All Chapters of Second Chance At Love: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Axel. The pub was quiet enough to hear my pulse pound in my ears. Warren and my cousin, Jake, sat across from me, drinking, but I felt no pull toward the bottle in front of me tonight. I’d come here to forget, but not even Jake’s best whiskey couldn’t blunt the fury boiling inside me. My mind circled back to the rogues. I’d torn through them without a second thought. I’d made it quick, but now? Now, I regretted it. They’d deserved so much worse. If I’d known my son was dead, I’d have made them beg to die. They would’ve paid with blood, their last breaths spent pleading for mercy I would never give. A shift from across the table caught my attention. Jake cleared his throat, darting a glance at Warren. “You know, I… feel bad for her,” he said, a little hesitant but loud enough to break through the silence, “Cassie, I mean. Little Cam… died in her arms.” Warren nudged Jake hard, his glare sharp, a warning without words. His eyes met mine briefly, then flicked back to Jake, urging h

Cassie.My breath hitched as I leaned toward the rolled-down window, squinting through the dim light of the car’s interior to see who was inside.And then my eyes widened in shock.“Jake?” I whispered, barely able to form the word.His expression was unreadable, but I felt the intensity of his gaze. It took me a second to remember how to breathe, and when I did, it was shallow and panicked. I’d been caught.“I—” My voice cracked, and the bags slipped from my hands, heavy and useless against my side.Jake rolled his eyes, his face twisting with impatience, “Get in, Cassie.”I didn’t move, my legs feeling as if they’d been glued to the ground. I’d never said more than a greeting to Jake in my entire life. We weren’t friends, and I assumed he was like the rest of the pack members who didn’t like me.“I can’t,” I mumbled, shifting backward, with my heartbeat hammering louder than my own thoughts. Jake raised an eyebrow.“I’m trying to help you,” he said, his voice a low, hurried whisper.

Cassie.I felt a jolt run through me as I stumbled backward, blinking to clear my vision. The man I’d just bumped into stood before me, gazing down with striking blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through me. His blond hair was perfectly slicked back, though two rogue strands had slipped loose, hanging over his forehead effortlessly carelessly. I stared, momentarily frozen, my mind too sluggish to process what was happening. I opened my mouth to speak, to stammer out an apology, but the words died. It wasn’t just the man’s intense gaze; it was also the unmistakable aura rolling off him. He was an Alpha. Cy, stirred, cautious but curious.The man tilted his head slightly, a strange intensity in his gaze like he was looking straight into me. I swallowed, forcing myself to snap out of it and remember where I was—and who I was. If this man was an Alpha, there was no way I could risk him figuring out I was a rogue.“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice deep and calm, though a hi

Cassie.“Over my dead body,” I hissed, my voice shaking but unyielding as I stared up at Axel.For a split second, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a hard, unreadable expression. This was Axel—the alpha who had once held my world together, then shattered it beyond repair. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t imagined this moment a thousand times, meeting Axel. What I’d say to him, what he’d say to me. But never in my wildest dreams had I thought we’d meet like this: outside my workplace, him in a black crisp, three-piece suit, looking as if he hadn’t lost a single night of sleep in the years since I’d left. And worst of all, as my mate.He studied me, those storm-gray eyes piercing through me like he could strip away every wall I’d built to protect myself since I left the Red Hollow pack. I wanted to flinch, to look away, but I held my ground.“You don’t belong here, Cassie,” he said finally, his voice low but firm. “You’r

Cassie.I didn’t dare look away from the man in front of me.He took a step forward, and I instinctively took one back. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to create some distance, but it was futile.He kept coming closer.There was a strange ease to his movements, as though he wasn’t in a hurry. Like a predator taking his time with cornered prey. A lazy, almost amused smile played on his lips, making my stomach churn.My back hit the edge of a curb. I froze, my breath hitching as he reached into the pocket of his coat.“Relax,” he said smoothly, pulling out a cigarette. He placed it between his lips, lighting it with a flick of his lighter. The small flame illuminated his sharp features, the cold glint in his eyes.He took a slow drag, inhaling deeply before exhaling a cloud of smoke into the crisp night air. Then, he smiled again.“Damon,” he said simply, his voice low and casual. “And you are?”I hesitated, my lips pressing together as unease crawled over my skin.When I didn’