Chapter 3 3. Second Chance Mate

His expression twisted with pain, as though even hearing the words had reminded him of how badly he was struggling to control himself. He stepped toward me again. And I kept backing away, taking one step after another. I was so focused on the man in front of me that I didn't notice what was behind me. Until my back suddenly collided with something solid. I gasped. My entire body jolted, and I spun around in terror, expecting to find a tree, a wild animal, or perhaps another rogue waiting to attack me. Instead, I found another man standing directly behind me. My breath caught. He looked almost exactly like the first man. For a moment, my bewildered mind couldn't process what I was seeing. I looked at the man in front of me. Then at the man behind me. Then back again. What the hell...? They had almost identical faces. The same sharp features, the same eyes, the same strong jaw, even the same intimidating build. If it weren't for their hair, I might have genuinely believed I was looking at the same person. The man in front of me had dark hair, while the one behind me had blond hair. That was almost the only thing that set them apart. "Ffhoundh yyouh..." The blond-haired man spoke. His voice was even hoarse and rougher than the first man's. Also more painful and agonizing. His face was flushed even deeper. And his breathing heavier as though he had been enduring the same unbearable condition. Before I could even react, he reached for both of my hands and held them tightly. The instant his skin touched mine, something exploded inside me. I froze as a strange sensation surged through my entire body. Starting from my hands and spreading rapidly through my chest, down my spine, and into every nerve beneath my skin. It was warm, powerful, and strangely familiar, yet completely impossible for me to understand. My heart slammed against my ribs once, then again, each beat growing harder as an overwhelming pull seemed to take hold of me from somewhere deep inside. It wasn't just a sensation. It felt as though something inside me had suddenly awakened, something ancient and instinctive that recognized him before my mind even had the chance to catch up. A powerful warmth spread through my body, followed by a tingling rush that left my fingers trembling in his grasp. And then my wolf stirred. 'Mate.' The single word echoed through my mind. 'Mate!' No. That couldn't be right. I had already lost my mate bond just yesterday. But now- 'SECOND CHANCE MATE!' My wolf practically screamed inside my head, overwhelmed with excitement, and the sheer force of her joy almost made me dizzy. The sensation became stronger when I looked into the blond-haired man's eyes. Something invisible seemed to pull at the center of my chest, connecting us with a force I couldn't explain. My hands trembled in his. And then the first man, the dark-haired one, reached me from behind. He wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned in, inhaling my scent. "So it's you." The moment his skin touched mine, the sensation expanded and grew stronger. The strange warmth that had connected me to the blond-haired man suddenly surged through all three of us. As though an invisible thread had snapped into place between our bodies, binding us together, and growing tighter with every heartbeat. I stared at them in horror. I really couldn't seem to understand what was happening. Everything felt too overwhelming for my mind to process, but my wolf understood it immediately. She was trying to tell me that she was not screaming about one mate. She was screaming about both of them! 'Mate.' 'Mate!' My heart raced faster as the invisible bond tightened around us, linking the three of us together in a way that should have been impossible. Two men. One bond. My wolf hadn't stopped screaming inside my head, insisting that these men were my mates. But I still couldn't accept it. I didn't even know how something like this was possible. The first man, the one holding me from behind, suddenly lowered his head and buried his face against the side of my neck, inhaling deeply as though my scent was the only thing keeping him grounded. I jolted in surprise. "What are you doing?!" I tried to twist my body and pull myself away, desperate to break free from the two men surrounding me. But the arm locked around my waist tightened, holding me firmly in place. What frightened me most was how easily he held me in place. My body was nearly twice his size, yet I couldn't break free from his hold. I pushed against his arm with everything I had left, but it barely moved. Perhaps it was because I had just run until my legs gave out, so exhaustion had drained whatever strength I normally had. Whatever the reason, I couldn't afford to stay trapped between them. I had to get away. And I had to do it now. "Please... don't go." The man behind me murmured the words against my neck. His voice low and breathless, almost as though he was barely holding himself together. I felt a ticklish sensation spreading across my neck when his breath brushed against my skin with every word he spoke, sending a strange feeling through me that made my shoulders tense instinctively. But it didn't stop there. That sensation seemed to travel beneath my skin like a tingling electric pulse. Down through my shoulders, along my spine, and into the rest of my body.  My breath caught as another strange shiver followed, leaving me even more confused than before. "H-help us..." His voice trembled behind me. I instinctively raised my shoulders, unable to stop myself from reacting to the ticklish sensation against my neck. I wanted to get away from these two strangers who were clearly being affected by their heat, especially when I had no idea what they might do next. But at the same time, a strange warmth spread through my body, bringing a sense of comfort and safety that made no sense at all. I should have been desperate to escape. But another part of me wanted to stay, to remain between them. It was like my body had already decided that I belonged here, even while my rational thought was screaming that I needed to get away before the situation became more dangerous.