Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate

Chapter 29

 

#Chapter 29 Arabella’s Offer

Selene’s POV

Ever since I got pregnant I’ve been sleeping through the night (and in fact, much of the day) without any problem; but tonight! wake closer to dawn than dusk, feeling nothing out of order beyond a heavy weight pressing down the mattress near my hip. I blink and rub my eyes, surprised to discover I can actually see Bastien through the pitch black night.

He’s sitting by my side, his elbows braced on his knees and his head in his hands. He’s stripped off everything but his boxers, every hard ridge and valley of his powerful form exposed to my view. I sit up slowly, unease fluttering in my belly.

“Bastien?” I reach for his shoulder, settling my hand firmly on his warm skin and beginning the tender caresses I already know he needs. “What’s wrong?”

His head turns my way, an oddly hollow look in his usually soulful eyes. “I’m glad you weren’t there tonight.” Bastien tells me roughly, “If this is what it’s going to be like, the more time we spend apart the better.”

I retract my hand abruptly, feeling as if he punched me in the gut rather than speaking. I pull my knees up to my chest, unsure whether I should stay or leave. Bastien doesn’t seem to notice I’m no longer touching him, though I’m not sure he realized I was touching him to begin with.

“I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” He announces. “This isn’t

it wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

As ever, my eyes betray me, flooding with tears large enough that my husband can smell the salt. He reaches for my hand, his mouth twitches in a grimace, “I’m sorry I put you through this.”

“I’m sorry too.” I sniffle, feeling as if my lungs have collapsed in my chest. “More than you know.”

Bastien’s POV

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Arabella is standing in my doorway, her bleached blonde hair piled on top of her head in a complicated twist. At first I’m confused to see her in the Pack House so late, then my mind jumps to the worst.

“What’s wrong?” I jolt to my feet, “who’s hurt? What’s on fire?”

Arabella greets my cynical panic with a tinkling laugh, “Honestly Bastien, you should write greeting cards.” She teases. “Nothing’s wrong. I came to check on you.”

“Oh.” I breathe, slowly lowering back into my chair and glancing at the clock. “At midnight?”

She flashes her gleaming white teeth. “I was on my way home from the bar and saw your light on.” As quickly as she smiled, she switches to a pout. “You’ve had a really rough few weeks.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “It’s been rough without Dad. I’m sorry I haven’t checked in with you more. How are you doing?”

Arabella has been putting on a strong front since the murder, like she always does, but my father raised her from the time she was a child. I know how much pain she must be in. She shrugs, “I’m keeping my head up.”

a few times since the funeral. For the most part she’s kept her distance, but she’s always preferred to grieve alone. It was the same with Flynn. Even so, I have to

“And you know that goes

think you have enough time for that.” I

“Try me,” Arabella offers.

the pack’s derision and put

happening with

sounds strange to my own ears, too devoid of the emotion eating me alive on the inside. “The enforcers know how the murderer got in, they know a male

sits up

not about the time that’s passed since the crime, it’s the time that’s passed since they had

beyond the

odd note in her voice. “He was the

shuffling the papers on my desk. “But hanging onto cold cases too long prevents

Arabella

about the only person

on the armrest of my chair. “You have more support than you think.” Her graceful hands land on my shoulders, massaging my tight muscles. “In fact, if you need help – with

innocent. Before I met Selene, I always planned on making an

to the way they once were after Selene leaves. I shrug off her hands. I don’t want anyone other than my mate. I would rather be

my mother. She’s really having a hard time. Bizarrely, things going so badly for me seem to have given her a little motivation to carry on-like me needing her has provided some of

I said, whatever I can do. And I

I say pointedly, hammering

purrs

Selene’s POV

the second time in as many days, I wake in the middle of the

me from sleep. I scan the room and then check in with my body,

Used

I slide out from the silky sheets

a sight or

.

at the clock. It’s almost 1:00 AM. Bastien must still be in his office working – that or he’s passed out over the keyboard. With a sleepy groan I shove my feet into a pair of slippers and head down the stairs to the main house, hoping Bastien won’t be angry with

said after the festival, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells around him – which isn’t a great way to feel in

near the second floor landing one of the sentries pokes his head

door standing only a few feet away. “Is Bastien still

The sentry answers, “Ms. Winters arrived a little while ago and

momentarily, gradually finding the will to respond, “Thank

going to find only heartbreak. It’s not a surprise exactly, not after the jewelry store, but I never

hear the door click open. I halt immediately, peering around the corner just in time to see Arabella planting a kiss on

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