"So many years have come and gone. But every picture without you still feels so wrong. I've been thinking lately... what would you say if you saw me? Would you be proud of what I've become?"

~Michael Schulte, 'The Love You Left Behind'

~~~

*Landon's POV*

| FIVE YEARS LATER |

I wake up gasping for air, sweat drenching the back of my shirt. My body trembles as I try to recover from the horrific nightmare. Salty tears are already running down my face, and I quickly brush them away.

Fuck, I really need to stop drinking before bed.

That event from five years ago still plays in my mind when I go to sleep. The nightmares used to happen every night, but now they only come when I fall asleep drunk. It's a constant reminder of how shitty my life has become.

That, and the headaches of my hangovers spurred on from my depression-induced drinking.

I yank the damp shirt off and throw it somewhere across the room, not really caring where it lands. I roll back over and try to fall back asleep. There's a moment of peacefulness as I sink back into the blankets, and I feel the beginnings of a smile on my lips.

Of course, life is never that easy for me.

My cell phone blares, making my head pound excruciatingly. I groan and roll over, not even bothering to check the caller ID before declining the call.

I flop back down, screwing my eyes closed tightly to block out any unnecessary light. Shit, how much did I drink last night anyway?

The phone blares again, and annoyance floods me as I answer the call with a low growl.

"What?" I snap at whoever dared to interrupt my beauty sleep. Not like it would help, anyways. I'd have bags under my eyes no matter how much sleep I got.

"Excuse the fuck outta you," a voice sharply retorts. "Who pissed in your Cheerios?"

I roll my eyes. "What do you want, Lia?"

"Can't a girl just call to check up on her favorite twin?"

"A girl, perhaps. But not a demon," I grumble as Lia cackles over the line. "Besides, I'm your only twin."

"Which is exactly why it's my responsibility to make sure you get up and get your ass in the shower. We're having lunch with mom and dad today, or did you forget?"

I curse under my breath, sitting up on the bed. "No, of course not. I've been up for hours," I fib.

Yeah... I one-hundred percent forgot.

Whoops.

Lia snorts loudly. "Yeah, sure. I'm sure you didn't stay up late having a pity party. Just like I didn't call Lucca to make sure you come to this lunch instead of taking off like last time."

My jaw drops and I narrow my eyes. "You didn't."

"See you soon," Lia sings cheerfully, hanging up on me before I can curse at her for recruiting my roommate to ambush me. I scramble out of my bed, only to stumble for a second from my hangover as I rush to the door. Sure enough, when I swing the door open I'm greeted by the guilty face of a traitor.

"Lucca," I groan dramatically. "Really? You sided with my sister?"

Lucca flashes me a guilty smile. "I'm sorry, man. Lia was right though, you can't be trusted to get to that lunch by yourself. It's like you hear the term 'family gathering' and head straight for the hills. Plus, Lia's hot. I'm pretty much whipped for her."

"She's not even your mate," I remind him flatly.

"I know that, dumbass," Lucca scoffs. "But I don't have a mate, so where's the harm in flirting?"

"There's nothing wrong with flirting, just stop betraying me so you can fuck my sister."

Lucca grimaces and laughs at that. "Fair enough. Oh, and Landon? Go take a shower. You fucking reek of booze."

"It's my natural scent," I tease, and Lucca shoves me towards the bathroom. I chuckle as I gather up my toiletries and hop under the steaming hot water.

I met Lucca Rivera three years ago. After I left the Silver Woods Pack, I lived on my own for two years in some sketchy little studio apartment on the bad side of town. It's not like I cared about how shitty it was, anyway. Nothing would ever be shittier than what happened two years prior. The only people from the pack I've kept in contact with are my immediate family members. Everyone else was dead to me. If they wanted to hate me and kick out their Luna, then fuck them.

There was a night where I was particularly moody and went out drinking.  I drank quite a bit and was letting loose on the dance floor when I saw a guy with rippling muscles, standing around like a hot piece of eye-candy. It had been two years since I had sex, and I was ready to bury my sorrowful self-pity in someone else.

Yeah... turned out guys don't like it if you randomly start grinding on them.

Without an introduction.

While they're in the middle of a conversation.

Anyway, I got my ass handed to me pretty badly. I was drunk and pissed and decided to go for a run. I made my way to the forest, making sure to stay in neutral territory, and stripped before shifting. I ran for a while until I caught the scent of another wolf.

A rogue.

Which, I couldn't really judge because I was technically a rogue. A wolf without a pack was considered a rogue, whether or not it was a choice.

And Moon Goddess knows I didn't have a choice.

The rogue quickly picked up on my scent too and rushed towards me. I assumed it was going to attack, so I acted first and pinned it to the ground before it had the chance.

The wolf had dark brown fur with streaks of black, and bite marks on his ears. His eyes widened when I tackled him to the ground, and he started yelping like a pup before I heard the bone-crunching to indicate he was shifting.

The rogue transitioned into a young man with dark caramel skin and black curly hair, short on the sides but fluffy on top. His hazel eyes were wide with panic from being tackled by an unknown wolf.

"Woah, woah, woah!" He had shouted frantically. "I don't want to fight you!"

I tilted my head to the side to show I was confused, but didn't shift back.

"I smelled another rogue and I was curious!" He continues. "Fuck, I would've stayed away if I knew you were going to go all Hulk on my ass!"

I barked out a laugh at that before stepping away and shifting back, not caring that now we were both naked. The guy stared at me in wide-eyed disbelief.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

"Nothing," he said, but I just raised an eyebrow at his obvious lie. "It's just that I've never met another rogue who doesn't look like... well, a rogue."

I knew exactly what he meant. Most rogues were extremely cold and violent, willing to tear apart any wolf they came into contact with. They tended to be covered in scars from their many fights, making it easy to point them out in a crowd. There were a few peaceful rogues, but the violent rogues already sullied our name, and no one could trust us.

"I'm Lucca," he introduced himself with a bright smile.

I curtly nodded my head. "Landon."

Lucca pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "Man of few words, huh? That's okay, I'll get you to talk more eventually. Anyway, are you hungry? I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat, yeah? Where do you live?"

My jaw dropped. Did a strange rogue really just invite himself to my apartment? Was he crazy? I studied him for a moment to see if he was joking, but his expression told me he was serious. I sighed and motioned for him to follow me. Lucca asked me to wait a second and he ran deeper into the woods, emerging with a set of clothing he must've hidden out here. I led us to where I left my clothing and redressed before leading him to my apartment.

Lucca's disapproval for where I lived was immediate. I wanted to be offended, but really I was just amused. A guy I met less than twenty minutes ago is judging where I lived? After he invited himself over?

My amusement was short lived when Lucca suddenly offered for me to crash with him until I found a better place. I was shocked and instantly declined, but he was really persistent. Fuck, he was annoyingly persistent. I eventually caved just to make him shut up.