Page 97 of Second Chance Mates

“The house is quiet,” I comment.

Lucy glances at me. “Did Jaxon tell you where he was going?”

“Not entirely, but I got the jist.”

She reaches over to grab my arm soothingly. “He’s been planning this for a long time, Ava. Are you worried?”

I meet her gaze and nod. I didn’t want to admit it to him because I know how powerful he is. But I also know what Lucien can be like. My stomach rolls at the thought.

“Don’t be,” she reassures me. “Jaxon knows what he’s doing. He’s had his eye on the pack for a while. He was just waiting for the perfect time to attack. He definitely wanted you to be more comfortable here first, too.”

I hum softly and cover my mouth with a glass of orange juice. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me, especially Jaxon.”

Lucy frowns. “You’re going to be our future Luna. The pack will go above and beyond for you.”

That word makes me flinch. I don’t know if I’ll ever react normally to that title.

“I’m sorry,” she says, registering my sudden change. “I mean, we are a family, and you are a part of our family, too. I know this is probably a scary time, but they’re doing this so those vile creatures can never hurt anyone again.”

I nod at her words. That’s one of the only reasons I’m not breaking down at the thought of Jaxon encountering Lucien or…Damon. My eyes close at all the different scenarios running through my head.

“Let’s change the subject,” Lucy declares. “How are things between you and Jaxon?”

“Yeah,” I rasp, staring down at my half-eaten plate. I want to eat, but there is a ball lodged in my throat now. “Things are good. I’m feeling a lot more settled.”

She smiles brightly at me. “I love that. I’m so happy for you.”

I shove my fork around my plate. Luna. Luna. The word keeps buzzing around my head like an annoying wasp. I want to slap my head to empty these thoughts.

How can I be their future Luna? I barely know anything about myself.

Julia must have been an incredible role model, and I’m…just me. My stomach tightens at the thought of being compared to her, but I try to push it away, even if I’m not fully convinced.

“Lucy…” I blurt. “Can I ask you a question about Julia?”

Lucy seems startled by my outburst but nods. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“What was she like?” Will I ever be as good as her?

A small chuckle passes her lips. “Let’s just say Julia and I didn’t always see eye to eye.”

I frown at her statement. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t really get along with her. I didn’t agree with some of the choices she made. But, of course, I couldn’t say anything.” Her lips slowly swish to the side.

“What happened?”

Lucy sighs. “I don’t wish to talk badly about the dead, but it doesn’t change how I felt about her. She was always up her own ass, and sometimes, she treated Jaxon super unfairly. He didn’t see it. He let her treat him like crap because the vision of being mates must have clouded her vile actions.”

I glower at the thought of anyone treating Jaxon badly. He’s an angel.

“What sorts of things would she do?”

“She would make him do everything for her. She’d make rude comments about him being Alpha. I’ve honestly seen manipulation at its finest with her. She loved to belittle him, but he passed it off as constructive criticism.” Her eyes roll. “It didn’t make sense to me at all, but it wasn’t my relationship. I let them get on with it.”

I chew on the inside of my lip. “But why would she treat him like that? I don’t understand.”

“Me neither.” She shrugs simply. “When I saw them, I thought to myself, that’s not how you treat your soulmate. All her spiteful intentions were there, and he defended her every time. I will never understand.”

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