All Chapters of Her Second Chance Mate: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Baby steps. I accepted even the tiniest step forward as a victory. The first victory was when Holly trusted me with Samuel. The second victory was being the one who drove Holly and Samuel to their hotel instead of Alsion. The third victory was when Holly agreed to dinner with me. It was dinner with our sons, but I didn’t belittle my victory. And the fourth victory was that she had been flirting. Or at least I thought she had been flirting. It could have just been my wishful thinking, but instead of flirting with her playful jabs, she meant them to be mean. She was always hard to read. Time and distance hadn’t made that any easier. That didn’t mean I gave up. That was my chance to finally act on what I had known for years. I wasn’t going to let it slip by. Don’t think for a minute that I hadn’t noticed how Holly had actively avoided touching me. She was under the impression I didn’t know we were mates, so she tried to avoid touching me so I wouldn’t feel the bond. Too bad for her, but

My heart swelled with incredible warmth as I sat at a quaint picnic table on the patio. The evening air was fragrant with the rich aromas of fried chicken and collard greens wafting from the kitchen, mingling with the distant sounds of bustling traffic on the busy corner nearby. Holly sat across from me, her laughter dancing lightly in the warm breeze. Our boys joyfully devoured their plates, chatting about everything under the sun. It was the perfect family moment. Yet, a bittersweet longing tugged at me, even in the vibrant atmosphere filled with laughter and the clinking of dishes. If only I could reach out and take Holly’s hand, feeling her warmth envelop mine, the way I yearned for her to truly acknowledge what lay simmering beneath the surface of our friendship. But I knew I had to tread carefully. Holly had been hurt by love already, so she was skittish. Every step had to be deliberate. I couldn’t risk scaring her off, not when the potential for something more tantalizing l

I had been repeating the same bitter mantra to myself ever since Holly slapped me and stormed out of the restaurant last night: “Stupid. Stupid! STUPID!” Each repetition drove the knife of regret deeper into my gut. In an impulsive moment, I leaned in and kissed Holly without thinking. Now, it felt like a colossal mistake. I imagined what my wolf, if I had one, would say. His gruff voice, that sounded like Logan, would tell me that my lack of foresight had ruined everything. The image of Holly’s shocked and pained expression weighed heavily on me. I needed to make things right, but I had no idea how. Tristan sensed the tension. The usually chatty boy was silent on the ride home—a significant change. When we arrived, he paused at his bedroom door and said, “Dad, you need to apologize to Mrs. Boland. If you care about her, you better grovel. This is on you.” After he left, I contemplated the weight of my actions. I had slept poorly, tossing and turning, thinking of how to make amend

It had felt like telling Aurelia took a weight off my shoulders. For so many years, I had kept this huge secret from her. I had been too afraid to tell Aurelia the truth. I had feared she would want to push me to pursue Holly when I wasn’t ready. I had worried my best friend wouldn’t think I was worthy of Holly and would encourage me to give up. None of my fears were founded. Aurelia supported me no matter what the outcome was. She hadn’t told me it was pointless to seize that opportunity to pursue Holly. She had even helped orchestrate a way for me to get time alone with Holly. Most of the kids were present when I arrived at Christian Ranch. William and Mikali had kept the nine kids already there together and entertained with horse trivia. Aurelia had been pacing just a few feet from the group on her phone. I hadn’t dared to guess what was happening on her phone. She was a freaking Luna of a werewolf pack; there could have been a million answers to that question. As Tristan’s boots

From the beginning, a sense of foreboding sat like a brick in my stomach. I had anticipated this moment, feeling it pulse just beneath the surface of our interactions. Deep down, I understood that Holly would likely want to push me away. That had always held me back, driving my hesitation to pursue her in the past. I had been acutely aware that any advance I made had to come only when she felt truly ready. When she returned, I dared to believe it was a sign from the Goddess, a divine nudge suggesting that the time had finally come. I thought that Holly, in her own way, would be ready for what I longed to offer. Despite my certainty that winning her acceptance would be a formidable challenge, I clung to the hope that she would at least allow me the opportunity to prove myself. I had been wrong. Holly hadn’t been ready to accept me or anyone. She had even fought her wolf about this. I hadn’t wanted to be the cause of conflict between Holly and her wolf. I had learned a lot in the last