Selene
“Bastien, put me down!” I exclaim, squirming as he carts me through the pack house in his arms. “I can walk!”
“I know you can walk.” He growls, hitching me closer, “I’m carrying you because I don’t trust you not to run away and do something crazy if I leave you to your own devices.”
This isn’t good. Bastien has barely said a word to me since realizing that I must have intentionally jumped into the pool. Instead he scooped me up and stormed out of Nova Hall, refusing to speak to his mother or anyone else. He charged back over to the pack house so quickly I can scarcely believe he’s still in human form.
Now he’s stomping around in a silent rage, swinging me around like a sack of potatoes while steam billows from his ears.
Bastien charges up the stairs and pushes into the apartment without pausing, and the sounds of Lila’s tears immediately reach my ears. I twist around, trying to find my pup, but Bastien doesn’t let me move from his iron grip.
“Lila?” I call, listening with Bastien’s breath as her wails dissolve to sniffles, and then her tiny voice chirps, “Mommy?”
“I’m here, my love.” I promise, but to my surprise, when she appears in my periphery, I’m not the one she’s running towards.
“Daddy where you go?!” She exclaims sullenly, charging my mate’s legs.
“Im sorry, Lila Bean.” Bastien professes gently, setting my feet on the ground and leaning down to catch her before she collides with his shins. “I’m here now, come here.”
My pup throws her arms around his neck, crying pitifully while he rubs her back and whispers soothing nonsense in her ear.
I’m not entirely sure what to do – this is a first. I’m always the one Lila turns to for comfort, I’ve never had to stand by and watch someone else care for my daughter this way. On one hand I think I should feel upset, but honestly I’m simply touched to know how quickly Lila has bonded to her father.
“Thank you Anna,” I say to Donovan’s sister, knowing that in a few minutes the last thing we’re going to need is an audience. “I appreciate your help this afternoon. What do I owe you?”
After paying Anna and seeing her to the door, I turn to find my husband glaring at me from a few feet away. For one panicked moment I contemplate running out the door behind the babysitter, but then my pup is looking me up and down with confusion. “Mommy, why’re you wet?” Lila asks, crinkling up her tiny nose.
Before I can reply Bastien answers in a low growl, “Because Mommy has been very bad.”
Shooting my husband a furious glance I mouth, don’t tell her that!
He arches a heavy brow, as if to ask if he should lie to her. Before I can react, Lila has another question on her tongue.
“Mommies can be bad?” She inquires with amazement, her two-toned eyes wide.
“Of course,” my mate explains ominously, “anyone can be bad, and today your Mommy decided to try and go for a swim.”
“But Mommy, you can’t swim!” Lila reminds me.
“No, she can’t.” Bastien agrees darkly, looking me up and down. “She’s lucky to be alive.”
I don’t appreciate him saying these things in front of my pup, but I also don’t understand why he’s dragging things out this way. I know how angry he is, it doesn’t make any sense that he brought me back up here without first dealing with the matter at hand.
I know he’s not going to fight with me in front of Lila, so why did he bring me back up here? Why is he dragging this out? Just what is he planning on doing with me?
Bastien
I’m working very hard to stay calm. I’d like to say I brought Selene back to the apartment so quickly out of concern for my pup, but the truth is I needed time to cool down. I knew that seeing Lila would help me reign in my temper, even if my mate is the one responsible for her current upset.
Comforting my daughter put my wolf in a caring mindset, rather than a furious one. It’s a good thing too: if I’d attempted to talk to my mate about her little pool adventure before, I would have completely lost control, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“You can’t leave like dat, Daddy.” Lila scolds me, her little face twisted up into an adorable glower. “If Mommy in twubble, I wanna come.”
“If Mommy is in trouble, the last place I want you to be is anywhere near her.” I answer sternly, squeezing the grumpy bundle in my arms. “It’s very important for you to be a good girl and do what you’re told in those moments. In fact the times when it feels hardest to obey Mommy and Daddy are the ones when it’s most important you do so.”
Lila doesn’t look convinced, so I continue, “I don’t like leaving you anymore than you like being left, but I promise I will always come back.”
Movement flashes in the corner of my eye, and I realize Selene is trying to slink off to our bedroom. “Hold it right there!”
Selene freezes in place, her little body overflowing with guilty energy. If I weren’t so livid I might find it tempting. She’s standing there in a sleek black bikini, her dark hair wet and disheveled, her fair skin flushed with excitement and anxiety. A very pretty picture – if only she hadn’t just risked her beautiful neck diving into a death trap.
“I think you owe Lila an apology.” I announce, prompting my little wolf to wrap her arms self-consciously around her body.
“Bastien, I think we should discuss this in private.” She remarks coolly.
“Believe me, we will.” I promise menacingly, “but first, you owe our daughter an apology.”
Her stunning eyes flash, and for a minute I’m certain she’s going to argue with me, but then her sullen gaze slips from my disapproving glare to Lila’s confused expression, and she softens. Moving forward, she pulls the pup from my arms and cuddles her close, “I’m sorry, angel.”
“Why Mommy?” Lila asks, returning her mother’s affection even though she doesn’t understand it. Her plump arms are wrapped around my mate’s shoulders, her face buried in the curve of her neck.
“Because I wasn’t as careful as I should have been.” Selene murmurs, causing Axel to snarl in protest. Both she-wolves start in surprise, but my wife doesn’t amend her words. She offers me a defiant stare, and my palm begins to itch.
I’m suddenly very glad she sent Anna away, this way we won’t be able to speak until Lila goes to bed this evening. I certainly need the time to calm down, and I’m pleased to know my mate will be forced to stew in apprehension.
By the time night actually falls, Selene is practically twitching with worry, her earlier bravado fading the closer we come to her inevitable reckoning.
After putting Lila to bed, I take Selene by the hand and guide her into our bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and standing her between my legs. “Well little wolf,” I begin gruffly, “what do you have to say for yourself?”
Selene sighs in exasperation, her lovely pink lips parting on my name, “Bastien-“
“And don’t you dare try to excuse your actions.” I caution her.
“Please don’t be mad.” She beseeches, sounding more frustrated than sincere.
“It’s too late for that.” I confess gravely, “but I’ll do my best not to get any angrier.” Just when she’s beginning to look relieved I add, “assuming you don’t give me any reason to.”
Selene squirms restlessly, shifting into her feet and avoiding my gaze. “I needed a way to test my strength without having you as a safety net.”
“Are you telling me that you planned this?” I demand. “You left our daughter with a babysitter and went to intentionally try drowning yourself while I was too far away to reach you?”
“You make it sound a lot worse than it was.” Selene argues. “I brought Odette with me in case anything went wrong, and I knew my powers would save me anyway.”
“No you hoped your powers would save you!” I explode, forcing myself to lower my voice when she flinches. “And you were very nearly wrong! I felt you dying, Selene. Do you have any idea what that was like? How painful it was?”
“I’m sorry.” Selene’s brow knits together in concern, “truly Bastien, I didn’t mean to distress you. But I knew I’d never be able to feel enough fear to trigger my powers if you were with me.”
“What were you thinking?” Keeping my hands braced on her hips, I have to resist the urge to curl my fingers into fists. “You could have been killed – you have a child, Selene. And a mate! This didn’t just effect you!”
“But I wasn’t killed, because I was right! I was right about my powers! They kicked in right when I needed them to and I’m truly sorry it hurt you, but I had to do this.” Selene insists, “For Lila’s sake as well as my own!”
“If you thought it was such a good idea why didn’t you tell me about it?” I inquire bitterly.
“Because you never would have let me do it!” She exclaims.
“Damn straight I wouldn’t!” I retort fiercely, “I’m glad you tapped into your powers, but not at the cost of almost losing you. I mean how are you planning on reaching them again? Do you intend on trying to kill yourself every time you want to practice?”
“Bastien can you please just acknowledge that I made a huge breakthrough, today?” She requests, pressing her palms to my chest.
“Don’t avoid the question, Selene.” I admonish.
“I don’t know what to say,” my mate admits, looking determined. “You promised me it wouldn’t be like last time! You promised you wouldn’t coddle me!”
“Coddle you?” I repeat, an edge of pure steel entering my deep voice. Before she knows what’s happening, I tip her facedown over my lap, raising her round bottom into the air and landing the first of many hard spanks on her rear end. “How’s this for coddling, baby?”
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