Second Chance Mates

-44- 🌹 River

^ Picture of River

"He tried hard to help me. You know, he put me at ease. And he loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees. Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on."
~Joni Mitchell, 'River'

~~~

*River's POV*

My body aches after the shift is completed; my bones exhausted from the process of breaking and reforming.

If I had known shifting after five years would be this painful, I never would have gone feral in the first place.

Heh.

...That was a joke.

Seriously, though. I'm not sure what Roman's deal was, but if he's ever unfortunate enough to run into me, I'm going to rip him to shreds. Or maybe let my hot new mate do it. We'll see.

Speaking of my hot new mate...

My eyes lock on Landon, feeling my heart rate accelerating. He's beautiful. His golden blonde hair is unruly, curling every which way. Those blue eyes twinkle with happiness, erupting butterflies in my stomach. Damn, Ryland got lucky!

"Hi, River," Landon grins, kneeling down so that we're the same height. He reaches his hand out cautiously, trying not to frighten me. Wanting to show him that I'm okay, I dip my head under his hand, allowing him to pet my fur. The contact makes our bond hum, and I decide to test our mind link.

'It's nice to meet you,' I try saying to him. His blue eyes light up, and I know I was successful.

"It's nice to finally meet you too," Landon smiles brilliantly. "I've been looking forward to meeting you for months. And as much as I want to keep talking to you, someone else is dying to meet you as well. Is that okay?"

I nod eagerly, knowing exactly who he's talking about. My mate. Oh my goddess, I'm actually going to meet my mate! I have a mate!

Landon's grin widens as he nods his head, standing up to pull his shirt over my head. I don't turn away, allowing my eyes to trail over his toned body as he strips the rest of his clothes. Hey, he's my mate too, isn't he? I'm allowed to look.

The sound of bones snapping makes me wince, and I whimper with every pained shout Landon releases. He should shift more often, so his body grows accustomed to the transition and the pain won't be as bad. Plus, I want to see my mate as often as I can.

Fuck, I haven't even met him yet, and I'm already falling for him.

Silver fur sprouts over his body as his claws elongate, digging into the soil. His blue eyes glow brighter, and my tail wags when I can sense his wolf pushing through.

His body shudders as the shift is completed; where Landon once stood is now a beautiful wolf with stunning silver fur. His glowing blue eyes peer into mine, swirling with so many emotions that it's hard to name them all. But one does stand out to me, and I'm left speechless that he's already looking at me with such a strong emotion.

Love.

'River,' his voice drifts into my mind, much deeper and sexier than Landon's. I resist the urge to purr and roll over.

'Hi,' I respond lamely, immediately mentally kicking myself. Really, River? That's the best you could come up with? Freaking 'hi'?

'I'm Leo,' my mate tells me as he steps closer. 'I was listening to Landon's conversation with you and noticed how he failed to even mention my name.'