Second Chance

Chapter 2

Skye

I was stood outside the Spa I'd been given directions to when I started to smell freshly baked cookies again. This time I knew I couldn't be imagining it. The smell only got stronger and stronger until I turned around and the world froze, I saw a petite girl with bouncy soft curls in her brown hair, wearing an elegant wine red dress and holding a matching clutch. Her pale skin almost seemed to glisten in the moonlight and she stood with her hand over her mouth. I was overcome with joy, I had expected to leave disappointed as usual but here she was; My beautiful mate stood little over 10 metres away from me. She started to shake her head back and forth and my heart dropped

I slowly walked to her, she was frozen on the spot staring at me when she whispered "mate"

I went to embrace her but she stepped away, confused and hurt I looked at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"My name is Drew Lachlan, my husband Alastair is the chief here"

I didn't know how to process what I was hearing, I just stared at her. "I don't understand. You already have a mate? Is he your chosen mate?"

"No, he's my fated mate"

"But clearly I'm your fated mate"

"Oh god he's going to be so upset with me. What have I done now. Oh god, why am I always upsetting him" she started hyperventilating

"Hey hey, calm down. You're going to have a panic attack if you don't get your breathing under control" I showed her a breathing exercise and gently held her hand. I felt soothing tingles in my hand where I touched hers and I knew the mate bond would help her to calm down.

"We can figure this out okay, Drew?"

"Please" she gasped

"Please what hon?"

"Please don't tell anyone"

Taken aback by this I probed further

"Is there a reason we can't speak to your husband to figure this out?"

"Oh god, he's the last person I should speak to about this. I don't want him to be upset with me. I upset him too much as it is"

I realised that maybe what my brother had said had some truth to it and reluctantly agreed.

"Okay sure but we need to speak about this later. Can I meet you later on this evening after I've done some research?"

"Er yes okay, I think that's okay"

"Alright well why don't we go in and just relax. You don't have to worry, I'm not going to get you in any trouble"

Drew

Although this was an awkward situation, I felt at ease spending time with Skye. Under the light of the spa I could see how beautiful she was, her long blond hair that looked so silky tempted me to touch it but I restrained myself, keeping my thoughts on Alastair. Despite everything I stole glances at her often, admiring her grassy green eyes and supple pink lips, her long slender legs and her pale flawless complexion. As the night wore on, I relaxed and felt more at ease than I ever had. It was strange realising that this is the effect the mate bond could have on oneself and questions arose in my mind of how or why I'd never felt so comfortable around Alastair. "You've been keeping secrets, Drew!" Nessa's accusation broke my train of thought "what do you mean?" I asked with my heart racing and my cheeks heating up. "Who knew you had such a fun friend as Skye? She's a great lass" For a moment I thought they'd realised the unfortunate situation I'd found myself in. "Oh she's only here for a visit with her brother, he's chief of a neighbouring clan"

"Ahh I see. Well Skye you should visit more often. We haven't seen our Drew this comfortable and out of her shell since before she met Al- I mean before she became Luna" Skye's eyes darted to me and I could swear I saw recognition in her glance.

"Oh it's not like that, really. Alastair is just under a lot of pressure with his position and as Luna I have a lot of work myself"

"Aye all of your work keeps you too busy to see us" Charlie quipped

"Oh Charls I'm sorry I know I need to see you guys more often. It's just hard to find the time"

"You work too hard quine. You need time to unwind and have a social life. You tell that Clan Chief husband of yours that your friends miss you"

"I will Ness, don't worry"

"Maybe I could tell my brother I would like another ladies night before we go home?" Skye suggested

The idea of spending more time with Skye was very lucrative, I gave her a bright smile and agreed.

"Maybe next time we could do sushi and cocktails?" I suggested

Her eyes lit up, "I couldn't have thought of a better idea myself. I'll have my brother arrange it"

When it was time to go I said goodnight to my friends and to Skye, it didn't escape my notice that she walked with them and happily chatted after saying goodnight to me.

The way she said it made it feel private and almost intimate and just as I blushed at the thought, I dismissed such things from my mind once again reminding myself that I have Alastair and he is my husband. I rushed on home stealing once last glance behind me and meeting Skye's eyes, she winked at me continuing her conversation with my friends.

Skye

"Okay I just wanted to make sure she was out of hearing distance. What exactly is the deal with this Alastair?"

Drew's friends Charlie and Nessa shared a knowing look before simultaneously saying "He's such a d**k"

"That bad, huh?" I asked tentatively

Charlie spoke first "Girl, he is an abuser through and through. The worst day of our lives was when we found out he was Drew's mate"

"So he's her fated mate then? Not her chosen mate?" I asked

"Oh if only" Nessa said "Maybe if they were chosen mates we'd have a chance of getting Drew away from him. Every time we think we've got her away from him, she's gone right back and it's always the same story, she tells us she can't just reject her fated mate because she probably won't get a second chance and she doesn't want to upset the goddess"

"Oh I see. Well it was lovely to meet you both. May I ask, is the library open through the night here?"

"hmm? Oh yeah, I think so. A lot of people in the community are nocturnal by choice, something about moonlight being natural for a lycan" Charlie replied

"Okay great, where is it?" I asked

After getting directions from Drew's friends and saying goodnight I marched straight over to the library.

It was actually a grand looking place full of many volumes and the whole place was well maintained. True to the ladies words, there were a number of people reading in some of the comfortable chairs under reading lamps with hot beverages near them. I approached the hot drinks machine and got myself a hot chocolate before I combed the shelves for the volumes I thought would be most helpful. I pulled down 'Understanding The Mate Bond', 'Second Chance Mates, a study' and anything else I could find that seemed relevant before settling down in a cosy chair to lose myself in research.

Drew

"I told you I was sorry Alastair, I didn't know you wanted me back at a specific time" By this point we'd been arguing for an hour and I was just seeing no end to it all, we'd been going in circles for some time.

"Well sorry's not good enough. You should know that I wouldn't want to be up late waiting for you"

"But you told me you were only here 20 minutes before I got back"

He was across the room with his hand on my throat in seconds. I knew I had time to react but I knew how much worse it would be if I did. "And just who the f**k do you think you're talking to, Mrs Lachlan"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you waiting at all"

"And why did you keep me waiting? Did you sneak off to f**k someone whilst I was sat here like an i***t waiting for my dear wife to return?"

"What?! No of course not Alastair. You can ask the staff at the spa, I was there the whole time"

"Ah so it's those bloody friends of yours again isn't it? They're always getting in between us"

"No of course not, it's my fault. I'm a slow eater, you know what I'm like"

"Of course, you eat too much and you eat too slow" The jab about eating too much stung considering I'd lost plenty of weight recently but I didn't want to carry on arguing. I was so exhausted and just needed to sleep. It's easier to just keep agreeing than to argue back

"Yeah exactly darling, see you know me so well. Why don't we just get some sleep?"

"Fine, you go to sleep. I'm going on a walk"

I knew what that meant and it wasn't long until I felt the family distinct pain in my head. The sharp stabbing sensation right behind your eyes almost like a migraine. The pain that you only experience when your mate is being unfaithful. This time it was dulled somewhat, it wasn't quite so sharp but knowing what was happening was enough for me to crack, I wept silently sat upright in bed staring off into the distance before I heard a melodic voice. Skye cleared her throat as she leaned in through the open window. " You look like you could use some company."

Skye

It didn't take me long to scan through the admittedly limited sections of the volumes I'd chosen out but despite the lack of detailed information, I had all of my questions answered. I hurried over to the packhouse, I must have been near to the master suite's window as I could hear two familiar voices. As I got closer I realised they were in a heated argument. I could hear my mate's voice calmly saying "but you told me you were only here 20 minutes before I got back" I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but with my suspicions confirmed I couldn't help but listen in case I needed to protect Drew. By the end of it, I despised this man Alastair more than I had before. I had met men like him, selfish cruel bastards with a corrupt moral compass and no empathy. "fine, you go to sleep. I'm going on a walk" he said.

I leaned over the open window and looked at my beautiful mate, I could see tears falling down her face and my heart ached. I realised however, that this was the most opportune time for me to explain my findings with plenty of privacy. I cleared my throat, "you look like you could use some company". She jumped slightly and quickly wiped her eyes. She looked as though she were about to get to her feet, "no love it's okay, stay there" I told her. I climbed through the window carefully and walked over to the bed. I sat on the bed and opened my arms out to Drew, she looked apprehensive. "It's okay, love. I'm just a friend offering some comfort and support at the moment". That seemed to be all the reassurance she needed because she immediately allowed me to pull her into an embrace. I helped her position her head in my lap, put a blanket over her and began to mindlessly stroke her hair. "We don't have to talk about it but I'll listen if you want to vent". She nodded and stayed quiet for a while but I could tell the calming effect of my touch through our bond was already soothing her.

After some time, she very quietly said "He's sleeping with someone else right now. I can feel the pain. Like a migraine and a toothache combined"

"Oh love, I'm so sorry"

"He wasn't always like this you know. He used to be flirty and thoughtful and kind"

"Well darling, all that means is that he knows his behaviour is wrong and he was only faking a kind personality at the beginning."

"He blames me for him not having an heir. He thinks I'm infertile."

"Well, that's not your fault."

"But I'm not infertile. I got tested at our clinic"

"Oh I see. So, rather he's projecting or he just doesn't believe it could be him"

We stayed quiet for a while but I had to ask

"Why do you not leave him? You know how he's treating you is wrong but you make excuses for him."

"I guess the only thing that was stopping me before is that he was my fated mate. Now, I'm just really confused. I know that I love him, but I don't know why I do when all he does is cause me pain."

"I came over this way because I did that research I mentioned"

"Already? You sure are quick."

"What can I say? I love reading and research"

"Okay, lay it on me, what did you find out?"

"Well pertaining to our specific case, I've found a lot of anecdotal evidence, case studies and published papers into the study of mate bonds and what can cause disruptions or even the possibility of more than one at a time."

"Okay, so our focus is on the 'more than one at a time' right?"

"Not quite, love. It's all relevant here, from what I've gathered, your bond with Alastair is going to diminish more and more over time."

"Because of us being bonded?!"

"No love. Because of the way he treats you"

"What do you mean, Skye?"

"The studies I've found suggest that should someone treat their mate so poorly that they cause their mate to suffer for prolonged periods of time, that mate may end up being given a second chance mate."

"But I thought second chance mates were a rare occurrence and only for people who have lost their mate."

"Well they're not quite as rare as we thought, more that we just didn't travel very far or conveniently before the 21st century and now that we travel to other packs and can even travel worldwide, it's much easier to find our goddess-given second chance and that's not all there is to this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the situation may become dangerous for you."

"Why would it become dangerous?" she asked.

"Well, it's convenient that I arrived right at the moment your bond started to diminish, so they're two separate issues. The sad fact is that your mate mark is going to start fading due to Alastair's abuse", I said.

"Abuse is such a strong word, Skye. I know that he loves me, he's probably just distraught over not having children."

"No, Drew. What he's doing is abuse and you deserve better. You don't have to accept me as your mate though I would be elated if you did. I just want you to be safe and happy. I told you your situation may become dangerous and I meant it. I know you have bruises under your clothes, our bond allows me to feel them. Who do you think Alastair is going to blame when he notices your mark fading? And even if you manage to keep it covered from him, goddess only knows if his will fade too."

At this, I saw her face drain of color. I could feel her dread and fear. "Drew, love. It's okay. I will do everything in my power to protect you." She calmed down somewhat but I could tell she was still on edge.

"What time does he normally return when he does this kind of thing?"

"He doesn't normally come back to our room until the following night. He spends the whole night with she-wolves, drinks until he passes out then sleeps in at his desk until the afternoon."

"Yikes, I really don't understand how someone like him can do this to someone like you and get away with it."

"I don't understand, what do you mean?"

"I mean that you're a beautiful, strong, alpha she-wolf and this man thinks he can treat you like s**t"

She blushed and looked away which had my heart pounding. She is the most amazing she-wolf I'd ever met and I could not believe my luck; I could never have imagined that the goddess would honor my prayers and give me such an amazing mate. I had thought for sure that my mate would be a man and I wouldn't have been able to explain why I needed to reject him.

"So if Alastair won't be back until tomorrow night, why don't you come stay with me in my quarters?"

"I don't know. What if we get caught?"

"I'll tell them I struggle to sleep alone and I wanted some girly company. They won't be suspicious, you know what men are like"

"You're right and to be honest, I don't fancy staying in my room alone all night unable to sleep."

With that, we climbed out through the same window I entered the room through. Drew had a small bag with pyjamas, toiletries and change of clothes and we headed over to my quarters down the road from the packhouse.