Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 40 The Old Mans Call
Bella’s POV
"I want everything delivered to my suite," I told the hotel staff over the phone, placing an extensive room service order.
The suite had become a gathering point for everyone, and frankly, I needed the space to collect myself.
Derek’s unexpected appearance had thrown me completely off balance.
Worse yet, I felt mortified every time I looked at him after that ridiculous phone confession from the other day.
Nothing about his behavior made any logical sense. The man was married, for crying out loud, yet he seemed to have conveniently forgotten that crucial detail.
I hung up the receiver and spun around, only to find him standing right there in my room.
His expression told me everything I needed to know. He was waiting for me to break the silence first.
"What the hell was that about, Derek?" I snapped.
The instant my voice turned sharp, I watched his shoulders sag and all that alpha confidence drain from his posture.
Perfect. I wasn’t here to coddle his feelings.
"You’re furious with me," he said quietly, pointing out the painfully obvious. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Damn right I am. What was that phone call supposed to accomplish?" I kept my voice cutting, making sure he understood that his sweet words over the phone hadn’t softened me up one bit.
Something in my tone must have gotten through because he pulled himself upright, squaring his shoulders like he was preparing for battle.
"Phone call?" he echoed, and his genuine confusion caught me completely off guard. I’d assumed he knew exactly what he’d done wrong, but suddenly he looked utterly bewildered.
"Yes, the call where you decided to bare your soul," I reminded him, crossing my arms and drumming my fingers impatiently against my elbow.
"I called you?" he mumbled, running his hand through his hair in that nervous gesture I’d seen before.
I honestly had no idea what game he was playing.
"You called me and said certain things," I explained carefully, trying to keep my explanation as vague as possible.
But how could I stay vague? My nerves were already fraying at the edges.
"I have no memory of calling you," he admitted, making my chest tighten with anxiety. "What exactly did I say during this alleged phone call?" he pressed, putting me in an impossible position.
How was I supposed to repeat those words? I just kept staring at his face, searching for any sign of recognition.
"Tell me what I supposedly said. What made you this angry?" he demanded, taking a step closer to me.
My anger was starting to dissolve. If he genuinely didn’t remember, maybe it was better to let sleeping dogs lie.
I would have turned him down anyway.
"Random things. You were rambling. Most of it was incomprehensible," I lied smoothly.
But his knowing nod told me he was being dishonest too.
If he believed my story, he would have questioned why I was so upset about meaningless mumbling.
Still, we both seemed desperate to abandon this topic, and I was more than happy to oblige.
"Well, if it wasn’t important, then I suppose we should forget about it. How long until the food gets here?" he asked, expertly changing the subject.
"However long it takes to prepare," I replied curtly, pushing past him to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the room.
Sharing space with him after that phone call made my skin crawl with discomfort.
The fact that he lacked the spine to own up to his words only made everything worse.
This was classic behavior from him. He’d say something impulsive and then act like it never happened, just like the others had done after our intimate encounters.
I’d trained myself not to put too much stock in their declarations.
The moment I entered the hallway, someone started pounding on the door and I could hear shouting from the corridor.
"Please, you have to let me in! I know she’s inside!" a woman’s voice cried desperately.
"The human researcher! She’s staying here!" the woman continued frantically.
Hugo was lounging in the sitting area when I emerged, so now all three of us stood frozen, staring at the entrance.
I started moving toward the door, but both alphas immediately intercepted me, forming a protective barrier.
"Stay behind us. We need to verify it’s safe before you expose yourself," Derek commanded, gesturing for me to step back while he reached for the door handle.
Hugo bolted outside first, earning himself a venomous glare from Derek.
As soon as the door swung open, the woman’s pleas resumed.
"Please don’t turn me away! I have to speak with her!" she begged.
Her desperation was so raw that I couldn’t help but move forward.
I approached the doorway and lightly touched the back of Derek’s hand.
His skin felt fevered, and when he whirled around, he looked almost startled by the contact.
I jerked my hand back and cleared my throat awkwardly.
"What does she need? Let her come inside," I instructed.
Derek shot me a questioning look. Hugo reappeared and, rather than lecturing me as I’d anticipated, simply stated, "This is the mother of the sick child."
He signaled for the guards to step aside and allow her entry.
The woman burst through the doorway, leaving it hanging open, and collapsed onto her knees before me.
"What are you doing?" I gasped, alarmed, attempting to pull her to her feet.
Hugo and Derek rushed over, each grabbing one of her arms to help lift her.
"No, please help my boy! He’s been sleepwalking! He keeps saying he needs to reach the cave to assist the old man!" she sobbed, pressing her palms together desperately.
Every word she spoke sent ice water through my veins.
"What do you mean about sleepwalking?" I asked, glancing at the men to signal them to release her.
The instant they let go, she tried to move closer again.
Before she could drop back down, I caught her by both arms to keep her upright.
"I don’t understand it," she said, her voice shaking. "He just began sleepwalking, and he won’t stop talking about meeting the old man at the cave."
Her description perfectly matched something my daughter had mentioned recently.
While we were all focused on the distraught woman, a small scream suddenly pierced the air behind us.
It was Zack’s voice.
"Mommy!" he shouted.
The room fell completely silent. Even the woman’s eyes grew wide with realization.
"You have children here," she whispered.
I looked at her briefly, then broke into a run toward my children’s bedroom.
When I burst through the door with everyone close behind me, I found Leah collapsed on the floor.
Her eyes had rolled back before her lids began to flutter shut.
"Leah!" I screamed, diving toward her and scooping her into my arms before carrying her to the bed.
Derek appeared beside me immediately, settling on the opposite side of the mattress. We both worked frantically to rouse her.
"I need to go meet the old man. He requires saving," Leah whispered in her tiny, shaking voice, repeating exactly what the woman had described her son saying before his sleepwalking episodes began.
Then Leah sat upright, her eyes remaining closed, preparing to follow whatever invisible call was summoning the other children.
