The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

Kaden’s POV

The litter on my desk looked like a pile of black and white ink morphing into one another, with some lying idly on the table and a few stacked in envelopes or files.

I stared at the monitor screen blankly, watching the blues and reds become an ugly color that irritated me to no end. Slowly, I pushed the keyboard further from the edge of the table and recoiled into the executive chair.

Everything bothered me, so much that I couldn’t focus on one thing at a time. Mostly because I hadn’t heard from the Gemini in days, it was getting frustrating.

I glanced up at the wall clock that stood just above the door frame and felt the frown lines form on my forehead. It was barely 3pm, yet it felt like I’d been sitting there for a million hours.

I brought my index fingers to my temples, rubbing in circular motions. As if on cue, there was a small ring on my table coming from my phone. I picked up the phone, glancing at the caller ID. It was Jacob. It didn’t surprise me however, Joshua would never call. I would be surprised if he even had a phone.

“My Lord, my apologies for not providing an update. It has been hectic trying to blend in here.”

I hissed quietly, scrunching my face. “The fuck you are.”

“I’m trying not to get caught, my Lord. I could sense a sarcastic smile plastered on his face. The nerve.”

“Then spill. What’s happening over there?”

“Honestly, everything is the same as it was when we arrived here. Niall is my cover name.”

“I don’t care about your fucking aliases, Jacob. Get to the bloody point.” I snapped at him, pinching my nostrils before propping myself upright. Hunching ever so slightly, I leaned with my elbows on the busy desk.

“The security at the pack house is incredibly tight. The Luna hasn’t been going out much, however she seems to have a suitor who keeps coming here. They drink wine and discuss nothing but politics and the wellbeing of her cub.”

“Politics?”

“Yes, and you wouldn’t believe who her suitor is.”

“Isn’t he some kind of weak ass alpha?”

“Negative, my Lord. It’s Nik. He doesn’t recognize me and Joshua, or at least he pretends not to. I had to dye my hair a blond –”

“Kill that son of a bitch.” I growled loudly and shot up from my seat so abruptly that I knocked over a vase on my desk.

Nik? That bastard still lived? He had some fucking nerve to go after one of my allies. My blood boiled at the mention of his name, all I wanted to do was to beat him into a bloody pile and shove him into a furnace to burn while he was still breathing.

“We’re undercover. I can’t do that.”

I found myself slowly taking my seat again, breathing heavily to restrain from sending something flying into the window. Jacob was right. Besides, I would rather he died by my hands, pleading for mercy.

“Very well, then.” I forced out and hung up the call. Running one hand through my hair, I fell back into the seat yet again.

This wouldn’t do. There was no way in hell I could focus on the pile of work on my desk. There was a soft rap on my desk at that moment, before the knob was twisted and pushed inside.

“Sir.” It was Hunter in a forty-five degree bow before he staggered to an upright position. I cocked a brow at him, still irritated.

“You’d better have a good reason to walk into my office without waiting for instructions.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s a meeting with the Fort group.” His voice was bland, and as much as I liked its occasional absence of emotions, I hated it in times like this.

“Fucking humans.” I muttered under my breath, darting around my desk before shifting my attention back to him. “Tell them I’m not available. If they’re so desperate to seal a deal, they can book an appointment for Monday.”

I could see the most minute twitch in his eyes right before he gave an affirming nod

“Oh, and I’m returning early. So, tidy up the office and report to me this evening.”

He nodded again before walking out of the office, leaving me to my thoughts again.

I rose to my feet and picked up the beige coat I’d worn to the office that morning. Throwing some files into my black suitcase, I tossed the coat over my body before making my way out of the office and its building.

The drive back to the mansion was excruciating. I couldn’t stand having a driver today, I’ll be so tempted to rip his head off. It didn’t help that as soon as I’d swerved the SUV past the last turn to where the mansion stood, the skies thought it beat to unleash their tears in heavy droplets.

It was raining without the warning of greying skies, or perhaps I hadn’t noticed. I gripped the steering wheel, letting out a hiss before revving the car through the towering gates.

There was a guard running up to me with an umbrella in his hands almost immediately, smiling. What should have been welcoming was so fucking irritating.

He held out the umbrella as I alighted the SUV and pulled out the suitcase, trailing just behind me as I made my way to the entrance with heavy steps worse than the droplets of rain.

I recognized Gwendoline standing at the foot of the stairs with a blend of awe and confusion written on her face. I could care less however than to be bothered by a mere maid. She took very careful steps to where I stood in the middle of the room, halting a few feet from me before bowing lightly.

“Where’s my son?”

“He’s sleeping, my Lord; he’s had quite a day. You’re quite early, how was work today?”

I cocked a brow at her. She had some guts, the kind of guts that Larissa had to dare to talk to me when every other person would shit themselves. Now my thoughts had gone back to the very woman I’d sworn to erase from my mind, although it was proving to be a pain in the ass.

I glared back at her, shaking off the few water droplets that had landed on my jacket on my way inside. Then with a slight nod of disapproval, I walked past her up the stairs. I would rather just force myself to the study and handle things that actually mattered.

I twisted the doorknob, surprised when it popped open immediately. It wasn’t locked. I couldn’t remember vividly if I’d locked it or I’d just forgotten in my disoriented state of mind that morning.

Thinking better of it, I pushed inside. Almost immediately I could catch the faint whiff of roses, more addictive than anything my nostrils had ever caught. It was soft and magnetic, pulling me even further into the room. The grip on my suitcase had loosened considerably as I continued into the room. I glanced at the window sill first with nothing else in my field of view before turning to see an unexpected figure in the room.

She was wiping down at my dressing table with delicate movements, the small dress that she wore moved along with her hands and pulled it up ever so slightly so I could see her… Fuck it, I could see the outline of her body. The petite coat of skin that laid beneath her ivory dress, even the nape of her neck when she gently moved her non-pigmented ponytail to the side. She was something, something I couldn’t comprehend. She was enchanting in the oddest ways, did a being such as this live under my roof?

I couldn’t will my legs to stop as I took small steps towards her, towering over her petite figure and watching her hands stiffen before turning back so quickly that it came as a surprise that she didn’t snap her neck in the process.

There was barely any distance between us, too little for comfort and just enough to study her exotic features. Her deep brown doe eyes caught mine, staring in surprise when I brought a hand to the stray hairs on her face. She flinched and flipped her eyes shut, and slowly realization set in.

That shy omega presence… the blonde hair that were an almost golden color… her round cheeks… fuck you, Kaden, I thought to myself with a mental facepalm.

“What are you doing in my room?” I let out lowly with a scowl, feeling the tingle on my skin worsen with anger. How dare she come to my room? The nerve. “You don’t recognize your place, no?”

She flinched again and slowly fluttered her eyes open. “Don’t take it the wrong way.” Her voice cracked at the end of her filtered words. “I’m just doing my job.”

“What?”

She waved the tablecloth in her hand, in my face and took a few steps back till she was completely backed up against the table. I could sense the irritation in her demeanor.

“I’m cleaning.”

“Your job is to take care of my son.” I snapped, growing more irritated at the fact that the scent was hers. It was pulling me in again, making my wolf dance around and it was pissing me off.

“And be your housekeeper.” She corrected painfully, biting her upper lip. “Your room is so dusty, and you made it clear that you hated the dust. Besides, it doesn’t look like your room has been cleaned much since you locked me up either, so are you stopping me from doing the job you assigned to me?”

Subconsciously, I closed the distance between us in slow steps. I saw her gulp and look away, supporting her weight by placing both hands on the table. I rested my hands just inches away from her, leaning in and reveling in her now vulnerable state.

“You dare talk back at me, Larissa? Did you forget that you’re just a fucking servant? Your life belongs to me, did you forget that?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

There was silence in the room. She didn’t say a word, she didn’t even spare me a glance. Up close, she was doing things to me that I’d sworn would never happen. It was the first time I was so up close with another woman, yet the feeling was all too familiar and I was doing a horrible job at deterring her from thinking she had a chance with me.

Only now did I notice the small black mark just below her plum lips and how long her soft brown eye lashes were. I noticed her lips twitching and her large eyes for the first time. Her nostrils flared and I mimicked her actions without thinking. Mhm, she smelled so nice.

Just perfect. I heard Peter, my wolf as clear as the skies in the morning.

I could smell something adulterating in the mix, it was no longer just roses. It was the scent of wood and freshly cut grasses, but it blended so well with the roses. I sniffed around, leaning even further to hover over her neck where her pheromones were strongest when I realized. Nobody was mowing my lawn. It was me. The mix was me, and I was certain that she had noticed.

I staggered back immediately on realization, clearing my throat awkwardly. As if on cue, her eyes flew open; they were the most unreadable irises. Her pupils were constricted and she was now staring right back at me. What the fuck was I doing?!

“Leave my room, I’ll have someone else clean it.” I ground out in the harshest way possible, fighting an internal battle to calm down and restrict my pheromones before the new found and growing tightness in my pants would worsen. “Now.”

Her lips were parted slightly, but there were no words to escape them. With a nod, she picked up the tablecloth that had fallen somewhere in between my pathetic stare and practically ran out of the room.

I let out a sharp breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding, plopping onto the bed as soon as I heard the door shut. I could also hear Peter’s scoff drowned out by what had just happened.

What the fuck just happened, Kaden? You’ve let yourself go too far, way too far. She must never cross the line, yet I was the one who crossed the line today.