Landon

A FEW WEEKS BEFORE ‘THE VISIT’.

I woke up on another lonely day.

Except this time I had a nightmare where my father would call out to me and I couldn’t listen to him. He called and called all the while I could not hear his desperate pleas.

Sometimes for me, it feels like he is dead all over again. It’s only been a few months so I understand it’s still fresh, but I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get over his untimely death.

And each time I am reminded of him, the anger just bubbles up to the surface and I want to kill every single last one of those damn Staedlers. I hate them for taking my father away from me, especially considering the vulnerable place I am in right now with the pack.

If I were mated, at least I would be named Alpha. But no, I have to suffer through this indignity of being named Regent of my own pack. Then my anger soares to all new heights.

Honestly, I cannot wait for Javier’s plan of revenge to come to fruition. Those fuckers are in for a deadly surprise…

“Good morning, Regent. How are you doing on this fine Friday?” Lourdes greeted me with an unusual chipper tone. She even smiled at me.

“Not as well as you, apparently. You’re in a good mood.” I said, admiring her sunny disposition.

“Yeah. Well, Kyle and I have decided to finally try for a pup.” She told me with a twinkle in her eye. Kyle is her warrior mate.

“Congratulations! I’m sure you’re gonna be a great mother!” I cheered her on. Lourdes is already in her early 30’s, so it’s as good a time as any to start a family.

“Thank you, Regent. It’s been a long time coming. I’m just sad that Alpha Barnett won’t be here to see my child be born.” She spoke in a saddened tone.

I hugged her for a while, though she is not a fan of close contact. But she allows this once.

“You and me both, Lourdes. I know he held you in very high esteem.” I said, feeling the weight of her words and the absence of my late father.

“He was a great man, too soon taken from us.” She said, tearfully.

“I’m sure he would be very proud of you.” I remarked, eyes filled with sorrow.

“Of you too, Regent. You’re doing great.” She complimented me, which is not something I hear every day.

“I don’t know about that…” I lowered my head, in my feelings about the lack of mate.

“You’ll find your mate, Regent. Give it time, for now, you have documents that need your attention.” She encouraged me, before motioning me to enter the office.

When the pack house staff breaks for lunch, that is when my family and I eat in the dining room. But since today is Friday, it’s only me and my mom. My siblings are in school at this hour.

The day drags along slowly and my duties are boring me to death when I get a text message from a group chat alerting me that we had a meeting tonight.

Oh, thank Goddess it’s Friday. This immediately puts me in a better mood. I need some adult entertainment, even if it’s just a drink with some new found friends.

In our pack, there are a few people that remain unmated in each senior class of high school. That is every year a few young adults graduate without having found their mates. With time, those people eventually find their pairs at a later date.

Our pack is very large, so there can be many reasons for that to happen. Most of the time, your mate is older / younger than you so you two get disconnected. It’s why I kept coming back to town to attend the high school graduation ceremonies after I left for college.

However, sometimes - like in my case - that is just not enough for one to get mated. It’s a rare occurrence that one surpasses my age still unpaired, but it happens. There are no guarantees in life, no promises except for death and taxes.

Since we live in the era of communication, these few individuals found support in each other and we get together from time to time to commiserate over a few drinks at the local bar.

Considering all my friends from high school are away at college, it’s a welcome break to be with others who understand my particular predicament. Granted, none of them are precluded from their jobs for being unmated like me, but they all understand what it feels like living in a society where everyone meets the love of their life at 18.

Just not us for some reason. I love my family, but there are no words that can comfort my lonely heart. At least with them, I get to be around people who are in the same situation as me. There is solace in relatability.

We call ourselves the ‘The Lonely Hearts Club’.

I entered the dining room for dinner and my brother is wearing so much cologne it’s difficult to breath being near him. Both my sister and mother are also grimacing.

“I know it’s Friday night, but you could have waited until the end of dinner to wear this much perfume, Clark. Do you have a hot date?” I asked my brother who for some reason seemed unbothered by the strong scent.

“Oh my Goddess, did I exaggerate on the perfume?” He gets wide eyed worried about this.

“Even for humans. Did you catch the flu or something? How are you not gagging over this smell?” I inquired, puzzled. Werewolves are known for their extremely sensitive sense of smell. It is our main sense, what informs our brain of danger, excitement and our mate. Exactly, you discover your mate by the scent. Your (inner) wolf does.

“Damn! I think I have that human virus that affects your sense of smell…” He conjectured, looking worried.

“You don’t have COVID, Clark. Don’t be silly! I’ve never heard of any werewolf catching that. But if your sense of smell is iffy, then you can’t go out tonight. It’s best if I take you to a doctor tomorrow morning.” Mom said, reaching out her hand to touch his forehead to feel his temperature.

“But I have a date tonight, mom!” He cried out, revolted.

“I’m so sorry, son. If you’re better tomorrow, you can go out then.” She said, feeling bad for him.

“I’m sorry, brother. I’ll have a drink tonight in your honor.” I said with a pity stare.

He growled at me.

“Have fun with the loser club.” He sneered.

“They are NOT losers!” I yelled at him, fuming.

"That is enough, you two!” Mom interjected, sternly. She looked at both of us with a reprehensible stare.

Clark and I exchange glares before we start eating dinner. I genuinely wasn’t poking fun at him… brat.

Since I know I am going to drink tonight, I had a warrior on duty drive me to the bar. It’s not exactly the best use of the pack employees, but being Regent has got to count for something.

It’s better than to ask for my mom to drive me like I was a teenager. As if I needed any more reason to feel like a loser… *sigh*

Since we live in a small town, there are no great offerings of entertainment around these parts. But everybody needs a drink once in a while. There is one honky tonk downtown that is werewolf owned, so the majority of his clientele are people like us.

Living in a majority human town, you tend to blend in on a daily basis depending on your occupation. But it’s always nice to be amongst ourselves,  whenever possible.

“Good evening, guys.” I greeted the people at the table with a joyful smile.

There’s already a pitcher of beer and people drinking and talking as I take my seat.

“Hi, Landon. How was your week?” Rhiannon asked me, pouring me a glass of beer. I take a drink thirstily. I so need it.

Rhiannon Henderson, 23, a third generation warrior. Her mother was killed when she was young, another casualty of the feud between the two rival packs. Not only can we relate over losing a parent to them, she also hasn’t found her mate so far.

Because of our age difference, we never connected at school properly but now she is a part of the lonely hearts club just like me. Actually, she is the reason I joined this particular ‘support group’. We ended up bonding after my dad died and I had to return home from college.

“Would it be too sad to admit that the text from Ares earlier reminding me of this meeting was the highlight of my week?” I spoke, sounding melancholic.

At this, Ares and the rest of the people sitting at the table all looked at me.

“Here, here.” He raised his mug in solidarity, as did the rest of us present.

We all drank our misery and ordered another pitcher. The beer here is very good and it takes a while for us to feel any buzz because our body composition differs from humans.

“And you, my friend. How is your father doing?” I asked her after a few shared drinks.

"He is fine. You know my father, he is a soldier through and through. He champions me even when I feel the lowest.” She replied in a saddened tone.

“He’s right to be your champion. You’re a badass and any guy or girl would be lucky to be your mate.” I encouraged her with an honest smile.

“For the last time, I’m not bisexual, Landon! I’m straight. I don’t know how this rumor came about when I was in high school, but I assure you: I’m not into women. Though if I were bisexual, maybe I would’ve been mated already.” She stated, confidently.

It’s funny because I see a strong, confident, tall, girlboss who takes no crap from anyone. Even though she may give out ‘butch queen vibes’, it doesn’t mean she is actually a lesbian or even bisexual.

And yes, I heard a rumor she was gay back when I was in high school and somehow that got stuck in my head until now.

“I’m sorry, Ri. You’re right, of course.” I apologized for letting stupid high school stuff influence me.

“If being bisexual was any indication of our ability to be mated…”

“What are you talking about, Ares? You like more dick than Landon!” She cut him off, getting a rise out of the entire table. All of us broke out in laughter so loud it made the entire bar glance at us.

Ares blushed under the multiple stares he was receiving and gulped a full glass of beer. I did too since I was being ogled by multiple people over her words.

Ares Saunders, 22, a lean, mean, fighting machine. He was practically bred to be a warrior, being a fifth generation pack enforcer. I mean, his father didn’t name him after the god of war by accident.

He is tall, blonde and extremely physically fit. The only thing missing in his life is a mate. When I first met him, I was mesmerized. Not gonna lie, I kind of fantasized about him being my mate. But neither of us are omegas. Though it’s not impossible for his mate NOT to be one, I highly doubt mine wouldn’t be.

“I wasn’t talking about myself, bitch! I meant in general.” He glared daggers at her, peeved about being called out like this in public. Not that she lied… *blush*

“Who are you calling bitch, bitch?” She shot back at him, annoyed.

“No fighting, people. We’re here to drink, not argue.” I interjected before things escalated. The two warriors glared daggers at each other silently.

We ordered another pitcher and something to eat, though I’m not hungry since I just had dinner.

“Ares, have you tried going out of state? Who knows…” I suggested it to him after a while of small talk. He looks at me with an annoyed expression.

“I have already been to every allied pack my dad could think of, Landon. If I start to think about out-of-state packs, I’m gonna lose it.” He replied, frowning at the subject.

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. When people suggest that to me, my mind goes: there are fifty states and thousands of packs. Where do I even begin my search?” I commented, relating to him.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to get mated. The freaking Goddess should make our paths cross. I’m here. How hard can it be? If you want me to go someplace else, at least point me in the right direction.” Rhiannon commented, feeling frustrated.

“Exactly! Who has the time and money to go around looking for a face in a multitude of people? It’s exhausting just to think about it.” - Ares agreed, also feeling frustrated.

We talked some more about our shared expectations and frustrations. The six of us drank for a while and I nibbled on the hot wings they ordered. Though we feel like the odd ones out, there is a sense of camaraderie when we are together.

“Thanks for giving me a reason to get out of the house, guys. I love you all” I celebrated with my people, feeling fortunate to have this time off.

“Thank you, Lan. We love you too.” Rhiannon hugged me, already tipsy after many beers. All of us were, to be fair.

“I’m sorry you’re losing your position to your brother. For whatever it’s worth, I’m rooting for you.” Ares told me, drunkenly.

“I’m rooting for you too, Ares. For all of us.” I winked at him playfully.

The bar owner ordered us cabs and two of each shared a ride home since none of us live that far apart.

PRESENT TIME.

After my mate had rejected me, I didn’t leave my bedroom except to eat. I asked Javier to fill in for me, dealing with the pack affairs cause I was in no condition to make any decision.

This was hurting me like nothing I have ever felt before. I thought it was bad when I was unmated, this is a new low even for me. Where there was hope, now there is only heartbreak.

The days basically consisted of me sleepwalking into the dining room to eat a meal that I am barely hungry enough to consume. I am broken inside and it’s worrying my mother.

A few days later, Rhiannon entered my room unannounced early in the morning. I don’t have the habit of locking my bedroom door, except for when I used to snuck Grayson inside when I was in high school.

“Good morning, Landon.” She woke me up, opening the windows and the blinds to let the sun in on a hot summer day.

“Good morning, Rhiannon. What are you doing in my room?” I asked, yawning.

“I came to check in on you. I know what happened to you and I’m really sorry. He doesn’t know what he is missing out on.” She spoke, sounding determined.

“You could visit me at a decent hour. Did it have to be before breakfast?” I rolled my eyes, barely awakened.

“Unfortunately, I have a shift in an hour. But I wanted to stop by and wake you up.” She said in a stern tone.

“Consider me woke.” I snickered, getting up into a sitting position on my bed.

“No, Landon. You’re still sleeping. You can’t stop your life just because your mate rejected you.” She sat down on a chair next to my bed and stared deep into my eyes as she spoke.

“What do you mean ‘just because’? My life is over. I can’t be Alpha. I can’t have anything.” I rebuked, annoyed at her.

“No, I refuse to let you give up. You are 21 years old, Lan. You’re young, handsome. This can’t be the end of your life. Now get up, take a shower and go to work because the pack needs you.” She stated, gesturing me to get up.

“I can’t, Ri. I’m too heartbroken to do anything.” I said, feeling sad about my situation.

“That’s not acceptable. We are the Regency Falls pack. We do not falter. We do not give up. We do not fail. I refuse to let you give in. I love you too much. And if your father were alive, he’d be here doing the exact same thing.” She stated, convicted.

I gasped at her words. It took me a while to absorb them as I’m still sleepy. But I know she is right. Though my heart is broken right now, I can’t let it define my entire life. I have to get past this somehow.

Though at the moment, I sincerely have no idea how. I am broken inside from the deep painful heartache of being rejected. I don’t know when or if I’ll ever heal.