Rejection and Second Chances

Emotional

I side eyed Ashton as he drove, taking in his looks and memorizing them. Chestnut brown hair that was cut to a fade, striking blue eyes that seemed like an open sky, a dazzling smile that made my knees buckle. Astria was going wild in my head, eager to be with her mate.

“So are you really my mate, then?” I asked, wondering if I was dreaming. 10 years of hell and wanting to get out will do that, after all. He chuckled softly, the sound sending flutters into my stomach.

“Yes, we are.” His response was simple but sent shivers down my spine.

“Am I your second chance mate?” I asked, wondering if I really wanted to know the answer.

“No, you’re the first. And I’d love to keep it that way, if you’ll have me.” He said, glancing at me and looking back at the road.

“Is there even such a thing as third chance mates?” I looked at him in confusion.

“I don’t think so, at least I’ve never heard of it.” He shrugged.

“Well, what about the Luna you were talking about, the one who has three mates? Are any of them second or third chance?” He chuckled softly, seeming enthused by my question.

“Absolutely not, Luna Lilith and two of her mates grew up in the same pack. Circumstance happened and they ended up having a brother a couple years older, alpha of a different pack, who was also mated to her. They ended up merging packs and are quite formidable foes. A lot of lore in that pack.” He smiled again.

“Furthermore,” he continued. “They have two sets of triplets; a set of boys and a set of girls. And from what I’ve heard, their daughters are all fated to the next Lycan king.” I gasped audibly. This information was truly mind blowing.

“Wait you said their pack almost borders West Wind, so they could have attacked us at any point in time and we’d have been wiped out?” My eyes were wide in shock.

“Oh…uh, yeah I meant it when I said that. Jhett is an absolute monster, Wyatt and Xander trained together for a very long time so they have…specialty duo attacks, I guess you could call it, although I don’t know their wolves names. And Dash is a monster in her own right, she’s quick and ruthless.” I didn’t know how to retain all of this information, but one slight thing bothered me.

“So…you know Dash and Jhett…but not the other two?” I asked curiously. He chuckled again, the sound etching into my brain. I could listen to it for the rest of my life.

“Jhett and Dash have been through some things, their reputations precede them throughout the remaining smaller packs that still exist in this land.” I chewed my lip slightly. “How sheltered have you been?”

“I wouldn’t say I wasn’t allowed to go out or study, but…I wasn’t allowed to have things to myself.” I said softly. “Everything I own is in that suitcase; no books, no letters, no birthday cards, no-“ I started tearing up and he pulled over to the side of the road. I wasn’t sure what came over me, but the memories I locked deep inside and didn’t think about until I was safe behind my own door came flooding through my mind.

“Hey, did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I upset you, can you tell me what I did?” He said softly as I put my hand over my mouth and sobbed into it. It felt like he was debating on comforting me, and I felt his hand gently touch my back in hesitation before he started rubbing up and down.

I sobbed again and he pulled me into his arms as best he could with our seatbelts on, whispering things I couldn’t hear over my own sobs.

“I’m right here…” I finally heard him say as I calmed down after a while. “I’m not going anywhere, Adelina. I’m yours and you’re mine for as long as you want me to be, hopefully forever. If you’re feeling something, you can always talk to me and I will listen to you.” His voice was soft and melodic, and I sniffled a few more times before the tears finally stopped. I wiped my eyes and shook out my hands, trying to give myself some energy.

He was staring at me with a worried expression and I huffed a couple times to regulate my breath.

“No, you didn’t say anything wrong.” I said quietly. “I’ve just…never said these things aloud so I don’t…I don’t think I’ve been able to truly process the last 10 years and I’m scared to think that I’ve finally escaped that hell to wake up and find out it was all a dream. And I’ll be stuck there forever.” His expression was sad, but I saw no pity.

“Adelina.” My heart jerked when he said my name. “I am Ashton Laramie, my wolf’s name is Grey. My father’s name is James Laramie, and we are from a little pack that is about to join Blue River Pack. I came down here to keep the peace between my fathers and Williams pack, tensions are rising due to our joining Blue River and not Wild West. You are my mate and I am yours, and everything you are experiencing right now is 100% real.” He grabbed my hand and kissed my fingers softly, his lips sending electric jolts through my hand and up my arm. I nodded, not knowing what to say.

“I know you have a horrible past, Adelina.” He said, looking directly into my eyes. “And I truly believe you will tell me when you are ready to. I’m not here to pry your past from you or make you relive horrible memories; I’m here to protect you, to make you feel safe and loved and wanted and needed in any way I can.” My eyes started to shine again, my throat closing so I just nodded. He kissed my fingers again and pulled back onto the road, beginning the drive to…

“Hey, where are we going?” I asked curiously, suddenly able to speak.

“We are in Blue River territory, heading to one of their hotels their deceased son built for visitors due to the largeness of the pack and how far the borders span.” He smiled at me.

“A…hotel?” I squeaked. He nodded and glanced at me.

“Are you okay with that or did you want me to drive all the way back?” He asked, confused.

“I’m okay with that. How many beds?” My voice was so quiet I didn’t know if he actually heard me.

“One?” He raised an eyebrow at me and my eyes widened. One bed? So soon? While Astria was leaping and howling with joy, I felt my insides squeeze together. No, I wasn’t ready for…that just yet.

“You’re my mate. You’ll let me know when you’re ready. For now, I think you just need a good meal, a hot shower, and a good nights rest and see how you feel in the morning.” My clenched stomach loosened, the knots disappearing as soon as he said food.

“I don’t think I’ve had a good nights rest in 10 years.” I said to myself as he drove us further into Blue River territory.