Free Web NovelChapter 130: Chapter 130 Wrong Number
Bella’s POV
The question hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall. Tara’s innocent eyes searched my face, desperate for an answer I wasn’t ready to give.
"Is it true, Mommy? Are we Alpha Derek’s children?"
My heart shattered into pieces. The same man who had walked away from me years ago, who had built a life without ever looking back, now stood ready to tear my world apart with DNA tests and legal demands.
If Leah’s test returned positive, which it inevitably would, Derek could claim them all. Every single one of my babies.
The audacity of his supposed mercy made my blood boil. Did he honestly believe I would be grateful that he wasn’t demanding tests for the other two? Did this man think my fear of exposure as a gray wolf outweighed my love for my children?
He was dead wrong. I would fight him with everything I had.
After they finally left our home, I couldn’t contain my fury any longer. Hugo listened as I unleashed my disappointment about Derek’s betrayal.
How dare Derek assume I would sacrifice my children to protect some secret? The assumption felt like a slap across my face.
That would never happen. Not while I drew breath.
"Don’t worry about this," Hugo said, his voice gentle but strained. "I’ll handle it."
"Handle what exactly? What can anyone do now?" I asked, exhaustion creeping into every word. My breathing came heavy and labored.
The children sat secured in their car seats behind us, absorbed in their tablets for now. But I knew those questions would resurface soon. Children always remembered the important things.
"I promise I’ll find a solution," Hugo insisted, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
"I’m going to take action immediately," he whispered, and something dark flickered in his tone that made me shiver.
"Derek has completely lost his mind. I’ll corner him when his father isn’t around to poison his thoughts. I’m convinced his father is pulling his strings."
Hugo’s words carried an edge as he navigated us toward home. I sat silent, my anger burning too hot for speech.
Derek had truly, genuinely disappointed me beyond measure. I found myself analyzing our past friendship, searching for red flags I might have missed.
All I could recall was his obsession with never losing people he cared about. He constantly spoke about failing his mother by not being vigilant enough.
His promises about love had always been intense. If Derek ever fell for someone, he claimed he would move heaven and earth for them.
"Can we stop at that park for a bit?" Tara’s request snapped me back to the present moment.
"Sweetheart, that’s part of the forest," I replied wearily.
"But the sign says ’park’ right there," she persisted, pressing her small finger against the window.
I turned to Hugo with questioning eyes.
"It’s designed for children interested in werewolf culture. Think of it as an educational theme park. That’s why they built it deep in the woods," he explained carefully.
He caught Tara’s disappointed expression in the rearview mirror.
"Why can’t we go to the park?" she whined.
Hugo glanced at me as he slowed the vehicle. He’d stopped driving completely when her requests began, knowing that passing by would trigger a meltdown.
"Why isn’t anyone listening to me?" Tara demanded, turning to recruit her siblings.
"Mommy, please, can we play at the park?" Leah and Zack chimed in, forming their united front.
I released a long, defeated breath. The last thing I wanted was to socialize or linger outdoors. My plans involved going straight home and burying myself in work.
But faced with three determined children, resistance became futile.
"Just a little while," I conceded.
Their cheers filled the car, and despite everything, my spirits lifted slightly. Hugo parked, and the kids tumbled out one by one. They grabbed their few balls, which would serve as entertainment alongside the playground equipment.
The park featured elaborate themed structures. Alpha swings dominated one section. Beta slides curved through another area. The monkey bars bore signs marking them as gamma warrior bars.
We entered to find the place buzzing with activity.
"Popular spot," Hugo observed, staying close to our group.
"Alpha Hugo," someone called from the crowd, immediately recognizing his presence.
People throughout the park bowed respectfully. He acknowledged them with a simple wave before guiding the children toward the slides.
He positioned himself at the bottom, catching each child as they descended with squeals of delight.
I settled onto a nearby bench, clutching my phone and staring at Derek’s contact information. My thumb hovered over his name.
Speaking with him felt impossible after his betrayal, but the situation demanded action.
"Hello?" His voice came through after it rang.
"Derek, we need to meet privately. Just the two of us, without your father or anyone else interfering," I said immediately.
"Wait, you want to meet my husband?" The voice responding definitely wasn’t Derek’s.
I pulled the phone away to double-check the screen before continuing.
"Serena?" I asked uncertainly.
"Yes," she snapped. "His wife, Serena. Care to explain why you’re calling my husband and demanding alone time with him? Have you lost all sense of decency? Don’t you have your own husband?"
Her accusations hit like machine gun fire. From any wife’s perspective, I understood how suspicious this appeared. An old friend with a complicated history requesting private meetings.
"I only need to discuss the DNA situation," I explained, feeling trapped.
"Oh, that mess. Tell me the truth. Didn’t you claim you never slept with him? So what’s really happening here?" Her questions came rapid-fire as chaos erupted in the background.
"Tell me everything. Does her husband know she cheated? Have you two been secretly communicating all these years?" she screamed at someone else, obviously Derek.
"Give me my phone back," Derek’s voice cut through, sharp with anger.
Sounds of struggle filled the connection as they fought over the device.
"No. I want answers. Did that woman seduce you again? Is that why you stopped loving me?" Serena sobbed.
"How many times have I told you not to touch my phone?" Derek roared at her. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Because you were having an affair with her?" she screamed back.
