Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
She had fallen asleep before the last movie ended, still holding a pickle in her hand. Galen let out a silent chuckle when he noticed.
The soft hum of his phone buzzing drew his attention. He quickly silenced it, Bell didn’t seem to notice.
With the utmost care, he lifted her head off his lap and turned her so she could cuddle the body pillow that lay beside her. She made soft sounds of protest, but after he kissed her shoulder, she settled down.
Galen smiled as he looked down at his sleeping wife.
Then he quietly left the bedroom, phone in hand.
***
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming,” Axel said, stepping out from beneath a tree as Galen approached.
“I didn’t want to wake her,” Galen replied.
Axel nodded.
“So, what is it you wanted to ask me?”
Galen took a deep breath and then looked Axel in the eye.
“Is she alright?” he asked.
Axel didn’t respond immediately. He took a breath and looked up at the moon before deciding what to say. He looked back at Galen, considering him.
“I’m not asking you to betray her confidence,” Galen said. He sighed his frustration. “I’m not even going to ask what the problem is. I just need to know that she’s alright.”
“For now,” Axel sighed.
Galen nodded.
“How’d you know?” Axel asked.
“Because she’s acting different, affectionate but careful,” Galen sighed. Leaning back against the tree Axel had been under. “She’s holding herself back from relaxing around me.”
Axel nodded. Knowing Bell, she was afraid to let go, thinking it would make her tell Galen the truth about Roman and her fears. He sighed, wishing that Bell would just trust her husband.
“She’s staying at your house, isn’t she?” Galen asked.
“It was the safest option,” Axel nodded. “Between my parents and I, there is almost always someone that can be there for her.”
Galen took another deep breath and leaned his head back against the tree.
Axel could see the pain he was feeling.
“You should tell her, you know,” Axel said.
“I can’t,” Galen sighed.
“Why not?”
“So much of her life has been based on someone else’s choices for her,” he said. “I want to give her a life of her own choosing. I waited to pursue her until she chose me, I waited to marry her, until she chose me.”
Galen paused, taking another deep breath.
“If she’s not ready to tell me what’s wrong, I won’t force her.”
Axel listened. He understood. He longed to protect Alice, to rush into Autumn or Spring or wherever the hell she was at and free her from the rabbit hole she was trapped in. To bring her back home with him and spend their lives together.
But Alice had a different plan, and as much as Axel hated the idea of her among the people that caused so much pain to her and everyone else he knew, he trusted that she knew better than he did in this situation, because the sad reality was, this had been her situation for most of her life.
Axel looked at Galen and he felt his pain, his struggle, his desire to protect the one he loved.
But there was one big difference between Alice and Bell.
Alice was planning; she was working her way out of the danger. Bell was hiding from it.
“She chose you,” Axel began. “That means she chose all of you. Not just the man that makes her smile or gives her freedom. But the one that loves her, that wants to protect her, that can see through her bullshit.
Galen looked at Axel.
“She already knows that if she wants me here, all she has to do is ask.”
Axel sighed.
“There are times when what we need from the person we love is space and the freedom to solve our own problems in our own way,” he said. “But there are also times when we need that person to remind us that we don’t always know what is best for ourselves. And that we are not alone anymore.”
Axel turned to leave.
“Axel…” Galen called.
“Yea?”
“Thank you,” Galen said softly.
“Bell loves you. You make her happy. And, you’re a good guy,” Axel smiled. “Whether she means to or not, Bell will do everything she can to push you away and build a wall between you. But, I’ll do what I can to help you hop over it.”
Galen laughed and nodded. But then a pang of guilt crept into her mind.
“You should know….” Galen began. “I…Uhm… I almost…”
“You… almost killed my sister?” Axel asked.
Galen looked up with wide eyes and swallowed.
“Yea… I heard.”
Axel crossed his arms and observed Galen.
“I have no excuse, Alpha Axel,” Galen said, bowing his head.
“You have a pretty good one, actually,” Axel said. “From what she said, Selene was close to killing Luna Fiona. And from what Bell tells me, she’s practically your mom.”
“Selene told you?” Galen asked with surprise. He assumed it would have been Fiona or Corrine.
“As soon as she heard you were visiting,” Axel replied. “She didn’t want me to hear it from mom or you and misunderstand. She wanted to make sure I understood that she was in the wrong.”
Galeb looked away.
“Maybe, but I never should have–”
“You’re right,” Axel said, stepping toward Galen. “You shouldn’t have.”
Axel stared at Galen with such intensity that Galen licked his lips nervously.
“I don’t like that my sister was threatened, Galen. But if I blame you for threatening her with a knife, what would I need to do to Saul? He almost broke her back a few years ago when they were sparring because Selene refused to tap out.”
Galen stared at Axel with confusion.
“You didn’t kill her, Galen,” he continued. “You didn’t even hurt her. So I have no reason to be upset with you about this.”
Axel could see that Galen still didn’t understand, he was still waiting to be punished for a perceived crime he had committed.
“Galen, there is an actual war that’s coming. A full-scale all-out war between the packs, with a potential fae element involved. You are a strong soldier of a pack I am allied with. I’m not risking what you bring to the battle over nothing.”
Galen nodded. “I understand.”
“Good,” Axel said. “I’ll be going now.”
Galen nodded, and Axel turned to leave. Then he turned back with a smile.
“There is one thing, though,” Axel said.
“What?” Galen asked.
“You better tell Bell about it before Selene does,” Axel smiled.
When Galen returned to their room, he carefully crawled back into bed. Bell once more let out soft sounds of protest at the movement behind her. He wrapped his arm at her waist, bringing his hand to rest on her slightly swollen belly. He smiled to himself thinking of the child growing within her.
Galen gasped as he felt a gentle thump against his hand.
“He wants to know where his daddy went to in the middle of the night,” Bell said in a sleepy but playful voice. She turned to face him. She smiled and lay her head on his chest. “Mommy wants to know too.”
Galen sighed and kissed her head.
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” he whispered. “For now, let’s just get some rest.”
Bell nodded and curled herself into him as he held her close. They both drifted away into a peaceful sleep.
***
“So I know you guys are trained in a lot of different things… but… Are you really her doctor? Because I could swear the person I saw before was a woman,” Galen questioned.
Peter sighed and continued to set up the ultrasound equipment.
“Well, I tried to get my appointment switched back, but Gail had already filled the appointment slot. Peter was kind enough to offer to at least run an ultrasound for us,” Bell said cheerfully with a big smile.
“Oh… oh is that what Peter was kind enough to do?” Peter asked with an irritated smile. He turned to Galen and smiled. “Why don’t you ask your wife about why Peter, who is supposed to be taking a much-needed day off, is now covering an entire shift for Gail and her nurse.”
Peter raised his eyebrow and pursed his lips at Bell, who gave him a glare in return.
“How was I supposed to know that she was allergic to flowers?” Bell replied, showing her own signs of irritation. “I just wanted to send her something nice since she agreed to give me an ultrasound.”
“I wasn’t talking about Gail…” Peter growled back. “I meant Abby, her nurse, who I convinced to come in early and do this for you, but instead she is having her broken nose treated.”
“Wait, what?” Galen interjected, looking back and forth between Bell and Peter, each glaring at the other.
“She took my pickle, Peter,” Bell growled. “You don’t take a pregnant wolf’s pickle. You just don’t.”
“She moved your plate because it was on the printer,” Peter corrected.
“And my pickle was on that plate.”
“So, you broke her nose? You literally just had to reach over and grab the pickle, Bell. Like she didn’t even touch it….”
Bell growled.
“I really don’t understand what is happening… right now…” Galen said. Turning to Bell. “You broke someone’s nose? When?”
“This morning,” she replied looking at the floor. “I came by early to make sure everything was still good for our appointment. Then things kind of got… out of control.”
“Hormones,” Peter sighed and rolled his eyes. “This is why I deal with the trauma and emergencies, not the babies and mommies.”
“Shut up and do the ultrasound!” Bell growled.
“I’m doing you a favor,” Peter growled softly.
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?