Bella’s POV

The words hung in the air like a death sentence. I stared at Derek, my blood turning to ice as his threat settled into my bones.

"Say that again. Are you actually threatening to take my daughter away from me?" My voice came out steadier than I felt, but inside I was crumbling.

Derek’s jaw tightened, his eyes cold as winter steel. "Shared custody, Bella. You’ve got two children already. I want Leah."

The casual way he said it made my skin crawl. Like he was discussing the weather instead of ripping my heart out.

"How dare you?" I started to rise from the sofa, fury burning through my veins. "I raised my daughter alone while you were nowhere to be found—"

His fist slammed down on the coffee table with such force that the wood groaned. I flinched backward, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"You have no clue what I’m capable of, Bella." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper that made every nerve in my body scream warnings. "This is child’s play compared to what I could do. You want to play house with that man on my couch? Fine. But now I’m taking what’s mine. You have two choices: come back to me, or lose Leah forever."

He stood slowly, like a predator savoring the hunt, then leaned across the table until his face was inches from mine. His finger pointed directly at my chest, and I could see the darkness swirling in his eyes.

"Choose wisely."

Then he straightened, smoothed down his jacket with deliberate calm, and walked away like he hadn’t just shattered my entire world. The bastard had seen everything that happened on the terrace with Vance. Now he was weaponizing it against me.

I sat frozen for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. My mind reeled, trying to process the whiplash from his sudden cruelty. After our recent encounters, I’d almost forgotten how ruthlessly cold these men could be. When I’d been pregnant and desperate, seeking answers about the father of my child, they’d treated me like garbage. Later meetings had shown me different sides of them.

But today, Derek had revealed the same heartless man from years ago.

My wolf stirred restlessly in the back of my mind, her voice cutting through my shock.

"Why didn’t you ask him what he was really doing all those years?" she demanded, and I nearly jumped at hearing her speak so clearly after such a long silence.

"What do you mean? He said he was stuck in an arranged marriage," I replied internally, but even as I said it, doubt crept in.

"Come on, Bella. You actually believe that garbage? Did you forget how he defended his wife at that first dinner? How he spoke about her with genuine warmth? He didn’t look guilty when he saw you again. He looked angry. Why would he be furious with you? You left because you had no other choice."

Her words hit me like physical blows. I grabbed a pen from the side table and began tapping it against my notepad, my mind racing.

I needed Vance. That was my first coherent thought. I had to find a way to contact him and get him to stop Derek before this spiraled completely out of control.

If Derek pushed for a DNA test, demanding only Leah would raise too many questions. He’d expose my wolf nature, and the way his rage was consuming him told me he wasn’t thinking rationally anymore.

I forced myself to stand and headed downstairs. Chloe was sprawled on the living room couch with the kids, cartoons playing while they built elaborate Lego castles.

"Everything alright up there?" she asked, glancing up from where she was helping my son find a missing piece.

"The case took an unexpected turn." I swallowed my pride, hating what I had to ask next. "Are you able to reach Vance when he’s in the human realm?"

She paused, her hands stilling on the Lego blocks, before giving me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"No, I’m not."

The simple answer felt like a slap. Here I was, supposedly Vance’s wife, and I still had to go through other people to reach pieces of him that should have been mine by right.

"Alright. I’ll be back shortly. I need to cross the street and talk to the alphas at the guest house," I announced, already moving toward the door.

"Bella, wait—" Chloe called after me, but I was already stepping outside.

The weather had turned vicious. Wind howled around the house, and the air was thick with swirling dust and fog. I pulled my jacket tighter and pushed forward, each step a battle against the elements.

Crossing the street felt like walking through a nightmare. The wind was so loud it blocked out all other sounds, and the visibility was so poor that I kept imagining cars materializing out of nowhere to mow me down.

By the time I reached the guest house, I was breathless and shaking. I pressed the doorbell and waited, steeling myself to walk into a house full of people who saw me as an intruder.

Serena answered, her welcoming smile dissolving the moment she recognized me.

"Bella? What are you doing here?" She positioned herself in the doorway like a guard, arms braced on either side of the frame to block my entry.

"I need to speak with the alphas. Please step aside," I said, keeping my voice level despite wanting to shove past her.

"Of course, how silly of me. I mean, who could possibly stop you, right?" Her sarcasm dripped like poison as she dramatically moved aside and gestured me in.

Derek sat at the dining table with his father and stepmother, coffee cups steaming before them. The moment he spotted me, his eyes turned predatory.

"Well, well. Our little researcher graces us with her presence. What brings you out in this weather?" Lord Morris asked, but I barely acknowledged him as I headed for the stairs.

"I need the alphas," I replied curtly, taking the steps two at a time.

"Did she look like she was on some kind of mission to anyone else?" I heard Serena comment below, but I was already on the second floor.

I reached for my phone instead of knocking on doors. When I dialed Parker’s number, he answered immediately.

"What do you want?" I assumed the ice in his voice meant he was still angry about my earlier dismissal when he’d tried to warn me about Vance.

"Where are you? I need to talk," I said, pacing the empty hallway anxiously.

"About what?" he pressed.

"Derek’s completely lost it. I need your help," I admitted, hating how desperate I sounded but knowing I was out of options.