Protected Promise by Julie Trettel

Landon

Chapter 4

 

 

 

Even though it was too late for me to turn back, I was still considering it. I had a million things on my mind. Dozens of things I wish I had done first or should be doing were distracting me as I drove south into the US and down to Archibald Reynold’s College.

I had gotten up early and drove until I couldn’t drive anymore before pulling over in some heavily wooded area that called to my wolf. Seeing the place void of any humans, I had shifted and spent the night in my fur.

I knew I had a hotel awaiting my arrival just outside the ARC. I could wash up when I got there. I just didn’t see the need to pay for a room to sleep only a couple of hours.

By the time I saw the gates of the school come into view I was equally excited and exhausted. I had to keep telling myself that this trip was going to be worth it.

I checked the clock and saw it was only one in the afternoon. I couldn’t even check into my hotel until three. I pulled over as soon as I was on campus and called Jackson. It rang twice and rolled to voice mail.

A second later before I could even get frustrated, my phone chimed with an incoming text.

JACKSON: Can’t talk. She’s here.

The second text was an address.

There weren’t any instructions or anything, just an address. I plugged it into the GPS on my phone and found I was only steps away. I drove to a nearby parking lot and then got out to stretch. It looked like I’d have to walk the remainder of the way.

I took my time looking around and taking it all in. I wondered what college life would be like. I was a little sad that it was something I would never personally get to experience. People were rushing around in every direction. Many of the cars in the lot were loaded down with stuff and ready to start the journey back home. There was a buzz in the air that was contagious and lifted my sour mood.

The closer I got to the address, the faster my pace became, until I was standing in front of a large white house with a big porch and larges letters of D O G proudly displayed.

I hesitantly walked up the stairs, uncertain why I was nervous. Perhaps it was more of a nervous excitement. Tobi was probably just on the other side of the door awaiting a surprise she didn’t know was coming. I grinned thinking of the smile that would break out across her face.

Despite an unnatural anxiety my wolf was projecting, I raised my hand and knocked on the front door. It swung open before anyone answered. There were a lot of people standing around just inside and among them were Tobi and Jackson.

“Landon?” I heard Tobi ask, sounding like she had just lost her mind.

I smiled back at her.

“Landon!” she shrieked as she ran across the room and launched herself into my arms. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

I just held her in a crushing hug as all her questions poured out of her.

“Who the hell is that and why aren’t you kicking his ass for touching your girl?” someone asked.

I chuckled as I set Tobi back on her feet and extended my hand to Jackson. He easily took it and I pulled him in for a hug too.

“Oh, they know each other. I guess?” the same guy asked.

“Why aren’t you surprised to see him here?” Tobi demanded of Jackson.

We both looked at each other, smiled even bigger, and shrugged.

Tobi punched him in the arm. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

Then she turned on me and punched me too. “I just talked to you three days ago. You didn’t say a word.”

“Surprise,” I said, wondering if I had done the right thing.

Her scornful face morphed in the biggest smile and I knew everything was going to be okay.

“So, who might this be?” someone asked.

“Everyone, this is Landon, my Alpha.”

Someone spat their drink out and choked. “That’s how you greet your Alpha?”

“Holden, I told you that smaller packs are closer to their Alphas than larger ones.”

“Let me introduce you around,” Tobi said. “This is my friend Marie and her mate Holden. The look-a-like next to him is his twin Hudson. This is Tyler, Finn, Dylan, Brian, and Asher. Oh, there is Brett and my friend Jade, and my friend Ember and her mate Chad. Pretty much everyone else already headed out to the party. We were just about to get dressed up and go.”

“Hi,” I said receiving a few nods as the group dispersed into other parts of the house until Jackson, Tobi, and I were the only three left in the big room. “I didn’t mean to run everyone off.”

“No, seriously, it’s the last formal of the year and we have several of the brothers graduating this year, so it’s kind of a big deal. They needed to go and get ready. I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow.”

I shrugged. “Just started driving and only stopped to catch a few hours of sleep.”

“We can’t miss formal, can we?” Tobi asked. “Or maybe you can go by yourself, Jackson?”

I could sense I was intruding and making them uncomfortable. I hated that. I should have stuck to the plan.

“It’s fine. I’ll be checking into my hotel soon and plan to crash. I just wanted to stop in and say hello first,” I lied. I had been really looking forward to spending time here with the both of them. I should have considered they had lives here that did not include me.

“No, it’s cool. You’ve got a few inches on me, but we aren’t that different in build. You can try borrowing one of my suits and come with us.”

I chuckled. “I did bring a suit for graduation, but I’m not going to intrude on your party either. Really. Go, and have fun. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

They shared a look and Tobi shook her head. “Nope. You are here and I’m not going to have any fun tonight if you aren’t with us. You never really got to experience just being young and free. Cut loose some tonight and go out with us.”

“I’m not young or free, Tobi. You know that,” I said sadly.

“Well, for as long as you are here, that’s exactly what you are,” she insisted.

“I’ll warn the others not to mention the whole Alpha thing,” Jackson said as he quickly left us.

“Why would that be a secret?”

“Oh, it’s not. It’s just that people, especially other wolves, can be a little intimidated by the whole Alpha thing and we both just want you to relax and have some fun for once.”

“Are you saying I don’t have fun?”

We both knew I really didn’t.

She eyeballed me and put her hands on her hips. I couldn’t help but crack a grin. That was my Tobi always ready to put me back in my place.

“Don’t even say it. Are you sure about this?”

“I’m positive. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car and then you can come back to our place and change.”

I hesitated and she glared at me. I forced a smile to my lips. “Sounds like fun.”

 

*****

 

An hour later I was dressed in my best suit and trying to stop Jackson from pacing the floor. The door to the bedroom finally opened and Tobi stepped out wearing a long purple mermaid looking dress.

My jaw dropped. “Wow!”

The look on Jackson’s face made me green with envy, not over Tobi, but the desire to have someone that dazzled me that badly.

“Gorgeous,” he whispered before taking her into his arms and kissing her hard on the lips.

Tobi blushed then snorted as she giggled and pushed him away. “I worked hard on my makeup and hair, and you are not ruining it this time.”

“This time? Does that happen often?”

She blushed and wouldn’t look me in the eye.

Jackson shrugged. “She gets all dressed up and I guess I can’t help myself. We’ve never actually made it to one of these events.”

It took a second to realize what he was insinuating. “Gross. Why the hell did you ask me to come along then?”

Jackson shrugged as she smacked him.

“You are my guaranteed ticket that we will make it this time and I will finally experience my first formal.”

Jackson pouted. “Damn it. Sneaky woman. I didn’t even think of it like that.”

She laughed. “Now go. Both of you. We are doing this thing."

“Wait, you looked awkward when Tobi suggested you go by yourself. I thought I was intruding on your fun.”

Jackson laughed easily. “Trust me, you are, but not in that way.”

“Jackson,” Tobi warned him.

“Why does it embarrass you so much that your mate finds you irresistible? Sex is a perfectly normal part of mating, Tobi.”

Her jaw dropped and her cheeks turned an impossibly darker shade of red. “I’m not talking to you about that!”

“Why? You used to tell me everything,” I teased.

“Well not that!”

Jackson was laughing. “I love watching you two together. It’s going to be an awesome summer.”

“Summer?” Tobi asked. “I thought we were going to be in Seattle this summer.”

“Actually, babe, I only have one week of training next week and then if all goes well, I’ll be working mostly remote.”

“The Pack is close enough that if anything happens he can get back there quickly, so we thought maybe you’d like to come home for the summer. Please say yes because I think your mother is going to challenge my ass for Alpha if I return without you.”

“You guys are serious? You worked all of this out without even consulting me?”

I looked to Jackson for help, but he was already staring at me for help.

Tobi squealed and threw and arm around each of us. “Thank you. I love that you two schemed together behind my back. This is the best surprise ever!”

“Whew.”

“For a second there I worried that was going to turn bad quickly.”

“Me too,” I admitted.

Tobi practically skipped in her heels the rest of the way there.

As we approached, I could see other people dressed in their best walking into the house before us.

“Man, I hate dances,” Jackson confessed.

“Wait, what? It’s a dance?”

“Don’t even pretend like you don’t dance, Landon. I know you better than that.”

I started shimmying around her. “Girl, you know I can dance.” But the truth was, I’d never actually been to a dance unless you counted the fake prom Tobi and I threw our senior year of high school as we played Never Been Kissed on the TV and decorated the basement.

I wasn’t sure I could actually dance in front of other people. My palms were suddenly sweating more the closer we got.

“Tickets,” a girl said at the door. She seemed pissed off at having been issued the duty.

Jackson handed them over.

“You don’t get to bring two dates, Jackson,” she said clearly knowing him.

“Come on. He just got into town. Give us a break, it’s supposed to be fun tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. But the theme this year is masquerade. Masks are on the table, wear them or else.”

I held up my hands in peace and slowly backed away.

“Don’t even ask. She’s just a bitch,” Tobi said as she led us to a table lined with shiny sparkly masks.

Tobi browsed the table for a minute and then picked out a mask and held it up to Jackson. She grinned and nodded as she fitted it to him before picking out one for herself. Then she looked me over. I sighed. It seemed stupid to me.

She picked up a mask and I squatted down so she could reach my face. Her nose scrunched up and she quickly returned it for another, and then another. She picked up one studded in jewels. I scrunched up my nose in disapproval. This time she smiled.

“That’s it. You look like a handsome prince now.”

I rolled my eyes.

She shook her head. “Don’t let those steel gray eyes steal any hearts tonight.”

I groaned at her teasing. “Fat chance of that happening.”

“Come on, boys, we have a party to attend.”

She linked her right arm to Jackson’s, and then her left through mine.

“People are gonna wonder just what kind of Pack I’m running.”

Tobi laughed.

“She doesn’t care, dude.”

“But why don’t you?”

Jackson shrugged. “I know my girl’s heart. She loves you, but she loves me more.”

I laughed. “I think you’re right about that.”

“Besides, this works in my favor.”

“How so?”

“I don’t really like to dance, so you can handle that part.”

I shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m happy to take all the fun parts.”

Jackson started to correct me, but Tobi instantly cut him off causing us both to roar with laughter.

“I can’t even tell who anyone is here with these stupid masks on.”

“I think we’re over here,” Jackson said dragging us both to a far corner across the room.

As we walked through the crowd, a shiver of awareness shot up my spine and I froze in place. Tobi tugged on my arm pulling me along with her as I frantically checked my surroundings.

I had never felt anything like it. The air was tinged with the sweetest smell and for a moment, I thought I must be high.

Great, someone was smoking some funny stuff. I did not need that at the moment. It was screwing with my senses making them hyper aware.

I frowned as a blast of the scent hit me again nearly making my knees buckle. I stumbled and Tobi turned back to make sure I was okay.

“I’m fine,” I said before she could even ask.

The scent was everywhere, enveloping me until I was heady from the deliciousness of it.

I scanned my surroundings again. There was no smoke. I hadn’t had anything to drink so I knew I hadn’t been slipped anything. I’d read about such things and warned Tobi to be cautious at these sort of parties. I couldn’t place the source or what was causing it.

As we were crossing the dance floor, someone bumped into me.

Mate.

My body froze at the solitary word spoken by my wolf.