Landon lifts his head, and I gasp, jumping back. Beautiful cobalt blue eyes stare back at me.
“Oh, my Goddess.”
Landon stares at me and this time, he stares at me. His eyes shift up and down, taking me in. That’s not possible. I watch as tear rolls down his furry cheek as he lifts his head and howls.
***
Landon
As my wolf takes its form, the first thing I notice is how good it feels to be in this form again. Four years is too long to be separated from my wolf.
I peel open my eyes, expecting the inevitable darkness. However, I am met with light, undeniable light. I lift my head to look at the woman standing in front of me. I take in her black and white appearance, seeing her beautiful soft face looking down at me. Her blonde hair curls at her shoulders, her piercing eyes penetrating my own. Her skin is flawless, and even though I can’t see color, I know she is tan. I feel a tear roll down my cheek.
I have never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I don’t care if I never see again. Catching a glimpse of her just once is all I need.
I lift my head and howl, thanking the Moon Goddess for granting me this gift.
***
Lana
Landon spent the rest of the day and even the next one in wolf form. I do not think I have ever seen someone last that long, solely because of their own choosing. But he has spent the last four years without his wolf, and I know he is pleased to have his companion back.
Between the two of us, however, it is slightly awkward. I know Landon is frustrated with his disability. He wishes to look upon his sister and me whenever he wishes. The taste he had gotten is a tease.
I can still see a sense of his cold personality within him. When he is alone in his office, I hear him slam his fist down on the table while screaming out in anger. I would then walk in, and as if a light switch, his personality flips. He will apologize and then, resume his work with me by his side.
Landon has spent the last four years pushing people away, apart from Natalie and Mason. Now, he is trying to make room for me. I can tell it is hard. Most of the day, Landon is working a job that is hard for Alpha’s who can see. I do not blame him for hardly having time to breathe. But with my help, it seems to me that pressure is lifting off Landon’s shoulders a bit. Now, whenever he has free time, he spends it with me.
He asks me many questions, wanting to know about my family, my past and my dreams for the future. He even asked why I was on the run, but I managed to skirt passed it without Landon being disappointed. I do not want him to know of my past… Of what Alpha Castor did to me. He will grow angry, and right now, I am trying to keep that emotion far from Landon.
I have spoken with Natalie and Mason, both telling me that the anger within Landon come solely from his own self-hatred. They tell me part of it comes from the way his father treated him. Caleb Matthews treated his son like dirt; so much so that Landon had begun to view himself as such.
It is my job now, as Landon’s mate and the Shadow Pack’s Luna, to change Landon’s opinion on himself. I don’t exactly know how I am to do so, for I have never loved or cared anyone other than myself before. But I am not going to give up.
“Lana.” I am lifted from my thoughts by the sound of my mate’s voice. I turn my eyes away from the window. I am currently curled up on the cushioned bench with Call of the Wild completely forgotten on my lap.
“Yes?” I ask, rising to walk toward the desk. I watch the expressions on Landon’s face shift. First, they are concerned for he must have called my name numerous times. Then, they briefly morph into relief and finally settle with tranquility. Landon leans forward and rests his head in his hands. I place a gentle hand on his back, feeling his taut muscles slightly loosening with the contact.
“I’m boring you. You should go find Natalie and Jenny… Go shopping, or whatever it is girls do,” Landon grumbles.
My eyebrows pull together in mock offense but remember he cannot see my expressions, as I can see his. Landon is distraught. He is pained by this weight upon his shoulders, and he doesn’t know how to get rid of it.
Instead of heeding his suggestion, I walk around the desk to grab one of the two chairs and carry it back to Landon’s side. Landon tilts his head, listening to my movements, and I see his lips quirk into a smile as I set my chair beside him.
“Lana, you really do not need to do this. Pack business… It’s overbearing.” Landon twirls a pen with his finger, an anxious fidget.
I reach forward and place my hand over his own, ceasing his actions. Landon softly sighs. “It doesn’t have to be. If we do it together, it won’t be as tasking,” I suggest, biting my bottom in hopes he won’t cast me aside. I do not want to be the typical Alpha and Luna.
I do not want to tend to the women and children, only. I want to help my ailing mate with whatever is troubling him.
“You’re sure?” Landon asks, a hint of hope within his tone.
I smile, gathering his hand and lifting it to place a kiss to his knuckles. “You’re stuck with me, Alpha. Now, what needs to be done?”
Chapter 7
Lana
March 4, 2014
I sit on my bed, looking at the desk that holds letters I’ve written to my brother. I have thought about sending them to let him know I’m okay. But sending out these letters will trace Castor right to the Shadow Pack. And with Castor, there is always an assembly of wolves behind him. I will not bring any more death to this pack.
It has been a week since I told Landon about us being mates. He asked me to stay in his room with him, and even though the invitation is very welcoming, I wasn’t ready. I asked to stay in the Omega wing so I could be with Jenny. He wasn’t too thrilled with the idea but eventually gave in.
We are yet to make it official. We haven’t told the pack that I am his mate, and he hasn’t marked me. He has set the date for tomorrow at four in the afternoon. I knew that meant I would have to move into his room. Two mates sleeping in separate rooms is uncommon, and it sends a bad message to the members of the pack. They need strong Alphas who work together. Sharing different rooms would cause them to think we aren’t willing to be a pair.
I admit I am troubled by the fact of leaving this room. I have grown up living in rooms like these; having one as nice as an Alpha suite will overwhelm me. I’ll be afraid of breaking something or leaving a smudge on the comforter.
I exit my room, wearing sweat pants and one of Landon’s plain black t-shirts. It is a little big for me but not to the point where I looked like a bag lady. My hair is braided to the side, and I decide to not bother with make-up. There’s no one I’m trying to impress, not when I am happy with Landon.
Landon is sitting at the kitchen table when I enter. His head turns in my direction, and I stop to wrap an arm around his shoulders. He grabs my waist and lifts me, so I am sitting sideways on his left leg. I hope I’m not hurting him, but as he smiles, I conclude that I’m not.
“Good morning.” I press a soft kiss to his lips.
“Good morning, Lana.” Landon then pulls his eyebrows together. He leans forward and presses his nose into my shoulder. What is he doing? Do I smell bad? I tighten, trying to remember if I took a shower last night. Of course, I did. Did I not put deodorant on? Maybe my perfume is too strong. Landon lets out a low growl and then presses his lips to mine in a hard kiss. My heart accelerates as I tangle my fingers into his hair, holding him prisoner as he dominates my mouth. His tongue skims across my bottom lip, causing me to part my lips for him. His hands hold my waist tight, pulling me close to his chest.
He turns his head, pressing his lips to the crook of my neck. “You have no idea how sexy it is that you’re wearing my shirt.”
I blush and bury my face into his shoulder, a smile playing on my lips. So maybe I stole his shirt while doing the laundry without his permission. It’s not that big of a deal. He surely doesn’t seem to mind, and neither do I. I love having his scent surround me. It helps me sleep.
“You don’t know how peaceful it is falling asleep in this shirt,” I tell him, closing my eyes. We sit like that for a while, listening to each other’s heartbeats. I almost fall asleep to the sound. I’m exhausted from waking up so early. Why does he wake up at six every morning? He has the luxury of sleeping in till noon.
Everyone gets up this early. It’s as if they are unable to sleep past six thirty. If I had a say in it, I’d sleep until eight.
Blondie walks into the kitchen, giving me a soft smile. I sit up, moving to get off Landon. It is inappropriate to be with my mate so intimately in front of our pack members. But Landon doesn’t seem to agree for he tightens his arms around me and squishes me against his chest.
“Morning, Mason,” he says to his best friend. Mason sits on Landon’s right, sending me a wink.
“Morning, Landon, Lana.”
I grin, running my fingernails up and down the back of Landon’s neck.
“You look like you just woke up,” he says to me.
I grimace, sticking my tongue out at him. “Pajamas are comfortable. Plus, it’s my day off.” I shrug.
Mason raises an eyebrow before he takes a sip of the black coffee Tami placed in front of him. I give her a smile, and she nods her head, hurrying back to the kitchen.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to get used to this then since every day after tomorrow will be your day off.”
My hand stills, and I look at him with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Mason’s mouth falls open as he stares at me, complete fear and guilt. I look over at Landon, wondering what Mason meant.
“You’ll become my Luna. You will no longer take up the tasks you did as an Omega.”
I shake my head and push away from him slightly. He loosens his hold, letting out a sigh. He knows he’s picked an ugly fight with me.
I don’t want to stop doing my chores around the house. I need to do my part. “I’m still an Omega, Landon. I don’t just become an Alpha because of a mating bond. I want to do my share around here.”
Landon tilts his head to Mason, giving him a look that says “I am going to murder you.” Mason presses his lips together, trying to hide his grin.
“Lana, you will take up different jobs, such as helping me with pack matters.” I frown as he says this. Yes, I’d love to help him in any way that I can, but his mother helped make breakfast every morning. I want to be the kind of Luna she was.
“My friendships with Jenny, Tami, Rachel, and Meggy are important to me. I want to be the Luna that doesn’t create a line between Omega and Alpha. I will take up my new duties as Luna, but I also want to help with breakfast and laundry. I want to be the Luna your mother was.”
Landon doesn’t say anything for a while, and I give Blondie a look. He gives me a nod and a thumb up.
“Okay. But if it becomes too much for you, Lana, I want you to drop the Omega jobs and just focus on your Luna ones. Deal?”
I nod my head and lean down to press a kiss to his scarred cheek. He always tenses when I touch his scars. I know he doesn’t like people touching them. I guess it reminds him that they’re there. I find them beautiful, and I wouldn’t change a thing about his appearance.
“Deal.”
Jenny walks out of the kitchen holding a plate filled with pancakes. She gives me a smile.
“Hey, Jenny,” I say. Her eyes widen slightly, opening her mouth and not knowing what to say.
“Good morning, Luna?” Her eyebrow quirks with question, and I laugh.
“It’s just Lana, Jenny.” Landon tenses underneath me, and I place a kiss on his temple before I slide off him. Jenny eyes him cautiously.
“Thank you, Jenny,” Blondie says, waving his hand to dismiss her. I glare over at him. What was that for? Jenny bows her head and hurries back into the kitchen.
I cross my arms and look at him questionably, waiting for him to explain. He has no right to be so cruel to her. And he most definitely shouldn’t have cut off our conversation like that.
“What was that?” I ask. Blondie lifts his head so our eyes meet.
“Nothing.” His tone is clipped, and I look over to see Landon with his head in his hands. He massages his temples, trying to wish away a bad headache.
“Landon?” I place a hand on his shoulder.
“Ever since I got my wolf back, all the pack’s thoughts have been swarming through my mind. I used to only be able to link with Mason and Natalie. Now, it’s everyone, and I can’t organize their thoughts. And when I hear what she thinks of me—” he cuts off, grinding his teeth. “I can’t help but hear them. It’s as if all the thoughts I’ve missed in the four years are swarming back in.”
I squint. I’ve never heard of something like that. Wolves are always capable of blocking out thoughts from pack members, especially Omega’s thoughts.
I sit down in the seat beside him and place my hands over his. He turns his hands over to grasp my fingers lightly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to trouble you with something like this. I am sure it will become easier in just a few days.” He lifts our joint hands to his lips, placing the briefest of kisses to my knuckles.
Landon stands from the table and without a word, he walks off towards his office. I watch how his hands clench into fists at his side, how his back is rigid.
I want to know what Jenny thought about Landon. It obviously isn’t kind thoughts… But what reason does she have to think so negatively towards him? If what she said was true, he saved this pack and her life. Is it because he turned cold? Could anyone blame him? Losing sight isn’t a typical battle injury. It isn’t something that can be healed over time. Landon must live with this for the rest of his life. And if that is why Jenny has a negative view of him, I am going to have to show her the real Landon.
And I know neither of them is going to enjoy that.
Chapter 8
Lana
March 4, 2014
After Landon leaves Mason and me alone at the kitchen table, I shoot him a look. Blondie shrugs and then rests his elbows on the table.
“He’s just struggling with it all. It’s the first time he’s had his wolf since the accident. He’s trying to organize all the thoughts and make it through the day without knowing where he’s going. It’s hard to him, Lana. But he’ll get through it, he always does.” Blondie takes a sip of his coffee and then looks over his shoulder, towards the stairs.
Two chipper girls dance into the dining area. Natalie gives me a warm hug and takes the seat her brother was in just moments ago.
“How’s my brooding brother?” she asks, taking a pancake and placing it on the plate Landon never used. She then drinks his orange juice, and I just shake my head. She’s something else.
“Good morning, Natalie. Do you have anything fun planned today?” Natalie gives me the stink eye for ignoring her. I didn’t feel like she needed to know what was going on with him. It would dim her bright mood, and I wasn’t about to have Landon be the cause. Plus, Blondie was right. He’d get through this.
“Sarah and I are going to the mall with Mason and Zane.” I smile over at Blondie, raising my eyebrows.
“That sounds like a wonderful day for you,” I chide. He grimaces at me. Mason cares for Sarah just as much as Landon does for Natalie. He just doesn’t show it like Landon does.
Jenny walks out of the kitchen and places another orange juice in front of Natalie and a cup of milk in front of Sarah.
“Thanks, Jenny,” Natalie says. I grin at Natalie. She most definitely isn’t like any of the other Alpha daughters that I know of.
“Excuse me,” I say, getting up to follow Jenny into the kitchen.
“You’ll get me in trouble, Lana,” she says, cleaning down the area where she just recently cooked the pancakes. I notice it’s only her and Meggy today. Tami must have the day off, and Rachel is in Natalie’s room, most likely making her bed.
“Landon won’t hurt you, Jenny.” I lean against the counter next to her, looking down a
t my hands as I say this. Jenny lifts her head and stares at me for a moment. “Why don’t you like him?”
Her mouth gapes open for a moment before she shakes her head and continues wiping down the stove. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Jenny, just tell me.” She throws her rag in the sink and turns to face me. I take a step back, surprised by her sudden anger.
Jenny crosses her arms. “Landon is a great guy, Lana. You’re lucky to have him. But he has done some things that have hurt people.”
What does she mean he has hurt people? If so, I’m sure it was unintentional.
“My mother passed away when I was three. Human hunters were on our territory and shot her. It was just my father and me for a long time. We were able to move on, his duties as a Gamma kept his mind off his loss.”
Her father was a Gamma… That means she was a Gamma as well, a middle-class warrior.
“My father died in the battle at the Prowler Pack. Being a fourteen-year-old orphan, Landon threw me down into the Omega rank. I was never meant to be an Omega; I have the blood of a Gamma. It has been in my family for many generations. I’m not saying that Landon specifically targeted me and decided to make me suffer, but I am saying he has made many mistakes. I understand that his accident took more than his sight. I don’t blame him for making rash decisions. But it’s been four years, and nothing has changed. His hatred towards Omegas is sickening.”
After what she says, all I can do is stare at my closest friend. I never knew that about her. I never knew she was trained to be a warrior, that she was ranked above an Omega. She seemed so accepting of her position. I never saw her trash talk being an Omega until now.
I grab her arm and pull her into a hug. She wraps her arms around my waist, and we embrace each other for a few moments. I’ll talk to Landon about this. I will let him know about Jenny’s family, about her rightful place as a Gamma.
Blind Alpha: A Dark Fantasy Page 4