Chapter 6: : Chapter 6

10 Days Until the Rejection Ceremony

Selene’s POV

The spinning blades of the ceiling fan whirl over my head, their swift revolutions mesmerize my senses, distracting me from all the unwelcome thoughts in my head.

Today is my three year anniversary, but instead of champagne and gifts, I lay alone in my bed

My husband is going to reject me in ten days, and I can’t even be angry with him.

____________________

I’m still lying there when my phone rings.

Bastien’s name flashes across the screen, and I pause a moment before answering. There’s no reason to broadcast my desperation. “Hello?”

I do not hear my husband’s voice on the other end of the line. Instead a woman’s high, tinkling laugh filters through the receiver. “Oh Bastien you’re too much!”

I don’t recognize the voice, “Hello?” I try again, the call sounds very muffled. A pocket-dial perhaps?

“Bella, would you behave for once?” I know that voice – only too well.

“Only if you make me.” I can practically hear her eyelashes batting through the phone. Some of the static fades, her voice suddenly sounding very clear. “Mmm,” She moans, “You remember just how I like it.”

I stab my finger into the ‘end call’ button, cutting off the exchange before the nausea rising in my throat can overwhelm me.

Arabella Winters has returned to Elysium, and Bastien is spending our anniversary with her instead of me. The she-wolf disappeared after my mating ceremony, traveling around to other packs in search of adventure or a new beginning. But whatever Arabella had been looking for, she clearly hadn’t found. Perhaps because she already knew where it was, but it was simply out of reach.

Well, It won’t be out of reach for much longer.

As disgusted as I am by the phone call, I know I don’t really have a right to be angry with Bastien. Our marriage has always been one of convenience, and I don’t want to get in the way of his happiness. I wish he would wait until we are officially separated, but he’s given me everything. The least I can do is return the favor.

I don’t want to be an anchor chaining Bastien to the past when he deserves to forge his own future, but that’s exactly what I will become if I tell him about the baby.

He can’t know, not ever.

I will leave. I will be taking a piece of Bastien with me. I will have my baby

I slide my palm to my belly, resting it over the most precious secret I’ve ever held. I imagine this is how my mother must have felt when my father died – the similarities between our journeys do not escape me, but I’m determined not to continue on her path.

My mother was running for her life when she left the Calypso pack, she didn’t have any resources or plans, she was in such dire straits she could not turn down an offer for help, no matter from whom it came. That will not be my story.

When I leave Elysium I will be taking everything I possess with me, everything I need to start fresh. I will not need to indebt myself to a man in order to survive, and I will not marry no matter how much judgment I incur for being a single mother.

____________________

About an hour later my phone rings again. This time it’s Aiden and I answer immediately; Bastien’s Beta only ever calls me if something is wrong.

“Aiden?”

Raucous voices and distorted music fill my ears, soon followed by the Beta’s baritone. “Selene, I’m sorry to call you like this, but we have a bit of a situation: Bastien is plastered and apparently determined to give himself alcohol poisoning. We can’t get him to stop, and I don’t think he’ll listen to anyone but you. At least, I hope he’ll listen to you.”

“Where are you?”

“Loup Garou,” Aiden shouts over the deafening background noise.

“I’m on my way.” I know the bar, though I’ve never been inside. I’ve gotten used to being around people in controlled settings, but big crowds still frighten me.

I do some breathing exercises as I drive, focusing on keeping myself calm rather than pondering the undoubtedly unpleasant scene awaiting me. Some anniversary this is. It’s so late there’s not any traffic, so the trip only takes a few minutes.

I step out of the car, eyeing the neon bar sign and imposing doorway with great trepidation. Taking one final soothing breath, I enter the fray.

Three things jump immediately to my attention. First, Bastien is not the only one on a bender. The bar is in borderline chaos, so packed with wolves I think it must be a fire hazard. Second, Aiden is not Bastien’s only drinking buddy. Arabella stands close by his side, her body language making the nature of their relationship very clear. And finally, my husband is dangerously out of control.

I can feel his agitation from across the room, can read the barely concealed fury simmering closer and closer to its boiling point. There’s something else tangled up in his aura, something that seems strangely akin to despair.

I’ve seen Bastien like this before; if he drinks heavily enough his demons emerge to torment him. I’ve never known what happened in his past to inflict such agony, but it’s always unbearable to watch.

I don’t really want to move deeper into the malay. I would prefer to stay near an exit, I do not like the idea of not having a viable escape route.

I give myself a little shake and stride through the crowd, appreciating how naturally it parts for me. Though no one bothers pretending they are not watching the unfolding scene with avid interest, the bar patrons do me the courtesy of staying in place even after I pass, leaving a wide path to the door.

The commotion pulls Bastien’s attention from Arabella. It takes him a second to process my appearance, but the vivid flash of emotion in his eyes broadcasts his surprise once he does. My presence seems to sober him slightly, some of the manic energy he’d been exuding ebbing away.

He pulls up to his full, imposing height and prowls forward, sweeping his gaze across the crowd as he closes the distance between us. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he’s scanning the room for threats, but that doesn’t make any sense. We’re on home turf among trusted pack members. No, he must be trying to figure out who snitched.

Bastien creates a sort of cage with his arms when he reaches me, wrapping his large body around me protectively. “What are you doing here?”

I don’t know what to make of his apparent paranoia, but I have to admit I feel infinitely calmer than I did a second ago. I’m also deeply relieved to find he is not angry or put out by my arrival. “I came to take you home.”

Hard eyes bore into me for a long moment, “You could have called, I would have met you in the parking lot.”

Ah. So perhaps he is irritated after all. Bastien isn’t one for public scenes, and it occurs to me that he’s probably especially opposed to creating one in front of Arabella. “You’ll come, then?” I ask nervously.

Bastien responds instantly, “Of course.”

______________

By the time we get home Bastien is all but passed out. I circle around to the passenger seat and undo his seatbelt, shaking him gently. “Bastien. Wake up, we’re home.”

He rouses at the sound of my voice, blinking at me dazedly.

“Come on, big bad wolf.” I tease, “Let’s get you to bed.”

Flames ignite in his eyes. “Is that an invitation?”