Only the sting on her cheeks alerted her to the tears, but she swiped them aside, angrily, and continued to run. Specks of light began to break through the woods ahead. It felt like an eternity before her feet hit the dirt path leading up to the house, though she’d barely made it onto the back porch when arms wrapped around her.
“Let me go!” She shouted and attempted to stomp the foot of the person who’d stopped her, though a familiar scent and Steven’s order of, “Imogene, stop” had her sagging against him.
“Is he . . .” The words caught in Imogene’s throat as she lifted her eyes to his.
Steven’s grim expression as he held her, debris and blood streaking his face and clothes, terrified her until he shook his head. “Dr. Steele’s with him now,” he said, referencing the packs’ primary doctor who just happened to be human. “It’s pretty bad, Im.”
“What happened?” she demanded as she pushed herself free from his hold. Voices came from within, and she could see people moving around, but all she could think about was the worst. “Where’s Lana?”
“Lana should be arriving at the house anytime now with Oliver,” Steven reassured her then glanced over his shoulder. He seemed to war with himself before speaking next. “There was an explosion, wouldn’t have been too bad except a lot of the parts were apparently silver and Landon was in human form. The ones who showed up outside had another of those damn devices so he couldn’t access his wolf’s healing.”
At the mention of an explosion, she swept her gaze over Steven, but he seemed fine aside from the dust and blood lingering on him. Obviously anticipating the question, he waved a dismissive hand. “I was in wolf form so it wasn’t as bad, but I have some new scars.”
“And the others?”
Steven hesitated, but she refused to look away or accept the silence.
“Langford and Miller are both down one,” he finally admitted, glancing behind her. “Elias and Sage should already be at the Langford place, and Tyler’s inside with the family. It kind of felt like intruding so I came out here to wait for you.”
Imogene chewed her bottom lip as she thought about his words except how could she wait out here when Landon was inside? Likely tempers were running high with the loss of a pack member and Landon’s condition, but the idea of not checking on him settled like a lead weight in her stomach. While she’d never heard Melanie say a negative word about her relationship with Landon, she didn’t believe for a minute that the other wolf would welcome her purebred son to choose a turned of non-blood rank. However, she also couldn’t just stand there.
“I need to see him.”
Again, she saw the hesitation before Steven stepped aside. “Good luck, Im.”
Pushing down the nerves clawing their way to the surface and the taste of bile in the back of her throat, she made her way across the porch and opened the door. Blood, ashes, and antiseptic scents greeted her in abundance. All eyes in the room seemed to swing in her direction so she hesitated on the threshold, though Alexis and Riley were at the door within seconds to each grasp a hand.
“Is he. . .” For the second time, she found herself unable to complete the question, but she forced herself to finish, “Dead?”
“He’s hanging on,” Riley reassured her, giving a squeeze to the hand she held. “Dr. Steele’s still working on him.”
“Landon’s too tough to let a little silver win,” Alexis added then gave a tug on her hand. “Come sit with us.”
Despite the invitation that bordered on demanding, she hesitated since Melanie and Charlie might not be so welcoming to an outsider at this time. The thought had barely crossed her mind before she found herself tugged into the crowded living room, flanked by Alexis and Riley, and facing a lot of less than welcoming eyes.
Her heart slammed into her ribs as she approached where the other Millers sat, Melanie’s head bent forward into her cupped hands. One of Charlie’s hands rested on her back while the other rested on his daughter’s shoulder where she sat on the floor just to his left. Elliot hovered behind her with a frown. Tyler had stretched out in the chair to Melanie’s other side with a damp cloth over his forehead and dried blood having soaked through his t-shirt, though she could just make out the rise and fall of his chest to say he was alive.
“Uh, maybe I should . . .” Imogene’s excuse died on her lips as five pairs of eyes suddenly focused on her. Her nerves wavered at being the focus of all the Millers.
“Imogene’s here for Landon,” Alexis stated without any of the nerves she felt coiling her stomach. The blonde wolf’s hand left hers to curve an arm around her waist.
“And you know he’d want her here.” Riley chimed in and wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a look that dared anyone to say otherwise.
The silence continued in all its awkward glory before Melanie finally said, “Find a seat anywhere. Dr. Steele’s working on removing the silver from him, but he doesn’t know how long it’ll take.”
The hitch in her voice broke Imogene’s heart since she had never seen that much emotion from Melanie, even back when her husband had died and Landon left, though she simply gave a mute nod.
Although she made an attempt to find an empty chair or return outside with Steven, Riley and Alexis remained by her sides. A few pack members glanced in her direction, the usual judgment in their eyes, but a single look or flash or teeth from Alexis had them quickly looking away. Finally, she settled into a kitchen chair with the pair of them across the table and a mug of tea she didn’t want in front of her.
Several attempts were made at conversation except Imogene felt no more interest in small talk than either of them. It felt like an eternity that they sat at the table before movement in the front room had all three of them up and moving to the living room where Dr. Steele had just emerged, blood-stained and weary, only to be met with a crowd of worried Millers. The other wolves stood yet didn’t approach, though Riley and Alexis kept her close when she would have hung back.
“He’s stable,” Dr. Steele said after a minute, his attention focused on Melanie. “The silver went deep, but I seem to have gotten it all out so he can heal. You’re going to want to keep an eye on it, though, in case anything got left behind. I have him medicated, but he’ll likely burn through that before an hour’s up so you’ll want to . . .”
The rest of Dr. Steele’s words ceased to be important as she sagged, slightly against Riley and let his words sink in to pop the bubble of despair in her chest.
He’s stable.
Chapter Thirty-Five
It felt like an eternity before Imogene was allowed to see Landon, though she couldn’t begrudge his family wanting to ensure his health first. She’d stepped back outside to let Steven know Dr. Steele had finished and accepted a hug, but it had taken everything in her not to rush back inside. All members of the pack who weren’t by blood, Alexis aside, had gone on their way yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave until she’d laid eyes on him in person and Steven didn’t want to leave her alone.
Finally, Charlie had stepped out and cleared her to see him. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she moved through the largely empty living room and down the small hall to his familiar bedroom. She couldn’t help thinking about all the times she’d crept through his window or met him out on the back steps growing up, anything to ensure they had some privacy from his small multitude of siblings.
Pushing open the door, she offered a smile to Riley then replaced her at the edge of his bed. One hand moved to grasp his as she looked over the ravaged skin of his face and neck already knitting itself back together. Similar patches of road rash covered the bare portion of his chest and shoulder, though the blankets over his stomach were distended with what she knew to be a bandage; however, she still found herself pulling it back to find it covered most of his stomach and was spotted with blood.
“Dammnit, Landon,” she whispered as tears welled up. Her fingertips reached out to brush over his cheek and down to his jaw, careful of his injuries, befor
e just resting against his feverish skin. “You have to be okay.”
Landon didn’t respond nor did he return the pressure of her squeeze, but Imogene still held his hand close. She’d never been overly religious yet she found herself praying that he’d be okay, that he’d wake up and fix her with that smug smile of his. Call her Immy again.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she lifted his hand to kiss his bruised knuckles.
“You promised me that you’d be careful, Landon. I don’t want to lose you again, not like this,” she whispered, sliding her hand up to stroke his hair. Blood and ashes made it difficult to work through the stiff strands, but she continued running her fingers through it. “We waited twelve years to get you back so you don’t get to just give up that fast. Please, Landon, wake up.”
Despite the lack of an answer, she kept up her pleadings and prayers, though she did exchange sitting on the bed for a chair. His hand remained within her hold as she rested her head on the pillow beside his and shifted her hand to cover his heart.
“You have to be okay,” she repeated, softly.
It felt like her eyes had barely closed when the door creaked open, but she bolted upright in an instant. Claws and teeth pushed toward the surface at the idea of a threat, though she relaxed upon seeing Eliana in the doorway and offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
“I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me,” she said as she shuffled into the room. One of Eliana’s hands gripped a stuffed wolf with a bow, and she twisted a lock of auburn hair around her finger. “I just wanted to . . .”
As the words trailed off, Imogene volunteered, “He still hasn’t woken up, but I’m sure he’ll want to see you when he does.”
“What if he doesn’t, though?” Eliana questioned, quietly. She twisted the wolf’s fur in her hands before admitting, “I’ve been really awful to him since he came home.”
“I was, too,” Imogene reassured her, gently. “He knows he made a mistake in leaving.”
“I told him that he didn’t deserve to be my uncle.” Eliana’s voice shook as she admitted the words, though Imogene pretended not to notice the tears.
“But you didn’t mean it,” she said, glancing down to his sleeping form. His limp hand remained cradled within hers. “You were angry, like all of us, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love him, or that he doesn’t love you.”
Eliana stood, silently, then moved a bit closer to the bed. She hesitated before picking up Landon’s other hand, eyes moving over the largely healed sections of his face and torso exposed by the blanket. Her breath came slightly too fast as she wiped at her teary eyes..
“What if he dies thinking I hate him?”
Releasing his hand, Imogene moved around to the opposite of the bed and wrapped an arm around the teenager’s shoulders. Eliana’s shoulders dropped almost immediately before rough sobs began to escape, leaning more heavily against Imogene who didn’t say a word as she stroked her hair. Obviously Eliana had been holding in a lot since his return and him getting hurt had only worsened the emotional storm brewing inside her.
“Even if you hated him, he still loves you more than anything,” she reassured her, quietly. “I remember how excited he was when you and Elliot were born. How many teenage boys do you know that carry a picture of their niece and nephew in their wallet, Eliana? As someone who knew a lot of them, there weren't many, but Landon did.”
Eliana sniffled. “If he loved us so much, why did he leave?”
Imogene sighed and tucked a loose strand of auburn hair back out of her face. “His leaving wasn’t about us.”
She paused to think about her words then continued, “You’re old enough now to know that this isn’t always the easiest life, Eliana. The pack defines everything, and I guess Landon wanted more.”
The answer was an oversimplification of why he’d left, why he’d picked a group with less rigid structure, but she didn’t want to go into details with Eliana and risk stepping on Melanie or Charlie’s toes. Hopefully it would be enough to know that no one person had been at fault, though she felt the small nod against her shoulder rather than saw it.
“Did you ever want more, Imogene?”
She hesitated for only a moment then said, “It’s different for me because I wasn’t born into this life. I wasn’t given a choice about becoming a wolf, but I had thirteen years to live my own life before being bitten then Micah and Steven took me in so the need to roam wasn’t quite as strong.”
She glanced down to Eliana’s bent head. “Have you ever thought about more?”
Eliana’s hesitation was all the answer she needed, but she followed up with, “Maybe, but right now I’d settle for Uncle Landon being okay.”
“He will be,” Imogene promised, giving her shoulders a follow-up squeeze. “Do you want to sit with him for awhile so I can get a drink?”
She hesitated and twisted her hair again, though finally, Eliana nodded and settled into the chair on the opposite side of the bed. She tucked the stuffed wolf with the bow under one of his arms then held his hand in both hers as Imogene let herself out of the bedroom, moving on silent feet toward the kitchen.
A nearby clock let her know it was just after noon, though her entry into the kitchen came to an abrupt halt as she spotted Melanie at the kitchen table, having expected all the others had retired to rest after the long night and events of early this morning.
“I, uh, was just getting a drink,” she managed when Melanie’s head came up to focus on her. “Eliana’s with Landon so I thought I’d take a break, but I didn’t realize anyone else was in here. I can go, if you want.”
Melanie shook her head then gestured toward the half-full coffee pot on the nearby counter. “No, you’re fine. Riley and Alexis went to rest in her room while Tyler and Charlie went to the bar,” she said, reaching for the mug in front of her. “I thought about laying down, but I don’t think it’ll happen until I know that Landon’s going to pull through this.”
“He will.” Imogene said the words with all the confidence she could muster as she moved toward the counter. She picked out a mug then filled it with coffee before admitting, “I’m honestly surprised you’ve let me stay this long.”
Melanie laughed, quietly, though the sound was strained. “Something tells me you’d have fought tooth and claw to stay with him. You love him, don’t you?”
Her shoulders stiffened at those words, and she busied herself with adding sugar to her coffee. She stirred with a spoon as she prepared herself to lie except the words didn’t come.
“Yes.”
“I think part of me knew even back then,” Melanie admitted, quietly. “And that scared me. For you. Being a Miller isn’t easy, Imogene, and that’s not going to change despite how much we want it to.”
Cradling the mug in her hands, she turned around to face the older wolf. “Because I’m not a purebred.”
“Yes and no.” Melanie’s brows furrowed as she focused on her. “Gregory would never have accepted any of the kids choosing a turned, but it’s deeper than that, Imogene. There’s a target that comes with being in the direct succession line, and I didn’t think you were strong enough to bear that with him.”
Imogene frowned into the depths of her coffee and asked, “And now?”
“I don’t think I could keep him away from you if I tried,” she admitted with a small smile. “Back then, I couldn’t see it because I was so set on what was supposed to happen, who he was supposed to be to the pack, that I ignored who he was and what he wanted. I keep wondering if I hadn’t pushed so hard if he’d have still left, and I don’t have a clear answer. Could I have avoided those twelve years if I’d just let him make his own choices?”
Instead of answering, Imogene lifted her coffee to take a sip and marveled to hear such doubts from a woman who she’d always viewed as the pinnacle of confidence. It was rare to see beyond the mask, though she heard herself asking, “Is that why you’ve let some of the expectations lapse in the last few years?”
> Melanie nodded, slowly. “I’d already driven one child away so why risk making the others hate me? You’ll understand that one day when you become a mother, Imogene.”
The silence lingered for a few minutes as they drank before Melanie finally said, “If you truly want to be with Landon and all the crazy that comes with it, I won’t stand in your way. I want my son to be happy, Imogene, and I can see now that you’re the best bet for that. You’ve also done an amazing job as an alpha since replacing Steven.”
“But I’m not a purebred,” she pointed out, gripping the mug, tightly. “What will the others think?”
“I honestly don’t care what they think,” Melanie said with a shrug. “For too long, I’ve prioritized the pack over my own children and what’s best for them because that’s what Gregory did, but I can’t do it anymore. Besides, can you imagine the look on Scott’s face when he finds out? That’s almost worth it on its own.”
Imogene laughed, quietly. “For what it’s worth, you’re a good alpha, Melanie, and I’ve seen the changes you made after Landon left. I might not always agree with them, but there’s no one else I’d rather have at my back.”
Melanie’s lips lifted into a smile. “Thank you, Imogene, and I look forward to seeing where yours and Landon’s future goes.”
“I do, too,” she agreed before Eliana’s sudden shout of, “He’s awake!” had her abandoning the coffee and bolting toward the bedroom with Melanie on her heels.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Even before his eyes were fully open, Landon felt the stabs of pain and stiffness in an overwhelming amount of his body. Small, slender fingers were wrapped around his hand, and his immediate expectation was Imogene except the hold felt different. It felt like fighting glue to get his eyes open, but he finally managed to blink his ceiling into view along with an auburn head and a worried frown. Something chubby and fuzzy rubbed against the crook of his arm.
Rule of Claw: Wolves of Worsham #1 Page 21