Bella’s POV
"Do you hear that water sound frequently?" I asked the young boy gently, watching as he gave a hesitant nod.
His small fra seed even more fragile against the oversized hospital bed his parents had set up in their living room. Obsidian circles shadowed his eyes, and his skin held an unhealthy pallor that made my chest tighten with worry.
"That’s very helpful information. Do you enjoy chocolate?" I asked, shifting to a lighter topic.
After spending a considerable amount of ti coaxing words from him, he finally offered a genuine smile, though I could see the suffering lurking beneath his innocent expression.
"Perfect, because I brought you plenty. I also have this new video ga that just ca out," I said, presenting him with the ga console and an entire basket filled with chocolates, cookies, and treats.
I knew these small gifts couldn’t heal him. His parents desperately wanted a cure, not candy. But for now, these tokens of kindness were all I could offer these suffering children.
"Thank you so much. You’re really kind, miss," the little boy whispered, his voice so delicate it nearly broke my heart.
Watching him struggle reminded painfully of my own son. The thought of any child enduring such mysterious tornt made my maternal instincts flare protectively.
I offered his anxious mother what I hoped was a comforting smile before saying my farewells and stepping outside their ho.
When I had first arrived, the boy had adamantly refused to speak with anyone except . That’s why Jack and Vance had remained outside during my interview, giving the child space to open up.
After carefully listening to his account, I realized we were facing a new and escalating threat.
Stepping onto the front porch, I found Vance and Jack positioned on opposite sides of the yard. Jack stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets, his gaze fixed on sothing in the distance. anwhile, Vance leaned casually against the fence, one hand in his pocket while the other clutched his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen as he typed ssage after ssage.
When I approached them, Jack imdiately noticed my presence and looked up as I approached. Vance, however, remained completely absorbed in his phone, either genuinely oblivious to my return or deliberately choosing to ignore until Jack started speaking.
"Did you learn anything useful?" Jack asked softly, his voice carrying hope that I might have discovered sothing encouraging.
All I could manage was a helpless shrug.
"The child is definitely traumatized beyond doubt. Can you imagine waking up surrounded by rising water every night? I’m deeply concerned about what force is causing these incidents," I explained, casting a aningful glance toward Vance, who finally bothered to slide his phone into his pocket.
"So are we finished here or what? I’m getting pretty hungry. Where did you two want to grab lunch?" he comnted with complete indifference.
His casual dismissal of what I had just spent ti investigating, his total disregard for the suffering of these innocent children, made feel humiliated in front of Jack.
I caught the way Jack’s expression shifted as he observed Vance’s callous attitude. This wasn’t just about random pack mber families. In Jack’s mind, these children were connected to Vance through . Any illness threatening them should have sparked deep concern from him, yet he appeared completely unmoved.
"Jack, could we talk privately later when you have a mont?" I asked quietly, hoping to convey that I wouldn’t dismiss this crisis the way Vance had, and asking him not to judge based on my husband’s heartless behavior.
"Absolutely, anyti. Actually, my grandmother specifically requested that I invite you both for lunch today. She expressed her desire to et your husband properly and honor him by preparing a traditional feast," Jack responded, his posture remaining respectful despite Vance’s rudeness.
Vance rely shrugged his shoulders and nodded curtly.
"Fine," was his only response before he stalked off toward the car with long, impatient strides.
"I sincerely apologize for his behavior, but we truly do appreciate your grandmother’s generous invitation. Thank you," I said awkwardly, feeling the crushing weight of Vance’s actions reflecting poorly on .
Jack graciously offered to drive us ho, though I insisted he didn’t need to escort us all the way to our front door. Since our mansion sat directly adjacent to his property, I suggested that Vance and I would prefer to take a leisurely walk together.
The mont Jack disappeared safely inside his own house, I began striding purposefully forward with my hands clenched into tight fists.
"I thought you wanted to take a romantic stroll with ," Vance called mockingly from several paces behind .
"Did you really have to behave so disgracefully? Couldn’t you at least show so appreciation that he was generous enough to invite you to lunch?" I spun around to face him abruptly, my fists still clenched tightly.
This represented one of the rare topics I ever permitted myself to argue with him about. Most of the ti, I maintained my silence, especially in the human world, because that territory belonged to him with his rules and expectations.
But now that he was operating within my world, I finally felt empowered to challenge him directly.
I could tell he recognized this shift too, because whenever I spoke with any real force, I noticed his eyes narrowing dangerously in warning.
"I am grateful. That’s exactly why I accepted his invitation," he replied, and I stared at him with complete disbelief.
I shouldn’t have felt surprised by his arrogance and inflated sense of self-importance.
"You don’t need to make such a dramatic production out of everything. Stop worrying so much about him, that’s what I’m telling you," he added hastily, apparently realizing how dismissive his words sounded.
It was his characteristically awkward attempt at damage control, as though I was the one being unreasonably oversensitive.
"At least pretend you care about this mysterious illness," I said, redirecting our argunt toward sothing that genuinely mattered.
"Well, I might if it actually existed in reality," he replied with flat indifference. "I think you werewolves tend toward excessive dramatics. Sothing minor happens, and suddenly everyone panics completely. Nightmares, sleepwalking episodes, humans have been dealing with identical problems for centuries. I don’t see them losing their collective sanity."
I shook my head in complete astonishnt at his ignorance.
"Do human children typically die so quickly after these symptoms appear?" I shot back sharply.
He rolled his eyes with exaggerated annoyance, and that single condescending gesture ignited my fury.
"There are probably serious underlying dical issues you’re all conveniently overlooking," he said dismissively. "This reminds of those historical cases, what did they call them? Right, exorcisms. Completely insane, weren’t they?"
His smugly superior tone, combined with his hands casually shoved in his pockets, beca more than I could tolerate. I scoffed audibly and turned to walk away from him.
That’s precisely when I spotted Camilla erging from the guest house.
Surprise hit imdiately. I had assud things had completely ended between her and Hugo.
But I lacked the emotional energy to investigate. I simply wanted to escape this conversation.
"Bella, please wait! I desperately need to apologize to you for what I did!" she called out urgently.
She barely managed to complete her sentence before Vance stopped dead in his tracks.
I noticed him freeze completely, so I stopped too, glancing back at his suddenly rigid posture.
"I don’t want to discuss this right now," I said quickly, grasping his arm firmly and pulling him back toward our mansion.
The instant we stepped inside, he slamd the door behind us with explosive force. In one swift, aggressive movent, he caught my wrist and yanked hard against his chest.
Our bodies collided roughly, and his intense eyes locked onto mine with laser focus.
His grip was painfully tight, almost bruising.
"Who exactly was she?" he demanded harshly. "What did she an about apologizing for what she’s done to you?"
His tone bore no resemblance to his usual cool, indifferent manner.
"What did she do to you?" he asked again, his voice turning even more nacing.
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