Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
She only had a few weeks left in the pregnancy, and Bell had been told to rest more. Her blood pressure was quick to rise, and she had been almost too nauseous to eat the first month. The baby was smaller than expected, and there was concern. But Bell and the baby were closely monitored and expected to have a safe and healthy delivery.
Galen and Bell had been over the moon when they found out about the pregnancy. They had long talked about wanting a second child, but those first couple of years after the war had been difficult.
Galen had struggled for a long time to sort through his feelings, to accept and move on. Though their relationship had remained strong, there were times when even Bell was not privy to the thoughts that haunted him.
But that was all in the past.
Now, they were waiting for their daughter. Their Hannah.
Selene had questioned the choice of name when she came to visit the month before.
“Isn’t that a bit… weird?” Selene asked.
“What?” Bell asked.
“You know…” Selene said, “because that was Galen’s…”
“His mate?” Bell asked with a laugh. “You can say it. It’s not a dirty word or a secret.”
Selene sighed.
“Come on, it really doesn’t bother you that he wants to name your daughter after his mate?” Selene asked.
Bell sighed. She turned to Selene and smiled.
“It wasn’t his idea.”
“What?” Selene questioned with surprise. “You mean, you?”
Bell nodded.
honor the best friend I lost. So, our daughter will be named Hannah to honor the one he lost.”
21:18
“It may seem weird to you,” she said. “But not to me. Hannah was his mate, yes… but he knew her at a time in his life when that wasn’t romantic love. She was his best friend.”
Bell took a deep breath.
“Hannah is important to him, just like Renee was important to me,” she said. “Our son is named Ren to honor the best friend I lost. So, our daughter will be named Hannah to honor the one he lost.”
Selene was quiet momentarily but then turned away as she spoke next.
“Is that the only name you considered?”
Her voice was soft, but Bell heard the emotion in it. She knew what Selene was really asking.
“I did suggest a name that honored Alexander,” Bell replied softly. “But Galen didn’t agree.”
“Why not?” Selene asked, not turning.
“He said you would understand,” Bell said.
Selene looked back with furrowed brows.
“He said that Hannah is gone, but Alexander is lost.”
Selene let out a soft chuckle and nodded.
“And what’s lost… can still be found,” she sighed.
Bell nodded.
They enjoyed a quiet moment together, but then Selene looked at Bell seriously.
“Does it upset you?” she asked.
“What?” Bell asked.
Selene swallowed and looked down at her hands.
“You and Galen,” she said softly. “When you are reborn… Hannah… Roman…”
Bell licked her lips and looked away. Her hand moved over her stomach without intention.
She had thought about it, the idea that if things had been just a little different, she and Galen might never know each other. If Hannah had survived, she and Galen would have been mated, and Bell would have been alone.
It had been a thought that haunted her. One that woke her from a dead sleep from time to time. But Galen was always there to help her see things clearly in those moments.
Bell took a deep breath.
“As far as I am concerned,” she said with a gentle smile. “There is only this life.”
Selene looked up.
“I may be reborn as someone else, but in this life, I’m Bell. And with or without the blessing of an ancient magical bond, Galen is Bell’s one true mate.”
Bell stepped out of the shower with a smile as she remembered the conversation. She pulled on her robe and once more laid her hands on her belly.
“That’s right, little one. Your daddy is my one true mate. No matter what anyone else thinks.”
Bell stepped out of the bathroom, planning to plant a passionate kiss on Galen’s lips as soon as she saw him. But instead, she stopped with concern as she saw the look on his face.
Galen sat at his desk, his face drawn in shock and confusion. He held the phone to his ear but said nothing. Bell hurried to his side.
“Galen, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Alice…” Galen said softly. His voice was shaky and weak. “Alice… what is this?”
His hand waved to the computer as though he expected Alice to see his screen. He stood up from his chair, putting his hand on the desk and leaning on it heavily.
“Tell me what’s going on… please.”
Bell turned to the screen. She saw an email from Fiona. The subject asked for an explanation. The body was just a picture of Alexander and Selene. She almost turned back to Galen when she noticed the scar on Selene’s face. The one she had only gotten two years ago.
725 In All These Years
Selene closed her eyes.
“Hiding?” she whispered against his chest. “Why do you think—“
“Don’t,” Alexander interrupted, nuzzling against the top of her head. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Selene swallowed.
Alexander pulled away and gently hooked his finger beneath her chin, lifting her to look up at him. His silvery gaze fell on her, and Selene took a deep breath.
“It’s clear that you’re trying hard to protect me from something you think is going to hurt me,” he whispered, smiling. “I know you called my mother, so she’s alive. You’ve mentioned Galen without looking away, and I don’t think you could do that if he were gone.”
Selene lowered her gaze. She had wanted to stay inside this room just a little bit longer. In the joy of their reunion, the only ones in the world. But even she knew it was too late for that.
“They are both alive,” she said softly.
Alexander smiled, though he had been pretty sure confirmation was still a relief.
“See?” he said. “Whatever it is you’re holding back… it can’t be that bad.”
Selene chewed her bottom lip and nodded.
Alexander smiled and rubbed his thumb along her jaw.
“Selene… I’ve missed five years of our life together,” He lifted her chin to look into her eyes, his regret worn openly for anyone to see. “There is nothing you could tell me that would be worse than that.”
Selene let out a heavy sigh and licked her lips.
“It’s not death…” she said softly. “It’s not… betrayal exactly. It’s just… time.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means… outside of this room, right now… there is no Alpha Alexander of Summer…” Selene sighed. “He died five years ago, and the world moved on without him.”
She looked away from him.
“Summer, your mother, Galen… they moved on,” she continued. “The world isn’t the same place you left behind when you went into the portal that day. Our packs are not restricted to the territories we grew up in. We are all over the world now.”
Selene pulled away from him, needing to create space between them to say what she needed.
“The monsters that the Dark Queen brought back, they never left. They can spring up anywhere across the world. That is why I have spent so much time in Liam’s pack. Training his wolves, fighting alongside them to keep the numbers down.”
Selene had been one of the first to volunteer when news came in worldwide.
“What happened?” Alexander asked. “Is there another Queen? How are they being controlled?”
“They aren’t,” Selene replied. “About a year after the war, we started getting reports from all over. Monsters had begun to appear in different countries, near packs, near humans, everywhere. They didn’t seem to have a goal outside of claiming territory.
“They behaved just like the ones that had remained after the war. But they were everywhere, and the other packs didn’t know how to handle them. They needed help.”
“You volunteered?” Alexander asked, moving closer to her.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?