Protected Promise by Julie Trettel
Landon
Chapter 14
I was filled with gratitude for the support the other Alphas and their mates showed us. I could sense how much it meant to Kaitlyn too. We had stayed and talked with them for several hours, but as the sun was beginning to drop low in the sky, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to the hotel after a quick run to her room at the Theta house to pick up some clothes. I’d waited outside and still received a few curious looks from some of her sisters, but no one said anything.
“Ready?” she asked carrying a small suitcase with her.
‘Ready. Are you sure you want to stay at the hotel? I’ll understand if you’d rather spend your last night here with your sorority sisters,” I said trying to be supportive while praying she wanted to stay with me instead.
“Honestly, I’ve never really liked most of them. There’s a few I’ll probably keep in touch with, but that’s it.”
“Why’s that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think I was really cut out to be a sorority girl. They mostly put up with me because of my connection to Damon and the doghouse. It was a bit of a symbiotic relationship more than a true sisterhood for me.”
“My little lone wolf.”
She sighed. “In a lot of ways, I guess so.”
“You didn’t eat much for lunch. Are you okay?” I asked her. I had a bag full of extra food I was taking back to the hotel with us.
“I’m fine. We were talking. I did eat some. It was enough.”
I scrunched up my face. “No it wasn’t. No wonder you’re so little.”
She laughed. “Not all of us can be big scary giants.”
I gulped. “Did my wolf scare you?” I knew it was a possibility, but it hadn’t seemed like she was intimidated by him.
“No, not at all,” she confirmed much to my relief.
I really wasn’t that self-conscious about it, but newcomers were always afraid until they got adjusted to seeing him, or me for that matter. I wasn’t exactly small even in my skin. The top of Kaitlyn’s head didn’t even reach my shoulders. I didn’t mind though. She was perfect and fit seamlessly against me almost as if she were made just for me.
When we finally got back to the hotel, the very first thing I did was set the alarm.
Kaitlyn frowned. “That’s early.”
“Don’t we still have to get your stuff packed up before we leave?”
She sat down on the bed with a contemplative look. She kept staring at her phone with an odd look on her face. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. Not the details of it all at least.”
“Oh,” I managed to say trying not to freak out. Of course she’d had plans before I arrived. I already knew that. It was the end of school, and she was supposed to be going to Florida. I had heard it, we had even briefly discussed it, but it hadn’t really sunk in until now. “You have plans for after college. Tell me about them.”
She gave me a look like I was crazy. “Does it even matter now?”
“Of course it does. I’ve told you that you will always have a say in our lives. We’re partners in this, Kaitlyn.”
“I know, but the Pack. They need us, right?”
“Tell me,” I insisted ignoring the obvious.
She sighed. “To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to do after here. Sure, I had applied for a bunch of jobs in Florida, but that was just the other day.” She turned her phone to me as I read the email she’d been staring at.
“They want you to come in for an interview.” They would have been idiots not to want that. My only concern was with what Kaitlyn wanted. “Is that what you want?”
“What? No.” She looked at me like I was insane.
“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out if you do.”
“Do you not want me to go back to your Pack?”
“Our Pack,” I corrected her. “And of course I do. But I’m trying to also be supportive here, isn’t that what a good mate is supposed to do?”
She laughed. “Stop trying so hard, Landon. You are going to be a wonderful mate. You already are. I’m excited to go and meet your Pack, our Pack. Everything’s just happened so quickly that I hadn’t thought through the details of all of that. I don’t want to go to Florida. I never really did, it just sounded like a better escape at the time.”
“From Longhorn?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve warned you my Pack is small, and we don’t need much. Most of our food is sourced within territory. We’re pretty self-sufficient and isolated from the outside world. I fear it’s quite different from what you’re used to.”
“It sounds perfect, Landon. I know there will be an adjustment period, but I’m actually kind of excited about the future right now.”
“I have to be back soon. I need to be in Seattle tomorrow. I was supposed to take Tobi back home. She doesn’t do great in big cities. Jackson’s there so it’ll be okay, but she’s been prone to anxiety attacks when there. I shouldn’t have abandoned her like that.”
“Tobi’s going to be fine, Landon,” she said confidently. I knew she was right, but I also needed to hear that affirmation too.
“Why don’t we just go back to the house and pack my things tonight. I really don’t have a ton. I guess I’m more of a minimalist really. But then maybe we won’t have to get up quite so early.”
I chuckled. “Not a morning person, huh?”
“Definitely not.” She laughed.
We left the hotel and headed back to campus. It only took two hours for us to get all of her things packed and loaded into my car. I had considered renting a trailer, but there really was no need. She truly didn’t have much.
“This is everything?”
“Yup. That’s it.”
I leaned down and kissed her as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Kaitlyn?”
She startled and turned to look at the girl that had just interrupted us. “Oh, hey Mila.”
Mila gave her a look I didn’t recognize.
Kaitlyn sighed. “This is Landon. Landon, Mila is one of my Theta sisters.”
“I want to meet him too,” another girl said as she appeared in the doorway.
“And that’s Tiffany.”
“Scoot over, I want to see.”
“And that would be Sabrina. This is Landon.”
“Hey,” Tiffany said batting her eyes at me.
I gave her a confused look. “You know I’m Kaitlyn’s mate, right?”
“Ignore her, she flirts with everything,” Sabrina insisted.
Tiffany shoved her and before Sabrina could react I jumped in. “Well, it’s really nice to meet you all. We were just packing up Kaitlyn’s stuff as we’ll be heading home in the morning.”
“We? As in together?” Mila asked.
Tiffany snorted. “Did you clear that with Damon Rossi? He’s a little territorial with this one.”
My wolf stirred at the insinuation, but I already knew the real truth behind that story and just smiled.
“So it’s serious?” Sabrina asked.
“I heard you were an Alpha,” Mila stated.
“Aren’t you heading for Florida, Kaitlyn?” Tiffany snarked.
The questions seemed to be flying from every direction. Until I put my hand up for them to stop talking.
“Good Lord, do they always talk this fast?”
Kaitlyn laughed. “Always.”
“Sorry,” Mila said. “We’re just concerned for Kaitlyn is all. I mean she just met you and here you are making out with her with the door wide open. If you knew her at all, the way we do, as sisters, then you would understand that simply isn’t who she is.”
Concerned for Kaitlyn my ass. This girl just wanted all the gossip. I was certain of it.
“It’s not a big deal guys,” my mate tried to say.
“Oh, it’s a very big deal,” Tiffany insisted.
“Are you at least happy?” Sabrina asked. “And what did you decide to do next? Did you hear anything back from those jobs in Florida?”
“I did actually. I got an interview with one of them, but I’m turning it down.”
My whole body relaxed hearing her absolutely confirm it.
She smiled at me. “I think I’m going to have plenty to do in Canada.”
“Canada? Is that where you’re from?” Mila asked looking up at me.
“Yes, and as Pack Mother, I agree Kaitlyn, is going to be plenty busy,” I said kissing the top of her head.
Sabrina and Tiffany may have swooned a little, but Mila looked pissed and I couldn’t understand why.
“Wait, Kaitlyn? Pack Mother?”
“You really are an Alpha, then?” Tiffany asked.
“I am,” I confirmed.
“And you’re happy with this? You’ve decided to take him as your mate?” Sabrina asked and while I didn’t particularly appreciate the question, I was happy to see someone seemed to at least care about her true feelings.
“He’s my true mate and I’m very happy and excited about this new step in life.”
The two girls embraced while Mila snorted. “Boy are you going to regret this decision,” she had the audacity to say to me. “That girl is a hot mess.”
“You know, I don’t like you very much.”
Kaitlyn nearly choked at my words and I turned my attention to her until she settled.
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
I looked back at Mila. “I can sense you’re a wolf. What pack are you from?”
She gulped and I knew I was leaking some Alpha powers over her. I could feel it rolling off of me in waves now. “Collier,” she mumbled.
“Thomas Collier’s Pack?” I asked waiting for her to nod. “Where I come from, one shows respect to an Alpha and his Pack Mother. Let me be clear, Kaitlyn isn’t going to be my Pack Mother, she is my Pack Mother. I’m disappointed to see Thomas doesn’t teach his wolves the same. I’ll have to mention it to him the next time we speak.”
In truth I’d barely met the man this weekend and not in the best moment. His mate was sassy and outspoken. I had immediately liked her. Still, my words had done the trick.
Mila lowered her aggression as she bowed her head to us both. “I meant no disrespect, Alpha. Kaitlyn, uh, Pack Mother,” she grumbled before making a lame excuse and scurrying off to another part of the house.
Tiffany looked like she was in shock at my audacity. Admittedly it was rude of me, but I wouldn’t tolerate anyone belittling my mate. That was a hard line for me that would not be crossed in my presence.
Kaitlyn hugged the girls and said her final goodbyes as I grabbed her last bag and escorted her to the car.
“I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have been rude to your friend.”
Kaitlyn burst out laughing. “Are you kidding? That was epic! I have never seen anyone put her in her place that fast before. I feel bad for Thomas. He seems like a good guy. The Westins speak very highly of him, but he certainly has his hands full with the likes of her.”
“So you aren’t angry?”
“Not at all. That was amazing, probably the best graduation gift you could have given me.”
I grinned, not at all surprised by the high I felt from my girl’s praise, but it was certainly a feeling I could get used to.
“Can we grab some food before we get back to the hotel?” she surprised me by asking.
I chuckled. “Now you’re hungry?”
She bit her lip and stared out the window.
“I’m only teasing, gorgeous. What would you like?”
She surprised me further by directing me to a fast food joint we passed en route between campus and the hotel, and then truly shocked me when she ordered a forty piece chicken nuggets and a large fry. I doubled the order.
She didn’t even wait until we got back to the room. As soon as I handed her the food she dug into the fries.
“Mmm. Is there anything greater than fresh hot salty fries?”
Her moan stirred me, making it uncomfortable to drive. I couldn’t get us back to that hotel fast enough.
