Second Chance for the Barren Luna (Talia and Jason) novel Chapter 148

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FORTY EIGHT

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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FORTY EIGHT

Talia’s POV

“Talia,” he said gently, “you’re safe now. Just tell me what happened.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. It’s too much. I don’t want to burden you with this.”

He didn’t press. He just waited. He continued to hold my hand gently.

I finally whispered as he wiped my tears, “Nolan. It was Nolan.”

Colin’s brow furrowed. “What about him? What did he do?”

“He’s my second chance mate,” I admitted. “He should’ve rejected me, but he didn’t. He… threatened me instead.”

“Threatened you?” Colin repeated.

I nodded, staring down at the counter. “He told me to remember that I belong to him. He said it like it was an order.”

Colin exhaled slowly. “Is that all he said?”

“He thinks the bond gives him permission to do whatever he wants,” I continued. “That it’s his right.”

“It isn’t. You know that, right?” Colin said. “A mate bond is not a command. It’s a choice.”

“It doesn’t feel like that to me,” I whispered. “It doesn’t feel sacred. It feels like it’s binding me to someone I can’t fully trust yet.”

Colin stared at his drink. He sighed deeply before saying, “He’s wrong for you.”

“I know.”

“Then, why not reject him?” Colin suggested.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about him,” I admitted finally, and hated myself for that. “Even when I’m angry. Even when I hate what he says. There’s something in me that still reaches back.”

“That’s the bond,” Colin said softly.

“Probably,”

“But that doesn’t mean it owns you,” he said. “You still decide what to do with it,”

“I want to believe that,” I said. “But I just want to ignore it.”

“Don’t ignore it. You confront it. You look at it for what it is. Yes, it is sacred, but it is not a command from the Moon Goddess.”

I turned my glass slowly between my hands. The melted ice shimmered in the low light, distorting my reflection. “You make it sound easy,” I complained.

“Probably because I am not the one going through it,” Colin said with a shrug.

I smiled faintly. “You always know what to say.”

“I’ll try,” he said.

The bartender passed by and refilled a drink two seats away, pretending not to notice us. The smell of citrus peel and alcohol hung in the air.

“If he ever threatens you again,” Colin said after a moment, “I’ll make sure he regrets it.”

I looked up sharply. “No. Don’t do that.”

1/3

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FORTY EIGHT

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“Then at least promise me you won’t be alone with him,” Colin said.

“You sound like Solon,” I said flatly.

“And Solon is right. You can’t trust someone who uses fear to get what they want.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll be careful.”

He seemed to relax a little. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

For a moment, we sat quietly. I finished my drink and sat the glass down. Then I said, “He told me he wouldn’t mark me. That he didn’t want to force me. But then he keeps saying I’m his. Why say that if he doesn’t even want me?”

“Because he doesn’t know the difference between wanting and possessing,” Colin explained. “He’s used to obtaining things through power.”

I didn’t know if I believed that. “Maybe you’re right,” I muttered.

“I know I am,” he said lightly, trying to soften the weight of it. “You don’t have to let him define what the bond is for you.” “I wish it were that simple.”

“It really is that simple. You’re the Princess. You should be dictating the relationship, not him.”

I sighed. “You make it sound like I’m braver than I am.”

“You are,” Colin said simply. “That’s why I like you. You just forget sometimes. If I were your mate, I’d never treat you like that. I’d treasure you.”

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