Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate

Chapter 16

#Chapter 16 The Wine Is Drugged

Selene’s POV

Woops.

When I asked Drake to keep me company at the party, I planned to flirt and dance, to give Bastien a little taste of his own medicine. Annoyance, that was the plan. An annoyed Bastien is manageable, an enraged Bastien is dangerous.

I stare at my husband with wide eyes. He’s standing in the doorway, on the verge of shifting, fury rolling off him in waves. His metallic gaze is locked on my face, on my tears and Drake’s comforting hands.

Drake doesn’t seem the least bit troubled by the rabid creature looming over us. He slides his fingers from my skin, turning to Bastien with a friendly smile. “Bastien, it’s been a while.”

“Too long.” Bastien agrees, “So long you seem to have forgotten who you’re dealing with.”

Drake rolls his eyes, and I have a sudden and newfound respect for the young Alpha. He may wear the face of a playful rogue, but underneath he is every bit the hard and commanding leader the role demands. “Honestly Bastien, I didn’t think you’d be so ungrateful.” He quips, “In case you haven’t heard, I saved your wife’s life tonight. I wouldn’t have had to if you’d been here.”

Bastien’s claws extend and retract compulsively, betraying the conflict raging within him. Drake’s words were an outright provocation, but there was no denying the truth in them. After a moment Bastien settles into a low simmer, striding past the other man to reach me. He drags me into a tight embrace, cuddling me to his chest. “What happened?”

Feeling suddenly warm and hazy, it takes me a moment to realize he asked a question. Drake – apparently – suffers no such impediment. “You have some vipers in your nest.” He drawls, “It was only a matter of time before one striked.”

I plant my palms against Bastien’s chest, trying to push away from him so I can pin Drake with the full force of my indignant glare. “What happened to ‘heroes don’t tattle?!**

Drake’s face scrunches up in a wince, and I belatedly realize my mistake. I look up at my husband, whose handsome features are awash with foreboding. “Am I to take it you intended to keep this information secret?” He asks, his voice dangerously low.

I lower my gaze, careful not to challenge his dominance, “It wasn’t a big deal.” I argue, “It’s not as if she knew I couldn’t swim.”

I see Bastien’s head turn in my periphery, and realize he’s now looking to Drake, “Who?”

His answer is immediate. “Redhead, blue dress, gaggle of minions trailing after her wherever she goes.”

Ten minutes later the door swings open, and Aiden pokes his head in. “Bastien would like to see you in the great hall.”

the hall just in time to see the rest of the party guests gather within. We move forward, slipping through the

of the hall, the redhead from the gardens

the she-wolf looks up at Bastien sulkily, as if asking whether she really has to do this. Bastien makes short work of her hesitance, clamping one large hand around the back of her neck and steering her forward until she’s kneeling before

sorry for the things I said and the way I treated you. I was horribly

warning growl thunders in my husband’s chest, and the woman quickly amends her statement. “I should never have treated you that way, no

people are always fixing my problems for me. The rest of me is gushing pure elation. For the first time in my memory, Bastien is putting

emboldened by my vulnerability and weakness. Now she looks anything but strong; she looks like a spoiled child who got their hand caught in the

“I suggest you never do so again: you won’t like the outcome.”

attention to the gathered audience. “That goes for all of you.” He announces, “if I hear anyone speaking about my wife in such a

down to dinner, but by the end of the second course, my husband was back to acting

giddiness, aggression, and detachment. One moment he’s so happy he’s grinning like a fool, the next he’s

odd does not go unnoticed. I see his parents exchange glances a few times, but no

our places following dessert and the party begins to shift toward the

to me in a daze. His pupils are

you alright?” I question pointedly, checking his

I recognize her as one of the women who’d been gossiping with my would-be murderer. I shoot her a disgruntled frown, but

the back of my neck, It was extremely odd for a pack member to approach and proposition an Alpha this way – even if he weren’t married.

know something is wrong. This is not Bastien. His behavior is completely out of character, regardless of how he may feel about me or Arabella or anyone else. He is not in control, and he

his direction and our eyes meet. We’re both thinking the same

is all the confirmation I need to go

in my mind as I search the crowd. What if he will not come away, what if he publicly

I

them. They stand at the center of the dancefloor, Bastien swaying drunkenly next to the blonde, who is

as if in a trance. I rise up on my tiptoes when he is in front of me, looping my arms around his neck so I can speak in his ear. “I think it’s time

pulls me flush to his body, continuing to sway to the music. I drop back down onto my heels as he begins to turn us haphazardly around the dancefloor, his intimate grip

but he is the same dominant Alpha he’s always been, and my body responds thus whether my brain is in

a turn for the risqué. One moment we’re dancing and the next Bastien has dragged

i free my hands from their trapped position between our bodies and catch his face between them. “I

expression gives

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