Page 9 of Her Second-Hand Mate

“He still doesn’t like talking about it, almost seventeen years later. He really took his father’s death hard. And then he lost his mate, and I felt like he was grieving not only her but his father all over again,” she managed to say before her voice broke and she started crying.

It was my turn to hold her hand until she calmed down a bit. This was a weird welcome to my new family.

“How long were Dominic and his first mate together?” I asked after a while.

“Let me see, he met Cassandra in June of 2016, and she passed in February of 2018, so almost two years.”

Closer to eighteen months,I mentally corrected, trying to make myself feel better.

“He was lost for the longest time,” Florence started saying before she stopped herself. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to hear this.”

“It’s not easy to hear, but... I like knowing about his past. It’s part of him. And I know it couldn’t have been easy, I remember what my father was like after Mother passed.”

“I hope you don’t mind me prying, but we were all very surprised when your father mated with Eden so quickly after Lauren’s passing...”

I knew what she was asking. It was only when I grew upthat I realized the insanity of my family situation, and I still didn’t understand all of it.

“I honestly don’t know what happened there. Evie was born, and it was all such a mess. The pack sent Eden to help take care of her because she used to be a nurse.

And then one day, she and Father showed up with marks on their necks, and we were told she was our stepmother now. She’s a nice female and she’s the only mother Evie’s ever known,” I shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

“I can’t blame him. After Cassie... many older pack members told me that it would be good for Dom’s wolf to mark someone, anyone - so he could start to heal. But there was no talking to Dom. It wasn’t until some point in late 2019 that he started being himself again. And then he just worked, day and night, and did nothing else. I hope that will change now,” she beamed at me, and I struggled to return her smile.

“I’ll let you get settled now, but I will join you for dinner one night next week if that’s alright?”

“Definitely, I’d love that.”

“I’m very glad you’re here, Penelope.”

“Thank you, Florence.”

I was suddenly exhausted. I sat down on the couch to finish my tea when I heard Dominic come back in. He must have seen his mother leave. He sat down next to me, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

“Can I change the couch?”

He opened one eye to look at me and closed it again.

“Please do.”

I smiled. Then I felt his hand in my hair again. He was running his fingers through it, gently at first, but it soon turned into a nape and scalp massage that made me shiver. His touch and proximity were electric, and the tingles I got from our contact were felt everywhere.Everywhere. He was soon poised above me, his gorgeous eyes searching my face for something before he claimed my lips again.

It was even better this time, maybe because of how our bodies were positioned. I arched into him, wanting to feel as much of him as I could, as I tangled my fingers into his too-long hair and devoured his mouth greedily.

Suddenly, nothing mattered more to me in this world than feeling as much of his weight on me as possible. I was floating despite being weighed down. I kept moaning shamelessly into his mouth and I couldfeelhow much he loved it. I guessed that was how the marking worked. I could truly feel his enjoyment in my bones, and it spurred me on more than anything.

Suddenly, we both froze as we heard someone knocking on the front door before opening it. Someone who smelled like lavender.

A tall, dark-haired female entered and called out: “Dom? You there?”

I looked at my mate in confusion, and he looked really annoyed.

“Wait a minute, Heather,” he responded before sitting up and helping me do the same.

I shot him a questioning look but he just shook his head briefly.

“We’re in here,” he said.

The female sauntered in like she owned the place, carrying something in her hands, and she beamed at my mate until her brows furrowed upon noticing me.

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