Second Chance Luna: His Rejected Mate is the Golden Wolf

Boat Ride

Paris’ POV

It wasn’t long before we reached the outskirts of Hope Moon, and my eyes were immediately captured by the vast, beautiful lake stretching alongside the road. The water shimmered beneath the sunlight, scattering bright reflections across its crystal-clear surface, where several small recreational boats drifted peacefully. In the distance, on the opposite shore, I could see houses lining the beach—each one lovely and charming, as if lifted straight from a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

“The lake is my father’s work,” Conlan said, noticing the way I admired the enchanting landscape. “He created a channel that redirected the waters from a marsh that used to flood the area, and as you can see, it made it possible for families to settle here—families who committed themselves to caring for the land, the water, and the ecology of the place.”

“It’s all so beautiful,” I said with genuine fascination. Everything looked so bright, sunny, and harmonious that I felt certain it would be easy to forget my sadness in a place like this.

I lowered the window a little more to feel the breeze rising from the lake, breathing in the pure air infused with the essence of water, wildflowers, and the towering pines growing along the slopes of the gentle hills that surrounded us.

This was, without a doubt, a safe home—full of life. And it still amazed me that I might one day become the Luna of such a wonderful place.

At last, the truck slowed to a stop as we approached a dock, which surprised me—I hadn’t expected to make a stop by the lake. Before getting out, I noticed a small group of people waiting for us, and I assumed they must be some of the higher-ranking members of the pack I was arriving in.

“I want to introduce you to a few people,” Conlan said as he took my hand to help me out of the vehicle.

My assumption proved correct. One by one, Conlan introduced me to members of his inner circle, but the one who caught my attention most was a young woman at the end of the line. She was slightly shorter than average, with striking, beautiful caramel-colored hair, and she looked torn between nervousness and excitement.

“This is Eve,” Conlan said when it was her turn. “She’ll be your assistant.”

I hadn’t expected that. I took Eve’s hand, and she made a small bow that looked as though she had been practicing it for weeks.

“Luna Paris,” she said, her cheeks flushed and a wide, genuine smile lighting her face. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. We were all wondering if our Alpha would ever return with a Luna, and now I see he couldn’t have chosen a better one.”

Her words didn’t seem to please Conlan—his lips twitched slightly—but to me, they felt honest and endearing. They spoke well of her character, and I immediately sensed that Eve was sincere and a little naïve at heart.

“The pleasure is mine, Eve. Thank you very much for such a warm welcome—and for your honest words,” I replied, punctuating my sentence with a wink.

“I already have today’s schedule prepared, Luna,” Eve said eagerly, pulling her phone from her jacket pocket. “I’d love to show you all the interesting places in our pack—which are many—but I’m sure that if we start early, you’ll get to know at least half of them.”

“Eve, please,” Conlan interrupted. “Paris hasn’t been officially named Luna yet, for one thing, and for another, she must be tired. It’s been a long journey, and she still needs her injuries checked.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” she replied with a slight bow of her head. “But I already booked the transportation, and tickets for some places, and—”

“Eve,” said the young man who had been driving the truck, whom Conlan had introduced to me as his Gamma. “You really are absent-minded. Can’t you see that Conlan wants to spend some time with our future Luna?”

“But Felix—” I saw the blush spread across Eve’s cheeks as she realized what he meant. “Oh, I’m sorry. I rushed things. My apologies, Luna.”

“It’s all right, Eve, don’t worry,” I said, and then glanced at Conlan. “Honestly, my wound is healing quite well. I don’t think it needs more attention than the bandages I already have—bandages the Alpha himself took the trouble to apply.”

Conlan didn’t look entirely pleased with what I was implying, but the truth was that I was eager to explore the places Eve had mentioned—and since we were already at a dock, I desperately wanted to get into one of those boats and tour the lake.

“So then, Luna…” Eve said hopefully, clearly waiting for my word to set her plan in motion.

“Are you sure, my dear? The pack’s chief physician will be arriving shortly,” Conlan said.

“Don’t worry, love,” I replied. “I truly feel fine, and I can see how much effort Eve has put into preparing this welcome.”

Anyone looking at Conlan’s face at that moment would have guessed that he didn’t want me out of his sight. But we had a lifetime ahead of us, and I wanted to start bonding with Eve—not only to have her show me the most interesting places in Hope Moon, but also to learn about its people.

“All right,” Conlan said at last, giving in. “But keep it short—and please, take this phone with you.” Felix handed Conlan a brand-new phone he had just removed from its packaging. “If you feel any discomfort or pain in your wound, call immediately. I’ll come to wherever you are right away.”

“And take good care of our future Luna, little one,” Felix added, addressing Eve, who clearly didn’t appreciate being called little. “I’ll be keeping an eye on my phone too.”

I said goodbye to Conlan and the other pack members before taking Eve’s hand and letting her lead me to the boat waiting to begin our tour of the lake. After putting on a hat so the wind wouldn’t completely ruin my hair, I wanted to know more about my new assistant.

“I only received my wolf a month ago, Luna,” Eve said. “But I haven’t dared to transform again since the first time—I don’t want to go through that pain again. How many times have you transformed, Lunaison? Was it just as painful after the first time?”

I didn’t want to address that subject with Eve. Even though she would be my assistant, she was still a stranger to me, and the last thing I wanted was to project an image of weakness—especially now that I was to become the Luna of her pack. So I rolled my eyes slightly and, gratefully, noticed another boat approaching ours, still far enough away not to catch up just yet. On its deck, I made out Conlan and Felix, which gave me the perfect excuse to change the subject.

“He couldn’t resist coming along,” I said. “He’s persistent, isn’t he?”

Eve immediately forgot her question.

“The Alpha? Oh yes—very much so. When he sets his mind on something, there’s no changing it. So I imagine it must be even harder to shake something loose once it’s lodged in his heart.”

I blushed, feeling clearly alluded to, just as I noticed Conlan’s boat drawing closer.

I couldn’t be sure yet—I’d only known Eve for a few minutes—but I had a strong intuition that there was more between her and Felix than a simple professional cordiality.