Page 22 of Reclaiming His Lost Mate (Secret Legacy #3)

S elina

Alexis’s mouth crashed against mine with a fervor that ignited something primal and deep within me.

It was a kiss so electric that it burned away all thoughts of Tom.

I had opened my mouth to tell Alexis that Tom was on his way, about to suggest that we talk about things tomorrow, when a look crossed his face that made my breath hitch.

His brows lowered, and a fierce intensity overshadowing his usual warmth revealed an almost predatory glint in his stormy eyes.

I melted into the kiss, heat radiating across my skin, the tightness that I’d been feeling over my skin relaxing as Alexis's hands tangled in my hair, sending a thrill down my spine.

Every nerve in my body ignited as my fingers found their way to his chest, exhilaration coursing through me as I felt the pounding of his heart beneath the chiseled contours of his physique.

His lips were soft yet commanding—a delicious blend of urgency and warmth that drew me deeper into a dizzying oblivion.

This wasn’t just a kiss; it was a declaration, one that made the world around us fade into nonexistence.

But then, a creak from the cabin steps intruded.

Somehow, I managed to pull away, breathless.

My heart raced as reality crashed down around me.

I looked past Alexis to see Tom standing on the porch.

The surprise etched across his features mirrored my own shock as he took in the scene—my kiss-bruised lips, my disheveled hair, the remnants of an all-consuming passion that I felt had already burned me to cinders, and that had only been a kiss.

My face heated with embarrassment, a crimson blush burning my cheeks. Alexis had turned sideways, angling his powerful body so that he stood between inside the cabin and Tom out on the porch, practically in the doorway as if he were barring the way to Tom.

My wolf seemed to shimmy at the thought. Why did Alexis’s protective stance thrill her? I was still thinking with my wolf’s want, and all she wanted was Alexis’s lips, the hard lines of his body, and the heat of him pressed up against us.

Something that was essential I stop doing because I needed to address this awkward situation. Uh...” I stammered, feeling painfully aware of the atmosphere thickening around us like a brewing storm. My heart thumped a thousand beats a minute because I could sense what was coming.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking with their wolf; Alexis’s stance only grew more rigid, radiating an energy that sent shivers down my spine. I could see the muscle in his jaw clenching as he faced Tom, a fierce determination blazing on his face.

Tom’s eyes were wide, but he finally managed to let out a low chuckle that morphed into a playful grin. The tension in the air crackled as Alexis’s eyes darkened, a flicker of challenge igniting between them.

“I suppose three’s a crowd, right?” Tom remarked, attempting to diffuse the tension with humor and probably only half-joking.

My wolf bristled at the implication, feeling even more possessive of Alexis than she had before I’d just kissed him again.

But Alexis stepped forward, confronting Tom with a voice that rumbled like distant thunder. “I’m done playing games with you, Tom. I know Selina has feelings for me. If you think you can win her heart, know that I’m going to do everything I can to prove to her that I’m the one meant for her.”

The fierceness threading through Alexis’s words entranced me, pulling me back into his magnetic aura.

My chest tightened with conflicting emotions.

There was a thrill in Alexis’s possessiveness, a primal urge that soared through me, making me feel wanted and cherished, but beneath it all lay a swell of embarrassment that threatened to overtake my joy.

What had I done? I was still grappling with my feelings, and here Alexis was, ready to fight—completely clueless about that Tom’s interests lay elsewhere.

Tom’s dark brown eyes sparkled with mischief as a grin tugged at his lips.

“And I would give you my sincere support in winning Selina’s heart if it weren’t for how I’d hoped your preference might have swung the other way.

” His voice lowered with meaning and mischief, and I felt my cheeks flush, fully aware Tom was going to have fun telling this story about town, which would result in every member of Matsuna’s small town knowing that I had been seen kissing Alpha Alexis in my doorway.

I imagined Tom’s delighted tones, exaggerating how Alexis had had his arms wrapped around me, making out in the doorway as if he hadn’t been able to wait to get in the door.

My gaze ran over Alexis, still standing protectively in front of me, back to Tom leaning away from us, a playful confidence in his air. I watched Alexis’s scowl slacken, shifting from defensiveness to confusion as the pieces began to fall into place.

The moments from the past few weeks flashed back to me—Tom’s smiles, lingering touches, and playful banter—all directed to Alexis. I remembered Alexis’s question about Tom earlier—Are you together? Alexis had thought that Tom wasn’t only my friend but had believed that he was interested in me.

“You were interested in me?” Alexis finally said, looking at Tom.

Tom guffawed. “Yes, Alexis. I mean, have you seen yourself?” His dark eyes raked over the taut lines of the Alpha, and I took in a deep breath, feeling every inch of my body in firm agreement with Tom despite my wolf wanting to snap at my friend for such a look.

"But you wanted to fight me?" Alexis said, confusion still making him scowl.

Tom looked confused in turn but then spluttered a laugh. "You mean when I invited you to the ring? ”

Alexis nodded.

“I'd still like to fight you in the ring, Alexis. Topless, preferably," he said with a wink.

But, it was my turn to get jealous at the way Tom was looking at Alexis.

The blue button-down Alexis wore really did bring out the hue of his eyes, and the slight creases in it, paired with his tousled hair, seemed like a teaser of how he’d look after a few more kisses.

With all too much vividness, I imagined Alexis walking me back into the cabin, kicking the door shut, and the urgency that had been charging through him ratcheting up again.

Before I was even aware of it, I’d stepped forward, my voice low and commanding, “Again, he’s not going to be doing that with you, Tom. ”

Tom’s lips twitched. “Okay, message received, loud and clear.” He held up his hands and backed away as if worried my wolf was about to go rabid.

The gathering storm of feeling in Alexis’s eyes returned to me, and I felt the heat stealing over my face and zinging through my body as his attention locked onto me again.

I couldn't suppress the fluttering in my chest. His eyes widened in revelation, clearly similar thoughts crowding him as the new lay of the land pressed itself upon him.

“Selina, you’re a lucky lady,” Tom chuckled, his tone teasing yet genuine. With one last lingering glance at Alexis that my wolf snarled at again, he called over his shoulder. “Rain check on the brainstorming, I guess.”

As I heard him go, I recalled how Tom and I had meant to sort through his new stock tonight.

I had been looking forward to sampling different combinations for some new formulas I wanted to experiment with.

But with my mind too consumed by thoughts of Alexis, any hope for productivity vanished.

Finally, his footsteps echoed down the porch and away from the cabin.

My chest was still rising and falling too quickly, and I felt as if the silence that followed was loaded, the cabin around me pulsating with unresolved tension.

My heart raced with unarticulated emotions.

Alexis stood there, his gaze both stunned and reflective.

The heat of the kiss still lingered between us, a tangible energy impossible to ignore .

He took a step toward me, farther into the cabin, and my heart drummed as our gazes locked. The stormy blue of his eyes brushed over me. I felt exposed as if every hidden sentiment was laid bare for him to see.

My gaze, possessed of a will of its own, dragged to his lips, betraying me.

It had felt both thrilling and terrifying, taking that plunge and giving myself over to what I felt.

My body still felt fueled by that feeling, intoxicated and wanting to chase the high that Alexis had awoken again.

The scent of eucalyptus and frostvine leaves wafted from Alexis.

I recognized one of the body washes I made myself, remembering him buying one a few weeks ago.

The idea of inhaling one of my fragrances from his skin, paired with the heady rare green tree scent that was all natural Alexis, had me wanting to bury my nose in the crook of his neck and inhale all of it, identifying them all like I would when crafting a potion. It would just take one more step.

Alexis wet his bottom lip as if reading my mind. “Selina…” he began, his voice rich with emotion.

Just as the moment thickened with possibility, the rumble of an engine interrupted us.

My heart sank, realizing it was not the time for this conversation.

Outside, I saw a truck edge up to my cabin, followed closely by the exuberant energy of my daughter Mia, bounding up the wooden steps and bursting through the door.

“Mommy!” she shouted joyously, dropping her sleeping bag on the floor and then wrapping her little arms around my waist. The chaotic energy brought me crashing back down to reality with a thud.

A moment later, Sammy, one of the teaching aides at Matsuna’s Primary School, appeared on my step. “I’m dropping off the kids who wanted to come home,” the TA explained. She gestured to the back of her car, where two other students from the school were.

“Teddy kept saying there were Iviukkuq sneaking around the school,” Mia explained, her head whipped up to look at Alexis, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders as she looked up with an expression of earnest consternation.

In a moment, Alexis had picked her up. “But elves are said to bring good luck,” he explained .

“But Teddy said these were dark elves,” she said, her bottom lip wobbling.

I frowned. Teddy had a lot to answer for.

Alexis already had a smile on his face. “I know my little warrior would have defeated any dark elf easily.” Soon, a matching smile painted Mia’s lips so that she looked even more like her father.

Sammy waved goodbye as she shot off to drop the other kids off home.

“I’m thirsty, Mommy,” Mia said, claiming my attention

“Why don’t you go get a juice box, baby?” I suggested as Alexis set her down again. She skipped off into the kitchen. “I should go settle her,” I said quietly to Alexis. “The sleepover was a big step for her; I think she needs her usual routine tonight.”

A flicker of disappointment fell over Alexis’s face but was soon replaced with one of stoic understanding. “Of course.”

“We’ll talk soon,” I said. I needed time to sort through my feelings and re-evaluate everything that had happened.

I didn’t want to rush. Rushing could lead to mistakes and more misunderstandings.

He had kissed me, and I had kissed him back.

But as the heady swirl of feelings died down with my daughter’s steps behind me in the kitchen, I couldn’t help feeling that perhaps it was a good thing we’d been interrupted.

Alexis acknowledged the shift in my expression, and he moved back out the door. My wolf whined with disappointment, longing tugging at my heart as I let him leave.

But a new fire was apparent in Alexis’s blue eyes as they lingered on me.

“Good night, Selina. I’ll see you soon.” Intention rang through that final word, reminding me of his earlier declaration: to prove he was the one meant for me.

Nervous anticipation coiled in my stomach, paired with a whisper of excitement, as I wondered what the future had in store.