"I may be your second chance, Wade, but I will not be your second choice."
Reeling from the death of his mate, Alpha Wade tried everything in his power to bring her back to life. So consumed with raising her from the dead, he almost missed his secon...
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AFTER our conversation tapered off, I leaned my head against the passenger side window and closed my eyes. I allowed myself to doze off, welcoming the dreamless state.
While sleep was a reprieve from the reality Alpha Wade's heart still ached for another, it was short-lived. After only a couple of hours, I was familiarly jostled awake by Alpha Wade for the second time in one day. "We're here."
Opening my eyes, I rubbed my eyelids and stretched my arms. As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings, I asked. "Where is here exactly?"
Prying my face off the window, I turned my head to look at the scenery. If Alpha Wade had not announced our arrival, I would have been none the wiser.
Our car was currently coasting down a narrow, dirt path—a path that did not seem to have an end in sight. Trees surrounded both sides of our route, their stiff branches swaying in the wind.
As we continued down the road, the car bounced up and down to the uneven earth beneath. My thoughts trailed. Where was Alpha Wade taking me? And then my thoughts darkened. Was he going to murder me?
This was the perfect opportunity to do so. He could easily blame my death on Lupoxia, and then no one would question him. He'd no longer have our bond hanging over his head.
I knew that was the irrational part of my brain speaking. Alpha Wade would not have made such an effort to come to a truce if he had just meant to end my life mere hours later, but the foreboding scenery around sprouted seeds of doubt.
Before my thoughts could meander further, a large, wrought-iron gate appeared off in the distance. A barbed wire fence surrounded the gate, but besides the promise of life beyond the fence, there were no other signs of civilization. Not even a sign was placed around the perimeter to mark the destination.
As the car rolled up to the gate, it let out a low squeak as the hinges struggled to latch open. I looked over my shoulder as my exit route began to disappear.
Alpha Wade chuckled. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
Turning back around, I crossed my hands over my chest and said, "I'm not afraid."
"I can sense your fear." He shook his head.
"How can—?" I started to ask before my voice trailed. When I came to the realization, I muttered, "Oh."
The mate bond. He could sense my fear through the mate bond.
While we had not—on his account—accepted the bond with open arms, we had a mutual understanding now: the truce. Even if it was not a mutual understanding for our bond to flourish, it granted just enough leeway for the bond to heighten.
Clearing his throat, Alpha Wade began again. "To answer your question, we're at The Pit."
"The Pit?" My voice filled with skepticism as I absentmindedly edged closer to the end of my seat.
