An unwanted second chance

SELENA’S POV

"Where in the hell am I?"

Woke up to light streaming through windows. Sheets too soft and I could feel that the bed wasn’t mine. Then the memories of the previous night started flooding in; Caius rejection, Daniel trying to force me into his car and then…

My eyes widened in horror

No.

I tossed off blankets and sat up, my heart thudding hard in my chest. I took a good look at the room, it was big and masculine. Black curtains, dark wood grain furniture, his scent lingering in the room, pine and denser.

Lucian. I was in Lucian’s place.

"Go to him," she whispered. "He's our mate."

I ignored her.

No, there was no way we could be with him. He is dangerous. He killed Caius and me.

I went down the stairs, my foot engulfing me in fear. Memories of yesterday spun around in my head, mocking me. I pushed into the kitchen—and halted.

Lucian stood in front of the stove, shirtless as he flipped something in a pan. His muscles flexed with each movement with his tattoos peeking out from his shoulder and trailing down his side. His hair was slightly messy like he’d just rolled out of bed. And his scent, it pulled at me like gravity.

I hated it.

He turned, eyes locking with mine, and smiled softly.

“Morning. You’re awake.” His voice was deep, laced with warmth.

I folded my arms. "Where in the devil's name am I?"

He smiled. "My apartment. You had too much to drink last night. I did not want to leave you out there by yourself."

"I did not ask you to bring me here."

"No. You didn't. But neither was I leaving you out there with Daniel.” My stomach turned in disgust. He was too nice. Not the Lucian I remembered in my past life.

And everything was going terribly wrong in a way that I never could have imagined. The Moon Goddess was wicked. Caius was my mate and he rejected, then she had to make my sworn enemy my second chance mate.

He set a plate in front of me—pancakes, eggs, strawberries.

"Eat," he said softly.

"I'm not hungry."

"I’m sure you didn't eat enough last night. Just take one bite."

I glared at the food, then at him. "Why are you treating me like this?"

He shrugged. "Because you're my mate."

"Don't say that." I pushed the plate back to him.

"Why not?" he said. "It's the truth."

"I’m sure there is a mistake somewhere." I said, "You can’t be my mate. It won’t work between us."

There was a silence between us before he took a few steps closer to me.

"I knew you would say that,” he sighed. "But I'm not going anywhere. I waited seven years to find you. Now that I have, I'm not letting you go no matter how much you hate me."

His words cut like a knife and I saw something in his eyes, tenderness and longing.

"I don't want you." I took a deep breath.. "I don't want this and I'm leaving too. I can’t stay here with Caius strutting around with that new Luna of his."

"Selena…”

"I don’t wish to have anything to do with your family again. Not after what he did to me."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I am not him. And I would never hurt you the way he did. You just have to trust me. I am not going to let you walk away from me without giving us a chance."

"A chance?" I laughed out loud.

“I know that you're afraid and I don't blame you one bit. But I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to prove to you that I'm not him."

My throat tightened.

"Stop, please. Don’t make a promise you won’t keep," I gritted quietly. “You'll leave me too.”

“No, I won't.”

“You will.” I screamed back at him. "Because I'm weak. I’m just a spoiled brat that cannot do anything without her father’s support. Because I wasn't good enough for him, and I won’t be good enough for you either."

Tears rolled down my cheeks like a waterfall but I didn't care.

“I'm not the girl everyone thinks I am," I rasped. "I'm stupid, poor and insecure. You're going to wake up one morning and realize that too then you will regret ever,"

His hands held both my cheeks and he shut me up with a kiss.

The kiss was soft and gentle.

My heart skipped and my mouth moved as if they had a mind of their own. I wanted to push him away and stop the madness but I couldn't.

He wrapped his hand around my waist, pulling me impossible close to him as he deepened the kiss. His hand tracing patterns on my back and a soft moan escaped my lips.

My wolf writhed with lust and hunger.

"He's ours."

I could feel it, the flame in my chest. The flame that scorched my skin. The pull of the bond that trapped us, trapped me.

Lucian's growl vibrated low in the throat as his wolf tried to surface.

His eyes turned gold.

"Selena," he growled against my mouth. "Do you want me to stop?”

My brain was screaming at me to stop him but my body had a different plan of their own as my hands wrapped around his neck and kissed him with more passion. I blamed the mate bond for making it impossible to resist him.

“Fuck” he muttered against my lips as he lifted me up and placed me on the kitchen counter.

We were so lost in ourselves that we didn’t hear the door opening.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Caius growled, making us pull apart.