The Hockey Alpha's Second Chance Slave Mate

Luna stood at the edge of the crowded hall, a glass of champagne in her hand, but her mind was elsewhere. For her, the pack's annual event was more of a formality than a party. She looked over the sea of faces, most of which were too familiar and too focused on their own lives. The laughter and the clinking of glasses sounded like noise, like background noise to the tempest rising in her chest. But then he came in. Marcus Reed. The person from outside. The one her family had told her to stay away from, the one who made her feel more uneasy than she should have. She knew he shouldn't be here. Marcus didn't fit in her world. His deadly gaze and strong stance made him look like he was in charge. Just being there made the air feel heavy, like static before a storm. She gasped as the crowd moved aside for him. Marcus didn't walk like the rest of them. He walked like a man who knew he was strong. He looked around the room slowly, but when his eyes met hers, there was no doubt about it. There was something in his eyes that made her feel like it reached into her own core. "Luna," he whispered in a deep, almost predatory voice that curled around her like a dark, seductive song. She stiffened, but saying his name felt wrong. She wanted to look away and go back to the safety of her nook. But the draw of his gaze held her from moving. Her heart skipped a beat. No, she thought. She was different from the others. She couldn't be. But she couldn't stop looking at him. Not right now. Luna's legs shook as she walked through the crowd. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or the sudden, strong attraction she felt for Marcus that made her feel shaky. He hadn't moved from the center of the room, and his eyes were still on hers. She felt her heart race when she realized that there was no way to break the connection, no matter how hard she tried. It felt like a tight thread pulling at her insides, even though she couldn't see it. It felt like he was close behind her no matter how far she walked. She shook her head as if it would help her get rid of the feeling and turned to leave. But her body let her down. Before she could stop them, her feet moved forward, and it was as if some unseen power had led her back to where he was. "Are you trying to get away?" His voice was low and funny. Luna gulped hard. "I wasn't—" But she couldn't finish her sentence since he seemed to take up all the air in the room. He was too near. She could feel the heat coming off of him and the faint smell of cedarwood and something darker. He responded, "I don't bite, Luna," and his lips curled up into a knowing smile. She wasn't sure if he was talking about what he said or how he touched her, but the air between them crackled. There was no denying it longer; this was the tie between mates. The one she had been avoiding all her life. "I'm not—" She started to speak, but her words stopped when he got closer. He whispered in her ear, "Your heart tells me otherwise," and his breath was warm. The relationship grew stronger, and she felt a rush of warmth in her chest that she couldn't fight. Her heart pounded, and for a moment, she forgot everything. She moved back because her hands were shaking. "No." This...this isn't me. But as soon as their eyes met again, Luna knew. And all she could do was try to keep it together as the bond pulled her in and promised a future she wasn't ready for. Luna turned aside, desperate to get away from the madness inside her. The relationship, or attraction, was too strong. Her mind yelled at her to run, but her body walked on its own, getting closer to the thing she was most afraid of with every step. "Luna." She stopped moving when she heard his voice, which was silky and rich yet had a darker tone. He was directly behind her now, so near that she could feel him without even looking at him. He didn't have to touch her to change her. His very being was like a magnet that pulled her in. "Let me go, Marcus," she murmured softly, not trusting herself to say it louder. She was already losing. Marcus was quiet for a minute, and Luna had to fight to keep her breathing steady as he pulled her closer. But suddenly, out of the blue, he reached out. His hand touched her arm. And that was all. Her heart stopped for a second. The touch, soft and sure, drove an electric shock through her body, right to her heart. Before she even knew it, it felt like her whole body was responding. "Do you feel that?" Marcus asked softly, but his voice was heavy with something she couldn't put her finger on. As she turned to face him, Luna's chest clenched and her lips parted in shock. The relationship was so strong that it was all she could think about. She could hardly breathe. His contact had made everything else go away, leaving just the overwhelming sense of him and the inconceivable bond between them. "What is this?" she questioned, her voice cracking. Marcus came in close enough to Luna to say, "It's what we both feel." You can't get away from it. His thumb stroked against her flesh, and her body stiffened up. When he touched her for too long, something inside her broke—something weak that she had buried deep down for a long time. She felt like she was falling into him and the bond. She couldn't breathe. "I don't... I can't..." But Marcus, calm and firm, just looked her in the eye. "You don't have to say anything," he said. "Just feel it." She attempted to deny the feeling, but her chest tightened. She couldn't think or breathe. When his thumb touched her arm again, all of her thoughts flew away. It felt like the air around them was getting thicker, as if everything else in the world was slipping away except for this moment, this touch, and the irrefutable truth of what they were becoming. Luna's heart raced against her ribs, and all she could do was try to grab on to anything, anything, that wasn't him. Marcus wasn't about to let her go, though. Luna's breath caught when Marcus's hand stayed on her arm. The electricity between them was like a live wire. She pulled away and stepped back into the crowd, her heart racing in her chest. Her brain screamed for her to escape, but her feet wouldn't let her. This was the first time she had ever felt this way. The pull. The irrefutable force that appeared to reach deep into her core and seize her like a tidal wave. It wasn't just about the body. It was all of it. She made herself walk away quickly, as if the faster she moved, the faster she could get away from the storm that was gathering inside her. But every time she tried to break free, the bond got stronger and tighter, choking her. "Luna." The low, throaty sound of her name made her stop. The sound of his voice. It rang through her bones. She turned, not wanting to but feeling like she had to. Marcus stood there, staring at her with a fierce look. He smiled knowingly, as if he knew something she didn't want to hear. She murmured, "I can't," and her voice shook. "You can't what?" He moved closer, and his presence was impossible to ignore in the space between them. "I can't..." Luna stopped herself. What couldn't? She couldn't deny the connection? She couldn't fight the rising need to be near him? Marcus didn't say anything else, but the way he stared at her, so convinced of what was going on, took her breath away. He tilted his head a little and let out a gentle laugh. "You can try to flee, Luna. But we both know it can't happen. Her body was on fire. He was correct. Every cell in her body was telling her to be near to him. The hardest part was that she didn't want to run anymore. When Luna got back to her room, she fell onto her bed and stared at the ceiling with shaking hands. She attempted to clear her mind and focus on the normal rhythm of breathing in and out, but nothing worked. She couldn't calm her heart down. Her mind kept going back to the times with Marcus—the look in his eyes and how he had made her feel so open and vulnerable. The link. That was what it was. The relationship between mates. She had heard the stories and knew how it worked, but no one had ever told her how it could take over your life like a fire spreading through dry leaves. Her chest felt tight. The air was heavy, and it felt like the walls were closing in on her. She couldn't get any air. Couldn't think. The bond's strain was too high. She sat up, ran a hand through her hair, and her mind started to race. She couldn't quit thinking about Marcus and how his words had wrapped around her like a rope to bring her closer. "Why does this feel like this?" she said to herself. She didn't want this. She couldn't desire it. Not with everything she knew about what her family wanted and how the pack worked. This bond was a link. It was a bad thing. But she could see his face when she closed her eyes. His grin. His eyes were full of something—longing? Hope? She made fists with her hands. She shook her head and said, "No." "I can't do this." But her body was letting her down. She could still feel his touch on her arm and the heat of his presence. Then, a deep, sad howl broke the silence of the night. Luna's heart stopped. It was quite close. Too close. He was the one. The understanding hit her like a wave, and she suddenly knew that this was just the beginning. She wasn't prepared. She might never be ready. Her chest felt tight. What had she just gotten herself into?