Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate

#Chapter 9 Faint

Selene’s POV

The ground trembles beneath my feet. I don’t think I can take another surprise this week. If what Arabella is saying is true, everything I thought I knew about my father-in-law, about this pack, is wrong.

“But,” 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.” She takes a sip of her coffee, clasping the mug with both hands to keep it from shaking. Slightly fortified by the rich drink, she levies me with her undivided attention. “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. Was I really so naive and foolish that I bought into more lies the moment I tasted freedom? In those early days I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly

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.”

about Bastien?” I ask, trying to distract

“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

rejection ceremony is already being planned, it’s between Bastien

Her teeth dent her lower lip, “And even if he lets it

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?” |

answers sadly, “I

Until

and now half of Saturday too, I’ve come to the conclusion that the doctor

three days. At first I tried to replace the nutrients I was losing, but I learned quickly there was no use. That’s about

every ten minutes I finally gave up,

minutes, this is

anniversary, or heard any more from Arabella. Admittedly, living in a bathroom does limit one’s social calendar, but no one seems to

me a great deal to think about, and in truth I’m no closer to understanding the truth than! was before. I don’t want to believe Gabriel is capable of the things Arabella suggested, but that’s exactly why I have to take the allegations so seriously. It’s easy to be suspicious and find fault in the people you don’t like. It’s the ones you do like who are the greatest threat, they are the ones you

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

I try to clear my head, to let the cool tiles beneath my cheek soothe

tell myself to focus on the joy, and I can’t help smiling as I try to picture my

in the Goddess’s name are

the emotional variety. I didn’t even hear him come in, and from the look on his face, he

wall moves away from me when I reach toward it for support. It’s not the only thing moving when it should not. Bastien

i

of massive hands pluck me from the floor. Bastien is looking down at me