Page 188 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“You weren’t watching Trent,” Langston said to Cole. “You were too focused on me. Remember, as wolves, we’re stronger and faster, but a well-trained human can still do damage.”

Cole shifted and got to his feet. From his body language, I could tell he was pissed.

“Jesus,” he said. “You didn’t give me any time to react.”

“Do you think Kyle will give you time?” Trent asked incredulously.

Cole let out a huff of breath and put his hands on his hips. “No, but I can’t seem to get my bearings when you aren’t letting up on me.Damn,” he hissed, kicking at the dirt.

Langston pointed at him. “You need to harness that. That anger and frustration. Let that flow through you, but focus it. So far, you’re fighting like you’re analyzing everything. You aren’t reacting fast enough because you’re taking too long to go through all the possibilities.”

Cole glared at Langston. “Isn’t that called being careful? Safe?”

“Hey, I’m all about safety,” Langston said, putting his hands on his chest. “But sometimes you have to let your natural talent out to play. You’re damn good, and you can be even better if you’d allow yourself to be.”

“He’s right, Cole,” Trent said. “We can both see it. You’re rightthere—” he held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart “—but you’ve got to push some of that human thought to the back and let the wolf out a little more.”

Cole’s shoulders sagged, but he nodded. “I get it. I’ll try harder.”

“This guy is a psycho,” Langston said. “We can’t be sure what crazy shit he might pull during this fight. He’s gonna fight dirty. We’re just trying to get you ready for that.”

“Fair enough,” Cole said.

The thoughts of what Kyle might try during the fight made me uncomfortable, and I couldn’t bear to watch them train any longer.

“You want to help me make lunch for these crazies?” I said to Stormy.

Shiloh, who was resting her head on Stormy’s chest, blinked up at me. Stormy glanced down at her and smiled. “Sure. This one needs a nap, anyway.”

Once we had Shiloh down for a nap in the portable crib Stormy had brought along, we went about making lunch in silence. I browned the meat and heated the premade beans and rice I’d picked up at the store while Stormy sliced and diced onions, lettuce,jalapeños, and tomatoes.

I wasn’t sure where her mind was. Perhaps on what I’d said about Langston? My thoughts were more visceral, though.Ashton. A savage, gut-wrenching guilt crept into the very marrow of my bones. Everything I was doing, each movement, each second of banality, was a betrayal. My son was being held prisoner, and I was fucking cooking.

I couldn’t get rid of the anxious restlessness inside me. At night, I didn’t feel comfortable doomscrolling through my phone or watching television because part of me thought I should be wallowing in misery and pining for my child, doing something to get him back right now. The problem was, there was precisely nothing I could do for him. That meant I had to keep on living as though hewasn’tgone, and that didn’t sit right. I did my best to shove those guilty thoughts out of my head as I cooked.

When we’d finished setting up the burrito/taco bar on the kitchen island, Stormy called out the door, “Lunch!”

Within minutes, the kitchen was full of gigantic, burly, and starving men. Trent grinned as he saw the spread.

“You guys are thebest. I’m fucking starving,” he said.

“Same,” Cole added with a smile before dropping a kiss on my cheek. “It looks great.”

Patting him on the back, I said, “You guys go ahead. Stormy and I ate while we cooked.”

Langston laid a dollop of sour cream on his plate and glanced up at Stormy. “Thank you for this. You guys didn’t have to do it, but we really appreciate it.”

Langston was still shirtless and glistening in sweat. Stormy’s gaze skimmed down to the rippling muscles of his stomach before she smiled awkwardly at him. “Uh, yeah, um, sure. No problem. Uh, I hope you like it.”

Grinning, he winked at her, then strolled away. I smiled, but that faded when I saw the look on Cole’s face. His shoulders were taut with tension. Though he didn’t look as upset as he had earlier, I could still tell it irked him how easily Langston and Trent had bested him. Walking over, I took a seat beside him as he ate.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m all right.”

He looked over at the others who were all seated around the kitchen table while he sat on the couch eating on the coffee table. They were all joking and laughing, and there was something in Cole’s eyes that I couldn’t quite place. Inadequacy, maybe?

He scooped up the last of his beans and cheese, then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I’m gonna go take a quick shower, if that’s okay?”

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