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.

know the extent and frankly I don’t want to.” Bastien remarks, sounding fairly revolted. “But I’d put

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

since.” My mate goes on. “but luckily he’s so vile that most people actually sided with you because he told them not

didn’t look like anyone

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

Rids Elder Council

Murderess Arabella Winters Exposed, Alpha’s Pup Rescued by Mother’s

Alive and Well, Gifts

all the gossip.

understand,” I breathe, staring at

the elders got chatty with the press, but

this doesn’t make sense.” I insist. “People hated me

your wolf but that wasn’t dislike. In fact, I’d say the majority of people had

the most powerful 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 among the general populace than you ever

my chair, struggling to take in this information. In all honesty, 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 and I don’t know how to

case, Arabella made herself a villain and you a martyr.” Bastien relates, “Nothing earns people’s forgiveness faster than

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 a

going to let you soothe this away or

dangerously when I refused him, but I know I’ve made a mistake when I said “If I’m going

chest, “I’m going to count to

what?” I bite, “You’ll spank

arches a brow that tells me he absolutely would, and he’d enjoy doing it. Even so, I don’t actually get out of my chair until he says

and sulkily settle in his lap, Bastien purrs and rubs his huge hand deliberately

my life he won’t be able to smell my arousal. But then his nostrils flare and a predatory

he’s perfectly solemn when he addresses my comment. “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 lived in a