Page 224 of Indulge
Enzo nods.
The room tightens, like the moment before a fist closes.
Drago looks at Theo. “And our alliance with the Kings…”
Declan clears his throat. It’s been two days since the church. We’ve avoided the question, we’ve just pretended like it doesn’t exist. Letting Bella keep scheming.
Legally, we can’t both marry her, we know that. Yet, she’s adamant she’s not choosing one of us over the other, even for a marriage on paper.
I get it. Because it will, whether we like it or not, change the dynamic. One of us will not be her husband.
“Theo, we need your word that you’ll assist. We clearly missed the deadline for the marriage, but under the circumstances…”
The final choice was due to Theo yesterday.
Theo’s jaw goes hard.
“They went after a King, and you were prepared to die to save her. The alliance has been formed, wedding or not.”
The words hang like a verdict, and for a beat I let myself breathe. Relief washes through me.
Then Theo drops the other shoe. “Bella is coming home, though.”
The phrase slices the air.
“Excuse me?” I spit, heat in my voice I can’t hide.
“No. She isn’t,” Reggie says, his tone murderous.
Bella smiles at us, the small, defiant curl that makes me love her harder. She stands, feet planted, spine straight as steel.
“I’m not going anywhere, Theo. This is my home now. These two are my future. And if you don’t like it, you know where the door is.” She squares up to him, hand on hip, owning the room.
Theo’s face goes slack for half a second, surprise and calculation following. He opens his mouth, but she lands the next line before he can.
“This isn’t up for discussion, Theo. I don’t follow your orders anymore. I follow theirs,” she says, and then, sharper, “And the Quinns.”
Theo lets out a huff and stands, the fight in him flaring. “Bella. You aren’t safe here.”
That line has teeth in it—meant to claw at us both. Reggie moves without thought, palm cupping Bella’s hip, shoulder square as a shield. I position myself on her other side because we’re a line now: twin anchors set around the woman we both want breathing and intact.
“No one will hurt her, not while we are here,” I tell Theo, low and cold.
“I’ve taken a bullet for her. I’d take more. I’d die for your sister.” Reggie steps forward. “Don’t ever question her safety with us, Theo.”
The words land like hammers. You can feel the room hold its breath—waiting for Theo to respond, to explode, to accept. It’s a standoff written in muscle.
The silence is a thing that presses; you could feel it in your teeth. Finally, Theo’s shoulders drop an inch. “Fine,” he mutters.
“Enough,” Drago barks, and the sound cuts through like a blade.
“Bella isn’t going anywhere. The alliance is done. We have to work together to finish this. If we don’t, none of this matters because we’ll all be in a fucking grave.”
He’s not wrong. The reality of what we’re up against lands with a brutal, simple clarity: unity or rot.
Fuck.
We all take our seats again. The clatter of chairs sounds louder than it should. The plan is in motion, but the cost is still tasting in the back of my throat.
