Bella’s POV
I sat at my laptop that evening and composed a lengthy email to Vance, detailing every single issue I was facing here. My fingers moved across the keyboard as I poured out my frustrations and concerns, hoping he would finally prioritize over his entertainnt for just one night.
Hours passed without any response from him, which told everything I needed to know. He was obviously preoccupied with her again.
I slamd the laptop shut with more force than necessary and muttered irritably before collapsing onto the bed. Sleep didn’t co easily, though it should have. Despite our arrangent and everything I knew about Vance’s activities, I found myself seething with anger that I had no right to feel.
But the emotion burned in my chest regardless.
Two hours later, I jolted awake with an inexplicable compulsion to check my ssages. I grabbed the laptop and opened it, discovering a new email from Vance waiting in my inbox.
My heart lifted slightly as I clicked on it, hoping for so useful guidance or support. Instead, what I read made my blood turn cold. The subject line alone was enough to crush any remaining hope.
"Permission to marry one of the alphas."
That was all it said.
I clicked open the ssage with trembling fingers.
"Sure, go ahead and marry whichever one you want. Just rember not to give him what belongs to . You know exactly what I’m talking about. Everything else is fair ga. It’s not like I’m sleeping alone either."
I stared at those words until they blurred together. The casual cruelty of his tone, the way he spoke about my body like property, made my stomach churn with humiliation and rage.
My hands shook with the desire to fire back a scathing response. But I forced myself to remain motionless. If this was his attempt to get under my skin, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d succeeded in wounding .
Then another email notification chid, and that’s when he crossed every line imaginable.
"And in case you’re having second thoughts about finding soone new, here’s what Chloe and I have been up to."
The ssage contained several attached images that made my heart stop. Explicit photographs of Vance and Chloe together, captured in their most intimate monts. Nothing was left to the imagination.
The pictures showed them intertwined on rumpled sheets, their bodies pressed together in ways that made everything crystal clear. One image captured Chloe’s face buried in a pillow while Vance moved behind her, completely lost in their passion.
Every detail was painfully vivid.
I couldn’t fathom why they would docunt such private monts or who had been behind the cara. But the evidence before shattered any illusions I’d harbored about loyalty or respect in our relationship.
While I’d known intellectually that their involvent ran deep, seeing the visual proof was sothing I should never have been subjected to. The images seared themselves into my mory as I quickly closed the laptop and turned my attention to Tara, who slept peacefully beside .
What had possessed to seek his permission anyway? I wasn’t planning to return to the human world, and if he dared show up here causing trouble, he’d have to answer to the council.
So why had I been so terrified of his reaction? It certainly wasn’t love motivating my fear, since love and loyalty were clearly absent from our arrangent.
I groaned at my own stupidity, at how much power I’d handed him over my life and choices. The decision crystallized in my mind then. I would move forward with marrying one of the alphas, if only to keep my children close and secure.
Setting the laptop aside, I curled up next to my daughter and finally found the peace needed for sleep.
Dawn arrived with Tara’s gentle stirring, though I managed to settle her back into slumber. I slipped out quietly, showered and dressed, then returned to wake her properly. The morning routine of breakfast and preparations fell entirely on my shoulders, as usual.
When we erged from the bedroom, I found my two older children already positioned on the main couch. Parker occupied a separate seat, absorbed in his phone. Both Zack and Leah wore expressions of sadness as they stared blankly at the television screen.
The mont they spotted , they leaped up to run over, but stopped short when they noticed Tara in my arms.
"Good morning, Tara," Parker called out, extending his arms toward her with a welcoming gesture.
She practically bounced with excitent as she hurried to him, while Zack and Leah approached instead with more reserved steps.
"Mama, how co you only sleep with her now? Do you love her better than us?" Zack whispered as I knelt down to their level.
"Absolutely not. I love each of you exactly the sa amount," I assured him, stroking his cheek gently while watching Parker carefully arrange Tara’s hair. "I’m only keeping her close so you two won’t be afraid of her anymore."
"Should we head to breakfast now?" Parker asked Tara cheerfully, and she nodded with enthusiasm.
Watching this interaction filled with conflicted emotions. Last night I’d been resolved to marry one of the alphas, but Parker’s obvious favoritism toward Tara created serious complications I hadn’t fully considered.
His complete indifference toward Zack and Leah was unmistakable. Since waking up, he hadn’t addressed them once or shown them any warmth whatsoever. This blatant preference would only worsen their feelings of exclusion.
My two older children were already struggling with feeling left out, and Parker’s behavior was making everything exponentially worse.
"I’ll make breakfast for all three children here," I announced firmly, making it clear we wouldn’t be going anywhere.
"I can help with that," Parker offered, but a sharp knock at the door interrupted our conversation.
I moved to answer it, and the mont I pulled it open, I found myself face to face with the last person I wanted to see. Moon stood there with her usual smug expression, and my heart imdiately sank.
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