The Bounty Hunter and His Second Chance (Bounty Hunter Series Book 4)

Prologue Peace had finally settled over the bounty hunters and their mates. Sarah was awake from her coma, Arden was safe within the Desert Moon pack, and Margot’s pregnancy was progressing beautifully. For Candy and Poseidon, it was a long-awaited chance to breathe and enjoy being mates, free of drama. They had recently secured a cozy little cottage of their own within the pack territory. The move was a win-win: it gave them their own space while allowing Fury and Margot to take over Poseidon’s old room and convert it into a nursery while they waited to build their dream home. They were in the middle of unpacking when Carter and Sarah maneuvered a stroller through the wide-open front door, their newborn daughter, Carlie, fast asleep inside. “Hey guys!” Candy greeted them warmly, keeping her voice soft so as not to wake the baby. “How’s it going?” Carter asked, stepping around the stroller. “Do you guys need any help lifting boxes?” Poseidon grinned, shaking his head. “Hey, man! Thanks, but I think we’ve got it covered.” “Actually, I could use some help organizing these new kitchen appliances,” Candy called out from the kitchen. “I can help with that,” Sarah offered with a smile. She turned to Carter, tapping the stroller’s handle. “Do you mind babysitting for a second?” Carter chuckled, looking down at his sleeping daughter. “She’s my daughter, too, babe. It’s not babysitting when it’s your own kid.” Sarah laughed softly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before walking into the kitchen to help Candy find a home for her mountain of new gadgets. “I’m just glad she’s up and walking around now,” Poseidon said softly, his eyes briefly drifting to Sarah, silently acknowledging the traumatic ordeal she had survived. “Yeah. She’s a trooper,” Carter said, a proud but tired smile touching his lips. He watched as their mates laughed playfully in the small kitchen, completely engrossed in the puzzle of trying to fit half a dozen new appliances into the limited counter space. Poseidon looked down at the stroller, his expression softening. “And how’s my niece doing? Sleeping through the night yet?” “She’s perfect,” Carter murmured, looking down at the little angel. “But no, sleeping through the night isn’t happening yet. For any of us. Sarah gets up to feed her every few hours, and if she’s too exhausted, I take over.” “Is Sarah able to breastfeed her yet?” Poseidon asked. “Soon, but not quite yet. She’s still on pain meds, and the doctor recently started her on Prozac.” Poseidon furrowed his brows in concern. “Antidepressants? For anxiety?” “Yeah. The nightmares still catch up to her every so often,” Carter replied, his voice dropping to a low, heavy rumble. “And if someone moves too fast toward her or Carlie, she flinches. She’s on high alert, even though she knows logically that we're safe here.” Carter kept his eyes anchored on Sarah. She was moving around the kitchen with a bright smile on her face, but he knew her well enough to see the exhaustion underneath. He knew that inside, she was still fighting her way through the dark. “So, onto a brighter topic,” Carter said, deliberately shifting away from the heavy conversation. “Are you and Candy planning on any pups anytime soon?” “Dude, definitely not yet,” Poseidon laughed, shaking his head. “We’ve barely had two seconds to ourselves. First, there was Fury’s drama, then yours, then the Blue Lake pack, and then everything that went down with Arden. Candy and I want to enjoy being together for a while before we even think about committing to kids.” “That’s fair,” Carter nodded, completely understanding. “Take all the time you can get.” “Hey, babe!” Candy called out from the kitchen. “Yeah, baby?” Poseidon’s entire face lit up at the sound of her voice, his eyes instantly locking onto his mate. Candy pointed to a massive heap of empty cardboard and Styrofoam cluttering the floor. “Can you do a trash run with these boxes?” “I’ve got you, my love,” Poseidon said with a grin, already heading over. “Here, let me give you a hand,” Carter offered, stepping up to help. Before leaving the house, he carefully wheeled Carlie’s stroller over toward the kitchen threshold, ensuring she was close to Sarah and Candy in case she woke up while they were outside. Out in the garage, the men were breaking down the heavy cardboard boxes and stacking them into the recycling bins when Poseidon’s phone suddenly rang. “Hold up,” Poseidon said, setting down the box he was mid-way through flattening. He pulled the phone from his pocket, but as he glanced at the caller ID, he froze. “What the f*ck?” Carter looked up, sensing the sudden energy shift. “What? Who is it?” “My mom.” Carter paused, his eyebrows shooting up. “Why is your mom calling you?” “I have no idea,” Poseidon muttered, staring blankly at the screen. “We haven’t spoken in over five years.” “Are you going to answer it?” Carter asked. Poseidon didn't move; he just stared at the flashing name. After a few more seconds, the ringing stopped, cutting off into a sudden silence. Poseidon let out a breath, thinking that was the end of it—but he was wrong. A second later, the screen lit up, and the phone began to ring again. “Bro, just answer it,” Carter urged quietly. With a silent groan, Poseidon finally swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear. “Hello?” “Percy, my boy!” his mother’s voice chimed brightly through the speaker. “Mom, why are you calling me?” he asked, his voice entirely flat, stripped of any warmth or emotion. “Now, is that any way to greet your mother?” “Mom, if you’re just calling to waste my time, I’m hanging up,” Poseidon warned. It felt like an empty threat, but he needed to set a boundary immediately. “Okay, okay! Don’t hang up on me.” Poseidon remained silent, letting the heavy quiet stretch over the line as he waited for his mother to explain herself. “I was just calling to check on you,” she finally said. “Mom, you don’t just call to check in. What do you want?” “Percy, I know after what happened with Rae—” “Don’t say her f*cking name!” Poseidon roared into the receiver. The explosion of rage startled Carter, who had rarely seen his friend get this worked up. “I’m sorry, honey,” his mother apologized quickly, her voice wavering. “Mom, why are you calling me?” Poseidon demanded again, his patience completely worn through. “It’s about... she who shall not be named,” his mother answered evasively. “Then we have nothing to discuss. I’m hanging up. Don’t call me again unless someone is dying.” Poseidon pulled the phone away from his ear to end the call, but his mother’s frantic screech stopped him. “Percy! This is important!” Poseidon let out a frustrated growl, but he didn't press the end-call button. He brought the phone back to his ear. “What is it? And stop beating around the bush.” “She changed her mind.” “What?” “She changed her mind, Percy. She wants to take it back. All of it. She wants the two of you to be together.” Poseidon let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Tell her to go f*ck herself. She chose her path—she can f*cking die on it for all I care.” “Percy! She’s your fated mate!” “No, mother, she was,” Poseidon snarled. “She rejected me, and she took an Alpha to be her chosen one.” “She regrets it, sweetheart. Immensely so. Just give her a chance, hm?” “Mom, I’m going to say this once, and only once,” Poseidon said, his voice dropping to a deadly, quiet register. “That pack and everyone in it, including you and Dad, are f*cking dead to me. I only gave you this number so you could call if anything happened to Hera, because she was only twelve when I walked away. But she’s seventeen now. She has her own phone, and she can call me herself. I never want to hear from anyone in that pack ever again unless it’s my baby sister.” “Percy—” “Hey, babe!” Candy’s cheerful voice cut through the heavy air, immediately catching the attention of both Poseidon and his mother. “Yeah, baby?” Poseidon’s entire demeanor flipped instantly. The icy rage vanished from his expression, replaced by pure warmth the second he looked at his mate. “Are you good out here?” Candy asked, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m good, beautiful. Just dealing with someone from work,” Poseidon lied smoothly, offering her a reassuring smile. “What’s up?” “Sarah and I are starving, but we haven’t done a grocery run yet. We were thinking about ordering pizza, pasta, and wings for lunch. Sound good?” “That sounds perfect, baby,” Poseidon said softly. Candy turned her gaze to Carter. “Carter?” “Absolutely, Candy. I’m game,” Carter agreed with a nod. “Cool. Hurry up with those boxes, then. The others are going to be rolling up soon,” Candy announced. “We’ll be in in a second,” Poseidon promised. Candy smiled, blew him a quick kiss, and disappeared back inside the comfort of their new home. “Percy... who was that?” his mother’s voice came crackling through the line, having heard the entire exchange. “None of your business.” “Do you...Do you have a mate?” she questioned, her voice thick with utter disbelief. “Yeah, I do. So you can go back and tell the Alpha’s daughter she can—” “A chosen mate?” her mother interrupted. “No, mother,” Poseidon said, a proud, lethal edge taking over his tone. “Unlike that spoiled, self-entitled b*tch, I was blessed with a fated one. One who is a million times more pure, loving, and kind than she who shall not be named could ever hope to be. So, again, you and everyone else in that pack can f*ck off and leave me alone.” Poseidon slammed his thumb onto the screen, ending the call before she could utter another syllable. Without missing a beat, he opened her contact details and blocked the number. Carter watched him, crossing his arms. “Bro, what the f*ck was that about?” “Nothing. Just old family drama. It’s not important.” “Poseidon, I’m standing right here, I heard the whole thing,” Carter said gently but firmly. “Your ex-mate wants you back?” “I don’t give a sh*t what she wants. I have Candy now, and she’s the only one who matters.” “Are you going to tell her?” Poseidon sighed, running a hand over his face. “Later. Right now, everyone is in a good mood. We finally have a chance to breathe. I don’t want to ruin our first day in the house by dragging my toxic past into the mix.” “Fair enough,” Carter nodded, though his expression remained serious. “But take a word of advice from someone who had to deal with a literal stalker—you need to tell Candy sooner rather than later. Because hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. If your ex thinks she can slide back into your life, she's going to cause trouble.” Poseidon let out a heavy breath and gave a tight nod. He knew Carter was right, but he refused to let the ghosts of his past cast a shadow over his present. Candy was his future, and he’d kill anyone who dared try to destroy the peace they were building.