An Unwanted Second Chance (JB Tirado) novel Chapter 62

“I can tell when the alpha is lying,” Riley admitted, “because he is my mate.”

There was a long silence. When Riley finally looked back at the screen, Whey was staring at her, his brows raised, eyes slightly widened. He glanced away for a moment, clearing his throat before turning back to her.

“The alpha of Red Moon is your mate?”

“Correct.”

“You are his second chance mate, then?”

She nodded. “And he is my second chance as well. I had a mate prior to going to the academy who rejected

me.”

Whey gave her another surprised look before glancing away. Finally he shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping him.

“You are full of surprises today, it seems.”

She frowned, looking down at her hands.

“You’ve known this for two weeks?”

She nodded.

“But you’ve not disclosed finding your mate? Wesley disclosed his mate the morning after he met her, as protocol dictates.

She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I haven’t decided if I’m going to accept him.”

Whey narrowed his eyes, his lips parting slightly. “Why? Is he cruel?”

It was, she supposed, an easy assumption for someone who didn’t know Kent. He did have a reputation of being an asshole, but she still felt a surge of anger at the thought of Kent being considered cruel.

Paul had been cruel, And she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kent was not Paul.

“No,” she said finally, “he’s not cruel or mean. He’s actually been very kind and patient. It’s just that…” She looked across the room, thinking. “My first mate’s rejection was brutal. It nearly killed me. I’ve worked very hard to be who I am and to be good at what I do. I’ve built a good life and a good career and accepting Kent

means that I have to give up everything I’ve worked for.”

“You’re concerned about losing your position with the council?” Whey’s eyebrows were so high it seemed they might disappear into his hairline.

She nodded. “I know what will happen. I’ve seen it happen with other warriors when they’ve found mates who

are ranked members of a pack.”

Whey shook his head, taking a deep breath.

“You’re correct. You will have to leave your work at the council, but finding your mate is a good thing. And finding a second chance is such a rare blessing from the Moon Goddess.” He sighed, leaning towards the camera. “If he is a good man, then you would be a fool to turn him away.”

She looked down at her hands. “But I love my job. I love who I am now.”

Chapter 62

+8 Points

“A job doesn’t define you, Riley.” She looked up to see him smiling gently. “There will always be other jobs. And who you are, who you have become, doesn’t cease to exist just because your circumstances have changed. You are still a fierce warrior who has proven herself ten times over, no matter what your previous

mate did to you.

“You can always find work that makes you happy. But you will never find another mate. You have been

blessed with a second chance. Please don’t sacrifice that. You will never find the joy here that you could find

with your mate. Trust me. I met my mate when I was nineteen and I would do anything for her. I would give up anything for her.”

Riley smiled slightly, nodding.

“At least think about what I’m saying,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I’m certainly unhappy at the prospect of

losing my best advisor, but I am happy you’ve found someone.”

He rubbed his chin. “Let’s get back to the child though. I have more questions about him and this situation.”

“Of course, sir.”

Has the pack ever been approached previously by a rogue requesting information on the child?”

She paused, thinking. “Not that I’m aware of. I feel like they would have told me that.”

“Is the alpha available to join us?” Whey asked. “He may add some more clarity to this conversation.”

“I’m not sure. I can run down to his office to check. It’s just down the hall.”

Whey nodded. “Do that. I want to speak to him directly.”

**

Kent had mindlinked for Max and Patrick to come up a few minutes after Riley left. He had yet to speak to

them since Riley had dismissed them from his office yesterday after forcing them to admit what they had

told her.

Patrick had gotten there first, hesitating at the door before Kent gruffly told him to sit. He had reluctantly sat

on the couch as they waited for Max who came a few minutes later.

Max had hesitated in the center of the room, not sitting as Kent stood up and approached him.

“Can I ask you a question, Beta?” Kent asked softly.

He saw the fear in Max’s eyes as he nodded.

“When I agreed to your terms about keeping our secret from Riley, when I said I would wait for her to accept me, what was the one thing I asked?”

Max swallowed. “You asked to be the one to tell her.”

Kent raised an eyebrow. “And why did I ask that?”

“Because you were worried she would misinterpret things if you weren’t the one to explain. Because she can tell when you lie, so she would know you were being honest.”

“So why didn’t you wait?”

Max flinched slightly. “I’m sorry, Kent.”

“I don’t want your apology,” he snarled. “I want you to tell me why you thought it was ok to f**k things up

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between her and I.”

“He wasn’t trying to do that,” Patrick cut in.

+0 Points 3

“Shut up.” It came out as an alpha command, even though that wasn’t his intent. Patrick’s mouth snapped shut, but Kent could see the hurt that flashed in his eyes.

“Kent,” Max whispered, taking a deep breath, “I know you’re mad, but you need to understand.”

“I don’t need to do anything,” he growled, taking a step towards Max. “She had told me only hours before that she was ready to accept our bond and then you opened your f*****g mouth.” He knew he was yelling, but he felt unable to stop. “I lied and hid things from my mate for you! For you! And then you couldn’t even comply with the one request I made! You had to open your f*****g mouth!”

“I thought you were dying,” Max cried, his face reddening, his eyes suddenly swimming with tears. “I thought you were f*****g dying and I was sitting there with her, knowing it would be my fault if you died. Don’t you think I know what position I put you in? Don’t you think I realized that you were doing these things for me? I was such a d**k to you and insisted you owed it to me and then you were dying!”

Max turned away, gasping as though he had been struck, his throat visibly tightening as a tear escaped his

eyes. “You could have died and she would have died too, because she has this weird illness that’s connected

to you. I realized that if you died, she was going to die too and it was all going to be my fault. I just cracked! I

just started talking because I didn’t know what else to do!”

Suddenly the door to the office opened and all three of them turned to see Riley in the doorway. She froze, her

eyes widening in surprise as she took in the scene.

Max turned away sharply, wiping away his tears and striding across the room towards the window. Patrick

flopped back into the couch, heaving a heavy sigh.

“Sorry,” she said. “I should have knocked.”

“It’s fine,” Kent said tightly, trying not to growl at her. “Are you done talking to the commander?”

“Um… no.” She glanced between the three of them. “The commander is asking to speak with you. I was

coming to see if you could join the conversation.”

He nodded. “Of course.” He turned to look at the other two men. “Wait here until I’m back.”

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