The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

LARISSA

I stirred lightly as the beams of light from a crack in the curtains shone directly in my line of sight, causing me to flinch. Still tired, I flicked my eyes open and took in my surroundings. For some reason, even though I would have liked to sleep longer, I was surprisingly not in a sour mood. Scratch that. I was happy. I felt warm all over, and the tingles that had been present in my arms and legs from the past thirty-six hours could still be felt.

As I tried to sit up on the bed, I was suddenly aware of some kind of restriction around my waist. When I looked down I caught sight of Kaden–his huge arm wrapped around my torso, and a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I tried and failed to stifle a giggle, the heat in my stomach rising even faster. I was beginning to learn quite a few things about Kaden, one of them being that he was really not as stone hearted as he liked to display. Sure, he could be intimidating without even trying. But he was also a big baby. I looked down again at him, grasping me tightly as if to prevent me from running away. It was so adorable.

Unbelievable! Who would have thought I would ever use Kaden and adorable in the same sentence?

It was crazy. But it was nice.

Over the course of the past few days, it had honestly felt like I was living someone else’s life. It didn’t feel like mine nor any life I had ever lived.

The actions, the affection, the care… it just did not feel like something Larissa was capable of getting from another being. And while it did feel strange, I could not deny the fact that it was an amazing time in my life.

Every time Kaden glanced at me and gave one of those signature smiles of his that never failed to spread tingles down my body and made me swoon to the point of madness, I felt like I was going crazy. It was hard not to feel like I was only imagining things, considering that only a few weeks, no, a few days ago, this same man was irked by the sight of me. Every single action of mine irritated him, and every single thing that concerned me was a thorn on his side.

He had also been very clear⅝ about how soon he wanted me out of his pack and out of Declan’s life.

Could this actually be real life?

Bewildered was not the right word to use for my feelings at this moment, it was more than that. The way things changed had been like in the fairytales I used to believe in.

As though to reassure myself that this was truly happening, I gazed down at him once more, watching as he took steady breaths, his lashes fluttering ever so lightly.

God, he’s perfect.

Every time I thought I was over the sheer gorgeousness of this man, he proved me wrong. His features sent goosebumps down my body, and I couldn’t help but remember how delicious he had looked standing completely naked in front of me.

The muscles rippling through his form…those gorgeous strands of soft, brown curls, and his green magnetic eyes.

I tried to swallow, chiding myself silently for the perverted thoughts I was beginning to have.

Not the time, Larissa. Not the time. Grab a hold of yourself.

“Is this going to become a daily habit of yours?” A groggy voice broke through my thoughts and I looked down to see Kaden giving me a lopsided smirk as he sat up.

I giggled lightly. “What are you talking about?”

Instead of replying immediately, he wrapped his huge arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. As he did this, his fingers accidentally brushed my nipples through my nightdress and I shivered involuntarily.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

If I was close to melting into a puddle from his accidental touch, how would I be if he did it on purpose? I wondered, cursing at myself under my breath. This man did things to me, things I could not say out loud even if I wanted to. I wanted to smack myself. I had become so much more sensitive ever since I had sex with him and I was beginning to discover what having a libido was like.

I was so needy. It was embarrassing.

“I’m talking about you watching me every morning while I sleep. I mean, I know you’re obsessed with me, do you have to make it so obvious?”

“Obsessed?” I shrieked, a loud cackle escaping my lips.

Yes. Yes, I’m obsessed with him, and what about it?

That didn’t mean I was going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. “Hmm, I think you might be projecting a little, don’t you think? From all I have gathered, I think it’s safe to say that the only obsessed one is you,” I taunted.

As a response, he roared with laughter, pulling himself into an upright position.

This was it, this was another thing that still baffled me. Kaden Griffin laughing, actually laughing. It was still so unreal seeing him smile. He smiled with his eyes fixed on me in…adoration?

I was still trying to get used to it. Eyes that once looked at me with disgust now gazed dotingly at me and observed me like I was a Christmas present he could not wait to open. The change was amazing but sometimes I could not help but feel weirded out. Perhaps this is how it was supposed to feel when your fortune changed out of the blue.

It was comforting.

He was comforting. It was surreal to know that my mate had finally accepted me, and finally acknowledged the fact that we were mates. What more could I ask for?

“What do you keep thinking about?” His voice floated into my thoughts for the second time this morning. “You’ve been zoning out, don’t think I didn’t notice”

I looked up at him to realise that he looked a little worried although his voice had a calm undertone to it. A blush creeped up my cheeks. He really did care about me, and I did not know what to do with it with all of this affection.

“I.. um.. nothing really. I was just thinking about how nice this is…” I motioned between us. “It’s…it’s amazing. It doesn’t feel real, to be honest.”

He did not say anything because he sensed that I was becoming emotional, and I did not want to ruin this good morning with unnecessary tears. He was here, he was real, and I would be fine.

I quickly swallowed back my tears. “Alright!” I announced dramatically, shooting up from the bed. “How about you go get Declan while I start on breakfast.”

Kaden did not respond, instead he continued to stare with a sheepish grin on his face.

“Stop it!” I smacked with the pillow. “Please, concentrate? What is wrong with you?”

“What? Am I not allowed to look at my girl now?”

A delicious shiver ran up my spine at his words. I did not know if it was just his proclamation of me as his, or the way his deep morning voice made my knees buckle in helplessness, but all I knew was I was starting to feel hot all over.

Before he could tempt me any further, I raced to the kitchen.

***

“Do you want more?” I heard Kaden ask as he tilted the glass of vanilla to Declan’s lips. The toddler let out a screech and banged his tiny palms on the table as he bobbed his head up and down.

I had been around Declan long enough to know that only meant he was enjoying himself.

I looked away as they continued to chat, grateful that the one thing I had been worried about from the start was getting better. Since we came to the cottage, Kaden had been spending more and more time with his son, making Declan become more familiar with his father and more comfortable and happier in general, and it was a beautiful sight to see.

Still smiling, I continue to chop the vegetables. I was slicing the last sprig of turnip when I felt a hand slide up my back. I flinched at first but when I realised it was only Kaden, I relaxed. Before I could ask what he was playing at, he leaned toward me and kissed my neck.

A gasp escaped my lips and I struggled to swallow, knowing fully well that a child was in the kitchen with us. I looked back at him and gestured to his son.

“Stop it,” I whispered, slapping his arms away. “You know you’re supposed to be resting, right? Your injuries aren’t fully healed yet.”

“I said before, my wounds heal faster. I’ll be okay.”

“Fine,” I huffed.

“I’m actually more worried about you,” his voice took on a softer tone. He stopped caressing my arms and leaned closer.

“Worried about me? Why?”

Kaden did not respond. He looked behind him to make sure Declan was occupied before he turned back to me. “About the other night. I’m worried that you might still be sore.”

Sore?

My brows were still puckered in confusion as I let his words register in my brain. It took me a while to understand what he meant and when I did my face reddened in embarrassment, making the knife drop from my hands and clatter to the sink.

“Kaden!” I nudged him hard in the chest. “W-Why do you have to bring that up?” I flushed.

His arms wrapped around my waist. “I know you may not want to talk about it, but I just want to know you’re okay. It was your first time, after all.”

I strictly ignored him by continuing to chop the turnip. I was so embarrassed that I did not know when I let the knife down, cutting my finger by accident.

“Ow!” I hissed from the pain, immediately feeling silly. Why did I have to be so distracted around him? So stupid to cut myself. As I began to apologize, he placed his hands on mine.

I could not bear to face him so I kept my eyes lowered. In truth, I was a little sore but I was also craving for more of his touch. I did not want to tell him that…it was much too embarrassing.

“You cut yourself,” he said, turning my hand to get a better view of the horizontal cuts that was seeping with blood.

“Um, yeah it’s fine. I’ll just rinse it off.” Before I could turn on the tap, he grabbed my hand and pulled it slowly to his lips. Gently, he kissed the bloody finger.

“This…is a blood pact.”

My chest constricted.

He pulled me closer and continued. “I had no idea what to expect when you came into my life, Larissa. And I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my life. Everything feels so right with you here. I care about, and I accept you as my mate. I never want to lose you, I never want to let you go, I will be your protector and I will never let any harm come to you. I promise.”

He pressed his lips to my finger once more as if to seal his words, and then he kissed me.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I tried to speak but the lump in my throat was too heavy. The more I tried to string my words together, the fuller my chest became.

“Don’t cry, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No! No, no, I’m not upset. These are happy tears.” I said quickly, trying to wipe my tears to no avail. “Everything is just right…everything is perfect. Just this morning I was thinking about how all of this seems like a dream…” my chest hurt but I did not not stop. “I can’t help but think of Stefan and my life with him. He…he never had a nice word for me, never treated me kindly. I-I guess I just lost hope of someone ever wanting to be with m-me…”

I broke off when I could not bear it any longer. Kaden tightened his fingers around me and pulled me closer, letting me sob into his shirt.

“You’re here now. You’re my mate…a second chance for us, and I will treat you exactly how an Alpha’s mate is meant to be treated. Okay?”

“Okay,” I repeated, smiling as I continued to wipe my face. He rubbed his thumbs against my cheek and kissed me again. This time I kissed him back desperately as if to translate all I was feeling to him. And it was perfect.

Afterwards, he stood by my side moving around the kitchen as we both prepared breakfast.