A Second Chance Mate

Chapter 4: Mate

-Damian-

It couldn’t be… No, it just couldn’t. Time seemed to stop for a moment as the little female came into view. She was small, with long, wavy black hair, light olive skin, and deep brown eyes that held both darkness and innocence.

Though petite, she was curvy, and for a moment, all I could think about was getting her out of her clothes and exploring those curves with my hands, my mouth, my tongue… f*ck!

Mate.

No, no, no. That was a hard no! I refused to listen to my wolf, who practically shouted the word in my head. There was only one female for me. No one else!

I won’t accept it! I reject her!

My wolf growled threateningly in response to my inner protests, clearly disagreeing with me.

Traitor, I snapped at him.

Our Amelia was the only one for us, so why was he suddenly so interested in this little female in front of us? This half-blood who had appeared out of nowhere.

“What’s your name?” Chris asked the little one as he turned to her.

This pulled her beautiful brown eyes away from me. Thank the Goddess. But then I noticed her hand in Chris’s, and a surge of anger rushed through me. I was ready to jump between them and beat the hell out of Chris for even touching her.

No, she isn’t mine.

Yes, she is, my wolf taunted.

Shut up, I ordered.

I forced myself to stay still. Any movement would make my feelings too obvious, and that would mean admitting I had accepted her.

“Isabella,” she said in a small, delicate voice.

F*ck, that voice. It nearly brought me to my knees. Her words reached me in places nothing else could, warming me from within. Sh*t, this was dangerous because I wanted to hear her keep talking. I didn’t care about the subject. I just needed to hear that sweet voice.

Maybe I could get her to talk about the weather? Or even better, make her moan my name as I buried myself deep between her thighs, marking her as mine… Oh no, this was bad. Very, very bad! I thought. This couldn’t happen!

I shook my head, trying to regain control, but my wolf was clawing to be let loose, eager to take this female as ours.

Mine.

No mine. No ours!

I wasn’t having any of it, but unfortunately, the Goddess seemed to enjoy torturing me. Suddenly, Chris asked, “Where do you live? We’ll gladly take you home.”

The female’s expression shifted to sadness, and she let go of Chris’s hand. I was relieved by that, but her sudden insecurity and the way she looked ready to run made me shift my weight back and forth. I felt an overwhelming urge to rush over and assert my claim, to be the one comforting her and ensuring her safety.

“I-I… You don’t have to. I’m fine,” she stammered, staring at the ground, looking almost ashamed.

I knew exactly what her words and her shame meant, and I hated myself for speaking. “You don’t have a home, do you?”

Her eyes shot to me, anger flaring within them as I stated the obvious. Her clothes were dirty and worn down, her shoes barely hanging on, patched together with tape to last a little longer. Her hair was disheveled, likely from running, but it also looked tired, as if it hadn’t been cared for in years.

It made me despised the thought of this little half-blood being alone on the streets in the middle of the night vulnerable to predators. I had heard tales of them being hunted, but this was the first time I witnessed it with my own eyes, and it made me want to tear those males apart—not just beat them up.

“That’s none of your business,” Isabella replied, crossing her arms defiantly.

That only confirmed my suspicion. She was homeless. F*cking hell, I knew exactly what that meant. Why couldn’t she just have a home so we could drop her off and I’d never have to see her again? But of course, the universe, the Goddess, or whatever higher power was at play, thought it amusing to trap me with this little wolf.

“It is my business, and it means you’re coming with us,” I said, more as an order than a request.

Isabella clearly didn’t like that. Her brown eyes narrowed, and her anger flared. “I don’t have to do anything you say!” she shot back, almost stomping her foot like a child.

A small smile spread across my lips, surprising me. I hadn’t smiled in years, but Isabella had a way of getting to me. Her tiny frame shook with anger, and I imagined all the things I could do to make her compliant—and how she would enjoy it. She might have a fire in her, but I just knew she would love submitting to me.

I took a small step forward before realizing what I was about to do. Sh*t, I thought. I had nearly let my imagination become reality, picturing myself pushing her against the wall behind her, pinning her hands above her head, kissing her senseless, before growling warningly at her.

I could see her tipping her head to the side, granting me access to that lovely neck of hers, and then… wow. The image in my head was so vivid. It felt almost real.

“Do you want to sleep on the street where people like them can get to you?” I inquired, gesturing to the alley behind us.

Isabella looked behind herself, and I could see fear dulling her anger. I didn’t mean to scare her, but since I couldn’t touch her and make her compliant in a pleasurable way, I had to use other means.

Isabella turned back to me, still holding onto her anger, her arms crossed tightly over her body. “Who says I’m sleeping on the streets?”

I noticed Chris’s smile growing wider at her little attempt at defiance, and I hated to think about what was going on in his head. Isabella wasn’t his usual type, but Chris liked to try everything, and he probably wouldn’t mind having a taste of her as well.

My fangs elongated before I even realized it, and I was close to growling at him. I tightened my hands into fists at my sides, forcing my fangs to retract to their normal size.

“It’s pretty obvious you’re not sleeping in a warm bed,” I said darkly, my voice coming out almost animal-like.

But you’re welcome to sleep in ours. I promise it will be warm.

Shut up, shut up, shut up! But my wolf didn’t seem to agree.

“So? You don’t know me. Why would you care where I sleep?” she shot back.

We care. We care very much.

“Sweetheart, we love to play heroes, and we can’t leave a beautiful female out here all alone,” Chris teased, earning a deep, warning growl from me.

“What?” he inquired, turning to me.

I shook my head, trying to regain control. He wasn’t allowed to call her those things. She was mine! Isabella, on the other hand, didn’t seem charmed by Chris. She looked deep in thought.

“We won’t hurt you,” Chris said, smiling at Isabella.

“Promise?” she asked, a small smile flickering on her lips.

He nodded, and it seemed he was managing to earn her trust—at least for now. It hurt that it was thanks to Chris that we got her into the car, but it was better than leaving her on the street.