Page 57 of Second Chance Mates

I can’t take my eyes off him when he looks at me like that. He’s proud and has a lot of confidence in me. My walls have been falling day by day, but right now, they’re on the floor, and every ounce of the bond surrounds me.

My heart glows from the inside out. I admire his kind face while I take a slow breath. I might not be able to trust him with everything yet, but we both know I’m not the same person I was when he first found me.

He’s right. I’ve done most of this by myself, and I recognise the shell I’ve started to shed. Every day will be different from the last, and I doubt I’ll ever get off this rollercoaster, but I need to learn to cope with my irrational thoughts and feelings.

I’m proud of you. Jaxon’s voice is smooth like silk.

Tears swim in my eyes, and for the first time in a long time, they’re not because I’m sad. It’s relieving to let myself go and submit to all the kindness I want to feel for my own sanity.

He stands up, and I crank my neck to meet his gaze. And I know you’re proud of yourself, too, even if you won’t give yourself the full credit.

One day at a time.

One day at a time, he confirms.

19

JAXON

Aknock at my office door stirs me from the messy paperwork on my desk. I glance up and stare at the wooden panel. “Come in,” I shout.

The door cracks open, and I find Sam stepping inside. “You wanted to see me, Alpha?”

My eyes narrow on him and the way he walks in so casually, as if he hasn’t been trash-talking his future Luna like she’s nothing. I try to keep my face calm, but studying his ignorant stance has my wolf stirring inside me.

“Close the door,” I command and stand.

Sam turns and shuts the door. I step around my desk to take slow strides towards him, tucking my hands behind my back as he follows my every move. “Do you have any idea why I’ve called you here, Sam?”

“Uhhh…I wasn’t doing well in training?”

My lip quirks at him. “Well, I’m relieved one of us finally said it, but no. I haven’t called you here because of your lame attempts during training.”

Sam doesn’t seem pleased by my brash response, but I wasn’t happy with his either when he made Ava feel less than she is. I bet he wouldn’t be able to last a day experiencing the abuse and neglect she suffered.

I pause directly in front of him, the tips of our shoes almost touching. Sam’s eyes flick upwards to look at me, and right now, he seems small enough to squash under my foot.

“Do you know what I don’t like?” I ask smoothly despite the bitterness on my tongue.

Sam seems taken aback by my question. He shakes his head, eyes moving to the left and then to the right as he ponders. “Uhhh…people who are bad at training?”

I laugh, but I’m not entertained. Not whilst he’s still none the wiser of the damage he’s caused. “Wrong.” I flash him a fake smile. “I don’t like people talking shit about my mate, let alone your future Luna, who you will one day bow down to.”

His eyes widen like he’s been caught in a trap. “Alpha, I did–”

My hand raises to silence him, and his voice stops abruptly. “I swear, you say another word, Sam, and I’ll have your head on a fucking stick and your body burning on the stake.”

Sam presses his lips together and manages to nod in understanding.

“I would ask if you have some kind of excuse for talking down to Ava, but I know there isn’t a single one in this world that could explain why you said what you said,” I snarl in his direction.

He flinches from the proximity between us, his eyes closing in fear. I grit my teeth at his reaction. As if closing his eyes is going to make this situation any easier; he’s just dug himself a deeper hole.

“Look at me when I’m fucking talking to you!” I roar across my office to find him snapping his eyes open. He shudders. He fucking shudders. Pathetic.

I turn my nose up at him. “Goddess,” I grumble as I take the collar of his shirt and shove him back into the wall. “You’re a coward. A fucking coward.”

He squirms against me, but his strength is nothing on mine. He knows better than to fight when I lift him off the ground like he weighs a grain of rice.

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