Page 30 of Her Second-Hand Mate

“I wonder which pack it is,” I breathed. “Sorry, continue.”

Now my so-called mate is insisting that he made a mistake, that he confused carnal desires with love, and that, after meeting me, there is no way he can carry on with her.

She, on the other hand, wants to fight me for him.

My cousin’s mate refuses to talk to her because she meddled in his friend’s affairs and prevented him from trapping me with his mark. Their mating is in a really bad place because of me and I feel horrible.

Currently, my cousin and I are both staying in their Alpha’s guest housing, away from our mates, waiting for this problem to be resolved. The King has been notified and will be coming to the pack to review the matter and mediate between all the parties involved.

My family has been notified and they came to my cousin’s pack as well, and I am overwhelmed by all the conflicting adviceI’ve been getting. My mate’s parents and friends have been hounding me to forgive him, to give the bond a chance. “You only have one mate,” and “everyone makes mistakes,” they keep telling me.

My parents are furious with him and his pack, but they also don’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life. They want to find a way for us to overcome this. My cousin is the only one who says she wants me to make an informed decision I can live with, and I believe she will support me even if it comes at the cost of her own mating. I am in awe of her strength and integrity. I already loved her like a sister before all this, but now I’d lay down my life for her.

The King will probably ask me what I want, and I still don’t know what to tell him.

When I’m around my mate, of course, all I want to do is lose myself in him. My wolf loves him and blames the other female. My wolf wants to tear her apart, but I don’t think I want to orphan an innocent pup.

Besides, we’d have to raise him then, and I really can’t spend my life looking at a living, breathing reminder of my mate’s disregard for my existence.

On the other hand, I cannot love and respect him or conceive new pups with him while knowing that he is neglecting the one that he already has.

You see my conundrum. You are the expert, Margaret. Please help me deal with this somehow, help me make a decision.

Yours truly,

Lost and Heartbroken

Charlotte finished reading, then neatly folded up the papers and returned them into the envelope, which she wordlessly handed back to Margaret.

No one said anything for a while.

“Shit,” Grace whispered.

“Yeah,” Margaret replied.

“What are you going to tell her?” I asked.

My heart was hurting for that poor female.

“I really don’t know,” Margaret admitted. “I’d like to talk this out with you all.”

“Sure,” Grace said. “Tell her to ditch the asshole.”

“But he’s her mate,” I countered. “What is she going to do? As long as they both live, there will be a bond between them. What if he follows her to her pack?”

“The King can command him to stay put,” Mira suggested.

“But what if she regrets her decision?” Lynn asked.

“That’s always a possibility, whether she forgives him or leaves him,” Charlotte pointed out. “I think it’s better if she regretsnothaving a permanent mark on her neck. And how would she deal with the pup and his mother?”

“Yeah, that’s the biggest issue for me,” I said. “She’d always have to see the pup and his mother. Plus, the mother wants to fight her.”

“I hate that she considers the pup a reminder of her mate’s behavior when her mate’s stupid face is right there,” Grace grumbled.

“I don’t think I could live with myself if I told her what to do,” Margaret admitted, “This feels so above my pay grade; it’s laughable to consider me capable of giving advice on this.”

“Why don’t you just lay out her options for her in a clear, concise manner? Maybe that is all she needs to make her decision, a bit of clarity,” I suggested.

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