Pregnant And Rejected

Pregnant And Rejected By My Alpha Mate By Caroline Above Chapter 16

Chapter 16 The Wine Is Drugged

Selene’s POV

Woops.

When I asked Drake to keep me company at the party, I planned to flirt and dance, to give Bastien a little taste of his own medicine. Annoyance, that was the plan. An annoyed Bastien is manageable, an enraged Bastien is dangerous.

I stare at my husband with wide eyes. He’s standing in the doorway, on the verge of shifting, fury rolling off him in waves. His metallic gaze is locked on my face, on my tears and Drake’s comforting hands.

Drake doesn’t seem the least bit troubled by the rabid creature looming over us. He slides his fingers from my skin, turning to Bastien with a friendly smile. “Bastien, it’s been a while.”

“Too long.” Bastien agrees, “So long you seem to have forgotten who you’re dealing with.”

Drake rolls his eyes, and I have a sudden and newfound respect for the young Alpha. He may wear the face of a playful rogue, but underneath he is every bit the hard and commanding leader the role demands. “Honestly Bastien, I didn’t think you’d be so ungrateful.” He quips, “In case you haven’t heard, I saved your wife’s life tonight. I wouldn’t have had to if you’d been here.”

Bastien’s claws extend and retract compulsively, betraying the conflict raging within him. Drake’s words were an outright provocation, but there was no denying the truth in them. After a moment Bastien settles into a low simmer, striding past the other man to reach me. He drags me into a tight embrace, cuddling me to his chest. “What happened?”

Feeling suddenly warm and hazy, it takes me a moment to realize he asked a question. Drake – apparently – suffers no such impediment. “You have some vipers in your nest.” He drawls, “It was only a matter of time before one striked.”

I plant my palms against Bastien’s chest, trying to push away from him so I can pin Drake with the full force of my indignant glare. “What happened to ‘heroes don’t tattle?”

Drake’s face scrunches up in a wince, and I belatedly realize my mistake. I look up at my husband, whose handsome features are awash with foreboding. “Am I to take it you intended to keep this information secret?” He asks, his voice dangerously low.

I lower my gaze, careful not to challenge his dominance, “It wasn’t a big deal.” I argue, “It’s not as if she knew I couldn’t swim.”

I see Bastien’s head turn in my periphery, and realize he’s now looking to Drake, “Who?”

His answer is immediate. “Redhead, blue dress, gaggle of minions trailing after her wherever she goes.”

Ten minutes later the door swings open, and Aiden pokes his head in. “Bastien would like to see you in the great hall.”

time to see the rest of the party guests gather within. We move forward, slipping through the crowd until the object

redhead from the gardens at his

asking whether she really has to do this. Bastien makes short work of her hesitance, clamping one large hand around the back of her neck and steering her forward until she’s

A sharp growl makes her wince. “Mrs. Durand, I’m deeply sorry for the things I said and the way I treated you. I was horribly disrespectful

her statement. “I should never have

The rest of me is gushing pure elation. For the first time in my memory, Bastien is putting me ahead of the pack. He’s protecting me, making a public

she-wolf with growing contempt. She’d been so fierce and fearless when she was bullying me, emboldened by my vulnerability and

you shouldn’t have.” I agree, “I suggest you never do

his attention to the gathered audience. “That goes for all of you.” He announces, “if I hear anyone speaking about my wife in such a way, or anyone lays a hand on her again, I will not be held

display fades almost immediately. Everything was fine when we sat down to dinner, but by the end of the second course, my husband was back to acting

aggression, and detachment. One moment he’s so happy he’s grinning like a fool, the next he’s snarling and growling at anything that moves, and five minutes after

meal in starts and stops, and Bastien’s odd does not go unnoticed. I see his parents exchange glances a few times,

our places following dessert and the party begins to shift toward the

me in a daze. His pupils

you alright?” I question pointedly, checking his

asks him to dance. I recognize her as one of the women who’d been gossiping with my would-be murderer. I shoot

without a word, following her into the ballroom without a backward glance. Unease prickles at the back of my neck, It was extremely odd for a pack member to approach and proposition an Alpha this way – even if he weren’t married. The general rule is

about my marriage but I know something is wrong. This is not Bastien. His behavior is completely out of character, regardless of how he may feel about me or Arabella

his direction and

all the confirmation

in my mind as I search the crowd. What

risk I have

to the blonde, who is wrapped around him like cling film. I glide through the swaying mass of dancers, never taking my eyes

partner’s shoulder he steps away from her without a word, closing the distance between us as if in a trance. I rise up on my tiptoes when he is in

the music. I drop back down onto my heels as he begins to turn us haphazardly around the

Alpha he’s always been, and

the risqué. One moment we’re dancing and the next Bastien has dragged me out a side door and pressed me up

between our bodies and catch his face between them. “I need

me for a long moment, as if trying to remember something he’s long forgot. Bastien’s confused expression gives way to something feverish and fierce before he takes me by

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