Bastien’s POVFive Hours EarlierI stare at the flier in my hands, my hackles raised. It’s a reward poster, not the kind people pin up to find lost pets or missing children, but the kind law enforcement agencies use to locate wanted criminals. It has precisely the same format, asking for tips or any information regarding the whereabouts of Volana wolves, listing details on how to identify them and promising monetary compensation for any solid leads. A crude illustration was plastered beneath the words, displaying a woman with black hair and two-toned eyes. She looks nothing like Selene, but the descriptions provided offer enough details for even the most clueless wolf to identify members of her lineage. “Where the hell did you find this?” I ask Aiden in horror. When he’d called me right before my father’s celebration insisting it was an emergency, I’d known something had to be terribly wrong. Aiden knew how important this event was, he would not call me away for no reason. Even so,
3 Days Until the Rejection CeremonySelene’s POVI haven’t seen or spoken to Bastien since the night of Gabriel’s birthday party, despite my efforts to get in touch with him.I barely slept that night, though I never sleep well without Bastien. I tossed and turned, wondering where he’d gone, what had happened. It’s clear to me that he was drugged, but I cannot even begin to understand everything that happened between us in those few short hours. All I know is I’m done.The last few weeks have been a blur, more confusing and eventful than any since we married. I can barely think straight with everything that is going on, but I think I’ve finally understood that Elysium – and the life I’ve lived here – is in the past.I was never meant to stay here forever. I do not belong, and this chapter of my story is ending fast. Our rejection ceremony is in three days; after that I will start fresh somewhere new.My selfish heart wants nothing more than to spend every last second of my remaining t
Selene’s POVDrake sits across from me, appearing surprised but sympathetic as he processes my revelation. “Bastien doesn’t know?” He asks.“No.” I confirm simply, “And he’s not going to find out.” I rub the back of my neck, “Our situation has always been complicated, but Bastien is a good man. If he found out the truth he would never go through with the rejection, and I won’t have him stay with me out of pity or obligation.”“For what it’s worth,” Drake offers kindly, “I think he’s a fool for wanting to reject you at all.”“Then you’re one of the few.” I reply honestly.He frowns, “Is the baby the reason you’re leaving?”“It’s the reason I realized I had to go,” I confess, “But in all honesty I don’t think I could have stayed either way. I don’t want to watch Bastien marry someone else.” Hot tears burn my eyes, “And I’m sick of being the pack side show. I need a fresh start, someplace where nobody knows me. Where my baby and I can be safe.”Drake squeezes my hand. “I understand.” I s
Day of the CeremonySelene’s POVMy fingers anxiously trace the flowers embroidered into the bodice of my wedding gown. It’s a delicate white confection, so weightless and ethereal I look more like a wood nymph than a bride.I remember the day we chose it, Bastien and I. It was the first dress we found that did not completely overpower my waifish frame three years ago. We tried countless others first, but the moment I stepped into the gossamer fabric I knew, and Bastien’s face said it all.This is the way of rejection ceremonies: Marriages end as they begin.We will wear the same clothes, meet at the same moonlit altar with friends and family looking on; we’ll even play the same music. Yet instead of vows to love and keep each other we will vow to part. Instead of exchanging rings we’ll remove them, and instead of shifting to run together beneath the stars, we’ll divide, forging new paths in directions of our own choosing.Of course, Bastien and I never ran together in the first place
Selene’s POV“Selene, are you ready?” Odette is knocking on the dressing room door, her kind voice unusually somber.“Yes.” I call, smoothing my skirts. “You can come in.”The door pushes open, and my mother-in-law’s lovely face peeks inside. She sidles through the narrow opening, approaching me with a wistful expression. “Oh my darling.” Odette murmurs bleakly, her eyes shining as she studies my reflection. “I really thought you two would make it.”“I thought we might too” I admit, keeping my gaze high to ward off tears. “For a while.”Her hand closes around mine, squeezing gently. “What happened, Selene?” She asks gently.All at once it hits me that I’m not merely losing my husband, but the only parental figures I’ve known since my mother died. I swipe at an escaped tear, “It’s what Bastien wants.”Odette frowns, the edges of her warm brown eyes crinkling beneath the weight of her drawn brows. She opens her mouth to speak but before any words can escape, all the blood drains from he
Bastien’s POVThe day after my father’s murder the sun rises just like it has every morning for eons. Its rays filter through the gauzy curtains adorning our bedroom windows, announcing dawn’s arrival as if this day is no different than the millions which came before.This cannot be. Surely the sun cannot shine on a world where my father does not exist. Surely the earth cannot keep spinning when his life has winked out forever.Yet they do. The world forges on as though nothing has changed – oblivious to the loss of one of its most remarkable creations.I wish I could snuff out the dawn as brutally as someone did my father’s soul.All I have left of him now are memories. Every plan we made, every expectation or imagined future is gone. We will never speak again, never go on another hunt or share another laugh. Our relationship is an artifact of the past, an unfinished book whose final chapters will never be written.I cannot bear it.What’s worse is I know this is only the beginning.
Selene’s POV“What is this?” I choke, my heart racing as I stare down at the reward flier.“Nothing.” Bastien reaches for the paper, but I lean back over the armrest until I’m on the verge of falling. I may not be able to extend my arms past his reach, but I trust he’ll choose catching me over reclaiming the page.Luckily he does exactly that, clamping his hands on my hips to keep me anchored while I twist my body away from him. “It’s clearly something.”“Selene, stop that.” He admonishes, pulling me back into the chair, “You’re going to hurt yourself.”With a huff I obey, waving the flier in front of his nose. “How long have you known about this? Where did you find it, how long has this been going on?”Bastien sighs, “Sweetheart this is why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to worry for nothing. I’m handling it.”“If it were nothing you wouldn’t need to handle it.” I reason sharply, squirming to escape his lap and failing. “And what exactly does that mean? How in the Goddess’s nam
Bastien’s POV“What the hell are you talking about?” I hiss.“Hey, I was surprised myself,” Rafe answers snidely. “I thought you were finally ready to bury the hatchet, but from the looks of it you Novas are every bit as inbred and backward as I always thought. Can’t even throw a funeral without things devolving to bedlam.”I brush off his insults, “No one invited you, Everhart.” I announce, mentally tracking my enforcers as they covertly move in, surrounding our assailants on all sides.“I beg to differ.” Rafe quips, pulling an embossed parchment from his jacket and extending toward me.Keeping one eye on the goading Alpha, I accept the paper, unrolling it swiftly and scanning the contents within. Sure enough, it contains an exact copy of the official invitations sent around to various packs and allies over the last few days, complete with my signature.I pass the parchment to Donavon. “Unfortunately I must tell you that this invitation is not genuine.” I force the words out between
Selene “Why do you have that look on your face?” I ask Bastien, suspiciously eyeing his tense expression as he guides our car through the winding mountain roads. My father is in the back seat napping, and another vehicle follows behind us, transporting Helene and Frederic’s coffins. It’s both grim and comforting to be returning home under such circumstances, and I know Bastien is feeling as conflicted as I am about feeling so happy when our journey cost us so much. Still, I don’t think that’s what’s bothering him – but something clearly is. “Are you worried about how the pack is going to receive you?” “No.” Bastien sighs, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. “Then what?” I press, wanting to comfort him the same way he’s comforted me over the last few days. After the initial elation about surviving wore off, a thousand distraught feelings closed in around me, threatening to pull me under. Nightmares about Blaise, guilt about Helene and Frederic, sorrow about their los
Bastien When I set out on this journey, I never planned on being gone for so long. I thought I’d travel for a few weeks, deal with Blaise as best I could, and return home before Selene started showing. Maybe it was naivete on my part, but there’s no denying things did not go as expected. Now, as I lie in bed a full twelve hours after the entire world as we knew it imploded, I’m merely grateful that we survived. Selene is bundled safely in my arms, and our pups are growing safely in her womb. I still don’t know how we managed to make it through the last few days unscathed – physically at least. I know the losses of Helene and Frederic are already weighing on my mate, and she hasn’t even begun to process their sacrifices. But we have plenty of time for that in the days to come. In fact – we have all the time in the world. We’re both eager to get home to Lila as soon as possible, not to mention that I’m dreading the mess I’ll be returning to in Elysium, but for now there is
As long as I live, I’ll never forget the sight of Bastien killing Blaise, or the strange sense of relief to watch another being’s life snuff out so brutally. Under any other circumstances I might be horrified, but now there is only the eerie sensation of all my fear evaporating at once. It almost happens too fast, ricocheting me back and forth between such extremes of emotion that my brain needs to shut down in order to cope. I actually black out for a few moments, the world going as dark as my shadows as I try to process what has just happened. Luckily I’m not alone. My father is by my side anchoring me to reality, and before long my mate is there too. Of course I didn’t see it happen; one moment Bastien was shaking Blaise like a ragdoll, the next he’s in front of me. He’s back in human form, bloody, bruised and naked as the day he was born. I can barely comprehend that it’s over, that the danger has really passed. Still, my wolf is rejoicing as Bastien takes my face in hi
My father is bending over me, his large, warm hands on my shoulders. “She’s gone Selene.” He murmurs, “She’s gone, you can’t help her now.” “No!” I insist tearfully, “she’s lived forever, she’s got more power in her little finger than I do in my whole body, she has to be faking, this has to be some kind of spell.” “Sweetheart, you have to focus.” My father coaches, “Blaise still lives and your mate still fights. It’s over for Helene but it doesn’t have to be over for you.” Little by little his words seep into my brain, and I’m finally able to look up at the scene around me. Bastien, Grayson and Matthew are still fighting tooth and nail, but Blaise and his spellcaster are standing side by side, looking only too pleased with themselves. “This is what defiance gets you, my beauty.” Blaise informs me. “Now be a good girl and come to me before anyone else gets hurt.” I thought I knew what anger was, I’ve certainly felt pure rage on any number of occasions in the past, bu
I immediately take a step towards Selene, but Blaise lazily waves his hand and a line of sentries crosses the floor between us, forming a human barricade between myself and my mate. Now Selene, Helene and James are completely encircled by guards, but my beautiful little wolf looks as determined as ever. If I so chose, I could barrel through the shifters dividing us with little issue, but I’m sure that’s exactly what Blaise wants. He wants to distract me, he wants to use Selene against me. Unable to help myself, my eyes drop to my mate’s belly. She’s put on at least five pounds since I saw her last, and her dress is now ballooned outward by a healthy baby bump. Twins, I think again, in awe of how much my wife has been through these last few weeks, and amazed by the miracle she’s embodying. When our eyes meet, I can see her determination so clearly it’s staggering. Nothing I say now is going to convince her to leave, even if it means she’s in for the spanking of a lifetime wh
Looking around in a panic, I demand, “where? Where has he gone?” “His orders were for me to get you out, Selene.” Helene informs me, not sounding as if she’s particularly interested in actually following them. “Then again, you are a headstrong young woman, and I’m just an old woman. It would be only too easy for you to overpower me and go after them.” “Them?” I repeat, “he’s not alone?” “No.” A deep voice sounds behind me, the man who had been standing with Helene before going to dispatch the guards. “His with the rebel leaders, Matthew and Grayson.” Turning around, I study the strange man closely. I’m sure I’ve never seen him before, but he seems oddly familiar. He’s got to be close to sixty years old, with gray streaked hair and the gaunt form of a man who’s known true deprivation. My wolf is already wondering if he might be my father, but the look on his face confirms it. He’s looking at me as if he’s seeing a ghost, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Hello Sel
Selene “Why are we still in lockdown?” I demand, glaring at Blaise. “I thought you said the danger had passed.” “It has passed, my beauty, I’m merely being cautious.” He insists, reaching up to drag his knuckles over my cheek. “It’s an annoyance to be sure, but one we’ll get through.” “This is what happens when you abuse your people.” I grumble, “if you don’t want to be annoyed maybe you should respect their rights.” “Rights.” He scoffs, “more like a city full of spoiled children clamoring for attention and making unreasonable demands.” “I want to go back to my rooms.” I announce, overflowing with disgust for the horrible man. “You can’t do that yet.” He informs me brusquely. “Why, what’s going to happen?” I ask. “You know I normally don’t mind your sass, but I don’t have the patience for it today.” He gripes, turning away from me. “Wait!” I exclaim, clasping onto his arm as a rush of inspiration strikes me. We’re in his safe room surrounded by guards, but a man as
BastienMaking myself wait to take action until hearing from Helene is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My relief over escaping the dungeons with Grayson and James wore off almost immediately after learning that Selene was still Blaise’s captive. I hadn’t really expected her to get away at the same time we did, but my disappointment and worry once Matthew filled us in was proof of the hope I hadn’t let myself acknowledge.The worst part is waiting for the witch to appear afterwards, but my new allies keep reminding me that I won’t be any help to Selene if I get captured again. Only this fact keeps me from stormi
SeleneI’m woken by the sounds of blaring alarms, the sound so shrill and horrible I slam a pillow over my face before I can stop to consider what the sound might mean. It’s not until my bedroom door swings open and a young servant girl pokes her head in, that I lower the plush implement. She pulls me out of bed and helps me into a robe while my head spins.An alarm. I think hopefully, that’s bad for Blaise. And what’s bad for Blaise can only be good for us. Luna answers slyly.