Bastien’s POV
A pair of guards flank the entryway to Selene and Lila’s room in the Pack House. Apparently our arrival, combined with the threat of the bounty, was sufficient to cajole my mate into moving in – if only temporarily.
The guards try to block my approach, but quickly quell beneath the force of my scowl, stepping aside so I can knock. Bracing my shoulders for a fight, I rap on the heavy wood, listening to the movement inside with baited breath.
The door swings open, revealing a startled looking Selene. Her hair is up in a messy bun, and her soft blue sundress appears to have been splashed with water. I can smell the remnants of bubble bath and shampoo, and suspect I’ve just missed bath time.
“Bastien.” Selene greets me stiffly, her nervousness clear for all to see. My wolf whines, wanting to comfort his mate, but I hold him off. I don’t want Selene to be afraid of me, but I can’t show her any reprieve – not yet.
Bracing my hands on the doorframe, I loom near, but do not enter the suite. “We need to talk.”
Selene shifts uneasily on her feet. “I’m in the middle of getting Lila to bed.”
I glance over her head, searching the small set of rooms with curiosity. Sure enough, Lila is curled on the couch in a pair of footie pajamas, her hair still damp from her bath. Her eyelids flutter heavily, though she clearly wants to stay up. Every few moments she gives herself a little shake and opens her beautiful eyes wide, stubbornly fighting the drowsiness threatening to pull her under.
My heart swells in my chest, overflowing with warmth and affection for the adorable pup. I thought I would feel differently, now that I know she isn’t mine. I thought I’d been imagining the bond I feel with her, that my delusional mind had constructed some fairytale out of false hope and stupidity.
Looking at her now, I know I imagined nothing. I feel every bit as besotted with the tiny creature as I was the moment I first laid eyes on her. I don’t see Drake or remember Selene’s betrayal. I don’t feel the sting of resentment and jealousy – there is only love. Love for the silly she-wolf fruitlessly attempting to block my view of the apartment, and love for the perfect being she created.
“I can wait.” I inform Selene, striding past her without asking for permission to enter.
A strangled noise sounds in Selene’s throat as she watches me cross the room to the overstuffed sofa. A wide grin stretches across my face when Lila notices my arrival and perks with happiness to see me.
“Bashun!” She exclaims, her excitement fending off sleep just a little while longer.
I hook my hands beneath her outstretched arms, pulling the toddler up and into my embrace, “Well, what have we here?” I grumble playfully, “Can this be the same pup I saw a few hours ago? She’s so clean!”
Lila immediately snuggles against my chest, though her nose crinkles up with indignance. “I’s already clean!” She informs me with a pout, “I didn’t need bath.”
She reminds me so much of Selene I can’t stand it. Even cranky, she’s still so sweet my teeth hurt. “But you smell so good now.” I tease, “So good I could eat you right up!” I nuzzle her shoulder making nom nom nom sounds, and Lila breaks into hysterical giggles, wriggling in my arms.
I can see Selene approaching out of the corner of my eye, still looking uncertain, “There will be no eating any pups tonight.” She announces softly, “It’s bedtime.”
“I wanna story.” Lila declares, looking up at me from beneath her eyelashes.
Selene’s hands reach out to take the child from me, but I turn away before she can make contact. “That can be arranged.” I tell Lila indulgently. “Which room is yours?”
“Dat one,” She answers immediately, pointing behind me.
Without giving Selene a backwards glance, I carry her pup to bed, tucking her in and settling beside her on the small mattress. My mate follows closely, hovering in the doorway and watching us with a mix of disbelief and confusion. Catching her between my crosshairs, I extend my free arm, inviting her to come lie on my other side.
Selene shakes her head defiantly, and I narrow my eyes, emitting a low rumble while Axel howls for his mate. Selene’s body twists and visibly quakes as the sounds move through her, and she wrenches herself away from the door to escape the sensations.
Alone with Lila, I ask, “Does your mommy tell you stories every night?”
She nods sleepily, cuddling into my side, “Mhmm.”
Axel is practically purring with happiness, so content is he to be near Lila. The only thing missing is Selene, and I know part of him is still calling to her wolf, no matter how she fights. “Do you want to hear one of the one’s she tells, or something new?”
Lila thinks for a moment, finally squeaking, “new!”
“Alright.” I smile softly, searching for the right words to begin. “Once upon a time, there was a brave little wolf who was taken prisoner by an evil sorcerer. He was very mean to her, and very bad.” I explain dramatically. “He kept her locked away in a cage with no light and no people to talk to. He gave her potions to make her weak, and told her terrible things so she would not have the heart to fight him.”
“Why?” Lila murmurs with a frown.
I grapple for an answer that doesn’t involve curse words. “Because some people are so unhappy with themselves, that they want to make the rest of the world unhappy too so they aren’t alone.” I finally answer, “but one day the little wolf outsmarted the sorcerer. When he wasn’t looking, she hit him over the head and ran to freedom, where she met a handsome prince who vowed to love her forever.”
Glancing at Lila to make sure she’s still awake, I press on. “Still, the little wolf was very afraid of the prince because of everything the sorcerer did to her. She thought he was like the man who hurt her, and because she remembered all the terrible things the sorcerer told her about the world, she convinced herself the prince didn’t really love her and ran away.”
“She ran away?” Lila repeats with a furrowed brow.
“She did.” I confirm, “and for many years, the prince thought she was lost forever. He barely survived it, and spent all his time dreaming of the past, wishing that his little wolf would find a way to come back somehow.” I trail off for a moment, petting Lila’s hair.
“Why are you sad?” Lila’s small voice startles me from my reverie, and I realize I’ve paused for longer than I intended.
“Because this part of the story is sad.” I explain simply. “The little wolf was so afraid of the prince that they both ended up alone and heartbroken for far too long, and it wasn’t until another sorcerer came along that the prince was finally able to find his love again.”
“Was dis sorcer bad too?” Lila wonders aloud.
“Very bad.” I confirm, “But luckily, though he wanted the little wolf, he didn’t know where to find her. When the prince heard about the sorcerer’s search, he traveled to a far away land and discovered his little wolf’s hiding spot. He was so excited when he found her, he thought everything would be alright – but it turns out the little wolf had a secret.”
“Secrets not good.” Lila interjects sagely
“Most secrets aren’t.” I agree, “But sometimes – when secrets are to protect someone – they’re okay. The little wolf kept her secret to protect something very precious indeed – a baby.” The pup beneath my arm turns her face up to me, listening intently now. “Now, at first the prince was very upset. He wanted the baby to be his, but she wasn’t.”
A tiny hand clutches at my own, and Lila squeezes my fingers in sympathy as she watches the emotions flit across my face. “The prince never learned to share, and it was very hard for him to understand why his little wolf ran, or accept that her child belonged to another. However the more time he spent with them, the more he realized that none of that mattered.”
“Secrets and fear are very powerful things,” I explain, “but love is stronger. It is stronger than loneliness or heartbreak, it is stronger than all the evil sorcerers in the world. And sometimes happiness isn’t about everything going right or the way you expected. Sometimes it’s simply about choosing love over all those other things.”
“So what happened?” Lila whispers, her eyes closed and her body going just a little bit more limp with every moment that passes.
“They chose love… and when the sorcerer saw the strength of their love, he knew he was defeated.” Lila’s breath is slow and even now, and as I untangle myself from the bed and her small limbs, I lower her head to the pillow. “The sorcerer went away, and the little wolf, her baby and the prince, all lived happily ever after.”
Lila is smiling in her sleep, and I find it nearly impossible to take my eyes off of her. I could watch her sleep for hours and never get bored.
My mind had already been made up when I arrived at the Pack House this evening, but even this brief time with the pup has convinced me I’m doing the right thing. My mother is correct as usual, the test results haven’t done a damn thing to alter the bond I feel with Lila.
Blood doesn’t make a parent, and I don’t care that Lila doesn’t share my DNA.
She is still mine.
They both are.
