Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 123 Human Shield
Bella’s POV
The moment Derek finished his declaration, I walked away.
I had no energy left to engage in another endless debate with any of them.
What infuriated me most was how everyone kept focusing on their own desires while completely ignoring mine.
Derek claimed he loved me with every fiber of his being, yet he refused to accept my rejection.
How could someone truly love another person while simultaneously denying them the right to choose their own path?
Hugo pushed against the heavy door as the violent wind fought back. I had asked him to let me out, and despite the obvious danger, he obliged without question.
He didn’t lecture me or try to convince me to stay inside, even though the wind outside was clearly treacherous.
We stepped into the storm together. The fierce gusts immediately assaulted my face, forcing me to squint against the stinging debris.
Suddenly, the relentless pressure against my body lessened, and the sharp particles stopped pelting my skin.
I opened my eyes to discover why. Hugo had positioned himself as my human shield, walking at an angle with his arms extended to block the worst of the wind.
A loud crash echoed as something struck his head hard. His eyes flew open, meeting mine for a brief moment. freewebnσvel.cѳm
With an expression so endearingly confused that it almost made me smile, he said, "Where the hell did that frying pan come from?"
For a split second, I wanted to laugh despite everything.
He had a valid point. Random cookware didn’t typically fall from the sky.
But the weight of recent events crashed back over me, and we continued our treacherous journey.
Eventually, we reached our house and managed to get safely inside.
I noticed the collection of bruises forming on his arms and face. The storm had used him as target practice with various flying objects.
"Are storms like this common around here?" I asked, still catching my breath from our ordeal.
He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking out dust and debris. I found myself momentarily distracted by how attractive he looked, even disheveled and bruised.
I forced myself to look elsewhere.
"They started happening after you disappeared. Maybe the moon goddess has anger management issues," he replied, not commenting on my wandering gaze.
"Mommy, what’s happening? Why is the wind acting so crazy?" Zack rushed toward me the moment he spotted us.
He had been sitting with Chloe but abandoned his spot to reach me.
The others arrived shortly after, greeting Hugo politely but with noticeable hesitation.
Despite sharing dinner with them recently, they always needed time to warm up to him again whenever he returned after being away.
I suspected Camilla’s previous disruptions had made them wary of getting too comfortable around him.
"It’s nothing serious. This place gets wild weather sometimes because we’re all so strong that nature wants to test us," Hugo explained, crouching down to their level.
All three children gravitated toward him, and he scooped them up effortlessly, carrying the whole bundle to the living room.
"So what was the emergency? The way you bolted out of here had me worried," Chloe said, approaching with her trademark calm-but-probing tone.
I recognized that particular inflection. It meant she intended to extract every detail from me.
"I thought the storm might be connected to the sickness. You know how weird things happen when the illness spreads," I improvised quickly.
"Speaking of communication, which guard has been in contact with Vance?" I asked, remembering that someone had been feeding him information about our situation.
Since direct phone calls between the Human World and werewolf territory were prohibited, email was the only option.
Somehow my email access had been blocked, yet one of the guards had managed to reach him anyway.
"I’m not certain. I can investigate, but Vance probably instructed them to keep quiet. Otherwise, we would have figured it out by now," she reasoned, and I nodded slowly.
"Now that everything’s out in the open, I should be able to contact him myself. I need to talk to the council about these communication restrictions. I have the right to speak with my husband," I said, anxiety creeping into my voice.
What would happen when Vance learned he wouldn’t be welcome here regularly after we found the cure?
Would he accept those limitations? I couldn’t predict his reaction.
"I’ll start preparing lunch. Is Alpha Hugo staying?" she inquired.
My attention shifted to Hugo.
I recalled our conversation in his bedroom, especially when he showed me those old text messages that had left me feeling raw and confused. I began questioning whether his previous anger toward me had been completely warranted.
"Bella?" Chloe snapped her fingers inches from my face, jolting me back to the present.
"Sorry. Yes, we can’t send him out in this weather. He was fortunate that only kitchen items attacked him this time. Next round might involve sharper objects," I replied, emphasizing how dangerous conditions were outside.
After Chloe headed to the kitchen, I secured the front door to prevent the children from making any impulsive escape attempts.
Settling onto the couch, I watched Hugo attempt to construct Lego buildings with three eager assistants. My thoughts drifted back to those text messages and their potential impact.
What would my life look like if I had received those messages when he originally sent them?
In those texts, he hadn’t just accepted responsibility if the baby was his. He had committed to raising the child regardless of paternity.
If I had seen those messages back then, I never would have left this world.
Everything would have unfolded completely differently.
Lost in these alternate reality scenarios, I barely noticed my daughter’s question until it cut through my reverie.
"Are you really going to marry Aunt Camilla? I don’t like her," Leah declared bluntly.
I looked at Hugo, who was studying my face intently.
He shook his head slowly. "I honestly don’t know anymore," he admitted quietly.
