Pregnant And Rejected

Chapter 96 Headlines

Selene’s POV

The day after we arrive home, Bastien is stuck in meetings from dawn to dusk. He barely made it home in time to read Lila her bedtime story, and when he emerges from her room half an hour later, he looks absolutely exhausted.

I’m waiting in the kitchen with a tumbler of scotch, but Bastien bypasses the alcohol completely and wraps his big body around me like a blanket. Burying his head in the curve of my neck, he pulls my hair out of its pins so that it falls around him in a chocolate cascade.

“What happened?” I murmur, brushing my fingers through his thick hair.

He inhales deeply, breathing in my scent and sighing with relief, before raising his head. There are dark circles under his eyes, but those molten irises are as sharp as ever when he studies my lips and moves in for a long, luxurious kiss.

When he’s had his fill, he tucks my head under his chin and clutches me to his chest. “Nothing bad.” He shares, though in this position I can’t see his face. “It was just a really long day.”

“What did the elder council say?” I inquire, not wanting to bombard him with questions but incredibly anxious after what happened yesterday. It seemed bad enough that the city was rallying against me, the last thing we need is for them to turn

against Bastien and somehow I imagine strangling the Chief Elder isn’t going to earn him any brownie points.

“Believe it or not, Grigore wasn’t exactly popular with his colleagues or the people.” Bastien explains, referring to the man by his given name now that he’s been stripped of his position.

“Oh I believe it,” I snort.

Finally setting me away from him, Bastien retrieves the glass of scotch, as well as the freshly microwaved plate of leftovers ! prepared for him while he was reading to Lila.

“Apparently Arabella was working her charms on him for a while before she left, and our little welcoming committee yesterday was the result of his outrage over her exile.” He continues, moving to the dining room table.

“Working her charms?” I repeat, following him with a glass of wine in hand.

I don’t want to.” Bastien remarks, sounding fairly revolted. “But I’d put nothing past

seems so put off. Grigore is about as old as dirt, the idea of anyone as

it seems Grigore’s been very busy trying to turn the pack against you ever since.” My mate goes on. “but luckily he’s so vile that most people actually sided with you because he told them not

about?” I scoff, “it didn’t

anywhere near them this morning because I was convinced they would be nothing but horrid. Now my husband drops three different daily chronicles in front of me, all boasting headlines that shock me to

Elder

Arabella Winters Exposed, Alpha’s Pup Rescued

Alive and Well, Gifts

because they were curious after all the gossip. It wasn’t an angry mob,

breathe, staring

“A few of the elders got chatty with the press, but I

I insist.

have, and many didn’t trust you were strong enough to lead without your wolf

people in the city are also the most entitled and shallow, and they’re the ones we have to deal with most often. But Selene, they don’t represent average Elysians, you had much more support

I’m starting to feel like a crazy person. It’s like everywhere I turn I’m met with some new revelation that contradicts everything I thought I knew. It’s confusing and overwhelming

hadn’t been the case, Arabella made herself a villain and you a martyr.” Bastien relates, “Nothing

all that, but I know how I was treated when we started out. It’s not like it was all in my head: I got pushed into pools and stalked, it wasn’t just mean girls calling me

his arms to me in invitation, but I stay seated with my arms crossed over my chest. “No. I’m not going to let you soothe this away or distract me, Bastien. If I’m going to raise my daughter here, I need to know she’s not going to

know I’ve

mate growls low in his chest, “I’m

bite,

it. Even so, I

purrs and rubs his huge hand deliberately over the curve of my hip. “Careful baby, or I’m

and I’m praying that for once in my life he won’t be able to smell

“I’m not trying to soothe this away or contradict what you experienced. I’m trying to tell you that I think you were right when you said you