Bastien
The dial tone drags on and on, and my heart sinks deeper into my stomach with every moment that passes. Pick up, pick up,
pick up!
Finally the line clicks open, only it isn’t Selene’s voice which answers. “Mommy’s phone!” Lila chirps happily.
“Lila?” My eyes fall shut as I revel in the sound of her sweet little voice. She’s safe. I tell myself firmly, if nothing else, I know my pup is safe.
“Daddy!” She squeals in excitement. “Is that you?”
“Hello angel.” I greet her warmly.
&nbs
SeleneIn the days since Bastien’s urgent call to get out of the house, my life has been turned completely upside down. After the sentries swept the house and cordoned off all the escape passages, we were finally allowed to return, but no amount of bodyguards or security measures can erase the knowledge that somebody wants to hurt my family.The thought of Bastien traveling alone in the Calypso territory with assassins lurking around every corner makes my skin crawl. I would always rather be overcautious and secure than under cautious and suffer for it, but I can’t help but think my mate is focusing on the wrong threat. He’s the one out there putting his life on the line.His cousin can have no use for Lila and I - the only threat would be if my pup does turn out to be a boy. After all, he knows better than anyone how far a scorned son will go to avenge their father.Still, ther
SeleneLila is crying again when I get home, and as soon as I enter the apartment my mother-in-law shoots me a look of abject relief. My pup is running towards me before I can even close the door behind me, her tiny feet drumming a rapid pitter patter across the wood floors.“Mommy!”“Hello sweet pup.” I croon, gathering her in my arms and rocking her gently from left to right. “What’s the matter?”“Gamma wouldn’ let me have cookie!” She cries pitifully.“I said not before you eat your lunch,” Odette reminds her kindly, dropping a kiss to my cheek and whispering in my ear,“You’ve definitely got your hands full. I’m sorry I dismissed you earlier.”“Don’t be silly, I didn’t take it that way.” I assure her, turning to Lila. “I’ll tell you what, little bean. I’m starving, why don’t we
SeleneHaving Drake here is an absolute Goddess-send.Not only is he precisely the kind of familiar and loving face I needed to help soothe Lila’s overwhelmed nerves, but he was with me throughout my first pregnancy and knows exactly how to make me feel better.When I crave something sweet, the Eros Alpha knows what brand of cookies to buy. When I turn green and make a run for the bathroom, he knows to turn up the air conditioning and pour me a glass of ice water. When I start to cry over nothing, he knows which jokes to tell in order to make me laugh.Still, as relieved as I am to have my friend close by, his sudden appearance makes me uneasy. “I don’t understand.” I admit once the initial excitement has died down, “when did Bas
Selene“What do you mean, Frederic wants to claim me for himself?” I ask nervously,glancing back and forth between the two betas.“The message he sent Bastien made it very clear, Selene.” Donovan sighs. “He plans on taking you for his mate, whether you agree or not.”That doesn’t make any sense.I think uselessly.Why not?Luna asks.You’re the Alpha’s mate, you have his child and the pack loves you both. Who better to convince them to accept Frederic as their new leader than you?Ignoring my wolf, I press, “Why? Just to spite Bastien?”The men exchange a look that sends my stomach lurching up into my throat. “That’s possible.” Aiden admits.“But?” I prompt, knowing there has to be more to this.“But we
Arabella Fourteen Years EarlierIt wasn’t easy getting away from Odette. The powerful she-wolf was determined to keep me in the shelter with the other women and children, but I’ve always been good at slipping through the cracks when adults aren’t looking.I’m still furious at Flynn and Bastien, they always treat me like I’m a baby. It isn’t fair that they get to go fight while I’m expected to cower in the darkness and wait for the danger to pass. Boys get tobe warriors, why is it any different for girls? I may not be as old as they are, but I’m every bit as brave - I know I am. Darting through the forest, I head towards the sounds of the battle, determinedly keeping my eyes straight ahead. I can hear snarls and screams in the distance, and every now and then crimson pools flash in my periphery, blood spraying from f
Arabella“You’re sure this will work?” I ask, studying a bottle of viscous liquid labeled with swirling text in a language I neither speak nor understand.“Entirely.” Jax - for that’s the only name he ever gave me - answers. The big bear is covered in tattoos from head to toe, and thus far he’s the only member of the Calypso pack from the lower city who I’ve dained to meet.It was dumb luck that I found him at all. After a particularly tense dinner with Blaise, who seems to be the kind of man who believes the best way to keep his women in line is through violence, I decided to invest in a bit of insurance. I’m not sure the Alpha would ever raise his hand against me, but he has no problem raising them against his concubines. I watched him half-strangle the one delivering his steak simply because she placed his knife on the wrong side of
SeleneIt’s been three days, and still Bastien hasn’t called.I’m trying not to be an alarmist and avoid jumping to conclusions, but I can’t help but feel a sweeping sense of dread. Something is wrong. I know it. My mate wouldn’t let so many days go by without checking in, if not for Lila’s and my piece of mind, but for his own. I know how worried he was for our safety when he left, he wouldn’t just stop calling.Luna has been beside herself since Bastien left, but now she’s really starting to lose it. Her agitated energy is combining with my own nerves and constant nausea in a very unpleasant way, and I’m starting to think all this turmoil will drive me completely crazy. There’s only so much a she-wolf can take.What makes it worse is that Lila has been asking on a nearly hourly basis when Daddy is going to call, and the best I can
SeleneThe fire raged past dawn and throughout the early morning.I got the call just after 4am, but Aiden and Donovan insisted I stay away because of the risk of smoke inhalation. They didn’t want to chance harming the baby, no matter how much my presence might have helped calm the pack. So Lila and I sat by and waited for the all clear to be announced, but it didn’t come for hours and hours. By that evening, the news was all over the city, and the damage was irreparable. What used to be the most beautiful forest in all of Elysium now lies in ruin, a charred husk of the fertile lands where our ancestors built this city. The once lush land is buried beneath thick mounds of ash, and everywhere the eye can see is a charred black shell pulled straight from my worst nightmares.It was pure luck that the firefighters were able to prevent the inferno from spreading beyond the edge of the fore