Chapter 4

As soon as the car pulled up in front of my house, I turned to glance at him.

"And how do you know where I live?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

He simply grinned in response — that same maddening, confident grin. Oh, goddess.

He didn’t bother answering.

“I’ll get going,” I muttered, reaching for the door.

But before I could fully step out, he pulled me back to him and kissed me again — just like earlier. I didn’t fight it. I let him in, parting my lips for him the way he’d silently asked before.

“Be ready. I’ll come meet you here tomorrow,” he said against my mouth.

I shook my head weakly, flustered. He gave me one last soft peck before I quickly stepped out of the car.

I practically sprinted to the front door, flung it open, and slammed it shut behind me. My heart was still racing.

As I tiptoed deeper into the house, I spotted my father sitting on the couch, reading a book with a glass of fruit juice in hand.

Just then, my brother came marching down the stairs with his mate in tow.

“Look who finally decided to come home,” my mother sneered from the hallway.

My father put down his paper and stood, making his way toward me. I instinctively braced myself, expecting the usual punishment for being late.

But instead, his gaze locked onto my lips.

“Why are your lips so red?” he asked sharply. “Is that… a bite mark?”

Startled, I touched my lips instinctively, feeling them burn under my fingertips. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Now it was my brother’s turn to chime in.

“And why do you smell like that?”

That caught my mother’s attention. She came closer, sniffing the air.

“Yes! You reek of someone — it’s flooding the whole house,” she hissed.

Then she snapped.

“Did you throw yourself at another man after being rejected?!” she shouted.

Suzy, my brother’s mate, snickered.

“I... I,” I stammered, barely able to speak.

My father’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You didn’t, did you?”

I swallowed hard and finally forced the words out.

“I got a second chance mate,” I breathed.

Silence fell.

“What?” my mother asked, half-laughing.

But my father wasn’t amused.

“Who is it?” he demanded.

“Osborne,” I whispered.

The entire room froze.

And then, laughter erupted — from my father, my brother, even my mother.

“You?” my mother laughed cruelly.

“You think the Alpha’s son would ever choose you?”

“Are you drunk?” my father scoffed. “Or did some random guy pretend to be Osborne and you just went and kissed him?”

I clenched my fists.

“No. It was him. He claimed me — even said he’d be here tomorrow. He drove me home.”

The laughter died. Silence returned.

My mother rushed to the window, peered outside, and then turned back slowly.

“You’re not lying?” my father asked, staring hard at me.

I shook my head earnestly.

“I swear, Dad. I was just as shocked. He came to me... he claimed me, and it felt like my whole body was on fire.”

I cut myself off, suddenly remembering what had happened between us. My lips burned again, the bite mark too obvious to hide.

My father looked to my mother. Even Suzy and Josh exchanged glances.

“Go make dinner,” my father finally said.

I quietly nodded and left the room, retreating fast.

But even as I walked away, I could hear their murmurs.

“She must have lost her mind,” someone whispered.

None of them believed me.

Heck, even I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.

How could a man like Osborne — the future Alpha, strong, devastatingly handsome, and so completely out of my league — ever claim someone like me? Just a plain girl?

The next morning, I woke up before the sun. I had so much to do—clean the house, prepare breakfast, and most importantly, prepare myself. He said he would come, though he didn’t say when. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about last night… the way I had craved him. One moment changed everything. My entire life shifted in the blink of an eye.

Today felt unlike any other. A strange joy bubbled in my chest, unfamiliar but warm. Even my wolf was restless, pacing inside me with excitement.

"Clean that area properly," my mother barked.

"I will!" I replied cheerfully, a smile tugging at my lips. She looked at me as if I had gone mad, but I didn’t care.

For some reason, my father didn’t go to work. My brother and his mate were also home. I had a feeling they were waiting—to mock me again, probably. None of them believed I had found my second chance mate. Not really.

By noon, their laughter rang through the house.

“We should really get her checked,” my brother said, chuckling.

My mother joined in. “You should’ve seen the look the beta’s son gave her. Disgust, pure hatred. And when he rejected her, she didn’t even fight back. How did I raise such a daughter?”

Their words stung—sharp and cold—but I tried to ignore them. Still… why was Osborne taking so long?

I sat alone in silence, my ears tuned to every sound. The earlier joy had faded into quiet uncertainty.

Then, suddenly, it hit me.

A wildfire blazed through my body. My heart raced painfully fast, breath caught in my throat. It was hard to breathe. My skin burned, my head throbbed, and between my legs—I was wet. Embarrassingly so.

It was happening again… no, this was worse.

Heat.

But why now? He wasn’t even here.

I doubled over, trying to steady myself, vision blurring. And then I heard Suzy’s voice.

“The scent… it’s coming from here. I think Aina is in heat!”

Footsteps pounded toward me. My father’s voice followed. “Why is it so strong? Someone get a glass of cold water!”

My mother crouched beside me. “Breathe, Aina. We might as well find you a mate ourselves. Maybe then you’ll stop clinging to your little delusions.”

They were wrong.

Osborne was real.

And he was coming.

Before the water reached me, my body gave out and I collapsed.

But just before darkness pulled me under… I heard it.

My name.

"Aina."

His voice.