Luke frowned, handing the phone back to Benzy.
Macky stood abruptly, his expression serious. “I’m going to square away Bella and the pups’ protection detail,” he announced before striding out of the office with purpose.
Lanky followed suit, standing with a shake of his head. “I’d better go help him. He looks cranky, and ‘squaring away’ might involve kicking some asses to make sure everyone’s up to the task.”
Luke nodded in agreement. Lanky was probably right. Macky’s protective instincts were running high, and anyone not meeting his standards would pay for it.
That left just Luke and Benzy in the office.
“What a shit show,” Benzy muttered, shaking his head.
“You’re not kidding,” Luke agreed, walking over to sit on the edge of his desk. His gaze fell on the legal documents they’d gathered from Bella’s office. He spotted the company’s phone number and decided to try a different approach. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number and asked to be transferred to Bella’s secretary to arrange an appointment.
He was placed on hold, the faint sound of music filtering through the receiver. Benzy gave him a questioning look.
“Pretending,” Luke explained, lowering the phone slightly. “I’m sure all our names are being screened.” He handed the phone to Benzy. “She’ll probably talk to you before she talks to me.”
Benzy raised an eyebrow but took the phone. Within a few minutes, the secretary transferred the call directly to Bella herself. Luke couldn’t help but smirk. Her secretary must have caught Benzy’s name and decided he was worth the effort—no instant dismissal, no abrupt rejection.
Benzy hit the speaker button, though it wasn’t necessary. Luke’s wolf hearing was sharp enough to catch every word. Maddis perked up immediately, his restless pacing stopping in anticipation.
They waited, the tension in the room thick as the call connected.
“Yes, Benzy?” Bella answered smoothly, her voice calm and without hesitation. She had been expecting this call.
“What do you think you’re doing, Bella? Do you even realize what you did today?” Benzy asked, his tone stern but devoid of anger.
“I didn’t start this, Benzy. He did,” she replied evenly. “He’s the one who told every wolf watching his press conference that he has a weakness that can be exploited.”
Benzy frowned, understanding her implication. A weakness—his pups. “And you didn’t help by declaring yourself and the pups available for invitation into any pack willing to accept you,” he countered.
“I’m sure I’ll have plenty of offers rolling in,” she said lightly, a hint of amusement in her tone. “Probably faster than you’d like.”
Luke’s anger boiled over at her flippant disregard for the danger she had just unleashed. Maddis roared in his mind, and before Luke could stop himself, he growled into the speaker. “Damn it, Bella!” His voice was filled with fury and frustration.
The line went dead.
Bella leaned back in her leather chair, calm despite the situation. The game of hardball had officially begun. Luke had made the first misstep by outing their children to wolfen society, and she had retaliated by declaring herself a free agent—open to offers from other packs. She’d also made it clear that his actions had driven her to this decision, painting him as a danger to her and the pups.
It wasn’t the smartest move, she admitted to herself, but it was a necessary one. She was certain she’d find a pack that either had no connection to him or was allied with him in a way that would ensure her safety. Once she pledged allegiance to a new Alpha, she’d be untouchable. Luke wouldn’t even know where she was.
And she wouldn’t have to deal with him—or his Luna, who she knew wanted nothing more than to hurt her further.
Bella knew another call would come. Likely not from Luke himself this time. It would be Benzy—smooth, persuasive, and the best at calming storms. She’d already instructed Jordan, her secretary, to put Benzy through but to give her a heads-up first.
Fifteen minutes later, the call came. Bella answered, but the moment she heard Luke’s enraged voice on the line, she hung up without hesitation.
He would learn. She wasn’t going to take his abuse anymore. She refused to be yelled at, as she had been on that day years ago.
She waited again, knowing it wasn’t over. Benzy would undoubtedly call back after talking his Alpha down and convincing him to keep quiet during the next attempt.
Sure enough, seven minutes later, Jordan put the call through. “Bella,” he said cautiously, “it’s Benzy again. He’s apologizing for the disconnection earlier.”
Bella laughed softly. “Don’t apologize, Jordan. I hung up on him and will likely do so again. But let him know this will be the last call I take from him today, no matter how many times he calls back.”
Jordan chuckled lightly. “Got it, Bella.”
She let Benzy wait on hold for a good four minutes before finally picking up. “Now that you know I’ll hang up whenever I feel like it, keep him under control and in check,” she said sharply. “I presume he’s still listening?”
Her words were bold—an unmistakable challenge to an Alpha. It was a dangerous game she was playing, but she wasn’t afraid. Luke needed to learn that she had rights, and she wasn’t about to let him steamroll over her again. After all, he had been the one to toss her away.
“He is,” Benzy confirmed curtly, his tone tinged with anger. He was losing his composure, something Bella wasn’t accustomed to from him. Usually, Benzy was the calm and collected one, the voice of reason, but now he sounded dangerously close to snapping. “If you hang up on me again, Bella, I will get on the next flight out there and be at your door before you even know it. Do you understand me?”
Bella frowned at the veiled threat. She heard it loud and clear, but it didn’t intimidate her. He’d be stepping into her world, not his usual comfort zone. The rules were different here, and she doubted he had the patience for them.
“Is that so?” she replied evenly, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Are you prepared to play human, Benzy? I’ve been doing it for a long time now. I don’t think you can handle it. And Apollo? He’ll hate it.”
