AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Landon quirks a brow. “All of ‘em, huh?”
A nervous laugh escapes my lips. “Layla is fine.”
His full lips curve into an irresistible smile, and he presents his hand for a shake. “Then it’s my pleasure, Layla.” When I accept his shake, another spark passes between us, and he raises my hand to press a kiss to the back.
It takes everything I have not to melt into a puddle right there.
When Landon releases my hand with a wink, I tuck it safely in my pocket and turn awkwardly back to Milo. “So, you’re both here helping out?” I glance between the two of them, not really sure where to look. They’re flanking me and it feels weird to only face one.
“Yeah, but we’re pretty much done. What are you up to?” Milo’s eyes are warm.
“I’m exploring,” I shrug. “I just arrived from LA last night, and this is my first time out of California. So it’s a lot to take in.”
Milo and Landon exchange a glance over my head before he returns his gaze to mine. “Would you like a tour?”
ChapterFive
Landon
* * *
I know it’s shitty, but some part of me is incredibly relieved that Layla is hot. I mean, she’s going to be my mate for the rest of my life, so I think it’s fair to be happy that I’m attracted to her.
She’s got this wild dark hair that my fingers are itching to touch and see if it’s as soft as it looks, and bright green eyes that practically glow in the low light of day. She said she moved here from LA, but her skin is pale and creamy, and even though she’s tiny compared to me, her body is deliciously curvy. And she’s got this look to her that’s like, innocent but wise beyond her years.
Milo’s dad told us everything he knew on the drive over. Basically, her parents died, and they put her in foster care because no one knew of their connection to Smoky Falls. She had a shitty foster home and ran away, then lived on the streets for a few years before she was attacked and Dom saw her on the news.
What a crazy story. What were the odds that we would have ever found her, if not for that attack?
But as we wander around the grounds, talking about Smoky Falls and introducing her to her new home, she doesn’t seem out of sorts. In fact, she seems to have adapted really well already. She’s chatty and curious about the town, the school, and what people do for entertainment.
Milo and I are careful to avoid discussing wolves in any way, and just present ourselves as friends and future classmates. Soon enough Dom will explain everything about the pack to her, but he gave strict orders that no one was to speak to her about wolves, and the weight of the alpha’s command keeps the word off our tongues.
That is until she brings it up.
“Hey, let me show you guys something. Maybe you can answer a question for me.”
“Sure thing, Lex.” Milo is always effortlessly cool, but even in the face of our long-lost mate, he seems completely unruffled. I felt the change when she came through the pack barriers last night, but now it feels like constant energy zipping over my skin. Just being close to her, getting whiffs of her sweet cherry-almond scent, is doing crazy things to my body. The alpha command certainly helps, but it is also taking a lot of willpower to stop myself from pressing my body to hers and burying my nose in her hair.
Milo seems completely unaffected. Ass.
Layla leads us off the paved path along a trail, and points at the ground. “Are those wolf prints? I mean, they look like wolf prints, but I’ve never seen any so big. My uncle didn’t tell me anything about wolves around here.”
Milo crouches down and pretends to examine the prints. Any idiot can tell they’re wolf prints, there’s certainly no need for such a thorough examination.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure,” he answers carefully and stands. “What did your uncle say?”
“We’ll I haven’t asked him yet, I just saw them on my walk down to the greenhouse,” she rolls her eyes as if this should be obvious. Which, of course, it is, but Milo is playing dumb. “But last night he told me to stay out of the woods because of bears, and he never mentioned wolves.”
“Oh, yeah, the bears can be dangerous, especially around this time of year,” I latch onto the subject. “They’re preparing to hibernate, so they get especially mean as food gets scarce. Particularly the mommas with their cubs.”
“Yeah, best to stay away from the bears,” Milo agrees. “Shall we?” He gestures down the path toward the alpha house, deliberately stepping on the prints in the mud to ruin them.
“Wait, but-”
“You know, I think I could go for some hot chocolate. Susan, the sous chef in the house, makes the most amazing hot chocolate. Should we go bribe her to make some?” Milo wags his eyebrows.
“You want hot cocoa?” Layla looks confused. “It’s not even that cold out.”
