Second Chances {ManxMan}

CHAPTER 19

Emmett smiled shyly looking at the ground.

"How are you?"

I didn't have a response, that was not at all what I was expecting. "Fine." My voice croaked and I cleared it. "You?"

"Worried."

"I'm not going to hurt you." I took a step back and whimpered and he stepped forward.

"No, I...can we go inside?" I blinked in shock. He'd go inside my house still? Be alone with me.

"Nobody's home," I whispered and he blew a laugh through his teeth, soft and uncomfortable.

"I know." He rubbed his neck. "Tea, maybe?"

I blinked then and reached into my backpack for my keys while keeping my eyes on him, afraid he'd disappear and I wanted to get my fill of the sight of him. Still so beautiful, still so Emmett.

His scent surrounded me and finally having my keys I lead him inside. I tried to keep my distance, not wanting to cross a line and make him uncomfortable.

He moved with ease, heading for the kitchen and I followed. Watching as he got the kettle.

"So, I did some research, not sure if it's accurate, or even remotely real but, I wanted to help myself calm down," the kettle turned on and he got plates and cups. "I thought maybe I dreamt it at first, but then, knowing how you reacted," he shook his head. I pursed my lips watching him move around like he was home and felt my heart ached even more until he couldn't move.

He got cookies from the pantry and the milk and sugar and tea was ready and awaiting my water.

"And, with what the internet and a few choice journals said I figured, I needed you to explain." He chuckled. "I figured the truth will only be known by you, so, I'm here. To listen, if your willing to talk to me still."

"I am." I leaned forward and paused reminding myself that it didn't mean anything but him wanting to understand and make sense of things instead of us actually giving it another shot. "I'm willing."

He smiled at me, warmly and I felt myself melt. How could he still look at me like I matter, like I had a chance.

But now, where do I begin?

The tea was ready, I had mine without milk like a psychopath and I laughed thinking how he had said that when he found out that's how I took it. The memory fond before looking up and seeing him smiling to.

"Psychopath." He muttered shaking his head and I chuckled feeling just a little bit relaxed for his comment which showed he thought the same.

"Well, I guess you could call me a werewolf."

"But wouldn't that mean you shift on full moons?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No, that's just a myth we made up to confuse you. I can shift whenever I want and the moon doesn't do much except bring a sense of peace because it represents our creator."

"Artemis?"

"Yes. Goddess of the moon. I have a pack I belong to here in town, with a pack house where our leader, the Alpha stays with his family and the rest of the members of the pack who either don't have homes, chose to stay close to the Alpha and the members of the pack, or are in a tough spot and need shelter. The house is really just a home for everyone who wants and needs it but we get to stay anywhere within the territory if we want..." I was rambling in such a way that I had almost forgotten how terrified Emmett must be hear this but instead of fear like the first time I saw genuine curiosity and interest.

I cleared my throat. "Packs have a kind of heirchy but really it's just the Alpha then the Beta then the Gamma who are often the strongest in the pack and gifted in terms of hunting or tracking. There's the Omega whose at the bottom but every pack around the world treats them differently. In my pack we're loved, alot." I smiled and saw how wide his eyes were. "Uh...most pack members are considered regular wolves no status or anything but they can always challenge if they want to change that to prove they can be, I guess, if this was a history lesson." I chuckled.

"Either way, I shift into a wolf and my children do too and so did my mate, who died."

"Mate?" I swallowed thickly.

"Wolves are given soulmates," he made a face. "We bond ourselves to only one person for the rest of our lives and on the rare occasions, if one dies accidentally or otherwise, the goddess grants us a second chance."

"Really? But how come...."

"You are my second chance." I felt my eyes burn.

"Oh.." his brows were high. "How do you know?"

"Your scent, it's intoxicating," I stiffled a chuckle as he smelled himself. "Stronger than any other person and unique to you. When we touch, my skin feels like it's being zapped a thousands times in just the right way and when I saw you-" I took a deep breathe stare wide eyed at him,"-when I saw you, it just made sense."

He looked at his hand and tilted his head. "Is that why the sex was so good."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Most likely."

"I see. So, what happens, if you don't get your mate? Or lose them and don't get a second chance."

"Well," I watched him round the counter slowly. "We die or we go mad. The lose of a mate is unimaginable and dead is always better to our logic... Going mad happens to those who are too afraid to die and want to die but the grief is too great, they often turn into rogues, running off and losing touch with packs."

My breathing was hitched as his hand found mine on the counter.

"Okay." He said and I looked up at him.

"Okay?"

He nodded. "I thought about it a lot over the last three weeks, I think I almost went mad myself." I pursed my lips. "As long as you don't hurt people like Jake does-"

"Jake?"

"The reason I don't like him," he reached up to me, his hand over my head. "Is because I found him drinking from a patient and stealing blood bags."

"So you knew?"

"Not really, I just found it weird and disgusting, I didn't want to believe it until now." He kissed my forehead then. "Told you I did some research."

"I just thought about wolves." He took my arms then and wrapped them around his neck, he crouched a little and grabbed my thighs, soon he had me in his arms, grinning.

"I didn't want to be too surprised."

"You're taking this...a lot better than I thought." He shrugged.

"I've spent my life pretending to be someone I'm not, I've already made the mistake of marrying someone I didn't love, someone who just made sense because society told me to, I'm not going to let you go. Not when you've done nothing but make me happy, not when you make me feel so free."

"Emmett." I kissed him for all that I had in me and moaned as he grabbed my ass.

"What do you say we have a little fun right here, and then you can show me your wolf again?"

I laughed as he settled me on the counter. "As long as you promise not to faint." He laughed shaking his head before leaning in to kiss me.

"I can't promise that."

A\N
24 October 2021