A Second Chance Mate

Chapter 5-Avoding

Dominic’s Pov

I tried to see her for the next few days, but she avoided me. I wanted to see her, and Aztec was increasingly agitated. I talked to Grant and found out that his mate was Lexi’s best friend, Erika, so he said he would speak to her about trying to arrange for her to meet with me, and I was grateful for that. So now I was waiting to see if Lexi would call me or at least Grant to call and let me know where I could “bump” into her. I was looking forward to getting to know my mate and needed to prepare just in case I had to leave quickly, so I decided to shower first. When I was done, I dressed casually in blue jeans and a black T-shirt. My phone rang, “Grant." I answered it.

“Alpha, I have spoken to Erika,” he said.

“That’s great, Grant. Thank you, and extend my gratitude to Erika for me,” I replied excitedly.

“That’s not all,” he said with more energy.

“What do you have,” I said, wondering what else he needed to tell me.

“Lexi, she works at the diner in town as a waitress,” he told me.

“Really,” I said, happy about this news.

“There is just one thing Erika told me: Lexi has always feared you,” he said.

“What why?” I asked.

“Well, from what I was told, it is because of your reputation; it seems there are more rumors than just that of the truth,” he explained.

“What rumors did she hear?” I asked him.

“Well, it seems that in this pack and maybe more, they say that you have gone through several she-wolves,” he explained.

“Why would that bother her? Every wolf has had random s****l partners during a heat,” I said, confused.

“It’s not that you have had them. It’s that you treat them horribly afterward,” he finished saying.

“WHAT!” I yelled, angry at this outlandish rumor.

“Don’t blame the massager,” he said.

“Sorry, Grant, but now my mate is afraid of me because of these rumors,” I explained.

“It’s all good, Alpha,” he said.

I was so grateful for Grant’s understanding. He was my best friend, and I wouldn't say I liked it when he took the brunt of my frustrations. I had to show my appreciation to him for all he had done for me.

“Thank you, Grant,” I said to him.

“It’s no problem, but there is one more thing,” he said hesitantly.

“What else do you know?” I asked, wanting everything that could help me get my mate.

“Lexi works today and will be there this afternoon,” he told me.

“That’s perfect,” I said excitedly.

“You’re welcome, but Alpha, you need to be gentle with her,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, not sure what he meant.

“Just get to know her,” he told me before ending the call.

I was confused by how Grant ended the call. Why would I need to be gentle? Did they think that I would force her into things? I hated that my bata would keep information about my mate from me, but I decided he was bound to keep it to himself by his mate, and I would not force him to break her trust.

I had a little time before heading to the diner for lunch, so I went to the little jewelry store to see if I could find a gift for Lexi. As I walked in, I was greeted by a young woman. She was friendly and showed me around to find the perfect gift. I decided on a gold necklace with a crescent moon pendant. After I had paid for the necklace, I walked out of the store and headed to the diner for lunch.

Lexi’s Pov

I had been at work for an hour, and my back was towards the door when I heard the bell on the door ring. I noticed the familiar scent of sandalwood and citrus and turned around to see Dominic smiling at me at the counter. When he sat down, I knew he would wait for me to take his order because Erika told me that he had been trying to see me and I was avoiding him by taking extra shifts. Erika told me I needed to get to know him and see what he was like instead of believing all the rumors. She had found out that her mate was Dominic’s bata at the ball, and she accepted him right away, which I thought was foolish. Athena was mad at me for not being with our mate already. Erika tried to tell me what Grant had told her of their pack and how it was different from ours, but I couldn’t believe that because how could he be the most feared Alpha but have a kind pack? It sounded like something out of a storybook. I also couldn’t imagine him being kind to the girls he slept with after he was done with them. However, I couldn’t afford to lose my job by refusing his order since I was the only waitress who showed up today. So I smiled at him.

“Welcome, Alpha. Here is a menu,” I said, placing the menu in front of him.

“What do you recommend?” he asked.

“Well, the cook makes a wonderful hamburger with fries,” I told him.

“Alright, I’ll have that then,” he said.

“And what would you like to drink with that?” I asked, writing his order down.

“I’ll have an iced tea,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll have this right out for you,” I replied and walked to the kitchen.

I hid in the kitchen momentarily, not wanting to be stopped by him again. The cook’s name was Jake, and we had gone to school together. Jake’s parents owned the diner, so he has worked here since he was thirteen, but he just became the cook when we graduated. Jake was friendly, and I considered him a friend as he and I got to know each other when I started working there. Jake hadn’t found his mate yet, so he was pretty bummed about that, and he knew how I was rejected, but I didn’t tell him about Dominic.

“Lexi, What is the matter?” Jake asked me.

“Girl stuff, Jake,” I responded.

“You know you can talk to me about it if you want to,” he told me.

“Do you want to hear about my girl problems?” I asked him, smiling.

“What are friends for? And hey, you never know; I might have good advice,” he said, joking with me while he cooked.

“You know what? I could use a guy’s opinion,” I said.

“How about we go grab dinner after our shift, and you can tell me what has been bothering you,” he said.

“Sure, that sounds great,” I answered.

“Good, it’s a date,” he said, smiling at me.

He handed me Dominic’s order, and I grabbed his drink and headed back out of the kitchen.

“Here is your burger and fries and your iced tea, Alpha,” I said as I placed his order before him.

“You know you don’t have to call me Alpha,” he told me.

“Well, you are an Alpha, so yes, I do as a sign of respect,” I told him.

“You are my mate, so no, you don’t. You can call me Dominic,” he replied.

“Look, this is not the time or place for this conversation. I am working, and it is swamped here, and as you can see, I am the only waitress here,” I snapped at him.

“My apologies, you’re right, so why don’t you have dinner with me this evening?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, I already have dinner plans tonight,” I told him, thankful that I had already told Jake I would have dinner with him.

“Oh, really, with whom?” he asked me.

“My friend, not that it is any of your business,” I said, frustrated as other guests were calling for me. I walked away without letting him say anything else. I knew that he would assume that I was talking about Erika, and I would let him think that Jake told me he would pick me up at six, so I would have enough time to shower when I got home.

I looked at myself in the mirror when I was done getting ready. Even though this was just two friends hanging out, I had chosen to wear a strapless green dress that came down to right above my knees. I curled my hair, wore it down to cover the scars on my back, and applied light makeup that you could barely tell I was wearing. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Since my dad had been at work, I went to answer the door expecting to see Jake standing there, but when I opened the door, the person standing there was Dominic.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“I came to see if I could change your mind about going to dinner with me,” he said.

“I told you I have plans already,” I responded, trying to be as polite as possible to him.

“I assumed that you made that up since Erika is going out with Grant tonight,” he told me.

“I never said I was having dinner with Erika. I said I was having dinner with a friend,” I told him.

“Sorry, I just assumed,” he apologized.

“It’s alright, but he will be here any minute,” I told him, then realized my mistake.

“He? As in, you’re going on a date with a guy?” he asked angrily.

“It’s not a date, but yes, I’m having dinner with a guy,” I told him.

“Not a date. Is that why you’re dressed up?” he asked, clearly furious.

“He is a friend,” I snapped at him.

“A friend that you get all dressed up for, yeah, right,” he snarled.

“There is nothing wrong with looking nice,” I said, now angry.

“You are my mate,” he growled at me.

I was shocked, and then Jake walked up.

“Hey Lexi, is everything ok?” Jake asked, looking from me to Dominic.

“Yes, Jake, let’s go,” I said as I grabbed his hand, walked to his car, and got in.