“Do you think he’s going to file for a paternity suit?”
“I doubt it,” she said, shaking her head. It was clear Luke had no doubts about the triplets being his. A paternity suit wasn’t necessary.
“A custody battle then?”
Bella let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples. Not in the human world, she thought grimly.
No, he’ll just come along and claim what’s his, regardless, Tyler chimed in, her voice firm in Bella’s mind.
I know, Tyler. It’s only a matter of time. Unless we stay publicly rooted in the human world and play hardball.
Then hardball it is, Tyler huffed, her defiance palpable. Bella’s wolf was just as determined as she was, and the two of them were a perfect match in their shared resolve to protect the triplets, even if it meant standing up to an Alpha.
“Bella?” Ben’s voice pulled her back to the present.
She looked up at him, her expression thoughtful. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “He’ll probably wait for my response before making his next move. Luke is careful—tactical. He won’t start a battle unless he’s certain the odds are in his favor.”
“Give it a day… or two, maybe three, to come up with a response to his press conference,” Ben suggested, his tone measured.
Bella chuckled lightly. “You mean, make him sweat?”
“Exactly,” Ben replied with a small smirk. “Let him stew in his own irritation. If he gets annoyed enough, he might just show his true colors to everyone watching.”
Bella nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, I’ll come up with something,” she agreed, watching as Ben left her office.
“Just don’t piss him off, Bella,” Tyler huffed in her mind, her voice tinged with caution. “This is a battle, but it’s one we can’t technically win.”
“I know,” Bella admitted. “He’s an Alpha. In wolfen society, his power is absolute. But Tyler, this isn’t wolfen society—it’s the human world. He can only push so far before risking exposure.”
“Do you really want to go to battle with him?” Tyler asked, worry seeping through their bond. Bella could feel her wolf pacing anxiously, the tension between them mirroring her own uncertainty.
“I don’t know,” Bella thought honestly. “But we might not have a choice.”
Three days passed before Luke finally saw her response. Three long, frustrating days of waiting. It was 7:30 p.m. his time, 4:30 p.m. hers—right at the end of her workday. He wondered if the timing was deliberate, another tactic to irk him. It certainly felt that way.
Luke had no illusions. Bella understood full well that he knew about the triplets being his. He’d made it unmistakably clear in his press conference. Humans might not have caught the deeper meaning of his words, but wolves would. His assurance that he would have gone straight to her door and his declaration of being no threat to her children carried immense significance in wolfen culture.
To human viewers, however, he probably looked like a man desperately trying to save face and climb out of trouble.
The camera feed switched to the front of Billy & Co Law Firm. A podium had been set up, flanked by a formidable lineup of lawyers—ten in total, though Luke noted Ben Billy wasn’t among them.
Luke sat in his office, flanked by Benzy, Macky, Lanky, and his parents. The room was silent until Maddis let out a low, guttural growl.
Bella appeared on screen, walking toward the podium with Ben Billy at her side. Luke’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the man’s hand resting on the small of her back, his posture close, almost intimate. The sight of them walking so closely together, barely an inch apart, set his wolf on edge.
Maddis, Luke thought grimly, calm yourself.
But Maddis wasn’t listening. He was pacing restlessly, bristling at the sight of a human male’s hand on his Mate.
It didn’t help that Bella was dressed provocatively—or at least, it felt that way to Luke and his wolf. She wore a black silk blouse that clung to her body, the wind pressing the fabric snugly against her slender waist and full curves. Luke’s hands twitched involuntarily as he recalled how perfectly her br_easts had once fit into his palms.
And then there was the skirt—a black-and-red checkered pattern that clung tightly to her hips before flaring into short pleats just below her backside. The pleats flicked up as she walked, revealing flashes of her long, bare legs, all the way down to the black stiletto heels she wore.
It hit him like a blow—those were pack colors.
The realization only fueled Maddis’s ire. Luke’s wolf was circling furiously in his mind, ropeable at seeing her dressed like that, especially with another man so close to her.
She’s making a statement, Luke thought, his jaw tightening. And not just to the humans.
Her makeup was understated yet perfect, accentuating her natural beauty. Her supple lips, painted in a dark purplish-pink hue, drew his attention, making him ache to kiss her until the color was completely gone. The sight of her wound-up hair teased him; he wanted to yank the pins loose, gripping the silky strands in his fist and pulling her head back. He imagined the gasp that would escape her lips, her mouth opening for him to ravage and possess in a way that left no doubt she belonged to him.
Maddis snarled in his mind, prowling restlessly. Every man watching her would be thinking of her, wanting her, imagining touching what was his. The thought made Luke’s blood boil. She should never dress like that unless it’s just for me, Maddis growled. Luke silently agreed—skirts that short were strictly off-limits outside their bedroom. She would understand that when they finally had her back.
Ben walked her to the podium, his hand still at the small of her back. Then he leaned down, whispering something into her ear, his lips brushing against her skin. Maddis let out a vicious snarl, and Luke had to fight the urge to rip the TV off the wall and smash it.
When Bella turned to smile up at Ben, it was genuine—warm, happy, and directed at another man. Luke’s fists clenched against his knees, his nails digging into his palms. That smile should belong to him, and him alone. He felt Maddis’s anger mirrored within him, a raw, possessive rage that wanted nothing more than to erase Ben from the equation entirely.
