THE BIKER ALPHA WHO BECAME MY SECOND CHANCE MATE

Yes , he does . Because I'm his sister . I am their sister , in every way that matters to them , even if I and Tristan don't share blood . 546 Even if my wolf still whimpers every time I hear him say it , still yearns for a bond that will never exist . But that makes this so much worse , doesn't it ? They trusted me to stay safe , to take care of myself , and I failed so spectacularly . I let my own mate destroy me , and then I compounded that failure by rejecting the mate bond entirely . " If you don't tell him , then I won't either , " I say desperately . " We can just ...

we can pretend this never happened . I'll get better on my own , I promise . I just need time . " " No. " His voice is firm , final . " I won't tell him until you're ready , but you will tell him when he gets back from his trip . If you don't , then I will . He deserves to know , Athena . He cares about you more than you realize , and he's going to want to help you through this . * I want to argue , want to fight him on this , but I can see in his face that his mind is made up . And maybe , buried deep beneath all the shame and fear , there's a tiny part of me that wants Orion to know .

That wants to stop carrying this burden alone . " Okay , " I whisper , my voice so quiet I'm not sure he heard me . " When he gets back . " Tristan nods , some of the tension leaving his shoulders . " Now talk to me . Tell me what happened . Tell me about Daxon . " Just hearing the name makes my skin crawl , makes my stomach churn with a mixture of fear and nausea . But Tristan is waiting , patient and steady , and I know I owe him the truth . After everything he's done for me , after the way he held me through my breakdown last night , he deserves to understand what he's dealing with .

I take a shaky breath and close my eyes , trying to find the strength to go back to the beginning . To that moment when I discovered who I wanted my mate to be , who I chose and everything started falling apart . " I met him at a supermarket , " I start , my voice barely above a whisper . " It was about three years ago . I was shopping for groceries after work , and I couldn't reach something on the top shelf . He helped me get it down . " The memory feels surreal now , tainted by everything that came after . But at the time , it had seemed so sweet , so romantic .

A handsome stranger helping a damsel in distress , like something out of a fairy tale . " He was ... charming . Funny . He made me laugh , which I hadn't done much of since leaving here . When he asked for my number , I almost said no . I wasn't really ready to date anyone . I was still trying to figure out who I was on my own , you know ? " Tristan nods , encouraging me to continue without interrupting . His face is carefully neutral , but I can see his hands clenched into fists where they rest on his knees . 1/2 18:26 Fri , Jan 2 d Chapter 19 46 ' But he was persistent .

In a good way , I thought . He would send me flowers at work , little notes telling me I was beautiful . He'd show up at my favorite coffee shop with my usual order already prepared . It felt romantic , like he was really paying attention to me , really seeing me . " I have to stop for a moment , the irony of those words hitting me like a slap . He had been paying attention , all right . He'd been cataloging my routines , learning my weaknesses , figuring out exactly how to trap me . " He chased me for months , " I continue , my voice getting steadier as I fall into the rhythm of the story .

" I kept saying no to dates , but he never gave up . He'd find excuses to bump into me places , the grocery store , the gym , even at the library . It should have been a red flag , but I thought it was fate . " " Finally , I said yes . One date , I told him . Just to see if there was really something there or if it was just my imagination . " Maybe I'd been so desperate to feel wanted by someone , anyone , after Tristan's rejection that I'd ignored every red flag .

Maybe I'd been so broken from losing the love I thought I'd found in my brother's best friend that I'd clung to the first person who showed me attention . Comments 18 Write Comments < SHARE Sara Lili Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland's breathtaking cold.