"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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IN a blur of quick strides, I was able to reach the guest room before Wade returned. Without hesitation, I flung my body on the couch, covered myself with the nearby white throw blanket, and then pretended to sleep.
Wade would never know.
He'd never know I had eavesdropped on his conversation. A conversation he would not have been keen on me knowing about, much less have heard word for word.
However, that was not the only thing Wade would never know. He'd never know I was pretending to sleep. Or, at least, I was trying to pretend to sleep.
Having mastered the art of appearing to be asleep when I was really wide awake—a side effect of sneaking out so many nights to Olivia's house—I knew he wouldn't be able to break through my disguise.
Even if he had his suspicions, I would hold steadfast.
The only true way for him to break through my exterior was to issue an Alpha Order. Of course, as far as I knew, he was not suspicious of me yet, but I had to cover all my bases.
I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, craning my ear toward the door so I could hear better. As the seconds ticked by, it was clear Alpha Wade was in no rush to return to the guest room. Maybe, he was playing the long game, trying to wait me out before bursting through the bedroom door.
Nevertheless, my heart vibrated in my chest, and after waiting more than a few minutes, I tried to fall asleep for real. But my body would not cooperate.
In just the past day, my body had grown accustomed to having Wade nearby. His presence was felt—both physically and mentally. Right now, of course, the ache was more physical.
Tracing my tongue over my bottom lip, I reminisced on how close our bodies had been last night. A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine.
But the brief bout of pleasure did not last.
The sound of the whooshing wind beat against the side of the house, rattling the entire room. Cautious, I curled closer into the side of the couch in an attempt to block out the noises. Just when I thought my mind had begun to settle from the disruption, another alarming burst of wind jolted me awake.
Storms had never agreed with me. And, after what happened with Mom, they agreed with me even less. While I loved the rain, especially a light sprinkle, something happened deep within my gut when the wind picked up, and lightning and thunder joined the mix.
The faint glow from a distant lightning strike forewarned the impending storm. I gulped down the lump stuck in my throat as my breathing hitched. My heart banged inside my chest for completely different reasons than it had been before.
My fingers clutched the edge of the couch cushion, and I curled my toes, trying my best to self-soothe. I knew it was just a storm, but my body would not listen to my rational thoughts.
