Page 11 of Pack Nightmare

“She wasn’t alone, any more than I am. She had her fated, and don’t forget, she left two of them behind.” The ache in my heart is real when I think about it. Just considering leaving, one of these boys shoots a fresh bolt of panic through my chest. Whoa, that’s intense. When did they go from being sexy friends I enjoyed having around to mates I’m terrified of losing?

The guys glance among themselves uneasily.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m already roped into the curse anyway, so you guys don’t have to worry about it.”

“Well gee, thanks Layla, that’s very comforting. Really makes a guy feel loved.” Jared’s tone is sarcastic enough that I know he’s teasing even without the wink. Glancing at his watch, he sighs heavily. “Come on, Milo. We have to get to class. What are you punks going to do with your free afternoon?”

Since Landon and I have Thursday afternoon Bio Lab, we don’t have a class on Tuesdays. Now that I’m alpha, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hang out in town, and told Maxwell to pick me up later. The weather is gorgeous, blue sky and sunshine with a comfortably crisp fall breeze. We skipped the cafeteria on campus and went into town for Badger’s Burgers instead.

“I was thinking I’d show Layla around town some more, if that works for you?” He turns his soulful brown eyes on me, a wide grin sending flutters through my chest. Landon is always so sweet, so steadfastly supportive, that I sometimes forget how hot he is. But with his cleft chin, sharp jaw, and panty-dropping smile, I still hold my original impression that he looks like a rock star.

“Yeah, sounds like fun,” I smile back, and then drop my gaze to my food to cool the heat in my cheeks.

Milo and Jared gather their trays, stopping to give me hugs before they leave. They’ve already promised to come to Harridan House for dinner, so I try not to be too sad they’re leaving—I’ll see them in just a few hours.

But I know something is getting to them too. Jared’s hug is tight and long, and he draws in a deep breath before he lets me go. But when Milo follows up, he turns and kisses my cheek before promising to see me later.

The first I find warm and comforting, if a little tingly. But the second sends heat racing through my chest at the memory of the kisses we shared.

They wave goodbye and walk out the door, and I watch them go, evaluating my feelings curiously. While the kiss surprised me, the affection did not put me off in the least. It may have been weeks since we kissed, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it, or stopped thinking about what it will be like to kiss all three of them. They say they’re fine with the idea, have grown up knowing they’d share a mate and the position as alpha. But is it really that simple?

Milo’s the only one I’ve even kissed… and I’m supposed to claim them as my mates when I take my position as alpha. It feels like so many huge decisions are rushing in on me with the speed and power of a freight train and I have no way of slowing them down.

It all feels good, although I don’t feel like I’m in a relationship with them, it’s definitely closer than just friends… is this because I like these guys, and they like me? Or is it just our fated mate’s compulsion forcing us together?

I finish a few more fries before I give up, and Landon apparently reaches the bottom of his milkshake, the straw gurgling loudly at his attempts to get the last sip. When he catches me watching, his pursed lips curl into a smile. “Suppose it’s time to admit defeat. You finished?” He gestures to my half-eaten food.

“Yeah, I’m done.” We gather our trays and garbage and head outside together.

I’ve gone with yet another cropped sweater and a pair of faded jeans with wide legs and a high waist. Even though the sun is warm, the cool breeze worms its way under my shirt and chills my belly. I cross my arms over the exposed strip and glance up at Landon. “Okay, tour guide. Where are we going?”

He sets a large hand gently on my shoulder and turns me, pointing. “This way.”

Without the other guys, he walks beside me now. I definitely feel tiny in comparison, nearly a foot shorter despite my thick-soled sneakers. Landon keeps his warm hand on my upper back as he guides me along the street, and even though it’s unnecessary, it’s nice. His warmth surrounds me like a reassuring blanket, and while every face we meet smiles warmly in my direction, it’s knowing that he has my back that truly warms me inside.

The scent of fall is on the air, even though the leaves have barely begun to turn. Something spicy and sweet drifts out of the open door of a home decor shop we pass; it’s filled with ceramic pumpkins and kitschy signs. The sharp, earthy tang of the changing season blends with it, and I get a whiff of Landon’s citrus like the icing on this deliciously perfect fall fragrance. If they sold it as a candle, I would definitely have Mrs. Dowling light them throughout the house. The thought makes me giggle, imagining how many candles it would take to fill Harridan House with one fragrance.

“Something funny?” Landon gazes down at me with a smile.

“I was just wondering if it would drive Mrs. Dowling crazy to have a ton of scented candles in Harridan House. You know, like a fall fragrance?” I draw in a deep breath. “I love fall.”

“That surprises me; I would think, living in LA your whole life, that you never really got to experience it.”

“Exactly! That’s why it’s my favorite.”

Landon laughs. “You lost me.”

“Well, my only experience with proper seasons was on TV. So I’d watch all the shows and see the seasons change. Of course, we had all the same stuff people have everywhere, fall candles and winter festivals with real pine wreaths, spring buttercups and tulips. I think my mom was so into the seasonal stuff because she missed it here.” The sharp pang of sadness squeezes my chest; Mom loved filling our house with pumpkin spice candles. “She’d bake apple pies in the fall, and we’d have caramel popcorn and hot apple cider and watch Hocus Pocus.” Even though I smile, the memory is tainted with sadness. When my parents died, those seasonal traditions were the thing I missed most.

“I loved that movie growing up,” Landon admits, his warm hand rubbing my back in response to my sudden melancholy. “Did you watch The Grinch at Christmas, too?”

“Ha, of course! And we had hot cocoa with peppermint, and those Danish butter cookies that came in a tin.”

“Oh my god, I love those things. I used to eat them by the fistful. You remember how they came in those paper wrappers, like four cookies each?” When I nod, he continues. “Milo, Jared and I would dare each other to eat more and more of them. One time we took the whole giant tin and made ourselves sick. Got a good walloping once my mom realized what we’d done.” He chuckles. “It was still worth it, though.”

“That sounds like fun. I wish I had grown up with you guys. I bet we’d have lots of those kinds of memories.”

Landon steers me gently into a right turn, and we keep following the sidewalk.

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