Page 18 of Second Chance Mates

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She nods, but we both know it’s far from the truth.

“Lucy is a healer. She healed the burns on your back.”

She gnaws at her lip, clenching her fingers together tightly.

“Hey,” I whisper to catch her attention. I resist the urge to lean over and take her hand. As much as I am in desperate need to, it’s not about what I want. “When you need some support, talk to me. Or Lucy. Or Gemma. Please. None of us want you going through it alone.”

Her wobbly hand presses to her head, eyes closing. “I’m not meant to be here,” she whispers.

“What do you mean?”

“I belong in the human world.” She cups her hand over her mouth. “Not this fantasy world. I know who you are, and I’m not like you. I’m not from here. I want to go home. Please, let me go home.”

My heart cracks like a porcelain doll. Her soft cries make my wolf claw my insides. He wants to tell her she is home—right by our side.

“Where is your home, Ava?”

This halts her crying. She sniffles and raises her head. Those pale lips open, but she doesn’t say a word. Her eyes close as she tries to concentrate. “I-I don’t know,” she whimpers. “Why can’t I remember?”

The haunting edge to her voice makes me want to wrap her up in my arms again and rock her until she knows she’s going to be okay. But I don’t. We’re far from that kind of affection.

Ava’s arms gather in goosebumps as she whips her head around the room. “Was someone else here?”

“What?”

“Who else has been here?”

My brows crease at her words. “Lucy and Kayden were here earlier.”

“Kayden?”

“Yes, he’s my Beta.”

“Y-your Beta?”

“Yes.” There is a slight hitch in her breathing, and I lean forward. “What’s the matter?”

She shakes her head, avoiding eye contact. She shifts back into the shell she protects herself with. “Do you want to get some dinner?” I offer, changing the subject. “I bet you’re super hungry. Lucy will be downstairs.”

Those tears on her cheeks begin to dry, and she holds my stare. “I don’t have an appetite,” she admits.

“Well, what if you pick at some of the food?” I suggest.

She follows me with her eyes. “I can’t go down there.”

“Okay. Then I’ll bring it up. Hmm?”

Ava doesn’t nod; she just stares.

“Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll be back with something to eat?”

She doesn’t protest, and I give her a gentle smile before leaving.

8

JAXON

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