George was lost in the turbulent world his memories created.
Scenes from his early childhood morphed into an endless cycle of training, shouting, pain, hiding, enduring, hatred, dejection. He was able to survive by channeling all that negativity into more training and using it as fuel to keep going.
And then there was light. Marcy. The perfect woman, made for him. She stood like a beacon of light for a brief moment, and then she pushed him back into the cycle of nightmares that waited for him, threatening to swallow him whole.
George was unable to find an exit into the reality that was just as grim as his nightmares, but he knew that in the reality there were people waiting for him. There was Estelle and a number of other people, and for their sake, George should do something only he could do, and he had to snap out of it so that he could help them.
Helplessness was consuming him, and he wondered if this was the extent of his abilities. What was the point of finding out about his heritage if this is how it will end?
George hated himself for falling into such a sorry state. He was a joke of an Alpha.
And just when he thought that there was no hope for breaking the cycle, he picked up something different. It was a sweet scent of cinnamon that carried warmth with it, and George turned toward the source to see an outline of a person. He narrowed his eyes to focus and realized that he was staring at a young woman with short blond hair and endlessly blue eyes directed at him.
Was that his wolf stirring? It was weak, but it was definitely his wolf.
The girl was standing at the door and the light from behind her made her look like she was glowing. She was familiar, yet he was certain that he has never seen such a beautiful woman in his life.
George was lost in a daze that might have lasted a second or eternity, and he didn't realize when his wolf whispered into George's mind that one word he never thought he will hear again, "Mate".
George couldn't believe it. Was that for real or was his imagination playing tricks on him?
Oblivious to the state of two other people in the room, Talia finished arranging the flowers and turned around.
"Dawn?", Talia called her non-responsive friend.
Talia's eyes widened in shock when she realized that George was staring back at Dawn.
Both Dawn and George were in some kind of a trance, mesmerized with each other, and Talia realized… mates.
But how was this possible? Didn't Marcy reject George?
It took Talia a moment to remember the story about second chance mates and her lips lifted into a knowing smile.
Who said that witnessing mates recognizing each other was a rare occurrence? In just two days, Talia saw it three times, and she even saw one rejection!
Talia carefully approached Dawn and took the tray from her hands. She placed the tray on the side table and moved toward the door.
Talia nudged Dawn from the back, pushing her to step into the room, and said softly, "Go to him, Dawn."
Dawn moved robotically and stopped only when her legs reached the bed.
Talia started closing the door and paused when she remembered the camera in the room. It was there so they can see if there were any changes in George's condition. Caden just placed the camera on the dresser, so Talia swiftly snatched it and put it in her bag where herbs were. No one will get to watch what's going to happen in there.
Well, almost no one.
Talia pulled the door to close, but she didn't close it completely. She left a small crack so that she can peep inside.
Talia didn't want to watch the X-rated scenes, but she just wanted to ensure things were moving in the right direction.
Dawn looked at George's handsome features, but she couldn't read his expression.
Somehow, he didn't look happy and that made her heart tighten painfully.
In the next moment, she was overwhelmed with emotions.
Disbelief. Doubt. Fear. There was a trace of joy, but it was quickly drowned by hesitation.
Dawn clutched her chest while wondering from where those feelings were coming, and then she heard a voice in her head, "Mate".
Dawn stared at George while questioning her sanity. Was she daydreaming about handsome Commander George, and she lost her mind completely? How can she be his mate?
Isn't he the powerful Commander?
And there was another thing… wasn't he rejected by Miss Marcy?
If the mate thing was real, doesn't that make her his second chance mate?
But… the stories go that only two people who lost mates can be each other's second chance mates.
Did that mean she had a mate at some point, and she lost him? Did he perish before they met? Or did he mark another woman and that destroyed the chance for a bond to form between them?
Dawn will never know the answers to those questions.
However, she knew that if she was looking at her second chance mate, then all those negative emotions she was feeling were coming from George.
Why was he just lying there and staring at her?
Was it possible that he didn't want her?
No one ever mentioned a third chance mate… will she be mateless forever?
George stared at Dawn while taking in her features. No matter how he looked at her, she was perfect. Was this another joke of the Moon Goddess? A test?
Why would she give him a mate, if the bond can be so easily discarded?
And he could also feel that she was uncertain and a bit scared. Is that how one feels when they meet their mate?
George frowned when he noticed tears streaming down her cheeks. It was all super-confusing.
"Why are you crying?", his voice was raspy because he didn't talk for a while and his throat was dry.
"You don't want me.", Dawn said in a shaky voice, and she wiped her tears with the back of her palm. "Is it because I am an Omega? Not worthy to be your mate?"
George's frown deepened. He never thought about the status of his mate. Actually, before meeting Marcy, George was so consumed in his training and revenge that he didn't think about his mate at all.
The scar of Marcy's rejection was fresh, and it reminded him how opening up to the bond could backfire but… how could she be not worthy?
Marcy rejected him because she thought that he was an Omega, and if he does the same after the hell Marcy put him through, he will be the biggest asshole on the planet.
