"What hap---," he began to say, but then he closed his eyes and froze, as if someone had switched off his power. My heart skipped a beat at his eerie reaction. Maybe he was confused because he saw me just in my bra? It must be so concerning to him. I felt terrible for making things so awkward, but the blood from the scratch was concerning. I had my hand pressed against it, and it was stinging. I was still wearing my bra, but my chest was mostly exposed since I couldn't afford a new bra in my current size. "Ow!" I groaned again, wondering what to do next. Should I just put the shirt over the wound or ask Mr. Holt to fetch help? After he calmed himself down and snapped out of the awkward moment, he opened his eyes, and I turned my face to the side. I knew I had to ask for his assistance. It wasn't like I was completely naked, but I felt a bit shy around him because he was much older, my father's friend, and, well, a very attractive man. I've never been drawn to older men, but he was smoking hot. Many girls wished to make him their sugar daddy, but he never paid attention to any of them. "Let me help you," he said, keeping his eyes down. I nodded and stepped back for him to enter that small room with an aid box. "Lift your arm above your head and keep it there until I clean your wound," he guided me by placing my hand above my head and clearing the view for his eyes. I felt awkward when he sat down on the high chair and my breast came into direct sight of his eyes. He cleared his throat to confirm the awkwardness before his icy hand touched my naked skin. I shut my eyes and gulped, praying I didn’t feel goosebumps because I was sure he would see them as he was sitting too close to my body. He rubbed the cotton swab on the wound and then bandaged it. I stood like that for another few minutes, making sure he was done. By the time he had finished it, he got up but didn’t pull away from me. He brought my hand down and deepened the eye contact with me. "You don’t know your size?" He asked me. My body flinched, and my skin got covered in goosebumps, just what I feared. "I don’t have mone---y," I cleared my throat in the end to give him a hint why I wasn’t continuing. "Your body is beautiful, Cynthia!" His voice had turned husky when he complimented me. Taking a compliment from someone who was a decade older than me was weird for me. I swear if he wasn’t this hot and sexy, he would get in trouble by my hands. But I didn’t say anything at the moment. "If you like, I can take you shopping," he then whispered and placed his hand on my shoulder. I was just staring into his eyes, watching him look shocked at himself. "I am so so---," he shook his head and tried stepping back when he almost knocked himself down on the chair behind him. I said almost because I held him and prevented him from falling. Which resulted in him moving fast and almost colliding with my body. Now that we were extremely close, his eyes peeked into mine before they grew in size, and a gasp escaped his lips. He didn’t only look shocked but petrified."What happened?" I asked him out of concern. "Put your shirt back on; I am dropping you home," he muttered at me angrily and stormed out of the room without explaining what made him act so differently all of a sudden. I walked out after putting on the shirt he gave me and grabbing my stuff. I was not sure what happened back in there, but he definitely saw something. Maybe he saw Thea? Could it be? I was a bit excited when I got into the car with him, but that excitement quickly faded when his fear of my wolf didn't seem to make sense. After a few minutes of driving in silence, he patted the car and started talking without needing any prompting. "There's something important you should be aware of," he sighed and rubbed his face with his hands, "something really strange and..." He didn't even finish his sentence. "What is it? Did you encounter my wolf?" I asked out of curiosity. When he shook his head, I pouted and leaned back in my seat. "Ever since I met you," he paused, "I mean, my wolf has been drawn to you. He's felt some kind of connection with you." His words surprised me, and I turned to face him. I hadn't expected him to bring this up. "I'm... sorry, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean," I replied, almost as if I didn't want to hear what he had to say. "I understand this might sound unsettling, but believe me, I didn't want this to happen either. I had a mate whom I truly loved, and I haven't even fully moved on from her. So, this situation is just as awkward for me as it is for you," he explained, causing my heart to race faster than ever. "Please, just tell me what's going on," I urged him to get straight to the difficult part. "Cynthia! I wasn't sure before, but today when we... made eye contact, I heard my wolf say that word," he muttered, closing his eyes and tilting his head back against the seat. "What?" I asked, even though I had a hunch about what it might be. I was panicking because he hadn't raised his head or opened his eyes. In that same posture, he initially let out a sigh and then declared, "Mate!" "I'm your second chance mate, Cynthia!" His voice carried a mix of anger and disappointment, revealing that he wasn't thrilled with this news either. Now, I found myself in a car with my dad's friend, hearing from him that we were mates. Fucking Mates!