Selene’s POVBeing in lock down with morning sickness is even less fun than being in lock down with nothing to do – especially when one is confined with a host of people who can’t know you’re pregnant.I’ve been popping my anti-nausea medication like it’s breath mints for the better part of three hours, intermittently wondering if it’s possible to overdose on the drug. My stomach is finally starting to settle, but the boredom isn’t getting any better.Bastien didn’t explain anything when he tossed me in here with Odette and the guards, simply announcing that “there’s an emergency” and we needed to “stay put” until he returned. It might be easier to accept the situation if we understood what’s going on, and my mother-in-law isn’t faring much better than I am.“Try not to worry, Odette.” I soothe for the dozenth time. “I’m sure Bastien’s safe.”“I’m afraid none of us are safe.” She replies grimly, “Bastien won’t say so, but I know more is going on here than he’s letting on. Too much has

Selene’s POVCall it intuition or instinct, call it prophecy or clairvoyance, but the moment I see Arabella on the other side of the door, I know this night will be my last.I’ve felt this way once before, the day I tried to provoke Garrick into killing me. However then I had nothing to live for, and nothing to lose. Now things are very different. I may not have much, and my life might not be worth fighting for, but my baby’s certainly is.I pull the door open, surveying the she-wolf waiting on the other side. Arabella looks as perfect as always: her voluptuous curves swathed in expensive fabrics tailored to highlight her considerable assets. Her makeup is flawless, but her lovely features are twisted into a sneer.“Can’t you ever do what you’re supposed to?” She says by way of greeting.“Excuse me?” I retort, blocking the entrance.Arabella pushes past me into the cabin. “I had everything planned out so perfectly!” She exclaims, “The crime scene, the threat, your blood.” She throws h

Bastien’s POVWhen Aiden and I get back to our clothes, my phone is ringing in my jacket pocket. I untangle the device from the garment, noticing a missed call from Selene and 16 from my mother in addition to the incoming line from an unknown number.The dread I’d begun to feel on the cliffside had transformed suddenly and horrifically into a riot of agony as an impassable rift rent my heart in two. Something deep in my bones told me that Selene was rejecting me, and now.I hadn’t known how profoundly it would affect me, at least, not in terms of the rebuff itself. I knew losing my mate would test the very limits of my being, I just didn’t understand how immediate the impact would be, even from such a distance. And I don’t know what happened to cause it.I certainly left things on bad terms, but why now? Could she be rejecting me simply for my misleading comments about house arrest? Was that the last straw after one too many wrongs?I’m gasping for air as I fumble to accept the call,

Selene’s POVThe mountains seem to go on forever. I never realized how much distance is between the pack territories until now. Of course, most people don’t travel on foot anymore. In a car the journey would probably take a day or two, on foot it drags on for two weeks.I might enjoy the adventure more if my situation was different. The landscapes around me are beyond compare, but I cannot enjoy their beauty – not when I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.I know everyone in Elysium thinks I’m dead, but part of me is still afraid Arabella might be coming after me. Was she fooled like all the others? Was she watching when my mysterious rescuer carried me from the flames?Though I’m no closer to understanding who saved me, I know this is the only explanation for my survival. I was unconscious and on the verge of death; somebody had to have braved the fire to rescue me.My first thought was Odette, but I don’t think she would have taken me from Elysium and left me in the forest. Yet s

Bastien’s POVOne by one, wolves from across Elysium filter into the council chambers, answering the mental summons I roared out across the territory ordering the pack to gather at once. Emitting such a call takes incredible strength; it’s a feat very few Alpha’s could accomplish, and one which has left me exhausted, though no less angry.When the wolves have finally filled the circular space, I call the council back to order, keeping Arabella primely situated before the dais. She’s smiling confidently, and even the counselors look somewhat pleased. I imagine they think I’ve decided to give into their demands.The fools must not realize that suggesting I remarry was the very last thing they should have attempted if they wished my cooperation.“It seems “I announce to the room at large, “That many of you are displeased with my leadership, and uncomfortable with my marital status.”Already I see Arabella’s smile waver. Until she returned to Elysium I never realized how much Arabella tru