Chapter 313

Judy’s POV

The bond snapped into place with such force that it was like a slap in the face. I had never heard my wolf cry out in such a way before, but when she howled and the word “Mate” came out of my mouth, I stared up at Gavin with shock.

A second chance, mate, was incredibly rare. The Moon Goddess will give you one if she deems you worthy enough, but I had never done anything that would constitute me worthy enough of the Moon Goddess’s blessing.

But there was no mistaking the bond; the second he marked me, it opened up that window, and now I was staring into the eyes of my mate. The bond I had with Ethan completely snapped, and I’m sure it was painful for him.

He traced my jawline with his fingers as he looked at me; the turmoil in his eyes, the fear, the love, the confusion… everything I was feeling was hidden in his eyes, reflecting back at me. My bottom lip quivered from his touch; his eyes dropped to my mouth before meeting my eyes. He was still inside of me, but neither of us moved despite the extreme flow of pleasure we both felt. The electricity coursing through my veins from his close proximity was almost enough to make me orgasm on the spot.

“Mark me back,” he whispered, baring his neck to me. The desperate plea in his voice made me weak in the knees, and I was thankful that I was lying down on the bed. His nose brushed against my jaw as he whispered, “Make me yours.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice… or my wolf. Without much thought, my teeth elongated as my wolf took control, and my teeth sank into his neck, the final part of our bond sealing into place.

Suddenly, his emotions, his fears, his wants… everything… was pouring into me as if they were my own. The sudden force of it all was so much that I did actually have an orgasm.

My orgasm seemed to have triggered his, because suddenly, we were both coming undone. He fell on top of me, though he used his arms to support himself, so he wasn’t crushing me, but I could tell his entire body had given out.

We fought to catch our breaths for a few moments before he lifted his head and planted soft kisses on the nape of my neck, right over his mark, making me shudder in pure delight.

“Mine,” he whispered, his tongue darting out to lick my mark. I felt warm all over, and a flurry of butterflies attacked my stomach. “All mine… forever mine.”

My wolf was purring with absolute glee, and I couldn’t help but smile. Gavin rolled us over, keeping his arms wrapped around me like he was afraid I would slip away at any moment. His fingers traced a pattern on my back, sending warmth coursing through my body, and I couldn’t help but snuggle closer to him, loving how it felt to be wrapped in his arms and protected like I was the only thing that mattered at this moment.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I found myself whispering, breaking through the silence that sat between us.

“A second chance, mate, isn’t something I thought I’d ever have,” he admitted, his tone low and still kind of sultry. It went straight to my core; was I ever going to get enough of this man? “I’m not sure what I did to deserve it.”

“I feel the same,” I told him, my voice coming out barely above a whisper. “After Ethan—”

Gavin growled, cutting off my thoughts. I looked up at him and saw the furious look on his face, his wolf fighting for control.

“Don’t speak Ethan’s name after I just marked you,” he said, darkly.

I blinked at him; I’ve seen this side of him before, but never directed at me. I wanted to open my mouth to say something snarky in return, not liking how he was speaking to me, or his sudden mood change after such an intimate moment. But something inside of me stopped me; a twinge of something that niggled in my gut.

It was the mate bond.

It was telling me something; a flow of emotions was bubbling in my heart and mind. I let them in, thinking at first that they were mine, but they weren’t. They were filled with something darker… something primal.

It was jealousy like no other.

Gavin’s emotions weren’t black and white; they were all over the place. But the one that truly stood out to me was the jealousy he felt when hearing Ethan’s name. Just the mere mention of my ex-boyfriend’s name sent his mind into complete turmoil, and all he could think and feel was that he needed to protect what was his.

Bringing up Ethan… his reaction to hearing his name after he just claimed me as his, it hurt him and worried him that I was thinking of another male at a time like this.

Knowing this now, I put my hand on his chest to feel his rapid heartbeat, hoping to reach both him and his wolf.

“I’m yours,” I tell him, placing a soft kiss on his chest, right where my hand was placed. “I think I’ve always been yours.”

His body seemed to have relaxed, and his wolf’s presence wasn’t as potent. His gaze softened when he looked at my face, and before I knew it, his lips were crashing into mine. He was tasting what belonged to him, taking what he needed from me. I let out a guttural moan as his tongue slipped into my mouth and explored me eagerly. I felt his teeth grazing against my bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth and making it swollen and red.

When he finally pulled back, we were both breathless and panting, needing so much more from one another.

“If I knew you were my second chance mate, I would have killed him a long time ago,” he said, his lips hovering inches above mine. “I would never let anyone hurt you. There would be a path of bodies behind me from anyone who had ever wronged you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh; he looked so serious, and his expression was earnest.

“Your own daughter wronged me at one point,” I reminded him. “I wouldn’t expect you to hurt her over it.”

His expression changed for a moment as he thought about how Irene had wronged me. She tried to get rid of me when she thought I wanted Ethan for myself. She had no idea that I had feelings for her father; she thought I was still pining over my ex. She did a lot of shitty things to make sure I left their lives, but her attempts were futile. I’m not so easy to get rid of.

Thankfully, Irene and I are okay now, though I can’t say I trust her fully. I can’t blame Matt for not trusting her fully either; she did come close to killing him. I know she wasn’t aiming to kill him, but she almost did, and that’s something that Matt will have trouble fully forgiving.

“You’re right,” he finally said, his voice softening. “I wouldn’t have hurt her. But I wouldn’t have let her off as easily either.”

“You would have done worse than making her move away from the Villa?” I asked, raising my brows. “You pretty much kicked her out.”

“I did that for her protection. Matthew’s wolf would have killed her otherwise.”

I knew he was right, but I also knew that a part of him wanted her out of the villa because he was so angry with her for what she had done. He didn’t trust her after that, and he wanted to ensure everyone’s safety by making her leave. He couldn’t exactly banish her, and I knew he would never kill her.

I nodded at his words, biting my lower lip.

“She thought she was doing what she had to,” I told him.

Gavin turned his head and kissed the top of mine.

“Not many would see it that way,” he murmured, his lips still pressed against me. “Most would want to get rid of her for what she had done. But not you…”

I lifted my head to look at him.

“She’s your daughter,” I told him. “I would never want to get rid of her. She’s a part of you. She’s your family… which I guess now makes her my family.”

“Even before she became your family, you still saw the good in her,” Gavin told me, holding me a little tighter. “How can you be so forgiving?”

I thought about it for a moment.

“Because I know what it’s like to be driven mad with jealousy,” I admitted. “At one point, my wolf would have done anything to keep Ethan by her side. What stopped her was seeing in real time that Ethan didn’t want us… he made that perfectly clear when he proposed to another woman right in front of us. Like we were nothing to him. But if he hadn’t done that… if I had only heard about Irene through the grapevine and rumors, there’s no telling what I would have done to keep Ethan by my side. There’s no telling what I would have done to her to get her to back off if I thought for a second that she was the pursuer and Ethan was innocently trying to remain faithful. I would want someone to forgive me if the situation were reversed… so that’s why it’s easy for me to forgive her.”

Gavin was quiet for a long while as he processed my words, and when he spoke, my heart skipped a beat, only to beat even faster.

“I will never give you a reason to doubt my love for you, Judy,” he vowed. “I belong to you, just as you belong to me. Ethan was an idiot for letting you go, and I’m not going to make the same mistake he did.”

He rolled on top of me, making me gasp, but then I let out a breathy chuckle as his lips found mine and he kissed me sweetly.

“You’re it for me,” he whispered against my lips. “You’re my everything, and I will make sure you feel that every single day of our lives.”