Pregnant And Rejected

Chapter 155 Bastien Takes Care of Arabella

Bastien’s POV

All I ever seem to do these days is pace.

Pace, scour the news from Elysium and try to figure out what hell I’m going to do. I cannot stomach the idea of standing by and doing nothing, but Arabella gets so frantic every time I mention going back or taking action that I’ve learned to cool my temper around her.

It’s strange, I’ve witnessed a thousand of Bella’s tantrums over the years, but she’s never been a cowardly wolf. No, her fits have almost always been about not getting her way, this is the first time I’ve ever seen her so beside herself out of fear. She must have been terribly traumatized to be this afraid, and things must be even worse in Elysium then I realized if she feels she has no allies there. I still find it hard to believe my mother, Aiden and Donovan would all be so easily fooled by Selene, but everything I read in the papers or see on TV backs up what Arabella says.

The pack is about ready to throw me out as Alpha, and my so-called mate is nowhere to be found. If anything, she stirs up the discontent by making herself a victim at the expense of my absence. Unfortunately the cable was out last week during the press conference she gave, but Arabella showed me the papers the next day, which detailed how my wife bemoaned my negligence and blamed me for everything going wrong at home.

I don’t want to upset Arabella, but I cannot allow this to go on, I have to return home and expose my cousin and traitorous wife. I’m supposed to be here planning my next move, but every time I think of a new idea, Arabella shoots it down. I admit she knows the current situation better than I do, but I think I’ve been letting her fear guide us both, and that cannot continue.

My wolf goes on high alert when I smell Bella drawing near the apartment and hear her crying. I’m automatically bracing myself for danger when she stumbles into the room, bruised and sobbing. “Bella!” Rushing to her side, I lock the door behind her and gather her up, trying to get a look at her even as she collapses into my arms. “What happened?”

“It was Blaise.” She wails, sniffling loudly, “He called an audience with me and I thought it was just to talk about the state dinner next week, but it wasn’t.”

“Blaise did this?!” I demand fiercely, finally pushing her off of me long enough to get a look at the dark bruise blooming across her cheek. What kind of a man hits and innocent woman? I think in horror, what kind of Alpha treats his subjects that way?

The same kind that would lock all the poor and diabled people in an underground prison and ban them from mixing with their “betters”. Axel supplies with a snarl.

“Yes!” Arabella cries, “oh Bastien, he was terrifying. He’s been having me followed, he said he knew I’d been exploring the city, going to the underground. He said he didn’t give me permission to roam Tartarus at will and threatened to kill me if I crossed him again.”

in disbelief,

see us together. We can’t risk you leaving the house again,

hysterical. First because breaking a law and going to the underground is a far cry from merely stepping outside one’s own front door especially when Blaise has no idea who I am. Second because regardless of the threat it may pose, I have zero intention of lying down and letting a tyrant walk all over me. And third, because none of this makes any sense. I mean, I know Blaise is a ruthless tyrant,

Axel reasons, far more calmly than I would have expected him to feel

I encourage Arabella gently, guiding her to the kitchen, “Let me

sweep her up into my arms and

few gulps of breath, and when her shaking has lessened, I prompt her to start from the

told you,” She chokes, “He called me for an audience

own battle experience, I’d say he walloped her pretty hard, but only struck once. At least the bastard is capable of that much restraint. “Okay, where else are you

cheek and my ankle.”

anything visibly wrong

having you followed?” I don’t really know a delicate way of asking this question, so I simply blurt out the tactless thought in my mind, “Why does he care about you, or what you’re doing in the

flushes, looking surprised by my blunt words and unsure how to answer, I can see the gears spinning in her head, and I know Axel was right. she is hiding something. It’s also clear she doesn’t want to tell me her secret.

than I can remember seeing her in a very

me, honey. I promise you’ll feel better with everything out in the

admits, “Blaise he’s been pursuing me.” Her voice is barely louder than a whisper, “He came onto me when I first arrived but

think, overcome with fury and frustration. This explains a lot, including why a strange man’s mere presence could cause problems for Arabella. It’s also a very unfortunate complication, for both of us. “Well he has a funny way of showing his affection.” I growl, pulling a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and tenderly applying it to her cheek.

She whimpers, “I don’t know what i’d

ever have to worry about that again.” I vow. “From here on out, it’s you and me, Bella. We’re going to get through this

me tearfully, her hands clutching my shirt in an iron grip.

as a child again, when she inevitably got herself in over her head trying to prove herself and Flynn and I would have to come to the rescue. I recognize the hallmarks well, and I have a feeling this is more