Page 60 of Second Chance Mates

I walk across my office and beckon my head to the hall. “Let’s go, then.”

We make our way downstairs through my private entrance and into the clearing at the back of the house. “I’ve not seen you train with them in your wolf form before.”

My lips tip to the side. “You've been watching me, Ava?”

“Well, when you all leave, there isn’t much else to do.” She covers her embarrassed face with a hand on her cheek. “I’m intrigued.”

I release a soft laugh. “I’m flattered.” I flash her a small wink. “I don’t train with them in my wolf form because since Julia’s death, I haven’t been able to shift.”

She places a hand over her heart and frowns. “He’s not there anymore?”

“He wasn’t there at all for a while. I couldn’t feel him. I couldn’t hear him. It was like he was dead when Julia passed,” I say slowly before the words become muddled in my mouth. “But when I found you, it woke him up again. I heard and felt him for the first time in nine months.”

Ava’s mouth falls open in shock. “Because of me?”

“Yeah, because of you.”

“But you can’t shift into that form?”

“No.”

We inch closer into our territory, where Kayden has my wolves running at lightning speed. They’re playing one of our favourite training games that involves a lot of defence and ample amounts of competition.

I help Ava up onto one of the boulders so she has a better advantage point. She immediately drops her hands into her lap and glances around at the wolves as they pass. “So, how do you get your wolf back?” she asks curiously.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I feel the closest to him when I’m around you.”

She blinks in surprise. “When specifically?”

“When I held you. I felt incredibly close to him, then.”

Ava’s eyes roam my face, and I take in her pure beauty. I adore the way her natural complexion has been restored with a healthy glow and how her eyes seem brighter than when I first met her—like life is blossoming. Even when she smiles, I find myself doing the same, like a goofy idiot who has just learnt to smile for the first time. I can’t help it. It’s an instinctive reflex I don’t want to stop. Her smile is contagious.

“Shall we try it again?” she suggests.

Goddess, she’s breathtaking.

She’s not looking at me. She’s beaming at me with hopefulness in her eyes. She wants to help me get my wolf back, and I can sense him running circles inside me at the thought alone.

“Only if you’re okay with it,” I say gently. “Don’t do it for me.”

“Well, you’ve done a lot for me,” she shrugs. “I want to do something for you, too. If it helps. I know you want your wolf back; it’s obviously something that makes you, you.”

My jaw tightens at her selfless statement. I merely nod. She opens her arms, slides them around my back, and buries her face into my chest. I hear her inhale deeply, and I can only presume my scent somewhat reassures her. My hand rests on the back of her head as I keep her close to me. The wideness of my body drowns her. My other arm wraps around her back in an embrace that could tilt the axis of this planet.

I drop my forehead to her crown and listen to the way our hearts thump over and over. She grabs my shirt, and I listen to her soft breathing, making my skin tingle.

My wolf is scratching at the edges to get out. He’s there, but it’s not enough to break this emotional and mental block I’ve caused. I let my fingers run through the back of Ava’s hair and she releases a shuddering whimper.

I sigh in satisfaction and think about my precious mate between my arms. She’s safe here. For a moment, I can’t control the thought of her pain, tears, or sadness as it etches its way into my mind.

My wolf growls deep inside me at the agonising thoughts. No one hurts her. No one will ever hurt her again. I promise myself and my wolf that. If anyone lays a single finger on her, I’ll kill them without hesitation.

Then, when I least expect it, Ava’s smooth, tranquilising voice echoes through my head. Is it working? Do we need to try something else? This feels good to me.

My hand wraps around her back, and I tug her to me. I lower my head so my nose runs along the edge of her neck.

It does. I groan softly. So much.

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