He finally forced himself to look up, meeting Benzy’s exhausted gaze. “Tell me exactly what happened. I need to know every detail, no matter how small,” Luke said, his voice low but steady, though it carried the weight of his exhaustion and frustration. He wasn’t going to allow this situation to repeat itself, and understanding what triggered Maddis was critical.
Benzy wiped the blood from his face with a piece of his already-tattered shirt, his expression serious. “It started when Maddis caught the scent. You must have been asleep because it hit him first. He picked up the man’s scent on her. From there, it escalated fast. Maddis took control before we could do anything to stop it.”
Macky, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, interjected, “We tried talking him down. Told him there wasn’t enough time for anything to happen between them, but Maddis wasn’t listening. He was ready to rip through the city to get to her and that man.”
Lanky, still nursing the bite marks on his shoulder, added, “Benzy managed to get Bella on the phone. She sent the guy away. That’s the only reason we’re still standing here, Luke. Otherwise, Maddis was going to tear through anyone in his way.”
Luke let their words sink in, piecing together the chain of events. Maddis’s reaction had been primal, an instinct driven by the possessiveness of their mate bond. It was something he had feared for a long time. His wolf’s inability to control his anger and jealousy had the potential to destroy everything. Maddis’s anger wasn’t entirely unjustified—he understood the depth of his wolf’s feelings for Bella—but the intensity of his response was dangerous.
Luke turned his gaze toward the phone in his hand, where the paused video of Bella and the children still sat on the screen. His heart ached at the sight of her, oblivious to the chaos Maddis had caused. She deserved better than this constant fear and tension, and he knew he needed to find a way to help her feel safe without resorting to Maddis’s primal instincts to force her compliance.
“I don’t want this to happen again,” Luke finally said, his tone firm. “We can’t allow Maddis to lose control like this. If it happens near her, it’ll only confirm her fears that we’re a danger to her and the pups.”
Benzy nodded, his usual playful demeanor replaced by a somber seriousness. “What’s the plan then, Alpha? Because it’s clear that just staying back and watching isn’t going to cut it. Maddis isn’t going to wait much longer.”
Luke sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair as he considered the best course of action. “We need to regroup. I need to find a way to communicate with Bella without Maddis’s emotions interfering. I’ll also need to consult with someone who can help me understand this… reverse Luna power she seems to have. There has to be an explanation for why her distress affects others so deeply.”
Macky spoke up, his voice steady despite the injuries he had sustained. “We could bring her grandmother into this. If she has Luna powers, her grandmother might know something about them or at least be able to help her control them.”
Luke nodded slowly. It wasn’t a bad idea, and her grandmother might also help mediate a conversation between him and Bella. “I’ll consider that. For now, let’s focus on giving her space. We’ll back off the patrols around her apartment, but we’ll keep them close enough to respond if there’s trouble. And you—” he gestured to Benzy and Macky, “—I want you both to check in with her at regular intervals, but only when necessary. No pushing her, no showing up unannounced. We can’t give her more reasons to fear us.”
His men nodded in agreement, and Luke leaned back against the wall, his eyes heavy with fatigue. The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: if he wanted Bella to come back willingly, he needed to rebuild her trust, and that was going to take time, patience, and understanding. Maddis’s possessive instincts would have to take a backseat, no matter how difficult it was for either of them.
Luke sighed heavily as he carefully cleaned Lanky’s wounds, his mind spinning with the information. Maddis had been utterly calm and content while watching the video earlier, but the mention of another man entering Bella’s apartment, especially with an overnight bag, had triggered something primal in his wolf.
“I shouldn’t have let my guard down,” Luke muttered, the weight of guilt settling over him. He had thought Maddis would stay subdued for the day, but his wolf’s instinct to protect and claim their mate had overridden everything else.
“It wasn’t your fault, Alpha,” Benzy said, wincing slightly as he dabbed at a deep claw mark on his arm. “Maddis is… well, Maddis. None of us could’ve predicted he’d lose control like that. It wasn’t just anger—it was pure instinct.”
Macky nodded, his expression grim. “The moment I got the call about Tim, Maddis was already on the surface. I didn’t even have time to explain anything before he completely took over. He wasn’t listening to reason. It wasn’t about logic—it was about territory, about his mate.”
Luke clenched his jaw as he processed their words. “And now he’s gone,” he said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else. Maddis retreating so completely was almost as alarming as his earlier rage. He had felt this kind of absence once before—after Mia’s rejection—but it was different now. Back then, Maddis had been grieving; this felt more like withdrawal, as if Maddis was punishing himself for losing control.
Benzy sat down heavily on the couch, his injuries still raw but ignored for the moment. “He’ll come back, Alpha. He always does. But we need to figure out a way to stop this from happening again. It’s too dangerous, especially in the human world.”
Luke nodded slowly, his hands still working on Lanky’s wounds. “I know. If Maddis loses control near Bella, or worse, the pups… I can’t even think about what could happen.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his every movement. “I need to speak to her. Properly this time. No more games, no more hiding. She needs to know who I am to her.”
