The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

Kaden’s POVPublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

I dutifully opened my mouth to let Larissa put the sliced apple in, like she had been doing for the past ten minutes. Like always, they tasted amazing, but there was nothing more enjoyable than the fact that she was feeding me. Hell, even I couldn’t believe it, but it was nice finally admitting it freely. Larissa was like a breath of fresh air for me, and she was exactly what I needed.

Although I would not admit it to Hunter, coming on this trip was the best decision I had made in a long time. I was grateful for it and it had let me discover a lot of things. My thoughts continue to race until I heard Larissa stifle a yawn. I looked up at her. She looked as bored as I felt and that said a lot, considering how sleepy I was beginning to feel. I hardly felt tired, ever, but being cooped up in the house all day had started to change that.

An agreement I’d made with myself while I prepared for this trip was that I would not bring work into it. The goal this week was to just spend time with my son, reconnect with myself and just have fun in nature generally.

At first it seemed nice, but now I was beginning to regret it very badly.

The thought of Declan instinctively made me look his way. He was seated on the other side of the living room, playing with his toys and not paying attention to anything else. Even at that, he did not have as much energy as he usually did and his movements were rather sluggish. It was a clear sign that he was just as bored as Larissa and I.

“Okay, this is definitely not how I plan to spend my free time on this trip,” I announced, clapping my palms together to grab their attention. “We have to do something. I’m sure you can agree that today has been quite a boring day. What do you guys think of going outside for a while, at least for the cooler air.”

“Yay!” Declan yelled, dumping his toys as he began to jump up excited at the prospect of going out.

“Outside?” I heard Larissa say, her tone a little flat. That was surprising so I turned to face her only to see her staring at me with a strange look in her eyes.

“Yes, babe. We have been inside the house for days now. We haven’t even gone out in the sun. All we’ve been doing is…” I trailed off and purposely squeezed her butt, sending a knowing look her way. As if on cue, her cheeks flamed up. I let out a loud laugh.

“But seriously though, even little Declan is bored.” At my words, Larissa turned around to look at him. He was laying in the chair now, presumably waiting for me to fulfill my promise of taking him outside. “See? We should all go. Don’t you miss the sun, not even a little?” I joked. “We can stretch our legs a bit and maybe do something fun.”

Still, Larissa said nothing. I watched as she continued to fidget, wondering what was wrong with her.

“Really?” I cocked an eyebrow in amusement. “You’re the one always talking about how Declan needs to take a break from the toys and electronics and play outside once in a while.”

“Yes, yes I know,” she defended immediately. “Of course it’s good for Declan to be out in the sun and to play in the grass. It’s a necessity for a child’s development. But…” she paused to glance at Declan and then she lowered her voice. “But…remember what happened the last time we were outside. I got attacked and you were wounded trying to protect me.”

I saw the worry in her eyes as she paused to rub her forehead. “We don’t even know who those people are, and I still haven’t forgiven myself for wandering off like that. I-I don’t know what I would do if something like that repeats itself. W-What if you get hurt? What if Declan gets hurt? I would hate for him to witness that like the last time. I just think it’s better to be safe than sorry, and–”

“Calm down, it’s okay,” I stopped her before she could continue. Anger had already risen inside me at the reminder of the stupid pack that had taken it upon themselves to torment my pack, even to the point of ambush. My blood boiled with rage and I silently swore that I would not rest until every single member of that cowardly pack was ripped to shreds and buried.

What I would not do, however, was let them stop me or even scare me away from walking around my own home. My own fucking land! It would not happen. And I made this known to Larissa.

“I know you have enough reason to be scared, and I told you several times to stop blaming yourself for what happened. None of that was your fault. Stop blaming yourself for their cowardice. There was no way you would’ve known their plans.”

Larissa looked down at her hands and continued to fidget with her fingers. I knew she would still continue to carry the weight of blame on her shoulders. It pissed me off. I was going to make those bastards pay.

“You have nothing to worry about, okay? We are safe here. Besides, they wouldn’t dare. I’m pretty sure they have learned their lesson from the last time. And even if they are stupid enough to come back, I will show them what happens to people who dared cross Kaden Griffin.”

The worry lines on her face did not fade away. “I…I know what you mean, and I understand what you’re saying, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea, Kaden. It’s only been a few days since then,” she countered.

“What if they are just lurking in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to harm us? What if–”

“Shhh,” I stopped her by placing a finger against her lips. “Quiet down, okay? You’re being paranoid. Nothing is going to happen, I’m here. Maybe you have forgotten that I am the Alpha. This land belongs to Griffinhowl pack and it always has. No one crosses out territory unless they have a death wish. I will be here to protect you, okay.”

She finally gave a small nod.

I smiled. “Good girl. Now…go ahead and put a smile on that beautiful face.” I pinched her face lightly, making her burst into laughter.

“Fine,” she gave in, slapping my hand off as she continued to laugh. “But we won’t stay out long, okay?”

“Yes, I promise.”

Her smile was brighter now. “Alright then. I’ll go get Declan dressed.”

“Good. This is your chance to teach all those things you were pushing for. You mentioned something about catching crickets, remember? Outdoor stuff necessary for the development of children.” I smiled smugly at her.

She stared daggers at me. “Using my own words against me, I see. Low blow.”

“They’re your words, not mine,” I chuckled.

She narrowed her eyes at me, and with a dramatic flick of her hair, she went to pick Declan up. As she pulled him in the direction of the bedroom, I proceeded to change out of my shirt and put on a new one.

After all the hustling and bustling, courtesy of the delay from Declan, we were all finally seated outside. I was lounging in a bamboo chair under the shade of the trees, watching Larissa and Declan play.

I watched as she pulled him toward the shrubs and showed him how to catch the cricket by cupping both palms together and gently grabbing them off the roots of the trees before putting them into a glass jar.

After she showed him how to do it a few times, she let him catch one on his own. He caught two on his first try. He must have been just as shocked as Larissa because he immediately squealed in delight, jumping up and down as he pushed toward Larissa. “Issa, Issa, I caught two!”

Larissa, unlike his previous nannies, was not fazed by the sudden outburst. Instead, she held his tiny hands in hers and twirled around with him, whooping and celebrating like they’d just won the lottery. A warm comforting feeling rested in my belly and I did not quite understand it but it was just so nice watching them together. I could almost do it forever.

I did not know how long I sat watching them, but it was the most relaxing time I had ever had in years. Anytime he managed to catch one and put it into the jar, Larissa clapped loudly in excitement cheering him on. As expected, Declan thrived on the praise, his cheeks reddening as he continued to smile. It was amazing how Larissa knew just the right things to do, the right things to say to be able to put Declan in a good mood.

Larissa made childcare look easy, and it was one of the best things I had the honor to witness.

God I was falling for her.

Was there anything not perfect about her?

Since I discovered that she was actually a virgin and that I had been wrong about her, the last bits of resentment I had been harboring vanished. There was nothing else to complain about. She was perfect. How was I supposed to deal with that?

My heart was so full with adoration that I could no longer bear to be away from her.

I decided to approach the two of them. I knelt to Declan’s height and stroked his cheek softly. “I need to borrow your Issa for a while. Is that okay?”

Declan frowned at me, shaking his head furiously from side to side. I heard Larissa chuckle from behind him.

“Just for a few minutes, I promise,” I pressed on, ruffling his hair.

Still, he looked unsatisfied. It was only when I pointed to a cricket which had just emerged from the grass that he turned away in excitement to chase after it.

Using the opportunity, I pulled Larissa to me and pressed my lips to hers in a kiss. A moan sounded from the back of her throat, and then she returned the kiss, digging her fingers in my hair and nearly driving me crazy in the process.

“Fuck, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do that.”

She blushed. “You’ve been sitting there all alone, why didn’t you come join us?”

I cocked an eyebrow at her and purposely pulled up the sleeves of my shirt to reveal my muscles. “Do these arms look like the arms of a man that hunts crickets?” I smirked.

She burst into laughter. “You really need to get over yourself, Alpha,” she teased.

I snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her forward, snuggling into her neck and whispering in her ear. “I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have found someone like you, and you may not know it but I am grateful. I’ll always be grateful.”

Although she smiled, she still looked a little confused. “But why? I have never felt that I did anything to be grateful for.”

“You have no idea how much you have done, Larissa. For years I have employed different kinds of people to take care of my little boy, but no one has ever treated him the way you do. You take care of him, you listen to him, you even make an effort to enjoy and understand the activities he enjoys so that you could do them with him. You know his needs, his triggers…and honestly, you treat him like he’s your own.”

I paused. Saying all of this made me realise how true it was.

“I don’t know where I could have ever found someone who loved my son the way you do. You are like a mother to him, and you have always been right from day one.”

A lump formed in my throat at the word ‘mother’. For once it was not a bitter feeling, even though it reminded me of Amaya and that was because they were true. Larissa loved Declan more than his own mother ever had.

“Oh, Kaden,” she finally spoke up. “I-I don’t know what to say. I did not realise it earlier but I have grown to love Declan. I mean, look at him. He’s a sweet little boy, and taking care of him has been the highlight of my life so far.”

“Thank you. I want you to promise me something.”

“What?”

“I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you will keep taking care of him…you will keep loving him the way you do now.”

In response she smiled widely. “I promise.”

I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug which she returned.

Everything felt so much better with her around. It was surreal how at peace I felt with her. I grabbed her even tighter, burying my nose in her hair and sniffing the delicious scent that continued to emanate even after all this time.

Before I could say anything more, I felt her suddenly stiffen in my arms. As I pulled away, I watched her eyes go wide. She looked behind her, and then back to me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed by the sudden change in her demeanor.

“Where is Declan?!”