Contractual Marriage with My Alpha Mate

Chapter 8 Second chance mate

Winter’s throat went dry and her mind thoughtless as she looked up into Julian’s ocean gaze. What was happening?

While Winter was struck speechless for a moment, Scarlett knew exactly what was going on. Julian and his wolf, Ryder, were their second chance mate!

It was such an unexpected twist, after everything that had happened. Winter had wished for Julian to be her mate, only to be disappointed when she turned eighteen and realised he wasn’t. And then, he found out he was mated to Amelia! If he had not rejected Amelia, they would never have found out that they were second chance mates.

Scarlett had been waiting to meet her mate for a long time, but this was not how she had thought it would happen. Sure, it was great that Winter’s all-time crush was their second chance mate, but…she could not ignore the fact that Ryder and Amelia’s wolf had been mated.

Meanwhile, Julian set Winter securely on a flat surface and stepped back, separating their bodies. As Winter’s eyes grew accustomed to the low lighting, she could make out his body. He was wearing a thin white t-shirt that clearly outlined his strong and toned body.

She could only imagine how it would feel to run her hands all over his toned muscles, and her cheeks blushed in response. She hoped he could not see how reddened her face was in the dim light.

Scarlett switched her attention from Julian’s wolf to Winter. “He has a hot body, that’s for certain. I bet it’ll make you very happy later.”

Winter caught the insinuation in her wolf’s voice, and it made her blush even harder. She quickly shut out the steamy images that floated into her mind. Even if Julian had turned out to be her second chance mate, it did not mean she would finally get to live her dream.

She had not even been able to gauge his mood after losing Amelia before this surprise was thrown in their faces. For all she knew, his loathing of her was way stronger than the link between them, and this might not be enough to change his attitude towards her.

“Leave,” was the first thing he said to her, and it sent her heart sinking to the depths of her stomach. He was so eager to get rid of her that he did not even bother to acknowledge their new connection.

Her feet remained glued to the floor, her body refusing to budge. If she left like this, she would not be able to have any peace of mind. She at least had to let him know why she came looking for him. “I’m sorry, I…I didn’t mean–”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” he cut her off. “I need a few more days to adjust.”

Oh, okay. So he was not throwing her out because he hated her. She understood his request. He was still reeling from breaking his mate bond with Amelia, and now, he found himself with another mate. She had no idea what that felt like, but she couldn’t blame him for wanting to take some time to adjust.

“Okay,” she mumbled. “I’ll leave now. Uh, get some rest.”

“Where do you think you are going? You two are mates now, what more are you waiting for? ” Scarlett demanded, her question sprinkled with anxiety.

“Wh-what?” Winter stuttered.

“Are you waiting for him to reject you? If I leave this to you, you’ll never get anything done, will you?” she asked.

Winter’s alarms flashed. “No. What are you thinking? Don’t do it, Scar!” She knew her wolf very well, and she knew she would jump up at the opportunity to land her in trouble.

“I have to,” Scarlett said, “heaven knows you are moving too slowly.”

“Scar!” Winter protested desperately as she felt her wolf start trying to take over her. “Stop it! Don’t mess around!”

While Winter fought an internal battle with her wolf, Julian watched, wondering what was going on with her. She had announced that she was leaving, but she wasn’t taking a step towards the door. Besides that, her expression showed strain, as if she was struggling with something.

Frowning, he stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. “Hey, are you okay?”

Winter jerked as soon as Julian’s fingertips touched her skin. With the mate link between them awakened, they were now highly sensitive to each other’s physical touch. It felt as if an electric current was flowing through her. It was a pleasurable sensation that travelled from the surface of her skin to below, thrumming through her body and bringing her nerve endings to life.

Winter gasped as she stared up at Julian, and in that moment, Scarlett took advantage of her momentary daze and wrestled all control of her body from her.

The moment Scarlett took over, Winter’s eyes turned golden. Seeing this, Julian knew right away that Winter’s wolf had taken over her.

“You don’t need days to adjust as you’re a powerful Alpha wolf. What are you avoiding?” Scarlett asked, looking at Julian. “Do you regret your decision to give up your mate bond with Amelia?”

Winter went silent, wanting to hear Julian’s answer. Of course, it would be so like Scarlett to ask such a question right off the bat. Winter could only hope that Julian’s answer was not ruthless.

“I think through every decision before I make it,” Julian claimed, “so why would I regret it?”

Winter breathed a sigh of relief. It was better that he did not regret it. Because if he did, that would only add to his dislike of her. If he had really reconciled with having to give up Amelia, it would be much easier for their relationship to kick off.

“Are you sure?” Scarlett asked, her voice a low, teasing purr. She moved Winter’s hands to her shoulders and dragged the dress strap lower.

Winter was thrown back into panic-mode. “What are you doing?” she hissed inwardly.

Scarlett moved to the other strap. She ignored Winter’s protests as she pushed both straps low and let the dress drop to her feet, leaving Winter n*ked but for her underwear in front of Julian.

“Well then, prove it,” she said to Julian.