Pregnant And Rejected

Chapter 47

Bastien‘s POV

The first thing I see is the fear on Selene‘s face. Fear I hate myself for causing. She‘s backed into a corner, appearing so much more like the lost little wolf I pulled from a tree, than the confident woman I met today.

It takes all my strength to pull my eyes from Selene‘s haunted expression and survey the rest of the scene, at which point I realize why she‘s in the corner. The tiny body is visible even now, with pint–sized hands clutching her skirt and a gleaming pair of two–toned

eyes peeking out from behind her leg.

Mate, Axel croons with satisfaction. And mate‘s pup. Mine, both mine.

We don‘t know who that pup belongs to yet. I caution him, though I cannot help but feel drawn to the tiny creature in a way I can‘t explain

I don‘t care who she belonged to. He growls. I saw her. I like her. She‘s mine now.

That‘s not how it works. I admonish him.

Unable to assuage her curiosity, the little girl pokes her head out of hiding, and Selene stiffens reflexively. Waving off my men, 1 stride forward and close the door, carefully approaching the she–wolves. “Hello little one.” I murmur to the child, kneeling down so that we‘re at eye level, even if I‘m still halfway across the room. “Goddess she looks exactly like you.” I revel, looking back and forth between the beautiful faces.

I‘ve seen many pups and kissed many babies in my life, but I cannot remember ever seeing such a perfect child. It‘s not just that she is my mate‘s creation that she is the heart and soul of the woman I adore – it‘s that she is pure light, pure love. Despite my misgivings, I have to agree with Axel. Mine.

A tiny voice tugs at my heart strings. “Mommy who‘s that?”

The gooey warmth in my belly hardens like a rock, and the reality of our situation splashes over me like a bucket of ice water. If this child is mine, Selene hid her existence from me for years. She left Elysium knowing she was pregnant, and took my baby someplace where I could not protect her.

“That‘s an excellent question.” I state harshly, catching my mate in my crosshairs. “Selene?” Slowly unfolding until I‘m standing again, I move forward. “Who am I to her?”

“A stranger,” Selene designates coldly, “and what do we say to strangers, Lila?”

On cue the tiny pup lifts her chubby fingers to her lips and pulls ar imaginary zipper across her mouth, pressing her lips tightly together and shaking her head once she‘s finished.

“That‘s very smart.” | praise in a much softer voice than I directed at her mother. “You should never talk to strangers, but that‘s not what I am.” Little by little, the tot is emerging from behind her mother. Interesting – most children are afraid of me at first. “I‘m your mommy‘s mate. Do you know what that word means?”

head, still

to Selene alone. “And whatever she

flashes across Selene‘s features. “What the hell are you

to

right to put those kinds of ideas in her

feeling such rage, not towards my little wolf. With every second that passes, the more certain I am that this is my child, which means I have every right. I

the child‘s before she can lift her fingers to answer my question with a patented “this mary”

whose is she?”

in her eyes. Goddess she‘s stunning when

all

invites, “do you see yourself in her? Do you

the sweet little girl before Selene can stop me. “Come here, pup.” || rumble gently. “let‘s have

leave the ground and can‘t quite wrap her head around her new predicament. Nonetheless, her surprise disappears quickly, replaced by unapologetic curiosity. She looks up at me with wide eyes,

impossible. Shaking my head, settling Lila more comfortably in my arms and internally

swinging back and forth between my face and Lila‘s, clearly unsure of what to

the floor far below before looking back to me, as if for

sympathetically. If she‘s used to being carried around by my mate, this

of pure

a moment before agreeing,

as I live, I will never hear a more beautiful sound than this child squealing and giggling with joy as I toss her over my head, catching her and repeating the move until she‘s so exhausted from laughing that we

did it all go wrong? I lament, thoroughly indulging in a fit of self–pity as I watch my daughter riding around on the back of a huge black wolf like he‘s a pony. Bastien gallops around the room indulging Lila‘s every whim. It started with “the flying game“, as it‘s now known, and somehow evolved and unraveled

a common dog and proudly returned it to my three year old, licking

outcomes I considered when I pictured this moment, this is the very last thing I ever imagined. I was ready for the anger, for yelling and drawn out fights, but no amount of preparation could ever make me ready for this: for watching Lila play with her

the raucous play. When I first got pregnant this was exactly the kind of

these dreams and then snatching them away; showing me these glimpses of bliss that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I want so badly to believe our lives could actually be like this, but I know the truth

stay strong, I have to keep

Lila has finally exhausted herself and is lying on top of wolf Bastien as if he‘s a giant pillow. Honestly it‘s an impulse I understand how many times did he shift to comfort me through thunderstorms, when he knew the

the living room Bastien shifts back, passing Lila

He asks, buttoning