Just My Luck

22○ A Morning After

L A N D O N

I fell asleep, in the room of my near dead father, on a creaky chair, with a crick in my neck and a snoring man at my side, yet somehow it was the best sleep I had had in ages.

The sun seemed to have made it's way across the horizon hours ago but I would rather sit here, with Veryan's heavy head on the side of my arm, than face whatever responsibilities await me.

Reciting the hazy memories of my brief childhood to Veryan made me somewhat at ease with him, and looking at him leaning on the side of my chair, maybe he was finally at ease with me too.

I envied they way he could fall asleep anywhere. Even with the sun blaring into the room, he stayed asleep and didn't stir. A true talent.

The soft smell of sweet alcohol and the sea drifted off his sleeping form. I had never been to the beach but I knew it would feel just as I do right now. Just one step away from drowning or floating safely to shore.

The light lit him up like gold and his hair was strands of glitter down his neck. His glasses slid down to the small hump of his nose and even with his mouth hanging open and the drool on his face, the sight made my heart do something close to a flutter.

He becomes manageable while asleep. He should sleep more often.

"I already know I'm pretty, so you can stop the staring fucker," he said, wiping off his face.

I harrumphed, caught off guard, "I prefer you asleep than awake."

He rolled his eyes but a smile played at his lips, "Well, I prefer you dead than alive... But, th-th-tha," he sighed, standing up and turning away from me, "Thanks. For last night. Nicoletta's been busy with her 'girl' and well, Castiel is a ninny, and... I didn't really have any friends."

Was he calling me his friend? No one ever called me their friend. The softness of his voice differed from his usual demeanor towards me and I bit my tongue in hopes that it would supress my uncalled for excitement.

"Not that I need friends-" he added quickly, "I'm a grown man. I don't- I'm not lonely or anything. And I don't need you to talk to me or any-"

"I get it Veryan," I interrupted, "...So are you saying we're friends?"

"Definitely not," he turned back to me with his usual scowl, "Don't back flip to conclusions, I was vulnerable for one night, it's not gonna happen again. I still despise you, jackass. But based on your sad childhood, I can see why you're...you."

My childhood may have not been the best, but it was the best my life would ever be. It all went downhill after adolescence.

"Yours didn't seem any better," I added.

"No, it definitely wasn't. But my life will be better. I will make it better. I'll be something bigger than you. So much bigger that I won't be a runt anymore."

His eyes shined with something I've never had. A hunger for more, to be more. My father and my brother were like that. They wanted more. And even if their intentions were malign, I envied it.

"You're not a runt, Veryan. You will be someone. Someone who is worth the world. You already are."

He looked at me like he had never seen me before and I wondered if anyone had ever said anything nice to him.

"Look, Landon, stop saying stupid stuff... And, just so you know, you're not a bad alpha... You're doing a good job. Or whatever..."

Everything was searing. My palms were sweating and my ears were burning off.

Praise me more.

Oh goddess. What was this? My face was on the verge of melting off just because he told me I was doing a good job.

I could feel the blood rush up to my eyeballs when he looked at me, noticing the blush brought on by his words for the second time.

Smirking, Veryan pulled closer to me, "What's all this Landon? You looked at me with disgust when I showed my carnal desires," he mocked, "Yet here you are: a horny bastard."

The smugness of his smile and his usual puerile deportment reminded me of why my blood was boiling but the way he bit his lips between his teeth reminded me why all that boiled blood flushed my skin.

"I'm not," I sighed, "Horny. I'm just tired. And you're being unpalatable right now." I tried to move away from him but he stood in my path.

I could easily lift him out of my way, but my immune system would have not been able to handle touching him.

Like the last time I was so close to him. My lips dragging its ways across his skin on their own. There were many methods of extracting information from someone but my brain became a fuzz when I looked at him on that bed, as if I were a teenager once more.

Closer and closer. If he came any closer I would have to jump out of the window.

"Doing indecent activities in front of your unconscious father, little Landon?" The door swung open to reveal Xavier with his thing one and thing two, sons in tow.

Veryan cursed under his breath and stepped away from me. The sparking fire was put out by his distance and I was annoyed by it's sudden disappearance.

"Sorry alpha, they just rushed in," Nicoletta said breathlessly, "No manners, these three."

My three unwelcomed guests lurked in the threshold, bemused with the situation they stumbled upon.

I plastered on an impassive face and shoved away the emotions that still boiled within me.

Impatiently, I looked to Xavier, whose sly grin oozed the superiority he felt over me.

He seemed to forget who's boss when he's around me, but I am still unsure of that myself.

He was the one who pushed my ascension to Alpha when I was newly toeing the line to adulthood.

I owe these hands of power to him and it seems like he came here to remind me of it.

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[A/N: I know the ending of this chap is kinda shit but my grandma's funeral was today yet I wanted to push out a chapter for you. I'm not gonna discontinue the book as someone commented on the last chap for me not to. So [person] I'm doing this for you. Wink.]