Second Chance Luna (Phoebe and Jason) novel Chapter 10

Setting aside the picture Jason walked back to the kitchen. A small, round table sat in front of a bay window with two place settings arranged across from each other. The kitchen was small but not cramped with everything carefully arranged for function. As he watched Phoebe plated chicken breasts on top of a mound of rice with vegetables on the side.

She brought them to the table setting them down before heading to the refrigerator, “I don’t have any wine. I hope milk is all right.”

“Milk is fine,” he agreed though he would have agreed to anything as she poured two glasses before returning to the table.

With a nervous smile she gestured to his chair, “Um…have a seat.”

Jason stepped into the kitchen taking her chair and helping her to sit. When she was comfortable he carefully moved his place setting so that he sat beside her rather than across before he took his own seat. Phoebe blushed but remained silent as he surveyed his meal. If you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com know that it’s some paragraphs are not complete. Visit Jobnib.com to read it for free. Tantalizing smells of herbs and oil made his mouth water as he studied a meal that was certainly camera worthy. Having been the victim of his sister’s cooking in the past Jason was pleasantly surprised by the skill Phoebe demonstrated with this one meal.

“It looks fantastic,” he smiled. “Are you a master chef?”

Phoebe blushed and chuckled, “No. My mother used to run the packhouse kitchen. I learned from her.”

“And quite well,” Jason added before picking up his utensils and cutting into the chicken. “I wish my sister had half your talent.”

It was so tender he didn’t even need the knife. His mouth was already watering before he took his first bite. The savory flavor exploded in his mouth punctuated by the clever mix of herbs and seasonings. Even the pack cooks never made anything so engaging.

“So…you have a sister?” Phoebe asked by way of conversation as she cut into her own meal.

“Yes. Lucille. She’s a few years younger than me and already mated,” Jason said through mouthfuls. “My Gamma, and one of my best friends, was her fated mate. I couldn’t tell you who I was more jealous of at the time.”

Phoebe stifled a chuckle.

“And you? Siblings?”

“No,” Phoebe shook her head. “My parents met late in life. My mother wasn’t originally from this pack so it was pure chance she met my father at all.”

“Really?”

“She was the head cook at her original pack too and my father was one of our foragers and gardeners so he was the one usually sent out to buy groceries. One day he stopped at a farmer’s market and it just happened that my mother was at the same one. They’d both had all but given up on finding their fated mates by the time they met.”

Jason smiled picturing the moment the pair, well out of their primes, came face to face. Aloud he said, “Then they had you.”

Phoebe nodded, “My father went to school for teaching. He was something of a scholar and the pack tutor.”

“Next you’re going to tell me he was an expert piano player.”

“No. That was my mother. She loved music.”

“Amazing.”

Phoebe shrugged, “Is it? I mean, my parents were unranked pack members…just nameless cogs in the machine.”

Jason grimaced at the description but it wasn’t wrong. The majority of pack members were unranked existing somewhere between the delta warriors and low-ranked omegas that did the majority of the grunt work. While delta warriors could advance to gamma fighters over time, other pack members had little hope of advancement unless they were lucky to find a mate in the higher ranks.

“So you learned to cook and music from your mother and garden and read from your father?”

Phoebe nodded, “I went to college after high school for my teaching degree. I guess that’s why I decided to look after the pups. I make up lessons for them, keep them busy and out of everyone’s way…especially Luna Kristie.”

Jason grimaced, “She doesn’t seem to like pups in the slightest.”

Phoebe shook her head. Kristie had a short temper and there were many in the pack that bore scars from incurring her wrath. Phoebe was determined to spare the pups by keeping them away from their unpredictable luna.

“So you went to college.”

Phoebe nodded.

“That’s amazing,” Jason said.

“Is it?”

“Yeah, most pack members stick to whatever work they like but for someone to have the passion to actually go into higher education is pretty rare,” Jason said. “You are amazing.”

Phoebe blushed at his compliment making him wonder if anyone had ever expressed appreciation for her skill and dedication before. He for one would never stop being impressed by everything she accomplished.

They took turns talking about themselves as the meal continued. After dinner they moved to the living room and sat across from each other on the loveseat. Normally Phoebe would have washed the dishes immediately but this time she left them in the sink. Jason fondled her slim hand listening to her.

“My mother passed away shortly after I graduated. She got sick and just never recovered.”

Jason frowned but it wasn’t an unusual fate for aging wolves. While their healing abilities slowed the aging process it didn’t stop it. Their regenerative abilities worked better against injury rather than disease.

“My father only lasted another year or so,” Phoebe continued. “But he was never the same.”

Jason nodded. That was also not unusual. It was not easy to overcome the breaking of mate bond regardless of how. Once one half of the pair passed the other usually deteriorated and followed rather quickly. While his own father had passed away years ago his mother was alive and well but she was a special case. She had a strong desire to watch over her children and was eager to hold her grandchildren before she left the world.

Jason raised her hand to his lips, “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”

Phoebe gave him a shy smile and a slight blush colored her cheeks. He wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to his sympathy or the kiss. Despite the fact she had been rejected it was clear she had never been romanced.

“How about you?” Phoebe finally asked hoping to take the spotlight off herself. “What’s your family like?”

“Well, I already told you about my sister. Our mother is still alive though my father has passed on.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that was…five years ago?” Jason nodded. “Not long after I took over the pack my father began to deteriorate.”

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