Page 109 of Second Chance Mates

I’ve never seen someone retreat so quickly, but he scowls under his dark lashes. I couldn’t give a crap what he thinks. This isn’t any way to treat someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.

“Here,” I say, poking my hands into the cell doors and cracking the lid of the water. “You must be so thirsty.”

He pushes himself up from the floor on wobbly legs. I break at the sight of him. Once he takes the bottle, he downs it so quickly that most of it splashes over his face. “T-thank you,” he rasps.

“I’m sorry they kept you like this, Evan,” I say as gently as possible. I reach for the bag of food and pass it to him. He sinks his teeth into a sandwich like he’s never seen food before. “I told Jaxon to get you out.”

He chews for a moment before swallowing. The darkness under his lashes make his bloodshot eyes stand out. “It’s okay. I’ve been waiting for my execution.”

“I’m not going to let them hurt you.” I shake my head. “You should not be in here.”

Evan shrugs and continues to eat the sandwich slowly. “I won’t have anywhere else to go. It’s probably best if they put me out of my misery.”

“Don’t say that,” I whisper. “We’ll work something out.”

He scoffs. “The Alpha hates me.”

“Well, we’ll–”

“Ava!”

My name is shouted at the top of Jaxon’s lungs as he rushes down the stairs to the dungeon. I glance over my shoulder when he bellows my name again. His footsteps echo through the emptiness of the space, and then he steps into view, his face struck with worry until he locates me.

“What are you doing down here by yourself?”

“What the hell is this, Jaxon?” I point towards Evan. “They didn’t even give him water or food; they left it outside of his cell so he couldn’t reach it.”

His forehead creases. “You should not be here, Ava.”

I pull back from him slightly. “You’ve left him down here for what reason? I told you not to hurt him. He doesn’t deserve this. He let me go. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead.”

Jaxon flinches from my declaration. The word clearly triggers something in his brain. “You put yourself in danger.”

“The guards are here.” I gesture to them down the hall. “We can trust Evan. He’s safe. If you don’t believe me, ask Lucy to look into his past. She’ll show you exactly what happened when he let me go.”

“We can’t trust him regardless,” he grunts.

My eyes begin to sting. “We haven’t even given him a chance. Jaxon, please. I am literally begging you.”

He breathes through his nose heavily, and for a moment, I think he’s about to shake his head without any negotiation. But when his dark gaze flicks to mine, something in them simmers. “Fine.”

Soon, Lucy joins us and holds out her arms. “What the hell, Ava? You disappeared. I couldn’t find you.”

“I was down here,” I murmur.

“I see that now. Why am I here? It stinks,” she says before pinching her nostrils together and wafting a hand.

Jaxon turns to her. “We need you to look into Evan’s past. I want you to tell me what happened when he let Ava go. If he’s hiding anything.”

She sucks in a breath and narrows her eyes at him. “Ugh, you owe me for this.”

“I know,” he grunts.

Lucy approaches Evan, who’s silently watching this entire encounter. “Hi,” she greets him politely. His body trembles as she steps closer. “Hold out your hands.”

He moves his fingers towards her, and despite how dirty and pale they look, she latches onto them and closes her eyes.

Evan whimpers, his eyelashes twitching. Lucy holds her focus and doesn’t move an inch. Jax’s warm presence alerts me, but I won’t rest until he grants Evan freedom. I stand like stone, watching the silent encounter—it might sound stupid, but I trust him with my whole heart.

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