Page 108 of Second Chance Mates

Lucy sets the pace, and I attempt to keep up despite being torn from the inside out. I breathe as deeply as possible, but I’m definitely not cut out to be a marathon runner.

“It’s all about practice!” she shouts as we run—more like jog slowly—through the trees. “You won’t improve if you don’t practice.”

And she’s right. Practice is what makes us better, and I want that for myself. My mind. My health. My self-belief.

“I’m dying,” I exhale through a jagged breath.

I keep up with Lucy’s pace—barely. She could run round the perimeter of their territory twice before I even get to the next tree. When I feel like my lungs are about to burst, I halt in the dirt and press my palms to my knees.

We’ve been running for at least thirty minutes. That’s a record in itself.

“Ava!”

“Go.” I wave her off. “I’ll catch up. Promise.”

She hesitates before turning back. “I’ll do a lap and meet you.”

I don’t think my legs are going to last another lap. My chest constricts and puffs out at a rate I’ve never seen it move before. I place my hands on my hips and glance around the forest.

In the distance, I spot the warehouse. Jaxon told me Lucien and Damon are dead. Jaxon and Kayden took turns tearing them apart little by little. I didn’t want to know the gory details, but I knew it wasn’t quick and it certainly wasn’t pretty.

Curiosity peeks inside my brain, and I start walking in the direction of the building. Jaxon hasn’t mentioned Evan since I was last here, and I pray he’s in better conditions—he should never have been dragged into this.

A guard stands in front of me as I approach. “Can I help you with something, Ava?”

“Is there someone still inside the cells?”

He stares at me for a long, hard moment. “The Alpha grants access to the cells.”

I narrow my eyes. “I am the Alpha’s mate, if you didn’t already know. I want to go inside. Let me inside.”

“Ava–”

“Now, please.”

He hesitates for a moment before nodding. I follow him down to the dungeon, and I’m hit by that hideous smell. The first cell is empty, but when I step closer, I find Evan in the same position as before.

“Evan,” I murmur and step towards the closed bars.

His legs are chained to the wall, and his body is covered in dirt, shivering from the coldness of this disgusting basement. I didn’t think he heard me until his head slowly peeks up.

My lips part at the glumness of his face. His eyes are burning red and sore.

How could they leave him like this? I grit my teeth.

“Ava,” he chokes out.

“Are you okay?”

He shakes his head, tears streaming down his pale face. I see the fear in his eyes. It’s a similar representation of how I used to feel. Helpless—absolutely helpless.

I twist my head down the hall of the dungeon to find a bottle of water and a paper bag on the floor outside of his cell. I furrow my brows and lean over to look inside. Food. I glance at the guards. “You had food and you didn’t give it to him?”

None of them speak. Fury burns inside me so bright it hurts.

“Don’t,” one of the guards barks. “He’s dangerous.”

A hand lays on my arms in a firm grip. I turn to him, my throat clenching. “I suggest you take your hand off me,” I hiss through my teeth. “He’s not dangerous. He’s a child. Touch me again and the Alpha will be the first to know.”

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