Second chance mate! Glad Jason cleared that all up.
Having Jason back as me thrown for a loop. Feeling him come back was like awakening him all over again, and shifting hurt just as badly as it did when I was sixteen. But I suppose eighteen years of not shifting will do that. I couldn’t believe it. I’m still not sure I think this is real. Not just that, Jason is back. But when the dust had settled, so to speak, I took that breath, and it was there. Rich and musky jasmine blended with warm honey, with a bright background of heady orange blossom, filled my senses, overpowering any others. The moment the scent hit me, I knew. Not just that it was Erin but what it meant. Erin is my mate. Second chance mates are fairy tales in the werewolf community. They are rarer than having a human mate. Yet my second chance is a human. It defies logic. The chances of this happening are so slim it’s barely worth calculating. I’m not special. I’m just a nobody in our pack, white wolf or not, so how or rather why would the Goddess give me a second chance?
I know earlier, when we were going to bed, I said I’d be okay with just cuddling and that I could accept just being in Hale’s arms. I would never push Hale into doing something he’s not comfortable with. And him getting his wolf back shouldn’t change that, but I don’t know if I can do that. I mean, I will. I will if he’s not ready. Something has changed, not just about him but me, since I touched him after he got Jason back. That spark triggered something in me, like a release of hormones that had me feeling like some horny teenager. But this is better than when I was just a horny teenager. For once, I know what I’m doing and like. For another, Hale is more mature and better looking than those boys from my youth. I was feeling bold. It’s the only excuse I have for what I said. I should be blushing that I just suggested Hale undress me. I worried I might have gone too far but saw the silver ring on his iris and how his eyes darkened. There was little question about what Jason wanted.
So much has happened in the last four months that it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it. I’m still adjusting to having Jason back, let alone to the other changes to my daily life. The weekend with Erin, the issue of her ex aside, was a good time. We were able to get to know each other more. And no, I’m not strictly speaking sexually. River and Sage enjoyed their visit to the pack house. They met several of the pack’s youths that are near their age and were able to participate in training sessions. They weren’t on the same level as their peers, but that was expected. Our pack starts training children as young as ten. So the others had years of training experience. But they are catching up quickly. Returning to the office Monday morning was interesting. Erin and I are still watercooler gossip; we’ve been together for months. And I suppose I can understand why. Human mates are rare, and second chance mates are even more uncommon. But getting my wolf back after eighteen years
The drive and hike to the campsite were uneventful, thankfully. I’d linked Austin to be careful about his grandfather. Not that I think he’d come back to the house, but I want to be sure. I don’t need him starting shit with the kids. He thinks Austin is a failure for losing his legs and mating with Suzie. And let’s not start on his opinions of River and Sage. It will just anger me to linger even a moment on it. “Is it weird I’m more nervous about tonight than I was our first time together?” Erin broke the silence as we set up camp. “Not at all. I’m nervous too. And before you say I’ve done this before, this is different. There wasn’t any risk when I marked Jen. I spoke with Beta John about his marking experience. He was terrified she died because she was unresponsive after the marking. Only later did he realize it was because she was receiving her wolf. But it still scares me. I don’t want to risk losing you.” I frowned. “That’s why we are doing this on the new moon. There isn’t a r
I can’t believe how far I’ve come. How far my family has come. Two years ago, I struggled to make ends meet, sharing a house with a roommate, my mother, and my two kids. Then by some miracle or Goddess divine intervention, I landed a dream job in the marketing department for Kinsley Industrial. When I moved myself and my kids across the country, I had no idea what I was walking into. Everything changed when River and Sage signed me up on that Kindred Spirit app. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have connected with Hale. And I can’t imagine my life without Hale. Meeting him turned my world upside down; not all of it was good, but there was more good than bad. I could have done without the run-in with my crazy werewolf ex. Yes, I said werewolf. I went 45 years, never knowing that all those supernatural beings I’ve read about are real, let alone that I got knocked up by one. Finding out that Dane is a werewolf became a game changer. Hale had to explain how my kids are hybrids and that he
Everyone hurried to get in place for the wedding. I was the last to leave the room, finding my mother waiting with a smile. I doubt she thought this day would ever happen either. I’m her oldest but the last to get married. Oh well. She’s probably the only one that doesn’t quite fit the vibe that the rest of the wedding party is wearing. But far be it for anyone to try and dictate what she should wear. It’s a lovely mother-of-the-bride style pantsuit in a soft shade of purple. She was told purple, and that’s what she picked. “Ready?” She grinned, offering me her arm. I’m glad she’s here. My sister couldn’t make it; I understand it’s a long trip, and she has her kids to deal with. But at least mom is here to be at my side like she’s always been. She took the whole ‘guess what your grandkids are werewolves’ talk very well. “As I’m ever going to be.” I nodded. I don’t know if I’d get over my nerves to make it down the aisle alone. ‘Alone? Hello. Do I not count? And, of course, you’d ge
The chapters will be for the short story The Hybrid's Rogue from this point forward. River Carlisle: The only downside to moving across the country was leaving Leo. It hurt so much to leave them behind. I wanted them to come with us, but as mom pointed out, we couldn’t simply take them from their parents. Even if their parents are total dicks. Now Leo has run away from home. They’re out there alone. I need to find them before their parents or possibly something worse does. Leo Hanley: When I say I’ve had it “up to here” with my parents, I’m reaching above my head to demonstrate. I’m drowning in their controlling bullshit. I know our pack tends to be more purist about almost everything. But enough is enough. They don’t love me. They love control. And now that I’m sixteen, they think they can control who my mate is? Hell no. That’s why I ran to the only person I knew who loved me for me… River.
“I miss you. Do you think after the new year you will be able to visit? I know my parents won’t like it, but I could manage to sneak away.” I sighed, rolling onto my stomach, my voice barely above a whisper. I can’t be too sure that my parents or my obnoxious brother aren’t outside the door trying to listen in. While Oscar would have a harder time not having his wolf yet, my parents could easily hear me. Planning to meet up with River is the last thing I want them to know about. They’ve been thrilled these previous two years since they moved away. I don’t even understand why they hated them. Well, let me rephrase I don’t see the logic, but I know why my parents hate River. River isn’t part of the pack. They are human and nonbinary like me. My family and pack are the definitions of basic white bitches. They are total purists. If there were a way to do it, our pack would never associate with humans or other supernatural creatures. To the Silvermane pack, anyone not a pure werewolf