Selene’s POV
Arabella Winters is everything I am not: Tall, blonde and voluptuous, with an innate confidence that allows her to flourish in pack society.
I sit across from her at a small table, a pair of cappuccinos sitting untouched between us. Big brown doe-eyes look me up and down, her face never revealing her thoughts. When she finally speaks, her voice is high and reedy. “Listen, I know things are really complicated with you and Bastien right now, and I just felt…” She pauses to search for the right words, “I saw how upset you looked last night and I just want to assure you that nothing happened between Bastien and me.”
“Oh?”
“You have my word.” Arabella vows, “Nothing happened and nothing will until your separation is official.”
I can’t keep the surprise from my face.
Arabella winces, “I’m sorry I thought the information was public.”
I bring my coffee to my lips, intending to buy time with a few sips. I barely taste it before I remember that pregnant women aren’t supposed to have caffeine. I set the mug back down. “It isn’t, not yet.”
“I’m sorry,” She says again. “I didn’t mean… I’m just so excited. We’ve been waiting to be together for so long I can hardly believe it’s finally going to happen.”
Guilt twists in my belly, “Arabella, I am sorry I came between you.”
Her perfectly plucked brows furrow. “Don’t take that on, Selene. None of this was your fault. I can’t say I care for the way Gabriel handled things, but that’s on him, not you.”
The strange prickling spreads, starting to wind down my spine. “What do you mean, the way Gabriel handled it?”
“Well the threats of course.” Arabella says offhandedly.
“I don’t know why Gabriel was so determined for Bastien to marry you, only that he was. And he didn’t think Bastien would go through with the wedding if I was still here. So he told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t leave, he would be forced to “persuade” me.” She shivers slightly, her voice cracking with emotion. “I didn’t have a choice. I never would have left if it weren’t for him. I wish I could tell you I was stronger, that I fought for Bastien, but I was afraid: for my family, for my life.” Arabella’s eyes well with tears. “I had to leave. If I didn’t, Gabriel was going to kill me.”
“No” The protest sounds feeble even to my own ears. “I can’t believe Gabriel would do that.”
“Selene, you’ve known him three years,” Arabella says gently. “I’ve known him since I was a child, please trust me when I say he is not what he seems. I promise you the Gabriel you see and the man he truly is, are two very different people. He killed his own brother, do you really think he would bat an eye over killing a lesser pack member?”
“His brother tried to usurp him.” I hedge, recalling the details of the story. “There was an uprising, the entire pack was at risk.”
“So Gabriel says,” Arabella remarks deliberately, and I realize she has a point. I am too young to remember any details of the event, and everything I know about it now has come directly from the Alpha. “How many of us really know what happened that day? The entire city was evacuated into the mountain shelters – no one was allowed out. Only pack leaders and enforcers were actually there to see what went down.”
“What exactly are you saying?” I ask, trying to cut through the complicated histories and vague accusations to reach the crux of her point.
“I’m saying that Gabriel wants something from you, badly enough that he would kill to get it.” Arabella reaches out and lays her hand over mine, “Stop and ask yourself, is there anything you can think of that might account for this?”
My stomach lurches. Is it possible I misjudged Gabriel? After all, I’ve learned the hard way never to trust anyone.
The Alpha and his family were the first people to treat me with kindness in almost a decade – was I so starved for affection that I could repeat my mistake with Garrick?
“There’s something, isn’t there?” Though she still seems very solemn, a faint light appears in her dark irises. “You know why he wanted you as his daughter-in-law.”
“What about Bastien?” I ask, trying to distract her from this line of thought.
“Bastien was still a boy during the uprising. Please don’t judge him for his father’s misdeeds.” The blonde’s gaze is open and imploring, “We just want to be together.” She confides hopefully. “We’ve done everything Gabriel wanted, we’ve lost so many years and the last thing either of us want is to cause you pain. But as long as you’re here, I’m afraid Gabriel is never going to let that happen.”
My brow furrows, “The rejection ceremony is already being planned, it’s between Bastien and I. Gabriel can’t stop it.”
“Honey, he’s the Alpha.” She reminds me, “Of course he can.” Her teeth dent her lower lip, “And even if he lets it go forward, there are other ways to get to you.”
I try to imagine my father-in-law raising a hand against me, betraying me as Garrick had. I can’t see it, but then I never saw Garrick coming either. I feel dizzy with the strain of processing this new information. “You truly believe Gabriel is a threat to me?” I murmur uncertainly.
“Yes.” Arabella answers sadly, “I do.”
________________________
7 Days Until the Rejection Ceremony
Because of morning sickness, I haven’t been able to keep any food or water down in three days.
Honestly it almost makes me miss being poisoned. Wolfsbane is excruciating but the pain only lasts a few minutes; this is never ending and I end up every bit as drained and exhausted when the day is done.
I haven’t seen Bastien since the disastrous night of our anniversary, or heard any more from Arabella.
Gabriel wouldn’t be the first father figure to disappoint or betray me. At the same time, he knows the secret of my blood. If there was ever a reason to wish me harm it would be the Volana lineage, yet he’s never acted on it.
My sickness began before Arabella gave me any reason to worry, but the stress and uncertainty has twisted my stomach into knots even as it churns with queasiness. I try to clear my head, to let the cool tiles beneath my cheek soothe my swirling thoughts. The last week has been a particularly twisted roller coaster of emotions, and I’m starting to feel like I have whiplash from bouncing back and forth between joy and heartbreak.
I tell myself to focus on the joy, and I can’t help smiling as I try to picture my baby. Who will you be? What will you look like? How will –
“Why in the Goddess’s name are you lying on the floor?”
My head swings to where Bastien stands in the doorway so quickly.
I try to sit up. The wall moves away from me when I reach toward it for support. It’s not the only thing moving when it should not. Bastien is swimming in and out of my vision, and I suddenly can’t be sure if there is one of him or two.
“Stop spinning.” I beg him irritably.
I feel myself tilting backward just before a pair of massive hands pluck me from the floor. Bastien is looking down at me with a disapproving expression, “How long have you been sick?”
