Pregnant And Rejected

173 – Let the fun begin

Bastien “Arabella what was all that?” I demand as soon as the apartment door is closed behind us. The blonde stares at me in innocent confusion. “What do you mean?”

“All those things Selene said, about Frederic being exiled and her being hospitalized – about me still having my memory after the assassination attempt?” I’ve been replaying the conversation over and over in my head, every confusing detail sticking in my mind, and new baffling details reappearing every minute.

Why didn’t Selene hide the fact that she had powers? Why did she have a teacher with her and talk about them like she was just beginning to learn? Why was she asking me to come home when my absence could only help her scheme? More striking than anything else, was how sincere she’d seemed, from the way she clung to me when we first saw each other, to the moment we parted. If it truly was an act, she was the best actress in the world.

“Bastien, this is what she does!” Arabella groans, “I can already see you doubting yourself. She’s the most talented gaslighter I’ve ever met. She twists facts and bends the truth and is so convincing that she can convince people they‘re wrong about what they know in their hearts. You can’t be fooled by her sweet, innocent act.” She insists, frowning. “I don’t know what news she was talking about, but if Frederic has been exiled, I guarantee you it was Selene’s doing – so that she wouldn’t have to share her power with him. Now that she’s gotten a taste she probably wants to run the pack on her own.”

“A female Alpha?” | question. It’s not unheard of, but if she accomplished such a thing she’d been the first in generations.

“She’s certainly powerful enough.” Arabella shrugs.

My head aches trying to unravel this logic. Selene couldn’t both pretend to be innocent and harmless, and claim to be powerful anough to lead a pack like the Novas.

Selene’s last question rang in my head like a relentless warning bell, is the person trying to deceive you the one asking you to face reality head on, or is it the one who wants you to stay here with your head in the sand? “Why are you so determined that we don’t return to Elysium yet?” I ask

“Because of her!” Arabella bursts out, her voice thick with emotion. “I was afraid this would happen, I was afraid that if we went back everything would go back to the way it was before. That you’d fall for her tricks and go back to hating me. That’s why I wanted to get married first, so that at least then I’d have a little bit of security.” She sniffles, her eyes shining with tears, “I can’t lost you again, Bastien!”

and I catch her reflexively, rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. Yet even as I comfort Arabella, doubt writhes in my chest. She is behaving so differently from how I’ve ever seen her act in the past, and Selene seemed exactly like the woman from my dreams – older, stronger and much healthier, but every bit as sweet. She felt so right in my arms and everything she said made so much sense.

sorry,” She whimpers, “I’m

mutter, not really

around the kitchen, trying to sort out the tangled information in my brain. A moment later she reappears and offers

In fact, now that I think about it, what was I thinking about a moment ago? Why was I so agitated when

wolf. It takes a moment, but then

unease, I remind myself that Arabella and I will

is not fun!” I shout, struggling to

yesterday. Instead of the gradual harnessing I achieved to lead me towards Bastien – and apparently call him to me – today the power floods over me like a tidal wave. At first I merely noticed a soft glow at my fingertips, but before long my entire body was lit up like some strange new species of bioluminescent wolf, and my feet left the ground. Now I hang in the air, white light

below me. “If you don’t get yourself down from there you’re going to call every guard for a mile around, and then where

I demand hotly, waving my arms uselessly around me. “No more kid gloves little mother.” She grins, “nothing motivates like a healthy dose of fear.” “I’d like to give you a

chuckles, not sounding the

Just focus. Use the power to get your feet back on the ground. If your feet

and the harder I concentrate, the softer the breeze becomes. Before long I feel my feet reconnecting

good, now turn off

mate. Every muscle in my body goes taut with the effort, but when I peek my eyes open nothing has changed. I’m still lit up like a marquee and the radiance doesn’t even seem to be softer than it