it seems—it’s simply a misunderstanding that can be resolved with common sense.”
Then, as if to drive his point home, he looked directly into the camera. “Bella, please agree to meet me. Your lawyers are welcome. I will accommodate any time and place that fits your schedule.”
With that, he stepped away from the podium, his statement delivered, and walked off. Benzy, Macky, and Lanky followed close behind, disappearing into the building with him.
In the conference room, Bella could feel the weight of the stares directed at her. Everyone wanted answers, and she knew exactly what they were thinking.
“Yes,” she said flatly, meeting their gazes. “We went out for a while. It ended badly.”
That was an understatement. It had ended disastrously—for her, at least. She had lost everything, while he had gained it all. Even now, he was trying to take more from her. She wondered bitterly if he had told his Luna about the triplets yet or if she was still oblivious to their existence.
Unable to bear it any longer, Bella turned and left the room. She wished she hadn’t been forced to watch the press conference. Luke had used every weapon in his arsenal—his charm, his s*x appeal, his carefully cultivated persona—to manipulate the crowd. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the room had been filled with female reporters at his request, knowing they would be more easily swayed by his devastating good looks.
It was a strategy wolves often employed in the human world—charm and physical allure. With their constant training and natural strength, most wolves possessed the kind of physiques humans could only dream of. Lean, toned, and muscular, or built like warriors, wolves knew how to use their bodies to their advantage.
Bella sighed as she walked into her office and stood by the window. The overcast sky mirrored her mood, heavy and gray, the sun hidden behind layers of clouds. How fitting, she thought absently.
She stared out at the city, her thoughts churning. She wasn’t going to simply hand over her children to him. No, Tyler growled in agreement, her wolf’s determination reinforcing her own.
The sound of the door closing behind her pulled Bella from her thoughts. She turned to see Ben Billy approaching, his expression calm but watchful. She knew she had left the conference room before the questioning was over, but she hadn’t been able to handle any more of it—more importantly, she hadn’t wanted to.
And if she was being honest, she didn’t want to deal with him either.
“Did I miss something, or did I read between the lines correctly?” Ben asked, his tone sharp and direct, his piercing grey eyes locking onto hers without hesitation.
Bella met his gaze steadily, keeping her voice calm. “That depends on what you think you read between the lines, Ben.” She had no doubt he had caught the underlying message in Luke’s press conference. Ben wasn’t a fool, and she knew exactly what he was getting at—her children.
“Is Luke Cupper the triplets’ father?” he asked bluntly, his unrelenting gaze daring her to lie.
“Yes,” Bella replied honestly, her tone measured. “I told you before—he’s the one who removed me from the corporation when I was twenty. I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time.”
Ben didn’t flinch. “Why didn’t you tell him when you found out?”
Bella shrugged, the memory stirring emotions she’d worked hard to suppress. “He was getting married when he kicked me out. I didn’t want to ruin that. That’s not who I am. I was honestly happy for him.”
Ben studied her intently, his silence heavy with unspoken thoughts. After a moment, he asked, “If you didn’t know you were pregnant, you couldn’t have been that far along. And you said he was getting married—how much time passed between your relationship with him and his with her?”
Leave it to Ben to zero in on the timeline. Bella sighed, deciding to be fully transparent. “He broke up with me and was engaged to her within a day.” Her voice was quiet, tinged with the bitterness of old wounds. “It happened that fast. But that’s how it is in wolfen society. Once you find your Mate, nothing else matters.”
Ben blinked in shock, clearly taken aback. “A day? No wonder it ended badly. I’m guessing there was a lot of yelling and screaming.”
Bella shook her head. “No, not really. We weren’t serious—I knew that. But unfortunately, his fiancée slapped me, and I slapped her back. So, yeah, it didn’t end well.” She shrugged again, matter-of-fact. She wasn’t proud of it, but it was the truth.
Ben leaned back, folding his arms across his chest as he processed the information. After a long pause, he finally asked, “So, what response do you want to make?”
“I don’t know yet.” Bella walked over to her desk and sat down, her thoughts swirling. “I need to think about it.”
