Fight for Me

As the three of them walk down the hallway, the silence barely lasts for three seconds before Tristan talks.

“Did you really have to be so direct with her?” He looks at Melinda.

“What? She said she was fine. And she said it like three times. Didn’t you notice how uncomfortable she got every time we babied her, asking if she’s fine or if she got hurt?”

“It doesn’t really matter what she says. We all saw the way she looked. Tyler and I saw the way we found them. The office was completely trashed. Honestly, I don’t even want to think what would have happened if we never got his link.”

“That bad? Huh?” Melinda sighs.

“I still don’t get how the scent of her heat could have gotten his wolf so out of control. And…… I think his wolf was trying to mark her.” Tristan speaks.

“Mark her?” Tyler finally speaks

“Yeah. She had a cut on her neck, - looked like a bite mark. Any deeper, and he definitely would have marked her.”

“Alpha Tristan.” Tyler pauses, thinking how to phrase his question. But he’s desperate for answers too. “What do you know about second-chance mates?”

Tristan stops in his tracks, making the other stop as well and look back at him.

Why would he ask that? Surely he doesn’t think……..But wait. Tristan thinks to himself.

“You know. About Nicholas’ mate.” Tristan states. He gives a slight glance at Melinda to assure Tyler that she too already knows.

Tyler sighs before he nods. “Yes. He told me that he rejected his mate. But I don’t know if he told me because I’m his beta, or as courtesy to our friendship. And I don’t think I’m satisfied with either of those reasons. I was actually hoping Nicholas would find his mate. I thought she would ……help him,……I don’t know…..open up I guess. So I’m still pissed at him for that. Not that he seems to care.” He shakes his head with a grin.

Tristan looks at him with more curiosity. “So why are you asking me about second-chance mates? Surely you don’t think that-“

“Think what? That Layla may be his second chance mate. And what’s so wrong with that?”

“For one thing, second-chance mates are just a myth, and just considering their existence is practically an insult to one’s first and true mate.” Tristan slips his hand into Melinda’s and squeezes. “But to consider such a situation, it wouldn’t even make sense. I personally have no problem with her being human of course. But why would the goddess pair a human with Nicholas? He’s an ice-box idiot. And after what we saw tonight, if they actually had to mate, it might just turn into a murder scene.”

Tyler bites his lower lip. “I see your point. I’m just trying to make sense of the two of them. There definitely is something between them. And I don’t just mean a weird vibe and secret looks. There is a secret between them, that they’re keeping from everyone.”

“Secret?” Tristan asks.

“I don’t know what. But there is a reason he brought her here. There’s a reason he keeps protecting her. The second-chance mate thing was one of the possibilities I could think of. But,………hearing you now, I guess it wouldn’t make sense. She’ll be leaving soon anyways. I’ll just have to figure out what else it could be.”

“Don’t overthink things too much. I’m sure you need your rest too.” Melinda chimes in.

Tyler smiles at her. “It’s sorta my job to overthink things. Anyways, it’s getting late. I have to go check on a certain Alpha.” He nods behind him and jogs down the stairs.

Tristan leads Melinda back to their room, still holding her hand.

Tristan softly chuckles. “Tyler really is overworking. Nicholas really just needs to work on communicating, instead of having the poor man constantly trying to figure out what’s going on. Pfft. Second-chance mates? Come on.”

“Well,….if you think about it, it will actually make a lot of sense.” Melinda says in deep thought.

Tristan snaps his head to her. “What?” He looks at her curiously. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“A lot of random things that I’m trying to make sense of. But don’t worry. Once I do figure it out, like always, you’ll be the first I tell.” She squeezes his hand back.