Page 38 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“What’s that mean?”

Stormy leaned forward. “I see that look you get in your eye when you talk about him.”

“What look?” I frowned. “There’s no look. I’d know if I had a look.”

“Sure.” She smirked. “All I’m saying is, you need to be careful. Don’t get too close. I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “We barely speak. He’s not trying to get back in my good graces or anything. He’s solely focused on Ashton.”

I conveniently left out Cole telling me he still cared for me. I didn’t want to see thatI told you solook on Stormy’s face.

“Actually,” I added, “the longest conversation we had was about Ashton. He told me about the training they were doing to get him ready to shift. The full moon is in a few weeks, and Cole thinks that’s most likely when Ashton’s first shift willhappen. He didn’t flirt or compliment me or anything—it was all business. He told me to prepare myself for some more mood changes as the full moon gets closer. Said I would know what to look for since I’d been there for his first shift all those years ago.”

“What was that like?” Stormy asked as she cut into her pancakes. “Cole’s first shift? I’ve never seen a first shift happen before.”

I swallowed a bite. “It was kind of rough, to be honest, so I’m not entirely looking forward to it with Ashton. Cole was moody. Easy to anger and lash out. You know those stories you hear about bodybuilders having ’roid rage? That’s what it reminded me of. Worse than that, he seemed uncomfortable in his skin, like he literally wanted to rip out of his body, which I suppose is kind of true, really.

“It’s good that I have that experience. I won’t be shocked when it happens to Ashton. There’s no way of knowing when the first shift will happen—it could happen the night of the full moon, the afternoon before, or even a few days after. I’ll be ready to help him whenever it begins.”

Stormy reached across the table and put her hand on mine. “Avery, you’re still circling back to Ashton. I love that little shithead like he’s my own, but I’m trying to see what’s going on in your head about Cole. Have you changed how you think of him since you’ve been back? And please, for the love of God, don’t say something about how much fun Ashton has with him. I’m a parent, too—I know your life takes a backseat to your kid’s, I really do—but how doyoufeel about him?”

Did I tell her that being around him had stirred up some old feelings? Did I want that out in the open? Part of me thought if I didn’t mention it or think about it for too long, then I couldeventually forget about it. Maybe shove my emotions into some dark corner of my mind, never to be seen again.

“It is a bit surreal,” I finally said. “Kinda like I’ve gone back in time. That’s been the weirdest thing about being around him after all this time. It’s like I’m twenty again.”

Stormy cocked her eyebrow. “Real talk. Is he still hot?”

I almost choked on my bacon. “Are you serious right now?”

“Of course,” Stormy said. “If he’s still all broody handsome and six-pack abs like back in the day, it’s gonna be harder for you to keep your pants on around him.”

“Stop,”I hissed, glancing around to see if anyone heard. “My pants are most definitely staying on. Nothing is happening with Cole. I promise.” My shoulders sagged, and I grinned reluctantly. “Though, I will say he is still pretty gorgeous.”

Stormy shook her head and took another sip of her drink. “Shifters, man. They age like fine wine. I guess that was God’s gift to make up for making them so dangerous. From what you’ve told me, it sounds like being a shifter is no walk in the park.”

The mention of danger reminded me of the scuzzy guy in the hardware store. I’d yet to find a good time to mention him to Cole. As I’d told Stormy, our conversations were solely focused on Ashton.

“Hey, do you know someone named Kyle Alexander?” I asked. “He’s a shifter I met at the store the other day, and he sort of rubbed me the wrong way.”

“Kyle Alexander?” She frowned, then shook her head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. What’s he look like?”

I described him, emphasizing his ugliness—in appearance and attitude—and what he’d said to me.

Stormy looked concerned. “That sounds sketchy as hell. I’ve never heard of or seen the guy before. You really should bring that up with Cole. It sounds like something he should be aware of.”

“You’re probably right.” I’d tell him the next chance I got.

After our brunch date, Stormy and I headed home. I had a lot of work to do, and I wanted to get most of it done before Cole and Ashton returned.

The day dragged on, with work taking up most of my attention, but Kyle Alexander kept popping up in my head every now and then. By the time Cole’s truck pulled up outside, I was ready to ask him about the strange man.

Ashton bounded out of the truck, a huge smile on his face as I stepped outside.

“You look excited,” I said as he rushed toward me. “I’m guessing you had a good time?”

“It was super cool,” he said. “He showed me around the alpha house, and we walked in the forest where the pack likes to do their runs sometimes. Cole even shifted, and I got to see his wolf. It was so awesome.”

“I don’t think it’s that great,” Cole said.

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