Landon

My eyelids are heavy.

I am having difficulty waking up for some reason. I know I slept for a while now, but still my body felt heavy to me. I am an athletic young man used to rigorous physical training, so I should be tip top after this much rest.

But I know why I was feeling like my body was run over. I was shot. This much I remember clearly as day. I scented Kyle and Mathew in the room with me before I could even open my eyes. But I also scented someone else.

The most wonderful scent in the world to me.

My mate is here inside the room. My wolf was content at the close proximity, though it would be more happy if he was touching us, I am pretty sure Harry wouldn't touch me while I am unconscious.

I grunted at the ache I feel in my chest, alerting the three men that I am awake. My eyes fluttered a bit before I could finally take in my surroundings. I am in a bedroom, lying in bed half naked. I remember Kyle ripping off my shirt, but my pants must’ve been removed after I was already unconscious.

Fortunately, my lower half is covered by a soft sheet. I see my arm has a needle mark, I guess I was treated by what I can only assume is a doctor. My chest is properly bandaged, but my head is spinning from a terrible headache.

I struggle to get up into a sitting position in bed, looking at two very worried warriors and a concerned mate.

“Hi, Landon. How are you feeling?” Harry greeted me. He was sitting by my side on the bed as if he was nurturing me back to health.

“Aching. How long have I slept for?” I asked, breathing in and out, trying to get my bearings.

“It’s been two days since the shooting.” He informed me, causing a shriek to pass my lips.

“I slept for two whole days?” I gasped in shock at this information.

“We thought you were going to sleep forever, Regent!” Kyle interjected, worriedly.

Harry and I got wide eyed at his remark, but he looked worried sick about me. Genuinely.

“I know, Kyle. Thanks for not leaving my side. You too, Mathew.” I said, awkwardly.

“Always, Regent.” Kyle replied contently. Mathew smiled at me.

I turn to look at my mate, taken aback by his presence. Suddenly, he blushes at my piercing gaze.

“Thank you for being here, mate. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience for you.” I told him, blushing a bit.

“I have never been so scared in my life. Aside from that, it was no inconvenience.” He said, sincerely. I could feel he meant every word, especially the part about being scared.

“I was scared too. I’m too young to die.” I said, trying to be humorous but failing miserably.

An awkward laughter filled the room for a moment. I looked around for any clothing lying around, but didn’t find any.

“I must be reeking after two days. Would it be alright if I take a shower?” I asked him politely.

“Of course! There’s a towel inside the bathroom and a change of clothes already there waiting for you. They brought it from your house.” He replied, looking at the bathroom behind the tall men.

“Wow. They brought in clothes for me. They didn’t need to go to such trouble.” I said, uncomfortably.

“Beta Carillon sent it over alongside 30 more warriors.” Kyle informed me with a knowing glance. Of course, the first thing warriors did after having secured me was to report this incident to Javier. My mom must be worried sick about me.

I gulped awkwardly.

“Right… Thank you for visiting me. See you later?” I muttered, waiting for him to leave the room.

“Sure. Are they going to leave the room too or do they need to watch you showering?” He snickered, glancing at the two standing men.

Both men glared daggers at him.

“Thank you, Harry. I’ll see you later.” I reiterated, hoping he’d take the hint and leave, which he did.

“Forgive my mate, guys. He never had his life threatened.” I said, rolling my eyes. I got up, walked to the bathroom, shut the door, removed my dirty underwear and took a nice long shower.

Afterwards, I got dressed in the clothes that were at my disposal and left the bathroom. I felt much better after a shower and now I am hungry.

I exited the bedroom with my escort and walked towards the dining room. I don’t know what time it is but I hope to score some food. I actually was surprised to find the whole Staedler family inside.

“Regent, so glad you could join us for lunch.” Alpha Staedler greeted me, getting up from his seat next to his mate. I bowed my head to him out of respect and he did the same to me, though he didn't need to.

Remember when I said I had all the obligations as an Alpha but none of the privileges? Bowing your head is an honor reserved for Alphas alone, so I don’t get bowed to by anyone, not even in my own pack.

That guy I punched back at the training center - the one who called me a mateless loser - bowed his head to me afterwards but that was out of fear, not respect.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I hope I’m not disrupting.” I greeted the family present, walking inside to take a seat at the table.

“Of course not, Regent. You’re more than welcome to have lunch with us. I’m overjoyed to see you alive and well.” Luna spoke, smiling cordially at me.

“I don’t know about ‘well’ yet, Luna. But I appreciate the care I’ve received here.” I glanced at her awkwardly, sitting down beside my mate.

“I’m sure you’re making a full recovery.” Alpha spoke in an uplifting tone.

Kyle and Mathew positioned themselves to my back, standing. I would ask them to go have lunch but it’s a lost battle. They are not going to leave me alone, especially after what happened.

“I’m glad to see you well, Alpha.” Aaron said, surprising me the most so far.

“Thank you, but I’m merely a Regent.” I replied humbly.

We served ourselves some food and I filled my plate as if I was at home. I am mighty hungry.

“Glad to see you brought your appetite.” Harry commented, humorously.

“I haven’t eaten for two days.” I declared in a matter of fact tone.

“The worst two days of my life.” He blurted, then blushed at his family gazing at him.

“It still hurt less than when I was rejected.” I spoke, causing him to gasp at the memory.

“No, it didn’t. Stop comparing!” He glared at me.

“You’re right. Nothing can compare to a bullet. By the way, have they found the shooter yet?” I casually asked in a low tone.

“Not as of yet, but we’re still searching.” Alpha Staedler replied, nervously.

“I have every confidence in you, sir.” I smiled at him.

“I need you to know this wasn’t my doing at all. That’s not how I operate and I take it very seriously that you were harmed a few feet from my own house. Trust me when I say: I don't take this lightly.” He stated, confidently.

All of us could feel the weight behind his statement. I know he had nothing to do with this. If I suspected anything of the sort, I would never have put myself in this situation in the first place.

“I know and I believe you, Alpha. I’m sure the culprit will be brought to justice. I still believe in peace between our two packs, despite what happened to me.” I declared, surprising everyone at the table.

Kyle gasped behind me. He remained quiet, but I could feel his judgment even from behind. I turned around for a moment and glared at him.

“Like I said, I don’t believe any of the people present had anything to do with the attack on my life and I hope one day we can surpass the animosity towards lasting peace.” I continued, optimistically.

“Your words warm my heart, Regent. That’s what I hope too.” Luna told me, breathing out a relieved sigh.

“It’s more than animosity.” Aaron chimed in, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

His father, mother and brother all glared at him for the unwanted commentary.

“Aaron, do you see the tall brunette man standing behind me?” I asked, causing him to stare at Kyle for a moment then back at me.

“His mate is a very dear person to my family. When she was 10 years old, her father died from a sudden illness and left her mother without any financial support. She was a stay at home mom with no formal education.” I continued. He is looking at me puzzled as to where I am going with this and so is everyone else.

“Having heard of this fact, the Alpha of our pack employed the young mother to work at the pack house. He also paid the rent of their home for two months while the woman got her bearings.” My tone was cool and collected.

“When the young girl graduated high school, the Alpha also helped her get a partial scholarship to college. Furthermore, he paid for her living expenses and meal plan, guaranteeing that she could attend four years of college with no interruption or distractions.” My voice is now shaky as emotions take over me.

“Her mother continues working for the pack until this day. Upon graduating college, Lourdes took a job as the pack secretary. Now she lives happily mated to the guy who’s protecting me today.” I declared. Kyle is also emotional by my speech. I can’t see him, but I can feel it.

“Neither she nor her mother is related to the Alpha in any capacity. He saw a family in need, so he helped them. He never asked for anything in return. That’s just the kind of man my father was. Honorable, righteous, loving.” Tears fell from my face as my words filled the silent room.

“That’s the man you had unceremoniously killed without cause. I guess you’re right. It’s more than animosity.” I concluded, tears streaming down my face.

The room was silent as people contemplated my words. Kyle was emotional, Mathew too though his face never demonstrates. The Alpha couple is baffled by this story and Aaron is deeply uncomfortable right now (around me).

I couldn’t eat anymore as my throat was itching. Suddenly, I was blindsided by a deep kiss from my mate surprising everyone present - most of all me.

His lips touched mine with such sweet tender it was hard to keep my composure. He swept me off in a loving kiss that had me forgetting I was in the dining room surrounded by his family.

After a moment, his father cleared his throat and we parted from the kiss. I saw everyone smirking at us and blushed under their gaze.

His lips taste like heaven to me. My wolf howled inside my chest at the close contact with our mate.

Suddenly, all the angst and sadness I felt over my father was gone. Not that I stopped missing him, but the feeling was replaced by a joy that filled my bullet holed chest.

I finished my hefty meal at last and we walked towards the living room, the Alpha couple, my mate and I. The rest of them went about their day.

Kyke and Mathew went to the other dining room to eat lunch once they were replaced by two other warriors who remained stationed behind me.

"Alpha Staedler, I know you're under no obligation to feed my warriors, please invoice me for the additional expenses. I don't mean to impose." I began, humbly.

"It's not an imposition, Regent. You wouldn't need them to stay here if you weren't shot at my doorstep. Don't worry about any expense. It's the least I can do." He declared, cordially.

"Thank you, sir. If there's anything my pack can do to help the investigation, please let me know." I said firmly but politely.

"I think our Beta has got it handled, but if anything changes, I'll inform you." He stated, looking at me with a modest smile.

We talked for a while until the Alpha couple left us for their own affairs. Harry looked at me awkwardly for a moment while we were alone with my warriors.

"Gentlemen, please wait outside the living room for me. I'm safe here for now." I told them with a poignant look. They glanced at each other and left, closing the door behind them.

We remained silent for a minute, exchanging awkward stares. That is until Harry decided to speak.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your father. I didn't know him except by reputation, but I can tell he was a great man." He sounded saddened and genuine.

"Thank you, Harrison. It means a lot coming from you." I spoke, enraptured by his shy demeanor and conquering eyes.

"He didn't deserve what happened to him. I even told my insufferable roommate this. And his mate, for that matter." He rolled his eyes thinking about Grayson and Gustavo.

I laughed at the way he spoke about them.

"He's not insufferable. Grayson loved my father, so he took his death hard. My dad was very beloved by our pack. He was a great Alpha." I argued in a light tone.

"I'm sure he was. But Grayson acted as if I had given the order just because of my last name." He whined.

He was so adorable whining about how his roommate was mean to him…

"I understand the confusion. Grief is an angry beast.” I tried to make sense of it.

In reality, I had contemplated going over to Harry's college dorm to kill him after my father was brutally murdered, so I understand Grayson's anger towards him. I just don’t want to ruin our moment by piling up.

“It is. Which is why you were shot, I guess.” He contemplated, angry at this.

“Like I said, I understand why you rejected me. I don’t claim to be innocent or blameless. I was just very angry, still am.” I said, honestly. I’ll never forgive Aaron for my father’s death and nothing in my response has given me pause about the effects of my revenge.

Yes, it could backfire spectacularly and I could've died as a result from that attack. But one has to understand the consequences of a direct assault such as this. I certainly understand mine, which is why I am less angry about being shot than what they did to my father.

If I had lost my life it would be a tragedy, but I made sure these people would never bother my family again, just in case. Of course I have contingencies in place. There is a reason why no unmated warrior made it to this particular trip.

As they say: hope for the best but plan for the worst.

“I know, Landon. But seeing you being wounded right before my eyes certainly puts things into perspective for me.” He pondered, pensive.

The biggest smile is plastered on my face right now.

“Does this mean you’ll take back the rejection?” I inquired, grinning wide at him.

He gets wide eyed at my question and blushes at my intense gaze.

“No, it doesn’t. But I was wondering something…” He replied, causing my smile to disappear.

“I guess you’re probably going back to your pack now that you’re well enough. Would it be alright if I came along with you? Just until you're fully recuperated?” He wondered, bashfully.

I stand corrected. The biggest smile is NOW plastered all over my face.

“Of course, mate! Stay as long as you want. Stay forever!” I said, eagerly.

“I can’t. I have to get back to college in the Fall.” He replied in a matter of fact tone.

“Right. Anyway, please be my guest. Mi casa es su casa.” I grinned at the proposition, excitedly.

We spent some more time together talking in the living room before I had to make arrangements for my departure. But before I left, I just had to ask him.

“Do you mind if I ask you why you kissed me earlier?” I was nervous but intrigued.

“Oh.” He gasped at the sudden question. “You were feeling so vulnerable, I just had to kiss you. I could feel your sadness as you were telling the story of your father, so I tried to make you feel better. Did it work?” He glanced at me, raising his brows in curiosity.

“Like a charm.” I replied, breathing out a sigh.