Arabella
As much as I wanted to slap my supplier right in the face when he advised me to try being lovable, I can’t deny he had a point. I need Bastien to fall head over heels in love with me, and I haven’t been trying very hard thus far. After all, I have to convince him we’re meant to be together so completely that he won’t believe the truth even when his betas say it to his face. He has to be so blinded by affection that he won’t recognize his own mate if they meet again.
I’ve got my work cut out for me.
At least I have one advantage, which is that I know what he likes. I just have to act as pathetic and helpless as Selene, and the big idiot will fall at my feet. No one is easier to manipulate than an alpha with a hero complex, except maybe one who’s being drugged. That’s the other tool in my limited arsenal. I’ve decided to up the dosage of the memory potion a bit, so that he’s e
BastienAll I ever seem to do these days is pace. Pace, scour the news from Elysium and try to figure out what hell I’m going to do. I cannot stomach the idea of standing by and doing nothing, but Arabella gets so frantic every time I mention going back or taking action that I’ve learned to cool my temper around her. It’s strange, I’ve witnessed a thousand of Bella’s tantrums over the years, but she’s never been a cowardly wolf. No, her fits have almost always been about not getting her way, this is the first time I’ve ever seen her so beside herself out of fear. She must have been terribly traumatized to be this afraid, and things must be even worse in Elysium then I realized if she feels she has no allies there. I still find it hard to believe my mother, Aiden and Donovan would all be so easily fooled by Selene, but everything I read in the papers or see on TV backs up what Arabella says. &nbs
BastienIt’s not much of a proposal, and certainly not how I ever planned on asking a woman to marry me, but given our dire straits, it will have to do. “We’ll get married.” I say again, sharing my idea as it forms in my mind. “I’ll reject Selene, we can have the papers sent from here via courier.”“She’ll never sign.” Arabella argues, even though her doe eyes wide and hopeful.“She won’t have to.” I announce, “with all the crimes she’s guilty of, we can get the marriage annulled. It’s not a true union if one party is tricked into it, and regardless I’m the Alpha.” I remind Arabella. My elite status gives me privileges even my spouse doesn’t enjoy. “She doesn’t have to agree to being rejected, as long as I want it.”“You’d really do that?” Arabella asks in awe. “Tr
SeleneI don’t think I’ll ever get used to people recognizing me on the street, as if I’m some sort of celebrity rather than a girl who spent 8 years alone in a basement with no one for company but my trapped wolf. Now it’s impossible for me to go anywhere without being recognized.Even now, as rain falls in sheets around me and I’m bundled up against the crisp chill of the autumn air, walking down the street is a veritable minefield. Half of the people who stop me merely wish to offer me congratulations on the new baby, but the other half pepper me with questions about Bastien’s whereabouts. I’ve almost reached the hospital when a reporter catches me, running forward with a microphone and camera crew in tow. “Selene, I’m Katrina Davies from the Evening Standard, do you have a moment to speak with us?”“I can spare a moment,” I agree, unsure of whether this is
FredericWell this is interesting. I didn’t think Selene had it in her to stand up for herself, clearly the betas and Drake have been a worse influence on her than I realized. On the other hand, she is here, and that gives as an opportunity to help her see the error of her ways.“What do you mean?” I ask, spreading my hands in front of me and inviting her to continue.“Don’t give me that.” Selene snaps, “You just publicly challenged my husband.”Goodness, she can be feisty when she wants to. My wolf growls. Just another bad habit to train out of her. I think back. There were always bound to be a few. And look, she looks much better, she must have figured out about the pills. My wolf points out, sounding even more irritated than before.I too have to admit that’s a problem. I had been hoping she’d miscarry without the right dru
SeleneThere haven’t been many times in my life that I’ve felt like a genius, but I certainly do now. After my success with the reporters outside, I was prepared to take on Dr. Kane, but I never expected to catch him out like this. As alarming and disturbing as his behavior has been throughout our conversation, I’m on the verge of making him admit he was working with Arabella, and that’s only a few steps short of making him admit he’s not Dr. Kane at all, but Frederic.This man I once trusted, is looking at me as if he’s never seen me before. I’m afraid he’ll try to touch me again or profess his love, but I’m also afraid he might attack. It honestly seems like it could go either way. “I learned what Arabella was planning.” He admits hoarsely, seemingly unable to think of a lie in the moment. “Because you were working with her.” I suggest. “Because you were help
SeleneShadows surround me, downing me in darkness so impenetrable even my supernatural eye site cannot stand against it. Moments ago I could have sworn Helene was standing next to me, talking me through yet another training exercise, but now when I reach for her she’s nowhere to be found. I cannot hear her anymore, and I cannot find even the tiniest sliver of light to help me find my way out of this place. I’m alone, completely lost in the artificial night I created with my own hands, and a stab of fear slices into me as I realize I’m truly stuck. The obsidian cloud pulses with energy I can feel but not see, and I will the shadows to part, to take shape rather than blinding me. They don’t budge, instead smothering me in pitch blackness, choking me with it until I’m gasping for air. Panicking, I send out an energy burst, hoping my power will shatter the darkness and return the shadows back to the fringes and holl
Selene“Mommy, are you wake?” A little voice speaks in my ear. Slowly I return to the waking world, blinking open my tired eyes and registering the warm little body snuggling up against me. “Hello little bean.” I murmur, wrapping my arms around Lila and pulling the covers more tightly around us. Lila hasn’t slept through the night in her own room since Bastien left. Instead she’s taken to crawling into my bed somewhere between the hours of midnight and dawn, which both warms my heart and makes handling my morning sickness more difficult. Today the sun is just beginning to rise, and Helene’s soothing draughts have actually managed to ease the worst of my symptoms, so I’m happy to simply lie here and cuddle with my daughter until we’re ready to get up. “Mommy, I had a dream ‘bout Daddy.” Her morning puppy breath is terrible, so I tuck her head beneath my chin,
SeleneWithin moments, I have five fully grown wolves hovering over my shoulder, reading the strange letter with sounds of confusion and disbelief. The tension in the room is palpable, but within moments it explodes into chaos. “What on earth?” Odette murmurs.“This is madness.” Drake agrees.Aiden is doing nothing but curse, while Donovan has taken to pacing and reading the annulment papers. Sophie is the only one who hasn’t said a word, but she seems stunned into silence. “This doesn’t make any sense, is it in code?” Aiden finally exclaims, apparently running out of four letter words. “I don’t think so.” Donovan frowns, “we’ll look into it, but there aren’t any patterns jumping out at first glance.”“Selene,” Sophie asks gently, “Are you okay?”“I think I&rs