Page 40 of Second Chance Mates

He nods. “We got lucky. I have no idea how. But we’ve caused no issues in the last few years. We’ve helped out in the district where we can and have created good allies. I feared becoming an Alpha because I didn’t know if I could do a good job of leading after moving from our home. I thought no one would trust us, and I didn’t even know if I trusted myself to get us through that mess.”

“And each of these districts…” I trail off. “They’re big?”

“Huge,” he clarifies. “We’re talking over a hundred thousand people.”

My mouth falls open. “And you know everyone in the district?”

“No. There’s no way we’d be able to know everyone, but I try.”

“Oh–” I pause, wondering if I’m asking too many questions. A few more can’t hurt, hopefully. He seems to absentmindedly nod at me, so I carry on. “Did it take you a long time to settle into becoming Alpha?”

“Yes,” he says without hesitation. “It was hard. It took a good couple of years before I had a grasp on things. I didn’t know how I was going to live up to my father. Everyone adored him. I was thrown into it and felt extremely out of my depth. But I had to push through. I had an entire pack behind me, and I refused to let them down. I was definitely a little too rough on them at the start, and I’m still finding my feet today. It’s a continuous journey.”

I frown softly. “Do you still struggle?”

“Yes,” he admits easily. “Every day is a new learning curve. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying my best. I owe my pack a lot after their patience with me. The Goddess knows that I probably don’t deserve it.”

“I’m sure you do amazing.” I smile at him. “So, what about the disease?”

The water around him ripples as he swipes a hand through his hair. “The disease came from a cursed territory. It started infecting rogues, and then it spread to districts, and it took years for it to stop. But then it became eradicated, thank the Goddess.”

“Is that what happened to Julia?”

Jaxon’s eyes flare with sadness, and I sink into the stones beneath my feet. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my place to probe him when he hasn’t done the same to me.

“I’m sorry.” I scrunch up my face in frustration for myself. “I shouldn’t have brought her up.”

“Is what, what happened?”

I stare into his eyes, and his expression twists to a look of pain. My mouth opens, and I shut it again, rethinking my wording before I say something out of touch. “You said she was murdered; was it by them?”

His lashes brush his cheekbone as he looks down. “No,” he whispers. “It was by rogues on our land. They caught us off-guard. I lost sense of everything, and I wasn’t thinking logically. At first, I questioned if it was revenge, but there was no evidence to prove it.”

“I’m sorry,” I say gently. “I can’t imagine how much you miss her.”

He flashes me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I do. But I have a family I need to be there for, a pack to run, and now, you’re a priority to me.”

My heart beats out of time at his declaration. “You care about them a lot.”

“I care about you, too, Ava.”

An influx of heat spreads across my sternum as Jaxon’s gaze moves over my face slowly, taking in every little detail. I release a breath that is clutching my chest. His entire expression softens. Even though we’re not touching, I can feel the bond.

How?

“I want to try something, but I don’t want to freak you out,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

Jaxon closes his eyes and takes down a large gulp of air. A tingling sensation taps around the edge of my head, and I raise my hand to itch it away, except it doesn’t go anywhere. The pressure increases, but it’s not uncomfortable; it’s light and reassuring in ways I don’t understand.

Instead of pushing against the sensation, I let it in.

That’s when I hear, Hello. Can you hear my voice?

I startle. What was that?

Jaxon’s lips didn’t move an inch, but I heard every rounded syllable of his voice. It wrapped around my brain like a scarf. My mouth opens to speak, but nothing comes out.

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