Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 142

THAT SECOND HUNDRED & FORTY TWO

+25 Bonus

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FORTY TWO

Talia’s POV

I sat in the patio chair, nursing my second cup of tea. I felt relieved after the talk with Jason. It felt like this time it may get through his thick skull that there was no chance of us getting back together.

Solon approached wearing a grey T-shirt and black joggers. His hair was slightly tousled and there were bags under his eyes. He

sat down next to me.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” I replied, setting my cup down on the table.

Solon gestured for an omega, who poured him coffee and left. “You look refreshed,” he said, studying my face.

“You look tired. Rough night?”

“I wouldn’t call it rough,” Solon said. “Just long. I’m surprised you don’t look tired too.”

“Why would I be?” I asked before sighing, “You heard about Jason throwing a tantrum?”

“Everyone heard,” he said. “Word travels fast when an Alpha raises his voice in the middle of Fangvale.”

“He made a scene, not me.”

“I never doubted that,” Solon said. “I assume you turned him down.”

“Yes.”

His brows lifted. “Really?”

“He proposed that I get back with him as a sales pitch. It was ridiculous. I told him there was no chance,” I explained.

“Good. I was ready to intervene if he didn’t take the hint.”

“You may still have to,” I joked. “But, in all seriousness, I can handle him.”

“I know you can,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean I like watching you deal with him.”

We both fell silent as omegas placed our breakfast on the table. Solon thanked them with a nod and then focused on me again. “I still think Colin is the better man. He’s considerate and not trying to prove himself every five minutes. He deserves a real chance.”

I gave a small smile. “You sound like you’ve already picked a winner.”

“Just an observation,” he said. “He seems genuine.”

“Maybe he is.”

“Maybe?”

I shrugged. “I still have a week to test all of them. Of course, I will only be going through the motions with Jason.”

He nodded, satisfied, but I noticed the faint tension in his shoulders. He wasn’t here only to discuss Jason or Colin. Something else weighed on him.

“You didn’t come just to talk about the candidates, did you?”

“You always notice.”

“It’s not hard to see that you’re tense,” I said with a shrug.

1/3

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FORTY TWO

+25 Bonus

Solon sighed and pushed his plate aside. “It’s Leslie.”

“What about her?” I asked.

“She still won’t talk to me,” he said quietly. “Not since the ceremony. I went to her cabin, and she refused to answer the door. She won’t answer my calls either.”

I frowned. “Something must be keeping her from talking to you.”

“I know,” he said. “I’m supposed to be her mate, yet she can’t stand to look at me. It’s…” He broke off and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s getting to me.”

“Don’t assume the worst. Maybe she’s still processing what it means to have a mate,” I reassured him.

“It shouldn’t take this long,” Solon said in exasperation. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, right? So why does it feel like she might have this time?”

I understood where Solon was coming from. I felt the same and then Nolan decided to pursue me. Mate bonds were complicated especially if the other party never wanted a mate in the first place.

“Because you’re impatient,” I said, smiling faintly. “You’ve spent your whole life making people follow your pace. Leslie doesn’t move that way. You’re going to have to learn to be patient.”

“You always make things sound simple,” Solon sighed.

“Because they usually are,” I said. “Just give it time. Distract yourself while you wait.”

Solon nodded but didn’t answer right away.

Finally, he said, “Would you talk to her for me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Solon, what happened to being patient?”

“Not to convince her of anything. Just to see how she’s doing. She trusts you. If she tells you something I need to hear, maybe I can fix it,” Solon explained.

“Of course,” I said immediately. “I’ll take Della with me.”

Relief softened his posture. “Thank you. Tell Della I owe her.”

“I will,” I said.

We ate in silence for a while.

But my thoughts drifted. Nolan’s face appeared in my mind. I tried to push the image away, but it lingered.

“You’re thinking about something,” Solon said, causing me to look up in surprise. “Your brow is furrowed.”

“Someone,” I admitted, then quickly corrected myself before he could misunderstand. “Nothing serious. Just something from yesterday.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If it’s about Jason again, I’ll…”

“It’s not,” I interrupted. “You don’t need to worry.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify