My Second Chance Mate: A Shifter Romance Page 10

  Jeremy has been testing the limits of my patience and he just hit it.

  His face registered surprise before crumpling up in pain holding onto to his family jewels and dropping to the floor at my feet. He never even saw the knee to the balls coming before it was too late. The guys all wince in commiseration as he starts to roll back and forth on the floor while groaning.

  When he rolls in my direction, and I say with a satisfied smile, “That’ll teach you to tease me about my se—”

  “Little ears in the room,” Austin warns.

  Yikes! I'm really going to have to learn to filter myself. I quickly amend my statement. “Ah, right. As I was saying, that’ll teach you to tease me about my wrestling. I may be sweet, but I pack a punch or in your case, a knee.”

  After saying this I turn to the guys and say, “Anyone else have anything to say about it?”

  They all shake their heads still in shock, but I see the humor in their eyes. I smile at Cody who is bending down on the ground teasing a still recovering Jeremy about his facial expression. “I swear, Uncle Jeremy. Your eyes were all funny looking and your face got so red.”

  He's oblivious to the reasons behind me kicking his uncle, but being a carefree five-year-old used to the rough housing of males, the only thing he's interested in is how funny his uncle looked before he fell.

  Trevor wraps his arms around me from behind. I lean into him as he whispers with a small laugh, “That was hot, babe. I think I need to take you upstairs for more one on one time.”

  I'm about to give in when I feel a nudge in my mind. I realize it's probably Jared worried about me since I was taken away from school so suddenly. I’m sure he knows what was about to happen, but I had been gone a while now and my aunt and uncle would start worrying about me. Not wanting to open my mind to him on the chance he might come across some of the my recent intimate thoughts, I search my pockets for my phone to call him. Then I realize I left it with the rest of my things when Trevor pulled his cave man routine.

  “Can I use your phone to call my cousin? Then I need to get back home so I can let my uncle know what’s going on,” I say to Trevor.

  “Yeah, no prob. Make sure you ask permission for me to come in with you. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone in a house full of unmated males in your condition.” He smiles while handing me his phone. I slap his hand and make the call.

  “Hello?” Answers Jared’s curious voice, not recognizing the number.

  “Hey, Jared.”

  “Harmony? What’s happened? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Is that why you weren’t answering my calls?” He rushes on, definitely worried.

  “Relax, Jared. I’m fine. I just had some things going on in my head I didn’t want you to find out,” I reassure him.

  “Things. What kind of things? We tell each other everything. Well except for the sexy stuff cause that would just be . . . wrong,” he asks and I can picture him shiver on the other end of the phone.

  I smile and say, “It's one of those. A sexy thing.”

  “Huh?” he questions. I swear I love him but sometimes he’s not the brightest crayon in the box.

  “You know, with Trevor?”

  Finally realization dawns. “Oh, OH! That type of thing. Gross, Harmony. I mean I know he’s you’re mate and all but you could do so much better.” Trevor, who has been listening to my conversation, growls, causing Jared to laugh out loud.

  “Touched a nerve in lover boy, did I? Well, good. He should have asked my permission first. Did he claim you then?”

  Was he serious? Does he even know how offending part of that was? Man, the guys around me were seriously batting zero today, that’s for sure.

  “First of all, Jared, don’t talk about my mate like that.” Trevor grunts in agreement.

  “Oh crap. I’ll take that defensiveness as a yes,” Jared mumbles into the phone.

  “Be quiet asshat and let me finish. Second of all, what makes you think he has to ask your permission? Mine is all that's needed. This isn’t medieval times and third, yes, he did claim me and unless you want me to gross you out with all the juicy details, you better not give me a hard time and go and ask your dad if Trevor can be allowed onto our territory and into the pack house so we can speak with him,” I scold.

  “Man, being mated has made you feisty,” he teases.

  “JARED! Just do it.”

  “Fine, I’ll do it. Let me guess, you smell of female goodness right now and he doesn’t want to let you out of his sight, right?”

  “Something like that?”

  “Alright, I’ll do it. Give the phone to Trevor for a minute,” he asks but when I remain silently on the phone, he adds, “Please.”

  “Much better. Why?” I wonder suspiciously.

  “Just do it. I need to say something to him, from one person who cares about you to another.”

  Hearing the seriousness in his voice, I hand Trevor the phone and step away, giving them privacy for their man to man talk.

  They talk for a few minutes with Trevor scowling every once in awhile but finally ending with him saying, “Yeah I got that, mutt. We’ll be there soon.” And then he hangs up and walks toward me placing his phone on the counter.

  “Your uncle gave me the ok so we can head there now but you’re coming back with me tonight, no matter what he decides,” he says sternly.

  “Don’t panic. I already agreed. What did Jared want to talk about?” I can’t resist asking.

  “Nothing much. Just made it clear that if I hurt you, he would make it his personal mission to do something to my third leg. His words, not mine. That sounded pretty painful,” he grimaces.

  I can't help it. I laughed. That's Jared for you. Creatively protective. Giving Cody a kiss on the forehead, I assure him that I will be back later, and I suggest he tease Jeremy as much as he wants. Then we head outside. We make our way to Trevor's truck but he stops me, grabs my hand, and leads me to the garage on the side of the house.

  “Now that you’re almost officially my alpha female, you’re gonna need a ride of your own,” Trevor says as he opens a door and switches on the lights.

  As my eyes adjust to the change in lighting, I'm shocked at the sight before me. There are five cars and two motorcycles lined up side by side. There's a Hummer, Range Rover, Yukon, and Escalade. These boys like to ride big and in style. The cars are beautiful but it's the last car that catches my eye. It's a brand new Ford Mustang in a gorgeous blue color, and it's love at first sight. Seeing the look on my face, Trevor turns me away from the beauty before me and says while smiling. “Earlier today when I chased the guys out of the house, I sent them on a mission to buy this for you. I wasn’t sure what exactly you would like but judging by the look on your face, I did well.”

  “Are you kidding me? This is mine? All mine?” I jump in excitement which is kind of hard to do with Trevor’s arms still around me.

  “Yeah, baby. It’s all yours,” he laughs.

  “Thank you. You are so gonna get lucky tonight. I need to ask two things though.”

  He chuckles motioning for me to go ahead. “First, where are the keys?” he reaches in his pocket to pull a pair out.

  “Yes!” I cheer grabbing it from his fingertips and start toward my new beauty.

  “What was the second question?” he asks with a raised brow.

  I toss a look over my shoulder and say with a smile before unlocking the car and getting in. “What are you waiting for?”

  All that could be heard after that was the deep rumble of the engine mixed in with the deep laughter of my mate. There is no sweeter sound than that.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Switching Packs

  Aiden

  Sitting at his pack meeting which he's supposed to be running, he's hardly paying attention. His mind keeps replaying that awful dinner over and over again.

  Harmony sitting so close to that ass of an alpha with his hands in her hair. She was his, damn it! Yeah, he knew he rejected her but he changed his mind. He wants her back and plans on getting her. Second mate or not he really couldn't care less. He would have been there right now, claiming her this very moment if it weren't for this pre-scheduled meeting with their neighboring pack over land of all things. Who cared about that when he has a mate to get back?

  Having decided which portions of land to trade, he adjourns the meeting and starts to leave. He's anxious to get back to her before that idiot tries to mark what is his. Aiden was almost out free when he's stopped by Mr. Evans, Harmony’s dad.

  “Hey, Aiden. I’ve been meaning to ask you. How was Hawaii?”

  Aiden really isn’t in the mood for small talk so he tries to brush him off. “It was beautiful. Now I really have to g—”

  “How was my daughter? Harmony. Was she alright? Has she met her mate yet? You know girls, they don’t talk to their dads about stuff like that,” he interrupts him. Ordering your future father in law to leave you alone isn't the best idea when trying to win over your mate so no matter how much he wants to do just that, he refrains.

  “She was fine and as far as I know she is still mateless but who knows, maybe her mate is closer than she thinks and he’s just trying his hardest to get to her but keeps getting interrupted by irritating people.”

  Mr. Evans looks a little taken back. Aiden wonders if he's being too abrupt. Quickly covering his slip up, he tries to appease him. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve been away from Megan for too long, and I want to get back to her,” Aiden lies.

  Mr. Evans nods his head in understanding eventhough he really doesn't understand anything. He pats Aiden on the back and says to please send his girls his and their mother’s love. Finally free, Aiden rushes to his room to grab a duffel bag when a sharp pain hits his chest. At first he thinks something ha
ppened to Megan, being that they're bonded, but soon after the pain turns sharper with a hint of passion mixed in.

  “No!” he shouts to the empty room.

  She couldn’t be. She's his! Suddenly, it feels as if a thousand knives are being jammed into his heart followed closely by an emptiness so deep, he falls to his knees. Catching his breath as tears pour from his eyes, he allows himself to calm down and search for that sweet presence of Harmony that he keeps in the back of his mind, only to find it's no longer there. Trying again to use their bond to sense her, he gets nothing. This could only mean one thing. Their bond is gone. His body convulses as an effect of the loss. She mated with him. That stupid Trevor guy. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to come back home with him and be his mistress. Aiden is hit with an anger so strong it vibrates through his body, filling the emptiness with burning rage. Harmony is his. No ones but his. And it's time to bring her back where she belongs.

  ***

  Harmony

  We're enjoying the smooth ride in my new car when Trevor says, “Harmony, I want to throw a party at our house this Saturday to introduce you to my pack as my mate and their new luna. Does that sound okay to you?”

  “Hmmm. Will there be food, alcohol, and dancing?” I ask.

  “Of course. It wouldn’t be a party without it,” he replies with a roll of his eyes. Such a playful move looks odd on his striking face, but it's adorable and causes me to giggle.

  “Then I’m all for it. Any excuse to go shopping for a new outfit is a good idea, and now that I don’t need to buy a car, my sister and I can go on a girls only shopping trip. Unless you want to come too?” I tease.

  He shudders. “I love you but no thanks. Shopping is like torture. Walking around for hours, going into almost every store even though they practically sell the same thing in different colors, only to walk back out with nothing. No thanks.”

  “What if I wanted to try on some lingerie for you?” I tease with a wink.

  He grabs my hand. “Well then. Maybe I could be persuaded.”

  I yank my hand away. “Too late. I’ve already rescinded my invitation. Besides, it’s supposed to be a girls only day and you don’t have the right body parts.” I laugh as he shoots me that I’ll get you for this later look.

  Pulling up to my pack house, I'm reluctant to get out of my new toy but Trevor reassures me that the sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner I can return to it. I give the dash board one last kiss then let Trevor help me out, and we head inside. My uncle is waiting for us in the family room and so are Jared and the guys. As soon as I enter the room, the boys tense as if being hit with an unseen electric current. Having already experienced that once today, I know what it means. They caught my scent. Trevor takes an intimidating step in front of me, having a silent face off with Nate, Brad, and Jace. Being related to me, Jared and Uncle John aren’t affected but the boys sure are if the desire in their eyes is anything to go by. It takes them a couple minutes but they eventually get their wolves under control and Trevor relaxes. I know they're still thinking things I’d rather not know so I decide to warn them. “Just so you guys know, I already kneed one wolf in the nuts today for his unnecessary comments, so think twice before saying anything.”

  That sobers them and they relax but not before checking out my goods as I turn to follow my uncle into his office. He already knows we mated, and he's happy for us. That changes when I tell him our plans. He's like my dad away from home, and I know his anger is only because he doesn’t want to let me go. Seeing the happiness on my face, he stands and with a hand on each of my shoulders he says, “Harmony Evans, I formally release you from your pledge to the Midnight Moon Pack.” And just like that, I feel a clearing in my mind as the links that were in place with my now former pack members disappear. It feels a little lonely, but I know I will get a new batch of links when I pledge myself to Trevor’s pack tonight. After that's done, I call my parents to fill them in and they're really happy for me. They promise to come down as soon as possible to meet Trevor and we hang up. Trevor and I then head to my room to pack up my stuff. It's pretty easy since I haven't been here too long, therefore never had a chance to build a collection of things. I tell everyone goodbye, reminding them we'll be seeing each other in school and can still hang out. I receive a never ending pass to enter Midnight Moon Pack territory whenever I want but Trevor will always have to ask permission first. Just before heading to the car, I let my sister know that our car shopping date has been changed to clothes shopping, and that she's invited to the party Trevor is throwing. I then elbow a still silent Trevor telling him through our link to invite Jared and the guys. He resists at first until I send him a mental image of the reward I will give him later tonight and the guys were invited instantly. I found my new bargaining chip. Something to store away for the next time I want something from him. By the time we get back to Trevor’s, it's late and Cody is already asleep. I make us a quick breakfast for dinner meal which the guys decide to join, not quite filled from the raviolis they had with Cody for dinner. I'm going to have to make some adjustments around here. Good thing my mom taught my sister and I to cook at a young age. Once we're through with dinner, we go up to Trevor’s room where the guys brought my bags earlier. I grab my toothbrush and steal one of Trevor’s shirts from his drawer before making my way to the bathroom. I undress down to my underwear and slip into Trevor’s shirt. I brush my teeth then return to the room. There I find my handsome mate in nothing but flannel pajama pants, lounging on the bed with his hands behind his head. I jump onto the bed and cuddle into his side. After a few minutes like this, I sit up and looking deeply into his eyes as I say, “Alpha Hanes, I, Harmony Evans, pledge my allegiance to the Dark Mountain Pack.”

  His face lights up with happiness and pride. “Pledge accepted.”

  The rush of new links filling my head is instant and it makes me feel a little more complete. I enjoy the feeling a little while more before blocking them out and concentrating on Trevor.

  With a sexy smile I ask, “Ready for your reward?”

  By the end of the night, I can’t help but feel that I'm the one who was rewarded.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Douchebag Alpha's Return

  Spoiled. A word that perfectly describes what the guys are. I've only been a part of their pack for a few days but from that day they’ve been getting home cooked meals three times a day, help with their laundry, and tons of girl advice. I don't mind because it feels good to be needed by others. I feel like I was born to fill the role of Alpha Female. Despite all I do, they never take advantage of me and even help with everything. The only one allowed to help in the kitchen is Austin after the disastrous breakfast the day after Trevor and I mated. When it comes to the kitchen, the only appliance they know how to work is the microwave. I had to explain everything to them, and their concentration was shot because they could still smell that I was in heat. Due to these issues, the breakfast we made was inedible. The pancakes were flat and burnt because Greg added too much water, and Jeremy kept staring at my butt instead of watching them on griddle. The eggs were only half cooked because Craig kept the heat on the lowest setting, removing the eggs only a couple seconds after pouring it in the pan. When I asked why he did that, he said, “I didn’t want to burn the eggs like Jeremy was burning the pancakes.” So instead of having us choke on a burnt egg, he put us at risk of salmonella. The only thing that came out decent was the bacon Austin was in charge of but only because it was one of those that you could cook in the microwave. Where was Trevor during all of this? He was kicked out shortly after we started because unlike the guys, he didn’t have to control his wolf’s reaction to me being in heat, so he was on me like white on rice making it hard to get anything done. After making them wash all their dishes, I kicked them out and found a box of blueberry muffin mix in the back of the pantry. I whipped it up and we ate bacon and muffins. All in all it was a good week.