His Second Mate

By Devon Cross

Alex is used to living alone, but every heart needs someone to love, especially one that's experienced a loss as great as his own.

 

When a gorgeous man practically falls from the sky and trespasses on Alex's property, his wolf insists the stranger is their mate. But with the loss of his previous mate still at the front of his mind, Alex would sooner send the trespasser away than offer him a place to stay for the night. Of course, the thought of finding the stranger frozen in the snow isn't good, either.

 

He's only asking to stay for one night. What harm could he possibly do?

 

Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Tucker never thought his night would turn out the way it did. But in his search for shelter, he's surprised to find his mate so far from home. His joy, however, is short-lived.

 

Sensing the alpha's distress, Tucker must push through the other man's grief if he ever hopes to comfort his mate. Convincing Alex to open the door is only the beginning.

 

Will Tucker have what it takes to prove they belong together? Or are these two fated mates destined to be alone?

 

His Second Mate is a gay paranormal romance and includes themes such as second chances, fated mates, and two hot guys getting trapped in a blizzard. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Devon Cross
• Release date: Mar 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386427384

Book preview

Chapter One

Alex

A wolf without his pack during the first thaw of the season is almost as bad as being an outcast.

I rolled my eyes at Caleb even though he couldn’t see me through the phone. Settled in my living room, I was more than happy to lounge on the sofa with a warm fire blazing under the mantle. My brother didn’t agree and would rather see me freeze my ass off during a moonlit run than be cozy at home.

It’s tradition. He released a heavy sigh and I could almost see him removing his glasses to wipe his eyes. The best time to run with your family is during the first thaw.

In case you haven’t noticed, a foot of snow’s about to get dumped on the mountain. Besides, I had a deadline to meet.

You and I both know it’ll melt in a few days. As for work, every wolf knows this time of year is for family. Forget the deadline. Your work will still be there when you get back. I’m not asking you to take off a week. It’s just one day.

I need the cash. You want me to skip out on my bills, too?

You know Dad will always—

No handouts, Caleb. I won’t go down that road again.

Why do you even live there anyway? It’s been years since—

Don’t. Just... for once, don’t say his name. Okay? My stomach dipped and I couldn’t help glancing at the pictures of Jake on the mantle.

He was silent for a long unnerving moment. Okay.

I closed my eyes, but there wasn’t a damned thing I could do when a tear managed to slip down my cheek. Besides, working’s a nice distraction.

So would letting your wolf run every once in awhile. When’s the last time you shifted and felt the earth beneath your paws?

I couldn’t even remember. Hell, half the time, I didn’t feel my wolf at all. He was as numb as I was, and no running would ever change that.

I knew Caleb had an ulterior motive, as usual. The last time I decided to join my pack on one of their runs, they tried to set me up with a beta. She was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but she also wasn’t my type.

And while they comforted me and supported me after Jake’s death, I knew they didn’t approve. They never had. I bet some of them saw his death as a strange blessing. A way to purge the filth out of the family.

Dad’s words, not mine.

Exhaling, I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, only half-listening as my brother went over the usual topics when he sensed me ‘slipping into the dark.’

Come on, man, talk to me.

You could always come here, I offered, immediately regretting it.

The last thing I wanted was to have him or anyone else in my family around to watch me get wasted until I passed out. My tolerance for alcohol was one of the many perks of being a wolf. I could drink and get shit-faced all I wanted, but come morning, the wolf in me would cleanse the toxins from my body. Of course, that also meant it took a lot longer for me to feel the initial buzz, but it was still an option.

It also wasn’t one I usually took, wallowing in self-pity instead of escaping my own thoughts. As soon as I woke up, reality would come crashing down, leaving me to realize Jake’s death again. A reality without Jake was far worse when I didn’t remember the last three years.

Caleb’s next words drew me from my thoughts. And I know you’d sooner kick me out than invite me in. Look, I get the broken-heart phase, I do.

Phase? I’m not having a fucking temper tantrum, Caleb. He was my mate. My world. Just because you haven’t found your fated, that doesn’t mean the rest of us are happy being alone.

Okay, forget what I said before. You don’t need to run, you need to get laid.

I exhaled hard. Coaching me on my sex life now?

That depends. Are you getting any?

Caleb!

What? It’s a valid question.

The hell it is. Look, I know you’re trying to be supportive, but I can already imagine Dad making faces at your back. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Really.

Wow, you actually sound like you believe that.

I do. I have to. I kept the last bit to myself, staring at the pictures of Jake on the mantle. The last photo I ever took of him was in the summer, his mouth full of blackberries he’d picked high in the mountains. His smile was one of the goofiest I’d ever seen, but I couldn’t return it. I’ve survived the last three years without any help. I can survive one more.

And when next spring comes around? Will you run with us then? He sounded hopeful. Would one more year make any difference?

We’ll see. For now, say hi to the folks for me and—

Cover your tail. I got it. I’ll tell them you got the flu or something.

They’ll never buy it. If only the flu lasted as long for wolves as it does for humans.

I’ll think of something. Take care of yourself, okay? And if your wolf does come scratching, let him run. When you do, call me so I can join you because—

No one should be alone on the first run of the year. I got it.

After hanging up with my brother, the faint warmth I felt closing in on me evaporated, leaving me in my empty living room with the chill air soaking into my bones. Your wolf’s skin could keep you warm.

I scoffed. If my wolf and I were speaking, I’d change forms without giving it a second thought. Like me, he was still mourning our loss, and there wasn’t much I could do to pull either one of us out of our endless tailspin.

Just let me get through tonight.

If I lasted the night and this freaking snowstorm, things would look a lot better in the morning.

Chapter Two

Tucker

Snow crunched under the tires of my old Camry, the small two-door complaining whenever we came to a bend in the road. I knew I should’ve left before dawn. For whatever reason, my pack wanted to do their run here, high in the mountains instead of out west. Of course, no one mentioned how much snow there was going to be, and at this point, I’d be lucky to reach the coast at all.

The icy mix on the road was almost as bad as the frost caked on my windshield. I’d tried the heat, the wipers, everything, and I still couldn’t see shit outside the car.

Well, at least no one else is on the road. Probably because of the storm my sister hadn’t bothered to warn me about.

Glancing at my phone, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to find there was no cell service up this way. There were also no lights, barely any guardrails, and no houses. I’d never been one to travel in my human form, but there was no way in hell my wolf would’ve made it all the way from Seattle to here. Not in time, anyway.

I should’ve flown. And if I’d had the money, I would have. But seeing as my car was on its last leg, splurging would have to wait.

As if on cue, the Camry sputtered, rattled its last words, then stopped halfway up an incline. I immediately put on the break and squinted through the blinding snow behind me. Mine was the only car on the deserted dirt road. Knowing I couldn’t leave it halfway up a hill, I took off the break and put it in reverse. The car gently rolled down to the bottom of the hill and that’s exactly where it stayed.

To say the journey up the mountain was dangerous would’ve been a vast understatement. Without any guardrails and the trees completely overgrown, it was easy to see the road I’d turned onto was an access road and nothing else.

Unfortunately, twenty miles away from the nearest interstate and over thirty miles until I reached the cove, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with half a granola bar on the passenger seat and a few sips