The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

Larissa’s POV

“Alright, I’ll finish up here and be down soon,” I said to Gwen as she made her way out of the room. She gave a short nod and hurried out. We had been awakened by the head maid first thing this morning to get to work. I was used to getting up early, but 4am was quite a stretch. Having no say in that, all the omegas had to head to their assigned workstations and begin work immediately. It seemed a little extra to me, and I wondered what was going on, but I’d been too tired to ask.

I had worked till the sun broke out, and I was currently wiping down the grimy windows of the grand hall upstairs. My wrists were hurting, but I consoled myself with the fact that I would be taking a break as soon as I was done with the windows. As expected, it was taking forever. But I stayed strong.

“You’re almost done, Larissa,” I whispered in a bid to hype myself up. As I dipped the washcloth into the now blackened water, I was distracted by the sound of chatter outside. A group of young werewolves had gathered in the middle of the yard, and from what I could see, it seemed like they were getting ready to train. The boys looked no older than fourteen, and that thought made me smile. I was thinking of Declan, and how he would be one of these boys soon.

Perhaps thinking of Declan made his father materialize, because as I glanced back outside, the tall form of Kaden was planted in the midst of the young boys. My mouth suddenly felt dry and I tried to swallow to no avail. One would think that being around Kaden so often would lessen the awe that came with the sight of him. But it was in fact the opposite. Kaden was gorgeous in every sense of the word, and honestly, it was hard not to stare.

When he had not yet acknowledged me as his mate, I used to feel like a fool for longing for a man that wasn’t, and probably would never be mine. But the mate bond could not be denied and I always had a hard time looking away. But now, there was no reason not to stare. I drank in the delicious sight of him whenever I got the chance. Everything about him from his tantalizing scent to the muscles in his arms. He was a hunk, and he was mine.

Mine.

For some reason it felt almost forbidden to use that word. But that was what made it so special. The rush. The excitement. Especially now that we shared a special connection. A connection that still didn’t feel real to me. Everyday I woke up and wondered if the whole thing had only been a dream. But he was right there. A smile tugged at my lips as I continued to stare at him through the windows.

I knew I should stop. But, how could I? He was perfect. As if he was not already doing enough damage, Kaden pulled his shirt off. My gasp echoed through the empty room, and I felt a surge of heat in my ears, slowly building and spreading through my body until I reached my core.

The washcloth dropped from my hands, but I paid it no mind. I was too focused on the rock hard abs in my line of sight. They were coated in a film of sweat that dropped down his hair and flowed down his chest. My heart rate increased and again my mouth went dry. With the heat enveloping me right now, I wanted nothing more than to be in Kaden’s arms.

The memory of how he had whisked me up and into his study a few days ago resurfaced and I shivered deliciously as I remembered the feeling of his hands on my body. The things I would do to have him touch me like that again.

My core tightened in anticipation and I felt my nipples harden from underneath my blouse. My face was so hot by now and I realized with a start what nasty thoughts I was just having. My blush deepened and I slapped my forehead.

How could I be so shameless? I wondered. I imagined Gwen walking in on me while I was peeking through stained windows and leering at the Alpha. That was not a conversation I wanted to have, ever. I would sooner shoot myself in the leg. I shook my head and attempted to clear the thoughts, and then I continued to clean. I managed to get through the first row of windows without looking outside, but by the time I got to the second, my body betrayed me once again. Eventually I was switching between wiping down glass and ogling the man outside.

Finally, Gwen came to the rescue. She marched into the hall and motioned me to come over. “Come on, we still have a lot of decorations to do downstairs.”

I followed her outside and picked up one of the flower garland baskets. “Gwen?”

“Hmm?”

“What’s this big event everyone is raving about? I know it’s not the moon festival because that has already passed. So what is it?”

“It’s a banquet,” she clarified. “We used to celebrate it every year, but it hasn’t been held in years. The Alpha ordered us to organize it today.”

“Oh..”

That was interesting. I wondered why he had put a hold on it in the first place. Could it be because of his ex wife? It seemed very likely. I did not ask any more questions lest Gwen get suspicious, but I thought it was a good thing that the pack was going back to old practices. A banquet would definitely put everyone in a jolly mood, and it would create a stronger bond amongst the pack members. I was glad that Kaden was making changes. He was not the same person I met when I first came to this pack. And that was a good thing. He was better. He was happier. And if that wasn’t a good sign, I didn’t know what was.

***

“What do you think?” I asked breathlessly as I zipped up the emerald green dress I was trying on.

Gwen paused in applying her makeup and turned around to look at me. Her eyes widened and I watched in surprise as the makeup brush dropped from her hand. I grimaced, wondering if I should have just stuck with the blue dress. All the negative thoughts cleared from my head when Gwen let out a squeal. She jumped out of the chair and rushed in my direction.

“You look so fucking hot! Oh my goodness!” She laughed. “Yes, yes, girl,” she continued to shower praises on me. “You look amazing. That green pairs perfectly with your eyes.”

I blushed. “Really? You’re sure?” I looked back in the mirror. I had purchased the dress on a random visit to town once with no plans to actually wear it. It fit snugly from my chest to my midriff, and then it flared from there, giving it the appearance of a ball gown, just without the excessive puffy look. It had round sleeves that fell just below my shoulders, and a sweetheart neckline. I had also curled my hair, letting two strands fall in front, while the back was secured with a hair pin. It was simple, but I was worried that it might be too simple.

Gwen slapped my arm. “Of course! You look perfect. All the men will have their eyes on you, trust me,” she grinned.

I laughed it off, but I secretly wondered if Kaden would be taken with my outfit. I hoped so.

“One minute,” Gwen said, walking back to the drawer. After much rifling, she returned with a gold piece. It was a simple choker necklace, and it was beautiful. She helped me put it on and then she made me look in the mirror again. “You’re perfect.”Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

I grinned. “Thanks, Gwen. So are you.”

She did a small dance, and then she pulled me to the chair to apply a bit of makeup on me. When we finished, we headed up to the grand hall. The banquet had already taken off in full swing and the sound of soft music could be heard.

Gwen and I went our separate ways to mingle in the crowd, and true to her words, I caught several stares from the men. I wasn’t used to getting so much attention so I was a little flustered, but I kept my head up and pretended not to notice. Besides, the one person whose stares I would not mind was nowhere to be seen.

I shuffled to the refreshments table and picked up a glass of wine while I waited. A few minutes later, the chatter in the hall was replaced by applause. When I looked up to check, I saw that Kaden had walked into the hall. A smile found its way to my lips and I felt my insides tingle. He was clad in a black suit that fit snugly against his muscles. As if he couldn’t be any more perfect.

I joined the crowd in clapping and I could barely keep my eyes off him. I watched in adoration as he mounted the podium with a killer smile and a champagne glass in one hand.

“Welcome, everyone.” His voice echoed through the room. The whole room chorused a response.

“First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking out time to attend this banquet. As you might have noticed, I did not extend any invitations to our neighboring packs. That is because this is a special day and a special moment for me, and the only people worth sharing it with are my family. You all are my family.”

Another round of heavy clapping and cheering ensued, and I smiled. Seeing this new, agreeable side of Kaden both amazed and impressed me.

Kaden smiled in acknowledgement of the cheering. When they quieted down, he continued. “You are all aware that it’s been years since we held the annual banquet, and you must be wondering why we are organizing it once again.”

There was murmuring through the crowd. I guess they were all curious, and so was I. It seemed so last minute, so I could tell there was a reason for this sudden decision. I broke out of my thoughts as Kaden was speaking again.

“I withheld from organizing the banquet for the past two years because it came with bitter memories of someone who was once a member of this pack. For so long I had to live with the pain of this betrayal. What I didn’t know was that this betrayal would make way for a blessing.”

My heart clenched. Kaden was staring directly at me. Somehow, he had found me in the crowd and his gaze never left me once.

Kaden continued. “It gave way to something I never thought I would feel again. For so long, I lived with anger and bitterness, but someone came into my life and gave me a second chance. A second chance at life. A second chance at love. A second chance at a complete family.”

I could not breathe. My chest was constricting. Was he…was he talking about me?

With his eyes still fixed on me, he stepped down from the stage and walked in my direction. The crowd parted to let him through.

“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She changed me. She taught me how to let go of things that were only hurting me. She taught me how to love again. And…she is here tonight. I do not want to hide her any longer, I want to formally introduce her to my family.”

By now he was right in front of me.

“So…wolf brothers and sisters, I would like to introduce my second chance mate and the love of my life…Larissa.”

At his final words, a deafening silence descended in the hall.