The Lycan Kingpin's Captive: A Baby For The Beast novel Chapter 40

Two days and nothing.

I have been pacing this room so much, I am certain there are trenches under my feet. Bastien leaves early in the morning and comes home late at night so I’m not even able to speak with him about his brother.

I’ve felt nothing through Nikolaos’ mark, either. No heightened senses, no fear, no anger - just dead calm. Should I be worried about it? No, I suppose not…Nikolaos is not just an Alpha, he’s a literal weapon.

Sighing, I walk downstairs to grab myself something to eat, when I see Bastien pacing his foyer with a cell phone to his ear.

“No, for fuck sake. This needs to be perfect, we have important people arriving today!” he exclaims and I take a step back with a hand to my chest. “Do your fucking jobs or I swear to Goddess, I am ripping out your lungs and force-feeding them to you!”

Oh, that’s new.

He pockets his cell phone, rakes his fingers through his hair, and gives a frustrated growl before he spins around and eventually sees me. His eyes widen slightly and I chuckle, waving him off.

“I’ve heard worse threats coming out of Niko,” I say and take a tentative step toward him. “Is this about your auction?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he lets out a sigh and nods. “It’s my fifth annual auction and my biggest yet. Nothing can go wrong and yet everything has,” he says, then looks up at me with a plastered smile. “Come, join me for lunch; it feels like I haven’t spoken to you once.”

He hasn’t, but I’m not about to say that.

We walk into a lunch spread in his dining room area and my stomach grumbles from all the different aromas hitting me. I’ve been eating more than usual, and it definitely has something to do with both Star and Ares.

“Oh, boy, looks like my nephew has spoken,” he says with a chuckle as we take our seats.

My face goes blood red, but I nod anyway because yes, I have been craving all the food in the world. It’s like my stomach is nothing but a bottomless pit.

“How far along are you now, if I may ask?”

“Almost eight months now, close to the end,” I say as I rub my belly. Ares’ voice echoes in my head and I smile, knowing I also cannot wait to meet my boy.

After dishing myself some pasta, we sit down and I feel Bastien’s eyes on me. When I glance up, there’s an odd look on his face but a ghost of a smile teases his lips. “You remind me of my Isla,” he suddenly says and I nearly drop my fork.

Isla was his mate and wife and from what Nikolaos has told me, Mikhail’s father horribly murdered her.

“Your Isla?” I ask, not sure if I should tell him that I know about his dead mate.

He nods. “My late wife and mate; you remind me so much of her. Gentle, soft-spoken, timid - but I’m sure if push comes to shove, you’d protect those you love, wouldn’t you?”

“With my life,” I say without thinking, and he chuckles lightly.

“Just like she did,” he says as a pained look flits across his eyes. “Anyway, I have been meaning to thank you.”

My fork is halfway to my mouth when he says this and I stop. “Thank me?” I ask.

“Yes, thank you,” he says with that same wistful smile. “Thank you for loving Nikolaos and accepting him, even if he thinks he’s ruined goods. Thank you for giving my little brother a reason to wake up in the morning and breathing life into him once more.”

My heart is full as he says these words, and I can do nothing but nod stupidly. A broad smile slips only my lips and my cheeks redden considerably - this is the biggest compliment I have ever received.

“I love him with all I have and will continue to do so until he loves himself,” I declare, and my thoughts go back to our last night together.

My Nikolaos is still a scared little boy, desperate for love and broken down by those who should have protected him. But that won’t stop me from loving him or treating him differently just because he has trauma. I’m certain he wouldn’t want me to tiptoe around him either, so I won’t.

Unless I’m close to his hard limits, then I’ll stop.

Bastien’s small smile now widens and he actually chuckles. “Ah, I will leave that to you then-” he starts but is suddenly interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He sighs and pulls out his cell phone, then he shoots me an apologetic look and walks out of the dining area to shout at his staff.

I don’t wait for him to return since he is a busy man. I simply finish my lunch and head back up to the guest room. There’s always exhaustion after eating, and I let my weary body take me away from my worries and back to my dreams where my Alpha is with me.