Flynn, Aiden and Bastien raced through the forest beneath the full moon, playing like pups much younger than they were. They wrestled and joked until they caught the scent of a huge stag, his powerful musk combining with large, deep tracks in the mud.
The hunt was on in an instant. The wolves fell in line without a single word, giving way to the natural patterns of the chase and fulfilling the roles they’d been developing since childhood. Their instincts were irrepressible, demanding they pursue their target the moment it caught sight of them and took flight.
Darting through the trees after their prey, they herded it toward the river, circling it on all sides. Together Aiden and Flynn drove the buck towards their future Alpha, who lay in wait just beyond the shoreline. The beast reared up when he saw the massive shifter, grunting and kicking his hooves while his eyes went wild. With the other wolves still at his back, he lowered his antlers and prepared to charge.
Bastien braced himself for the assault, licking his fangs in anticipation for the kill. However, just as the stag began to move, a small gray wolf leapt in front of Bastine. Hey! What are you guys doing?
Panic fracturing his bloodlust, Bastien ran forward and snatched Arabella out of the way just in time. His teeth caught the scruff of her neck and he lifted her from the ground, sprinting away from the buck and letting it crash forward into the river. As Bastien dropped the wriggling pup at his feet, the buck fled to freedom, the scent of his fear fading on the wind even as Arabella’s indignant whines rose in Bastien’s ears. Let me go!
Arabella! Flynn rushed forward, frantically looking over the small female, Are you all right? What were you thinking? What are you doing here?
You guys left without me. Arabella complained, pouting pitifully.
Of course we did! Flynn exclaimed. You shouldn’t be out this late at all, let alone out here with us. You could have been killed!
You never let me have any fun! The little girl groused, it isn’t fair.
You should be less concerned with what’s fair and more concerned with staying alive. Bastien chimed in, his Alpha instincts demanding he do his part to admonish his surrogate sister.
I was fine. Arabella insisted stubbornly.
You jumped in front of a charging stag! Bastien growled, it would have gutted you like a fish.
Hey! Flynn objected, shooting his oldest friend an exasperated look, dude she’s just a kid.
She wants to be grown up, she can get spoken to like an adult. Bastien argued.
He has a point. Aiden agreed. What you did was very dangerous Arabella.
Well if you want me to be safe, next time you ought to include me. The girl argued.
All three young men exchanged the same beleaguered glance, their thoughts one in the same at that moment. Good grief.
A little while later, once they were safely back in the Pack House and Arabella was sound asleep in bed, Bastien found his friend sitting out on the sprawling rooftop of the modern abode. He climbed out the trap door and strode out onto the flat surface, taking a seat next to his future Beta and patting his shoulder in comfort.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.” The shifter sighed, sounding much older than his 16 years. “It’s like she gets wilder and wilder with every day that passes.”
“She’s just a kid.” Bastien reasoned. “It’s normal.”
Flynn shaked his head. “I don’t know how to do this.” It had been almost two years since their parents had died and Gabriel took them under his wing, but the young Beta knew the true responsibility for raising his sister rested on his shoulders. They were the only family each other had left, no matter how completely Bastien felt like his brother. “I can’t take care of her the way Mom and Dad would have. She’s so out of control, and I don’t have the first clue how to make things right for her.”
“You don’t have to do it alone. We’ll do it together.” Bastien vowed, squeezing his friend’s shoulder. He might be a mere teenager, but his Alpha traits were already so strong it was impossible to contain them. “My parents will help, but you and I will make sure she has the affection and guidance she deserves. We’ll give her everything she needs to succeed in life, we’ll keep her safe and teach her everything she needs to know.”
“What if it’s not enough?” Flynn wondered, displaying a rare moment of vulnerability.
“That girl is going to have a whole village looking out for her, and more big brothers than she could want or need. “ Bastien promised. “You’ll see. All will be fine.”
As Bastien’s clouded thoughts left the past in favor of the present, he gazed at the young she-wolf whom he’d sworn to protect all those years ago. Within months Flynn was as much a ghost as his parents, and all of his responsibility fell to his friend. It was a burden Bastien took very seriously, and one he could never imagine forsaking.
How was it possible that another woman could have stolen his attention, distracted him from his duties so completely that he’d abandoned the most important commitment of his life? Had she tricked him as Arabella suggested, or was it something else?
It was true that Arabella had grown into a lovely woman and though her disposition had grown far gentler as the years passed, she had never been one for intellectual pursuits, hard work or adventure. She was pretty, well-dressed, agreeable and little else. She also had a spoiled streak that came out at the worst of times.
In comparison his wife was both a mystery and a conundrum. One newspaper article, an old obituary and a few sneakily captured photos on the internet was all he’d been able to find of the woman. The photos told him she was drop-dead gorgeous, and the obituary he himself penned described a wolf of incredible sweetness, intelligence and strength. Arabella shared that Selene’s own paranoia prevented anything else from being published about her, but she also couldn’t seem to tell him how they’d met or what Selene’s history was prior to their marriage.
Was it possible that attraction alone could have undermined his mission to care for Arabella? He couldn’t believe he would abandon her for anything less than a fated mate, and the obituary did describe her thus. Arabella insisted it was all a spell Selene placed on him, but what if she was wrong? He was painfully aware that Arabella was not his mate. Could it not be true that Selene was his mate, as well as a conniving she-devil? After all, fated mates did not always get along; their feuds and competitions could be even more intense and violent than those of life long enemies. It was a very rare occurrence, but not unheard of.
One way or another, he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman back in Elysium, the one he had no memory of meeting, but who had apparently robbed him of all morals and peace of mind. Bastien had to find a way to make things right. He had to honor his vow to Flynn, he had to deal with Selene and Frederick, he had to save his pack – and he couldn’t do it alone.
Allies were few and far between, especially since he’d learned that Selene was as tightly bound with Drake Cavanaugh as she was his cousin. Bastien wanted to reach out to Aiden and Donavon, but Arabella had convinced him it was best for Selene to think her assassination had been successful for the time being. It was quite logical given how tenuous his current situation was, but it still grated at his nerves to be so seemingly helpless.
“What are you thinking about?” Arabella asked, striding over to him with a soft smile.
“I was thinking about Flynn.” He admits, “The night you followed us out hunting and almost got trampled by that stag.”
Arabella frowns, “I remember that night, you were all terribly mean to me.”
Assuming she’s joking, he offers her a wide grin and replies, “You were asking for it.”
She sniffs, “How can you say that? All I ever wanted was to spend time with you and Flynn and you were horrible to me in return.”
“You were our responsibility.” Bastien reminds her, sobering when he realizes how serious she is. “We wanted you to be safe.”
“You mean I was your burden.” She complains, her eyes shining with tears, “that’s all I’ve ever been to you.”
“Don’t say that!” He forbade, taking hold of her upper arms, “you’ve never been a burden.”
“You don’t have to lie.” She hiccups.
Pulling her into a hug, Bastien winced when her curves pressed up against him. He knew he planned on marrying her, but no amount of time seems capable of making him see her as anything other than a sister. “It’s not a lie. But listen, I need your help with something.” He confessed, changing the subject before things could get too emotional.
“Anything!” She agrees, squeezing me tightly.
“I want to set a meeting with Blaise.”
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