What?
Mates? Another mate?
I stared at him with evident shock. How could we be mates? “That’s not possible,” I murmured, pressing a hand to my chest to quell the pounding of my heart.
Tyler raised his brows. “Why not?”
“Because I have a mate,” I said, then paused. “Had.”
Something flashed in his eyes. “What happened? You must not be mates anymore if you’ve been fated to me.”
I licked my bottom lip. “He… he rejected me.”
Tyler scoffed. “He’s a fool.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment so I kept my mouth shut. No one had ever complimented me before. I was usually told how ugly and pathetic I was instead. It was hard to shake off the shackles from which I'd grown.
Tyler turned around and walked into the house, gesturing for me to follow him. I did silently, my eyes taking in the luxurious decoration in the lobby. I had been wrong. It wasn’t a big house. It was more of a mansion. Way bigger than the Crests’ home. He had to be rich. No one could live in such luxury and not have money.
He guided me into a room that looked very similar to the library back home. Shaking my head, I removed every thought of the Crests from my mind. That place was no home. Not to me.
There was a big desk at the top corner of the room and Tyler stopped just in front of it, turning to face me. “Sit.” He gestured for me to sit on one of the seats that faced the table. I did.
Crossing one leg over the other, he leaned a hip against the desk and folded his arms across his chest. Fixing me an interested stare, his rapt attention on me was disconcerting. No one had ever looked at me like they were interested in what I had to say. Tyler was making me feel all sorts of confused.
“How did you get here?” he asked.
“On a bus?”
A corner of his lips curved upward. “You’re quite the conversationalist.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
“Tell me your story. Who are you?”
I eyed him cautiously. “Why? Are you going to throw me out?”
He shrugged. “Depends on what you have to say. Are you a wolf hunter?”
I shook my head.
“What would you do if I were to kiss you right now?”
“What?” I croaked out, adjusting uncomfortably in the seat.
“Your story, Just Arya,” he tsked. “Tell me.”
Sucking in a breath, I thought of where to start. My entire life was one big ball of a mess. “I was born in the Crest kingdom,” I began, almost missing the slight widening of his eyes at my words. “My only family is my twin sister and my father. My mother died when I was much younger. I have no wolf and so I was subjected to a lot of ill treatment from both my family and our pack. Two nights ago, I found out that I was fated to the Alpha of the Crests.”
“What’s his name?” Tyler suddenly asked, his eyes darkening.
“Ethan Locke.”
He nodded, egging me on. “Apparently, an Alpha cannot be mated to an Omega and he accused me of being a witch and trying to bewitch him into marrying me. I was thrown into prison, awaiting trial. Then, next thing I know, he’s engaged to marry my twin sister.”
Talking about it caused the pain to resurface and no matter how I tried to push it down, it sat there, just a little past my throat, making my mouth sour. I could never forget my sister’s betrayal. Ethan didn’t matter. I barely knew him. But Alison had taken from me the one thing she should never have touched and I would never forgive her.
“How did you escape?” Tyler’s soft voice drew me back to reality. I met his eyes, almost drowning in the gray of his eyes. Something about him made me feel…safe. Like I was bulletproof when he was near.
“My only friend broke me out. She gave me some money and asked me to run,” I swallowed. “I did. And here I am.”
“Here you are,” he echoed. “Sounds like you’ve lived a tough life. I’m sorry about that.”
I shrugged. “Thanks, I guess.”
Then he leaned forward, placing his strong hands on the armrest so that he could hover over my face. With widened eyes, I leaned back, my back pressed firmly against the chair, my breaths coming out in short rasps.
Tyler’s gaze flickered to my lips and back to my eyes. My abdomen fluttered furiously and I felt a rush of dopamine spread through me. What was happening?
“You’re here now and you’re mine to protect. We’re second chance mates, Arya,” he whispered, his lips only a hairsbreadth away from mine. If he leaned forward just a fraction, our lips would connect. “Do you know what that is?”
Blinking, I nodded. My senses were full with his smell but I was not too far gone that I couldn’t reason. Second-chance mates did not happen very often. They were mates whom the moon goddess had chosen to give another chance at finding love. Most times, it was due to one’s mates dying prematurely. I’d certainly never heard of a second chance mate as a result of being rejected.
“You said you had no wolf.”
“I did.”
“That can’t be possible. You can’t be fated to another if there’s no wolf to draw strength from. Have you never transformed?”
I shook my head. “Not once.”
“Mhm,” he made a sound at the back of his throat. “Interesting. I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” He fixed his gaze on me. “I’m going to enjoy dissecting you, Arya. I’m going to enjoy marking you too.”
“Marking?” I choked. I didn’t know much about the mating process and had never bothered to ask because I never thought I’d ever find my mate. “What’s that?”
Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, sending bolts of electricity shooting up my body. “Did you feel that?” he asked against my lips.
I nodded, pursing my lips together. God. My heart was about to burst out of my chest with all that pounding. What was this man doing to me? Why couldn’t I control my body?
“Good. When I mark you, and I will,” he smirked. “It’s going to feel ten times better than what you just felt. And when we finally mate, you’ll understand why wolves should never go through life without their Fated. I can’t wait to brand you and make you mine.”