– Chapter 133

Selene

It’s been three days, and still Bastien hasn’t called.

I’m trying not to be an alarmist and avoid jumping to conclusions, but I can’t help but feel a sweeping sense of dread. Something is wrong. I know it. My mate wouldn’t let so many days go by without checking in, if not for Lila’s and my piece of mind, but for his own. I know how worried he was for our safety when he left, he wouldn’t just stop calling.

Luna has been beside herself since Bastien left, but now she’s really starting to lose it. Her agitated energy is combining with my own nerves and constant nausea in a very unpleasant way, and I’m starting to think all this turmoil will drive me completely crazy. There’s only so much a she-wolf can take.

What makes it worse is that Lila has been asking on a nearly hourly basis when Daddy is going to call, and the best I can tell her is that I don’t know. Drake and Sophie have been a big help, distracting her and keeping her busy when I’m working on the cafe transition. Of course, they can only do so much, especially when they’re distracted themselves – being so newly mated.

“Come on.” I tease Drake when we’re alone after dinner, “Out with it, when’s the wedding?”

“Who says there has to be one?” He answers slyly. “We’re already mated. I’ve never seen the point of weddings when the mate bond is so much more powerful than a piece of paper.”

“Maybe because you’re going to have your own hormonal mess to deal with before too long.” I tease, only half joking. It’s true some she-wolves can go through a heat cycle with their mate and not end up breeding, but that’s quite an uncommon outcome unless contraception is being used.

Drake grunts in acknowledgement, but I can see the corners of his mouth twitching. Oh yes, he likes that idea. Typical man – they get to have all the fun watching the miracle happen while we have to suffer through it. At least, most men get to watch… Bastien missed seeing Lila come into being… is he going to miss this baby too?

“Hey, stop it.” Drake orders in his usual, bossy fashion. My friend always has had a habit of mind reading. Not only that, he’s always been under the mistaken impression that he can somehow dictate the thoughts of others. Only an Alpha. I think ruefully.

“I can’t help it.” I moan. “I can’t stand this. Lila is so confused, I feel like hot garbage and my mate is thousands of miles away, probably trapped in that psychopath’s dungeon!”

“Who said Blaise has dungeons?” Drake asks, furrowing his brow.

“No one.” I reply sulkily, “He just seems the type.”

“Eh,” Drake shrugs, “that’s fair.” He reaches over and covers my hand with his own, squeezing gently. “But I’m telling you, it’s too early to know anything. Three days isn’t that long and you have enough to worry about as it is. Don’t stress out until you have a reason to.”

Narrowing my eyes, I catch the Eros Alpha in my crosshairs. “If Sophie was in my position, and you were in Bastien’s, would you go a day without checking in?”

Drake’s mouth compresses to a hard line. “We don’t know what it’s like there, Selene.

We don’t know what’s going on. I’m sure Bastien wants to check in, but whether he’s able to or not is another matter entirely.”

“I’m his mate.” I remind him. “I’m connected to him in a way you all are not. And I can feel that something is wrong.”

“Sweetheart, you’re also under incredible pressure, sick and no offense, but your hormones are going haywire.” Drake points out gently. “I know it feels like something is wrong, but isn’t there a chance your body is playing tricks on you?”

I want to rant and rave that my friend has no idea what he’s talking about, but the truth is that he’s right. I can’t trust my body right now, not when I have a beloved little monster growing inside of me. As if the baby wants to prove Drake right, the next thing I know tears are streaming from my eyes.

Clucking sympathetically, Drake pulls me into his arms, “Poor thing. It never gets any easier does it?”

“No!” I cry, latching onto the sturdy wolf and weeping into his collar.

Of course this is the moment my young daughter chooses to come toddling out of her bedroom, clutching a stuffed elephant to her chest. “Mommy wha’s wrong?”

Sniffling and wiping my eyes, I pull away from Drake. “I’m sorry angel, did I wake you?”

She ignores me, her lower lip quivering dangerously, “Why’re you crying?”

“You know how we talked about the new baby making Mommy extra emotional?” I prompt, crossing the cool floors to gather her up, “This is more of the same.”

“I don’ like da new baby.” Lila pouts.

“Don’t say that, my love.” I caution her, hugging her soft body close.

“But is making you sad.” She complains, wrapping her arms and legs around me so tightly my heart instantly swells.

“No darling, the baby isn’t making me sad.” I correct, trying to figure out how to explain. In the end I decide to tell her the truth. “I’m sad because I miss Daddy. The baby actually helps me feel close to him, because it’s like I have a little piece of him inside me.

You do the same. You’re so much like him that sometimes when I look at you, I feel like he’s staring out at me through your eyes.”

Lila considers this, crinkling her nose and eyeing me closely. Finally she nods, peeking up at me from beneath her lashes. “I miss Daddy too.”

“I know you do.” I murmur, feeling a small weight lift from my chest. Sometimes nothing heals like the truth, even with toddlers.

“Can I sleep wit’ you tonight?” My sweet pup whispers, cuddling closer.

Every morning since Bastien left, I’ve been woken up by Lila climbing into bed next to me. I usually prefer those early morning snuggles to being kicked and drooled on all night, but tonight I find I could use the extra affection. I don’t want to be alone, and in a few months Lila will have to share my attention with a little brother or sister. We don’t have too many of these moments to bond together left, at least not for just the two of us.

“I’d like that.”

________________________

In the early hours of the morning, a cloaked figure slinks through the dense trees of the Novan forest, a canister of some unidentified substance in one hand, and a book of matches in the other. They move through the woodlands as quietly as a ghost, leaving no tracks behind them, only a steady stream of noxious liquid spilling from the can.

In a few hours time nothing will be left of the powerful accelerant, nor the forest itself. For all intents and purposes it will look like the entire landscape went up in flames of its own accord, a spontaneous combustion at the height of foliage season. In the entire history of the Nova pack, only one wildfire has ever plagued the territory, and never within the city limits.

That all changes tonight.

It wasn’t a very creative plan, after all Arabella too had played her hand at arson and failed with spectacular grace. But this was different. This was not an attack on one captive she-wolf. It was an attack on the city itself, with one very important piece of collateral.

Frederic didn’t want anyone to get hurt per se, but he also wouldn’t be terribly bothered if the fire spread into the residential neighborhoods around the park. After all, the more destruction, the worse the scandal. This plan would work where all the others had failed, because unlike the flooded equinox festival or disastrous clash with the Geminis at Gabriel’s funeral, Bastien wouldn’t be here to clean up the mess. He couldn’t sell his act as the grieving son, stoic leader or grieving widower.

He would be nowhere to be found while his pack burned, and while his pregnant mate struggled to fill his role and raise his pup alone. It would not be long before they all turned against him, no matter how much they liked the man.

Setting down the canister after circling the woods completely, Frederic lowered his hood and said a quick prayer of thanks and good fortune to the goddess, before striking a match and letting it fall to the chemical-soaked leaves.

Flames exploded around him, and he fled just in time. Within moments the entire park was burning, a red and yellow inferno cascading into the night sky without an end in sight. Within the half hour, sirens were blaring and half a dozen firetrucks were streaming towards the out of control blaze.

It was exactly how it was meant to be.