Pregnant and Rejected by My Alpha Mate

Chapter 44 Escape

Selene’s POV

At first I hadn’t realized what Drake was doing when he joined my rebuttal about the status of my

marriage, but as soon as Bastien turned away from me, I understood. If there’s one sure-fire way to

distract an Alpha, it’s to provoke their possessive instincts regarding their mate, and my friend’s

willingness to enrage a bigger, stronger wolf gave me time to slip away.

By the time I get to the apartment I’ve changed routes and laid so many false trails I’m actually a bit

afraid the Nova wolves might have beaten me home, but I’m counting on Drake to safeguard my location

and force Bastien and his men to track me the old fashioned way.

I push into the apartment with a sigh of relief, dropping my keys on the table by the door and kneeling to

intercept the tiny bundle of love already rushing my legs. I scoop up my giggling daughter, my heart

swelling with happiness despite the urgency of our situation. I’ll never get used to the rush of joy I feel

every time I return home after being parted from her, as if it’s been years and not hours since last

cuddled her.

“Hello my sweet pup.” I croon, breathing in her perfect scent as I drop a few kisses to her hair.,1 missed

you. Did you have fun with Mrs. Brooks?”

The babysitter stands on cue, tidying up the kitchen table and smiling over at me. “She was a doll.” The

elder woman reports, gathering her bag. “Same time tomorrow?”

“No actually.” I correct, “I’ve decided to take the weekend off, but I’ll call you about next week.” I promise.

As soon as the door closes behind her, I look into the miniature mirror-image in my arms. Lila really is my

carbon copy, in all ways but one: She has my hair and eyes, my skin and bone structure, my voice – but

her expressions and mannerisms are all Bastien’s. I m not sure how it happened, after all, aren’t those

traits learned rather than inherited?

Apparently not, because though my own features are gazing up at me, they’re wearing Bastien’s smile. It

strikes me today more than ever. I still can’t believe he’s here, and I can’t believe how viciously Luna has

been fighting me to be near him. Even now, holding the most important thing in my world, she complains.

I want to go back, she whines, I miss him.

You don’t know him well enough to miss him. I snipe internally, I do and I promise, you don’t

Liar.

stride into the nursery, setting Lila down and beginning to throw clothes and toys into a bag while she

tells me about her day in half-formed entences and misshapen words. As much as I usually adore this

part of the day, right now I don’t have an inch of brain space to focus on tales of coloring, puzzles and

petting zoos.

I have to figure out my next steps. I know we have to get out of the house, but I don’t have the first idea

where to go. My immediate concern is Bastien, but there’s also the Calypsos to worry about. What are

we going to do? What are we going to do? The words play over and over in my head.

Go back to Bastien. Luna offers unhelpfully. Our mate will protect us.

Our “mate” didn’t want me at my worst, he doesn’t get to have me at my best. I argue.

My phone pings, and I scramble to open the screen, certain Drake is texting me with a warning about the

Novans imminent arrival. Instead I find instructions of a different kind.

Get out of Asphodel.

A car and driver will be waiting at the first land crossing out of the Lethe Lagoon. Take the car, leave the

driver.

The GPS has been pre-programmed with an address known only by me, follow the directions and drive

to the intended location. A secure safe house has been prepared for your arrival The residence is

equipped with one month’s worth of supplies.

Do not leave until the “all clear” has been given.

Further instructions will arrive as events develop

be sale

Mommy,” A little voice sounds to my right, “Are listen?”

“I’m sorry angel, Mommy was distracted.” | confess with a gentle smile, “I’ll tell you what. If you can play

by yourself for a few minutes, then we can go for a car ride, and you can tell me absolutely everything

about your day”

“Car ride?!” She squeaks excitedly, her blue and violet eyes wide and excited Cars are such a rarity in

Asphodel that even a short trip out of the marsh can be truly thrilling

“That’s right” | grin, “in fact, we might be in the car for a very long time.”

Bastien’s POV

By the time I track down Selene’s apartment, they’re already long gone.

After my mate snuck out of the Pack House and left me squabbling with her new – well, whatever Drake

is to her, my Betas’ reminder about the full extent of the tip we received threw me through a loop. I’d

been so stunned to learn Selene was alive that everything that’s happened in recent months flew out of

my head. Even after I remembered the reason we came to Asphodel, my thoughts were too scattered to

recall everything.

Axel had immediately started vying to chase after Selene, but all I had time to do was send out a mental

command to one of my sentries with orders to track her. I turned on Cavanaugh then, “I thought you said

Selene was the only Volana in the territory?”

“I did.” He confirmed curtly

“Then there isn’t a Volana child in Asphodel?” Aiden clarified.

“Listen, I don’t know what all your tip comprised, but you said yourself that there have been a great many

false sightings or mistaken reports.” He shrugged, “For all we know the tipster saw Selene standing next

to a kid in a shop and assumed it was hers.”

It does not escape me that he has not truly answered the question, “Why did Selene run out of here the

way she did?”

“You’ll have to ask her that.” He smirks, “If you can find her.”

In the end it took my sentries three hours to find Selene’s home. In the three years since we parted, my

little wolf has learned a thing or two about evasive maneuvers, and I can’t deny part of me is proud of

how difficult it was to track her

We found the cafe first, where I lingered to stare at the photo of the venue’s grand opening Selene stood

beaming next to the Alpha and his family, appearing almost exactly as she had when I saw her last.

Other photos surrounded the first of notable visitors. special events and staff birthdays. The changes in

my mole became more visible with every new snapshot, as she transformed from haunted halfling to

confident she wolf

My men soured the space while I gazed dumbly at my beautiful, lost little wolf, wondering why she never

talked about openinga cafe, or even working in Elysium. After it became clear she had not been to work

in hours, we continued down the road to a modest apartment building covered in her scent.

We were on the stairs the first time I caught a whiff of a new aroma like Selene, but decidedly not. The

same delicate blend of snow ard flowers, muddled with balsam and ash. Axel perked up at the first trace,

What is that?

I think you mean, who is that.

We have to find it He urges. It feels important

By the time we entered the apartment, the second scent had risen to equal the strength of my mates, as

deeply ingrained in the home as she is

Clearing the rooms one by one, we confirmed what was already obvious, Selene is not here. I moved

through her cozy home even more slowly than I explored her cafe, taking in every sight, every detail. Her

life here is so different than our life was in Elysium I’m beginning to think I was an even worse husband

than I knew. Was this what she always wanted, and I just never saw? Never listened?

Brel has been whining from the moment we stepped inside, from the moment I realized to whom the

second scent must belong it Ś WXpus a child lives here Even if it were not for the toys and sippy cups

scattered through the home, the photos reveal all Selene,

1789g with sweat and exuding pure bliss as she cradles a newborn in the hospital, a baby with two

different colored eyes, Chen with thay care and a blown out candle in the shape of a one, my beloved

mate cuddled up with a toddler at yuletide, (W

a r there could be no doubting they were mother and daughter

me from down a long hallway, and I follow the sound until I’standing beside him in the doorway of

a nursery, complete with a mural of the full moon over Elysium.

I turn to Drake Cavanaugh, consumed by a riot of emotions too numerous to settle on just one. “No

Volana children in Asphodel, huh?”