“At least the ones who aren’t elitist assholes,” Tyler mumbled from his right, earning a glare from their mother and the nearby Langford wolves who looked in their direction.
Biting his lip to avoid laughing at his brother’s words, Landon glanced down the row and noticed a similar expression from Eliana and Elliot. Likely Alexis’ coughing fit covered a laugh. He could only imagine the lecture they’d all end up with later, though he planned to use his injuries to escape said lecture for Imogene’s place.
His mother took over with a suggestion of, “Any of the guard who aren’t comfortable spending so much time among humans can supplement what they would spend with training. We need to increase the daily expectations for all wolves.”
She paused to lock eyes with him and held to pass on a silent message then shifted away.
“I’d also like to see us resume inner-pack sparring to avoid getting too used to any one opponent.”
“Does that mean we can bring back Thunderdome?” Charlie’s excited question interrupted the proceedings before he added, “It was always good for pack morale plus cross-pack aggressions were lower during the time we used it.”
Landon’s brows came together in a frown as he leaned over to question, “Thunderdome?”
“Oh, right, you weren’t here for that,” Tyler whispered back, leaning forward and pointedly ignoring how Alexis leaned further away. “Matthew built what was supposed to be a giant jungle gym for the twins, but they lost interest, and it was just taking up space until Charlie figured out he could host fights in it. You think it took anything more than that to sell the rest of the pack on making the Mad Max franchise a reality?”
The giant jungle gym the teens had been in on his visits to guard practice popped in his head, aligning perfectly to his brother’s description. It would certainly make for a change of pace from the regular sparring in the ring, though he couldn’t help recalling Thunderdome fights had been to the death in the movie.
As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Eliana volunteered, “There’s a long set of rules for stepping into Thunderdome, and if you break them, there are non-life-threatening, but memorable consequences.”
The entire thing left him with more questions than answers, but he turned back to his mother’s argument with Scott. She seemed in favor of it while he complained, though Micah’s comment of, “No one is required to participate or watch so your people are welcome to stay away, Scott, and leave the challenge to those with the stomach for it” led to a glare in his direction.
“Are we all forgetting that we shut that ridiculous thing down for a reason?” Scott demanded. “Pack morale means nothing in the face of death.”
Charlie’s eyes rolled. “It was literally one person, Scott, and the fight was unsanctioned. There were never severe problems when they were overseen by authority figures,” he said, not having taken his eyes away from the older alpha. “If we start it on weekends, the packs can take turns overseeing and will have limited participation on those nights. Unless you want to oversee all fights personally?”
Whereas the argument looked ready to continue, Micah stood and interrupted, “I believe the matter of Thunderdome should be tabled until further notice. Is there anything else related to the current situation or keeping a better watch on the humans?”
The opening to speak hung in the air then his mother said, “No, I think between wolf patrols, increased presence in town, and raising our own training requirements, we should be good to move forward, but if anything suspicious happens, it needs to be brought to tribunal immediately.”
The conversation continued a few minutes more to reach a consensus, though Landon’s mind began to drift away. He counted them lucky he’d focused this long, but his mind centered once more when Imogene appeared in front of him along with his mother and Charlie. Lips were moving yet it took him a minute to ask, “Huh?”
“I said are you ready to get out here,” Imogene repeated with a glance over to his mother. “If that’s okay with you, Melanie?”
“Take him, but I expect him to be at the house for training by eight tomorrow morning,” she said, narrowing her eyes on him. “And if you’re late, I’m revoking your Imogene privileges.”
Despite himself, Landon laughed, quietly, and pushed himself up to slide his hand into hers. “So if I do a good job, I can have more time with Imogene?”
His mother gave a shrug despite the corner of her lips tilting upwards. “I have to use what works, and apparently what works for you is Imogene deprivation,” she informed him before giving his cheek a kiss. “Go rest, and we’ll get training back on track tomorrow. See you both in the morning.”
Allowing the others to take their leave, Landon hung back until the only ones left were him and Imogene then started the trek to the top of the amphitheater with her. Her hand slid free from his to slide around his waist, settling back into the same position on their walk down, but he didn’t complain and instead kissed the top of her head.
“I think Mom’s starting to like you,” he said with a smile down to her. “You think Micah and Steven are ever going to like me again?”
Imogene hesitated then offered, “Want to come to dinner Thursday night and see? I could probably convince Steven to make his spaghetti.”
“Sounds like a date to me.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze then questioned, “But I can still sleepover tonight, right?”
“Yes, but no funny business,” she said, pointing a finger at his face. “I have a feeling your next week is going to be very long and painful.”
Instead of being bothered or feeling overwhelmed as in years before, he simply grinned down to her and replied, “Bring it on. I’m here to stay, Immy, no matter what that takes.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Following the confrontation at The Red Stag, Imogene spent most of the next week looking for flyers throughout the library. The bulletin boards and bathrooms remained free of propaganda as did the hunting books shelf, though she found herself checking multiple times only to find nothing. She couldn’t determine if she was relieved or disappointed, but thankfully, she had plenty outside of the library to occupy her with training, tribunals, and time spent with Landon and even Melanie who’d begun inviting her over for tea.
While part of it let her keep an eye on Landon’s training, another part had actually come to enjoy spending time with Melanie who’d started showing the woman beyond the alpha persona. It was a pleasant and welcome change to their time together. As much as she loved Micah and Steven, she liked having that maternal influence again which had prompted the call for help choosing an outfit for dinner that night; however, she hadn’t planned on Riley and Alexis inviting themselves along or Letty’s arrival so her cabin currently contained too many critics.
“Definitely the green,” Riley said from where she reclined on the couch with Alexis, balancing a margarita on one knee. “It’ll bring out the flecks in your eyes.”
“I say the blue is more Landon’s color,” Alexis chimed in as she picked a chip out of her stolen bag. “Plus that slit will keep his attention better than your eyes.”
At the suggestive wagging of Letty’s eyebrows, Imogene felt herself flush and mumbled, “Well, not blue then. What do you think, Mel?”
It was still odd to be allowed to use the older wolf’s preferred nickname rather than her given name, but she hadn’t questioned the suggestion.
Melanie looked thoughtful for a minute then replied, “I’m happy with my current number of grandchildren so why not go with the green? I also think Micah is less likely to kill my son if he doesn’t spend the entire dinner staring at your legs.”
The words prompted laughter from all around, but Imogene gave a nod and headed back toward her room. An ear remained tuned toward the living room as she traded her more comfortable attire for the green dress and paused in front of the mirror, fluffing her curls with her fingers. She glanced over the few cosmetics on the counter, though she hesitated to use any of them,
fingers hovering just above as she contemplated then decided on a quick swipe of lip gloss.
Glancing into the closet, she inspected her shoes then called, “Heels or flats?”
“No one should ever wear heels!” Letty called back before Alexis shouted, “Only wear the heels if they’re stiletto because they’ll make your legs look twice as long and the dress twice as short!”
Some type of scuffle and indistinct grumbling from Riley came from the main room, though Imogene only shook her head then slipped her feet into a pair of simple flats. It would be more comfortable plus dinner at Micah and Steven’s remained casual so why put herself through any more discomfort than necessary? Or give them a reason to think she’d tried too hard.
Satisfied with her choices, she took a deep breath then returned to the living room where Riley picked up chips from the floor while Alexis picked more out of her hair and cleavage.
A brow lifted, but before she could ask about the mess, Letty jumped in with, “You look great, and the green definitely goes well with your eyes.”
Riley paused in cleaning up to offer a thumbs up followed by Alexis’ comment of, “I still think you need the heels, but you do look great.”
“I’d return the compliment, but you have chips in your hair,” she pointed out, brows still raised. “Did they attack?”
“Apparently Riley disagrees with my sexualizing you on Landon’s behalf,” she said before shaking her head forward to send chip crumbs cascading toward the floor. “Do you have a vacuum? As much fun as watching Riley do this by hand is, it might go quicker.”
Shaking her head with a silent laugh, Imogene retrieved her vacuum cleaner and passed it to them before moving out onto the front porch with Melanie at the familiar rumble of a motorcycle’s engine. She smiled at the older wolf as she closed the door on the chaos behind her and questioned, “Think it’s safe to leave those three unchaperoned in my house?”
“Probably not, but I’ll make sure they clean up before we leave,” Melanie promised with a smile as Landon’s bike came to a stop in front of them. His helmet and jacket were removed before he picked up a bouquet of flowers from the back, approaching the porch in jeans and an uncharacteristically dressy black button down. “Wow, it looks like someone raised you to be a gentleman.”
Landon’s lips curved into a smile. “I wonder who?” he questioned before offering the flowers toward her. “You look beautiful, Immy.”
“Thanks.” Imogene accepted the flowers with a smile, though she resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss him until Melanie chuckled then retired back inside.
Waiting for the click of the door settling into its frame, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his while his arms encircled her waist. His tongue swept against her lips, and she parted them without hesitation, allowing his tongue to stroke alongside hers as his hand pressed against her lower back.
It felt like an eternity before she pulled back and planted a gentle hand against his chest at his darkened eyes plus leaning forward again. “I have too many visitors for that look, and we’re going to be late for dinner,” she said, leaving her other arm around his neck. “Let me put the flowers inside then we can walk over, okay?”
“Fine, but I expect them all gone when we get back,” he said as he reluctantly released her. “Even Mom.”
After a quick trip inside and orders about locking the cabin with the spare key, Imogene made her way outside and accepted the arm held out to her. The walk to Micah and Steven’s house wouldn’t take long, but she wasn’t in a hurry since inside would mean less touching. As if sharing the thought, Landon kept a leisure pace on the way over, though he moved ahead to open the front door for her then stepped inside, one hand lingering on her lower back.
“Micah? Steven?” She paused to listen for their voices then moved toward the kitchen, unsurprised by the flourishing scents of tomatoes and herbs. A hearty cheese scent accompanied it unlike last time, but the entire thing smelled like heaven as she stepped into the kitchen. “I brought Landon.”
“You say that like we should be surprised, though Micah might be disappointed it’s not Hank the fireman,” Steven said, pausing in his mixing at the stove. An arm wrapped around her waist briefly as she gave his cheek a kiss then moved to do the same with Micah as he paused in opening a bottle of wine. “How are you, Landon?”
“I’m uh, good, thanks,” he replied with a level of discomfort she hadn’t seen from him since their early days as a couple. “How are you?”
Hiding a smile behind a kiss to Micah’s cheek, Imogene accepted the glass handed to her and took a sip to not laugh at his expense.
“Let’s leave Hank out of this. There’s beer in the fridge unless you’ve suddenly turned into a wine drinker in your absence,” Micah said, gesturing toward the fridge. “But not the ones in the red can since those are Steven’s cooking beers.”
“They are not beers. They are flavor enhancers,” Steven corrected before adding a handful of herbs to the sauce on the stove and giving it a stir. “We should be about done. Will you get the plates out, Im?”
“Of course.” She took a follow-up sip from her glass then moved to get the plates, though Landon took them from her almost immediately. He transferred them to the counter while she retrieved forks and placed them to the left of the plates stack. “You don’t want a beer?”
“I think I’ll stick with water,” Landon said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. Her own slid behind him and gave a squeeze. “It smells great, Steven. Don’t tell Mom, but I always liked your spaghetti better than hers.”
Imogene bit her lip to hide a grin at the flattery, though Micah’s comment of, “Having eaten Melanie’s spaghetti, it’s not hard to be better, but everyone has their own talents. Speaking of which, how has training been going?”
“Surprisingly well.” Landon’s arm remained around her while he adjusted his position to face Micah then continued, “I mean, I end up on my ass a lot, but I’m choosing to look at it as Tyler and Roy have improved a lot, and Eliana’s gotten pretty good, too, instead of focusing on my shortcomings. Besides, I don’t want to make anyone else feel bad by being too good.”
Hearing the amusement in Landon’s tone as he talked about training after all his complaints during their youth led to a smile and Imogene made no attempt to disrupt the conversation. She excused herself from his hold to help Steven with finishing up dinner and transferring everything to the table, including his new recipe for garlic cheese bread. A glass of water went beside Landon’s plate which ended up opposite hers with Steven and Micah on either end of the table in their customary spots.
“I think we’re ready,” Steven finally said, gesturing for them to take their seat. “It kind of feels like old times, back when we saw almost as much of you, Landon, as we did Imogene.”
Imogene’s eyes narrowed, slightly, at the words, but she allowed Landon to pull out her seat then sat down with everyone else. Dishes were passed around and food piled onto plates in silence for a few minutes, though all too soon Micah said,, “If you plan to make staying around permanent, Landon, I suppose we’ll have to invite you every Thursday.”
“I’d like that,” Landon said, and she could read the sincerity in his eyes as they met hers. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be so I’ll be here.”
In that moment, she believed him and smiled.
Epilogue
“We need to talk.”
Melanie’s only response to the words from behind was a gesture toward the chair beside the fire, having picked up his scent long before he entered their property. However, instead of showing concern, she lifted her glass and took a drink while she waited for him to join her, folding his long form into the deck chair and allowing her to see the scowl.
“You’re up late, Scott,” she remarked with a glance at her watch. The hour hand rested at half past midnight, but if she was honest, she’d been waiting several days for him to make his grand appearance. “Somethin
g keeping you awake?”
“I wanted to ensure that Landon’s . . . infatuation with Imogene won’t be a problem for our plans,” he said, eyes locked on her despite her focus on the fire. “Remember what I have.”
Allowing her gaze to drift away from the fire, she questioned, “And why exactly does it matter to you who my son is ‘infatuated’ with?”
Scott scowled. “Have you already forgotten the importance of keeping our pack lines at their strongest?”
“Yes, yes, it’s super important to keep the lines pure,” she said, waving aside his words then taking another drink from her glass of whiskey. “However, Landon’s now fourth in the succession line so I think the Millers will survive him choosing a turned. Also in case you forgot, Imogene is second in Durand which means the only person with more pull on the pack is Micah who consults her. He didn’t choose just any turned, Scott.”
“You’re really going to let Greg’s legacy end like this?”
Melanie’s lips twisted into a scowl and her eyes flashed before she growled, “Do not say his name, ever, and the Miller legacy isn’t ending.”
“Just being tainted,” Scott replied with a scowl of his own. “You and I both know he’s rolling over in his grave at this sham after you rejected the very generous arranged marriage that Greg and I set up.”
Rolling her eyes, she replied, “So generous that Gregory tried to give our teenage daughter to your egotistical son in the name of power consolidation. He truly was father of the year when he made that choice. Besides, that contract holds no power since you agreed to toss it in exchange for support on your stupid purebred law.”
Despite the scowl that remained level on her, she didn’t back down. It had always been the way of the packs to lead from the paternal side, though Gregory’s death had forced her to change the rules. While she’d always known Charlie would replace him, she hadn’t counted on it happening so young which had been why she’d maintained her alpha position rather than seceding to Jane. Neither had objected since it allowed her to better guide Charlie as well as ensure they had ample time with their kids which wasn’t always possible as alpha. Especially when it came to dealing with Scott.
Rule of Claw: Wolves of Worsham #1 Page 23