The growl that followed confirmed her words had hit their mark. It wasn’t Benzy, but Apollo—his wolf—letting out a low, menacing rumble. She had challenged his control, and he was livid.
Bella knew exactly what she was doing. She’d grown up with Benzy and the others, knew how to push every single one of their buttons. If he thought she’d forgotten, he was sorely mistaken.
“Oh, and if you think I haven’t noticed the wolves with pack scents hanging around since I got back from…” She left the sentence unfinished, letting the ambiguity linger. Where she’d been and who she’d been with were none of their business. Let them wonder.
“TYLER!” Maddis’s roar tore through the phone, his wolf’s voice so loud and forceful that Bella nearly jumped. Tyler, her own wolf, stirred instantly, almost calling his name back in instinctive response.
Bella disconnected the call just in time, her finger hovering over the button the whole time. Tyler growled softly in her mind, her emotions swirling with longing and defiance.
“He called to us,” Tyler whined. “Our Alpha.”
“Yes,” Bella admitted. “But only to order us to bring the pups to him.”
“Maybe,” Tyler huffed, though her tone suggested uncertainty.
“No,” Bella replied firmly. “He has a Luna, Tyler. Don’t mistake his intent. His Luna despises us—she’ll never tolerate our pups’ existence. That’s why we never told him in the first place. Remember?”
“Yes,” Tyler huffed again, the pain of being cast aside bubbling to the surface. The memory of their rejection, of being tossed away like garbage, burned in both of their minds. He hadn’t wanted them—not her, not Tyler—only the pups. And they weren’t about to let him take them away.
“We won’t hand them over,” Bella thought resolutely. “We’re their mother, and that’s not changing.”
The day had been long and stressful. Bella sighed. “Time to go home and see our babies,” she said to Tyler, feeling her wolf perk up. That thought always made Tyler happier. Bella loved her pups more than anything. Being away from them annoyed her most days, but today the itch to return to them was unbearable. She couldn’t wait to cuddle up on the couch with them, eat popcorn, and watch a movie.
“Yes, let’s go,” Tyler agreed.
Bella stepped out of the elevator on the 12th floor of Billy & Co Law Firm, where she worked. The faint scent of wolves hit her immediately, lingering in the air. Jordan, her secretary, was waiting for her just outside the elevator doors, an unusual sight that caught her off guard.
“Jordan?” she asked, noting the anxious look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“There are so many messages directed at you regarding your press conference statement,” he admitted, his tone uneasy. “And the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. People are still calling, trying to book appointments with you. It’s kind of freaking me out, to be honest.”
Bella laughed softly. “And so it begins,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I was expecting this, Jordan. Just take one call at a time and roll with it, okay? Breathe. Oh, and don’t tell Ben. I think he’d get very angry.”
Jordan hesitated, trailing slightly behind her as they finally moved away from the elevator and down the hall toward her office. “Um, Bella…” he began, his voice tinged with unease.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Had he already informed Ben? If so, there was a good chance the man was already waiting for her, likely furious.
But as she approached her office, the sight that greeted her stopped her in her tracks. Sitting in two of the waiting room chairs were none other than Beta Benzy and Gamma Macky.
Ah. So that was why Jordan was so nervous—it wasn’t an angry Ben waiting for her. It was two wolves.
Both men radiated power, their auras thick and commanding. Benzy’s sharp glare met hers as she entered, but Bella remained composed. She paused to allow Jordan to slip behind his desk, taking his seat as though seeking safety from the tension in the room.
“How long have they been here?” Bella asked him, her tone neutral.
“They came up with me at 8,” Jordan replied nervously. “I did tell them you wouldn’t be in until 9 today, but they just sat down and haven’t moved. Haven’t said a word the whole time.”
“Hmm.” Bella hummed softly, the corners of her lips twitching with amusement. Not to you, she thought. They were likely communicating through their mind link, strategizing silently while sitting there like statues.
Jordan handed her a stack of messages, and Bella took them without so much as glancing at the wolves. She stood in the reception area, flipping through the messages with deliberate slowness, exuding an air of calm indifference. Many of the notes were from various pack corporations requesting she call them—exactly the type of response she had anticipated.
Finally, she turned toward her office door, her hand resting lightly on the knob. Without looking directly at Benzy, she asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
Benzy’s glare intensified. “No, but you will see me, Bella.” His tone was flat, authoritative, and left no room for argument—at least in his mind. The weight of his Beta status pressed through the words.
Bella lifted a brow, unimpressed. “I have court for most of the day,” she replied casually. “I suggest you make an appointment and come back for it.” Turning to Jordan, she added, “Do I have any availability tomorrow?”
Jordan quickly checked her schedule, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “1130 for 15 minutes,” he confirmed.
Bella nodded, then turned back to Benzy. “Does that work for you?” she asked lightly, her voice tinged with a soft laugh. Without waiting for an answer, she walked into her office, closed the door behind her, and leaned against it briefly, letting out a quiet sigh.
This is my world, not theirs.
She had shown just enough respect to keep things civil, but the moment she closed that door, the power dynamic shifted back to her favor. Let them stew in her absence if they wanted—they would learn soon enough that things here were different.
