My Second Chance Mate: A Shifter Romance Read online

  Framing her face, I begin, “Harmony, listen to me. I don’t want what I’m about to say to scare you, but I need you to understand what you mean to me. My heart beats so strongly for you that every time you’re near, it feels as if it’s about to jump out of my chest, just to be closer to yours. I want you as my mate for now and forever.”

  Not being one to hold her tongue, she interrupts my declaration of love to argue. “You're singing a different tune today from the other day. Y—”

  I stop her with a finger to her lips. “I know what I said. That was the scared kid in me talking. The one too scarred by loss to appreciate what he still had and could have in the future. Sarah was a—”

  This time she cut me off by pushing my finger away to say softly, “I don’t want to be a replacement for Sarah. I don’t want to have to live up to the memory of your first love and I really don't want to worry you'll start looking for something from some other willing female if you can't get it from me.”

  I sit, bringing her with me and holding her closely in my lap. Lifting her chin so that she's looking into my eyes, I beg her to believe my next words.

  “You aren’t a replacement. Not to shun the memory of Sarah, but you're an upgrade. Yes, I had a bond with her first, but it never had a chance to grow into anything. She didn't love me. It wasn’t even a fraction of the bond I have with you.” A little of her uncertainty fades away, so I continue, “Sarah was an important part of my past. Without having met and lost her, I wouldn’t have had a chance to know you and for that I will be forever grateful to her.”

  “Not to mention she brought an amazing little guy into this world,” Harmony adds.

  “That, she did.” I agree. “As for your other worry, no one will ever make me stray. You are worth more than ten thousand easy lays.”

  She raises a brow. “Wow, Trevor. That's such a romantic sentiment.”

  Realizing how that sounds, I mentally slap myself. “Sorry, I'm not really good at saying the right things. What I mean is that I don't want anyone but you. Won't ever want anyone but you. You're amazing. Sweet yet sassy. No matter what I throw your way, you give it right back to me. Life will never be dull with you. You'll never just submit to me without a fight.”

  She can't resist pointing out. “If I even submit at all.”

  My eyes flash at the challenge. “Trust me, there will be times you'll submit to me, but I promise to never force anything you don't want.” I’m filled with pride and assurance seeing a similar flare of arousal in her eyes. I know exactly how to seal this commitment, but we need to cover one more thing.

  “I want nothing more than to lay you down and claim what is mine, but first I need to ask how you feel about Cody. We're a package deal and though I know you didn't sign up for an instant family, that's what you'll be getting with me.” I'm sure she can hear the uncertainty in my voice.

  To my surprise, she moves to straddle me before placing her palm to my cheek. “Are you kidding me? That little boy is the whole reason I'm listening to what you're saying right now. He's definitely a bonus!” There's a teasing glint in her eye, but I can't help but to notice that while I've been pouring my heart out, she has yet to reciprocate my feelings.

  She stares at me intently before saying, “I want a future with you. I want you to claim me. That whole act today was about you. I needed to be sure you really wanted me, that we want the same things. Your words just proved that. For someone who isn't good with saying the right things, you did a good damn job.”

  The love and elation that fills me is like nothing I've ever felt before. It's all consuming and I can feel the bond between us strengthen. Not wanting to waste any more time I say what my heart feels, “I love you, Harmony. I know it may seem too soon but my wolf has been hurting for a long time and knows what a blessing you are to us. If that isn't enough reason to love you, then the fact that you're accepting Cody without complaint is. Not to mention your fiery strength and even your stubborn ways. There's so much to love about you, I never had a fighting chance against it.”

  Tears fill her eyes but this time I know they're happy ones. “I love you too,” she says. “After Aiden my world was cold and lonely. Filled with nothing but heartache. You've changed that for me. We had a rocky start thanks to you,” she always has to bust my balls so it seems, “but we're finding our way now and it feels good. Being here with you feels like I'm finally where I'm supposed to be.”

  No more words need to be said. It was our bodies’ turn to talk. I seal my lips with hers, pouring every ounce of emotion I had in me into our kiss. Like I knew she would, Harmony gave me the same right back. I laid her on the bed, gently this time and began kissing her everywhere I could reach. Her forehead, her nose, her eye lids, and finally ending up where I started, her lips. I bit her bottom lip asking for entrance which she easily allows and let my hands roam her body. Her hands are doing the same with mine and things start getting very intense. She lifts the hem of my shirt and I break away from her lips long enough to take it off and throw it somewhere in the direction of my desk. I do the same with her top, needing to feel more of her skin and continue to devour her mouth. When her hands reach the button on my jeans I still and look deeply into her eyes.

  “I have the intense need to claim you but we don’t have to do anything more right now. Not if you aren't ready. We can keep this completely PG13 if that's what you want.” Both my wolf and boner disagreed with that, but I had to think with my heart and if Harmony isn't ready then it isn't happening.

  She gave me a look of both irritation and affection before saying sarcastically, “I’m lying under you practically naked, trying to remove your clothes, which your sudden need to talk is making very difficult by the way, and kissing you back as if my life depends on it. Yet you think I might not be ready?”

  I smile, “Just making sure. Trying to be a gentleman and all.”

  She rolls her eyes and laughs, then places her lips against my ear and shocks me. “You're being sweet and it's turning me on so much that right now I want you to be anything but a gentleman.”

  No more assurance is needed as I give in to the lust I'd been fighting since the day we met. We kiss and explore every inch of each other’s bodies as I spread her legs, slowly joining us together as one. It's beautiful and passionate and the last thing I remember before passing out contentedly is whispering, “Mine,” in her ear and having her reply, “Yours,” with the same contentment I feel.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sealed with a Bite

  Harmony

  Slowly opening my eyes to check the time, I see that it's only one in the afternoon, meaning we dozed off for about an hour. Trevor's breathing lightly behind me being the big spoon to my little one. Having his arms around my waist feels right. It feels good. I feel good. Lying there in comfort, I realize I also felt different. Not just because I'm mated but because I can no longer feel Aiden. It’s as if he never held a place in my heart and I like that feeling. I'm free from an unwanted bind that I have carried around for too long and it is all thanks to the virile wolf beside me. Grabbing onto the hand Trevor has over my waist, I think about what we just did. It was amazing. There was a bit of pain in the beginning but he was so gentle and sweet. Not to mention H-O-T-T, hot. It makes me wonder, “Is it always that good?”

  “Actually, it gets even better,” Trevor says out loud answering my quiet thoughts, causing me to jump.

  “What? But . . . how? Huh?” I ask confused.

  Continuing to speak through our bond he replies, “We are mated now. We can speak with each other without anyone else having to know. Which will come in handy when I want to send you little ideas of all the things I plan on doing to you.” He starts to run his hands up and down my leg.

  “Already?” I ask shocked.

  “Babe, now that you’re mine, I’m going to want you even more. All day and all night. I won‘t be able to control it.” He laughs at the mixture of awe and weariness on my face. “Don't worry, the only reaso
n the feeling is so strong right now is because I haven’t given you my mark yet and my wolf is restless to do so and yours probably is too.”

  He's right. Though sated, my wolf is not completely satisfied. Not wanting to have to deal with an out of control mate and a little curious, I ask, “Why didn't you mark me? Don't mates usually do that while having sex?”

  Trevor grunts before turning my body and pulling me into his arms. Placing my hands on his chest, I look at his face and see a frown forming. He rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. “First of all, what we did just now was make love. Every time I am with you it will always be that. You're too special to me for it to ever be just sex, got it?” Warmth fills me with every word and I nod in agreement.

  Trevor smiles and kisses me lightly on the lips before continuing, “It was your first time, babe. I wanted to be gentle. Once I mark you, my wolf will take over and gentle is the last thing I'll be. I'm just sorry I didn't make it more special for you. You deserve the whole rose petals and candle light set up and all I had to offer you was clean bed sheets.”

  His thoughtfulness and concern for me is sweet. Not to mention a major turn on. Looking deep into his eyes I say, “It was special, Trevor. Because it was with you. I didn't need all that extra stuff. Just knowing you love me and care enough to want it to be special, makes it so.”

  Relief washes over his features as he pulls me closer, kissing me lightly on my forehead while continuing to run his hand along my leg. It instantly reignites my desire for him. I kiss his jaw before saying, “I think I'm ready for the not so gentle Trevor.”

  Trevor is on me in a flash, his lips devouring mine. I am being consumed by his wolf. It's raw and intense. He's in no way rough with me but every touch is purposeful and passionate. I meet his every move with my own, matching his intensity. Our bodies once again come together as one, only this time Trevor sinks his canines into the curve of my neck and shoulder at the exact moment he enters me. I'm shocked out of my passion as the pain hits but it's immediately replaced with pleasure so powerful I almost pass out. We move together in sync, our emotions blending together allowing us to feel what the other is experiencing. It's a beautiful moment that results in the both of us reaching our climaxes together. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Trevor untangles himself from me and rests against the head board, once again pulling me into arms. I run my fingers over the spot that Trevor bit causing both of us to shiver slightly. There's nothing but smooth skin there, no sign of his bite except the feelings it invokes in us as I touch it. “That's going to take some getting used to.” I giggle.

  Trevor chuckles. “Why do I have a feeling you're going to use that as one more way to torture me?”

  I turn to him. “Because you now know me so well, inside and out.”

  He smiles at that, leaning in for a kiss. We talk about everything then. Me officially joining his pack. Talking with my family about the changes to come. My responsibilities as a luna. That one will be the biggest adjustment. All my life I only ever had to worry about the how the decisions I made would affect me. Now I'd have a whole pack of people to worry about. Of course Trevor will be making the actual decisions but every alpha relies strongly on his luna to help guide him and reach said decision. It's a lot of pressure but Trevor assures me I'll be able to do it. The confidence and pride I feel coming from him through our bond shows me that he truly believes this and it's reassuring. It fills me with my own confidence that I'll rock the heck out of this luna thing. His desire sparks again, flowing strongly through the invisible wires that connect us.

  “Again, Trevor? You're insatiable.” I laugh.

  He growls playfully. “I can't help it. Seeing you so ready to accept our future and secure in my belief in you is sexy.”

  I don't think I'll ever get enough of him. He not only makes me feel desired and loved but he supports and believes in me. I won the mate jackpot. We reach for one another again, hands roaming, legs tangling, kisses intensifying, when we're interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

  “Uncle Trevor, you in there?”

  Not remembering whether Trevor locked the door or not, I screech loudly enough that there is no way Cody couldn't have heard me. I push Trevor off me a little harder than intended in my rush to cover up that it causes him to fall over the edge of the bed landing with a thud on the carpet. I would have laughed at the expression on his face if I wasn’t so panicking about Cody seeing something he shouldn’t. I wrap myself the best I can in the sheets just as Cody turns the door knob only to find it . . . locked.

  My shoulders collapse in relief until I hear him ask, “Hey what are you guys doing in there?”

  Dropping my head in my hands, I feel a blush forming when he repeats the question, only this time to someone else. “Uncle Jeremy, what are Uncle Trevor and Harmony doing in his room? And why is the door locked?”

  This is not going end well. I look to see what Trevor is doing and want to punch him in his gut. He's lying on the ground clutching his stomach in silent laughter. He laughs even harder when our eyes connect and he sees the blush on my face. I settle for beaming him with a pillow and anxiously await Jeremy’s response. He clears his throat and coughs as if he is also trying to hide laughter and stumbles with an answer.

  “They . . . um . . . are . . . a . . . wrestling. Yeah, that’s it! They’re wrestling with each other in there.”

  “Awww, they’re playing? But I wanna wrestle too! Uncle Trevor is bigger than Harmony. She’s gonna need my help,” he argues protectively.

  By this point I feel like banging my head against the head board repeatedly.

  “Uh… no, you can’t do that kind of wrestling. It’s too… dangerous. You could get crushed in the madness and trust me, I think Harmony has your uncle well under control,” Jeremy chuckles.

  He's a dead man. I'm going to kill him when I get the chance after I take out Trevor.

  “Come on, little man. Let’s go get you a snack. You can see Trevor and Harmony in a little bit,” Jeremy coaxes Cody and then with a shout he yells the rest of his sentence. “Preferably after you both shower to wash the... uh... sweat off. Especially Harmony so the rest of the males in here won't want to wrestle with you too!” At this statement, Trevor’s laughter dies and quick as a flash he's by my side protectively growling at the door.

  “Go on, Cody,” Jeremy says probably pushing him toward the stairs. He then says closer to the door so only we can hear. “Chill, Trevor. You know we wouldn’t purposely want that. It’s just the nature of our species. Take as long as you need, we’ll keep the little guy distracted,” he says with a smile in his voice.

  Once he's gone I ask, “What did he mean by that?”

  Trevor sits beside me and takes my hand. “When I mated with you, it awakened the hormones inside you that laid dormant until brought out by your mate. So for the first twenty four hours after mating, your body will be in heat which is why I needed to mark you and stake my claim so that my wolf would be satisfied and it would keep any unmated males from losing control around you. The smell of your heat will still affect them though. It’s out of respect for your mate that their wolves won’t let them do anything about it.”

  That means I was going to be like a tall glass of water in a dry desert to these guys? Great. Just freaking fantastic. Who knew mating could be so complicated?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Horny Males and Fast Rides

  After learning that interesting piece of information, I rush to the shower alone. I'm still a little irritated with Trevor for having such a good laugh at my expense, and I am not about to let him eye screw my body any longer . . . Well, not yet at least. I'm a newly marked female, and I can't deny my hormonal needs nor do I want to. I scrub myself as hard as I can, hoping to wash off as much of my heat scent as possible, and think I'm doing a good job of it until Trevor invades my head. “You can scrub ‘til your skin burns, babe. That smell still isn’t coming off. We’re both just going to have to deal with it, or if yo
u want I can just keep you locked in my room with me until tomorrow.”

  Stupid, irritating, smug, alpha mate. As if I would let that happen. Although it did sound appealing . . . No way. I am not giving in. I will face this new obstacle head on as with everything else in my life. Besides, how bad could it be?

  Thirty minutes later . . .

  Bad. It could be very bad. If I have to see one more lustful look or licking of lips, I am going to castrate these males myself. As soon as I get downstairs I can smell the desire in the air and it's really uncomfortable. Especially because Trevor’s desire is the only one I want to smell. The guys aren't doing anything to purposely make me feel this way, except Jeremy that is, who keeps commenting on how good I smell and asking if he can sniff my neck. Butthead. Trevor's handling this all very well. His body is tense, always aware of the atmosphere in case one of the guys has trouble controlling their urges but other than that he's letting things happen. He did mention through our link that he doesn't want to jump down the guys throats for every thought and feeling my being in heat is causing because he knows it's only the nature of the beast. I think that shows how great an alpha he is and of course I didn’t want any of the guys hurt.

  “Really, Harmony. You smell fantastic! You should have that scent bottled. You could make a fortune,” Jeremy teases.

  Well, maybe I could make an exception for Jeremy…

  “Jeremy, enough.” Trevor orders, though he tries to hide a smile. He clearly finds Jeremy’s actions amusing.

  “Alright, cousin. I’ll stop. It’s just so funny to see the blush on little Harmony’s face. She’s just so sweet and innocent, although we know she wasn’t so innocent an hour ago. Right, Harmony?” he asks me while bobbing his eyebrows up and down.