Alpha Landon novel Chapter 24

~ Althea

It has been two days since the Kaden incident.

Landon has been acting a bit strange lately. Distant. I knew he had talked to Kaden recently, but he wouldn't tell me what had happened. I even brought up Kace, and what would happen to him, but he just dismissed me.

So I have decided I am going to confront him about this. He is in his office right now, working. His father has gone away on a business trip, so we have the place to ourselves.

And I am beginning to feel the loneliness.

So I wander down, taking the stairs two at a time. But as I get closer, I begin to slow down. What do I say to him? I hardly confronted him about anything when we were just friends. Maybe I had told him what girl he shouldn't bother going after, but that is all.

I peek my head around the corner, seeing Landon stooped over his desk. He just sat there, not moving at all. It is obvious that he isn't doing any work, because he is using both of his arms to prop his head up, that I have held in his hands.

"Landon?" I say warily. I don't move from my place in the doorway. He is visibly upset, by the looks of it. He doesn't even turn, or speak to acknowledge me in the slightest.

I amble closer, reaching my hand out to touch his back. I do so, gently. He flinches, a shiver rippling under his skin. Again, he doesn't make any move to look at me.

"Is everything alright?" I ask softly. He makes some sort of noise that confuses me. Does he want me to leave or something? Too bad, I am not leaving until I get some sort of an answer. So I round the desk, pulling up a stray chair for me to sit on.

He is covering his face with his hands, so I can't see his expression; which is probably one of annoyance. He is looking down at his desk, that is bare of any paper. I have to know what he is thinking right now.

"I am fine ..." His curt voice cuts me off. I had been reaching for him, wanting to make some sort of physical contact. I try not to feel slightly offended by this. I have to remind myself that he is my mate now, and that I have to deal with whatever issue he throws at me.

"You're not not," I say curtly. I may not know exactly what is wrong, but I know a sad Landon when I see one. So, being brave, I reach out and grab his hand, wrapping my fingers around his own. He doesn't move. I had actually expected him to move away from me for whatever reason. So this is a pleasant surprise.

When he looks up at me, and what I see takes me by surprise.

His tears.

His eyes are bloodshot, and filled with unshed tears. A single tear runs down his cheek. The scene instantly breaks my heart.

Wordlessly, I stand up, and round the desk, so I come to stand beside him. I may not know why he is crying, but what I do know, is that I need to be there for him no matter what the situation is. He pulls me onto his lap, so I am straddling his hips.

"I've failed you," he whispers, leaning his head against my breasts. I close my eyes. His words cause an unknown pain to strike my heart. Why would he say that. I stroke his soft hair to try and soothe him. Even his soft sobbing makes me want to join him in his sorrow.

"No you haven't," I mumbled. Aside from my remorse, I was feeling confused. Landon couldn't do anything to fail me. Unless of course he cheated on me or something, but he would never do that ...

"Kace ..." he says against my chest. My eyebrows furrow. Kace, I hated to be reminded of him. The man who thought that he owed me his life, when in actual fact, I couldn't care less what happened to him, as long as he didn't harass anyone else again.

"Kaden ..." Landon continues to say, in a pained voice. The more he talks, the more confused I become.

"Even though I was ugly, and useless?" I hear him ask. I paused.

Did he really just say that? I lift my head up, giving him a glare, thinking he is joking. But he looks completely serious.

"You weren't ugly and useless. In fact, you were more than I could have ever wanted. You still are," I tell him. I hope he saw that his looks meant nothing to me. Now, and back then. His change didn't change my views in the slightest.

"In fact, I thought you were very handsome," I state confidently. I grab his face, and he laughs, like he doesn't believe me at all.

"You have always been beautiful. I bet you wouldn't be mine if your father let you date that boy way back, 'Landon said, completely straight faced. I blinked. Levi? The boy I liked back when I was thirteen? I Hadn't actually liked him, I just made it seem like I did so Landon wouldn't think I was desperate.

"You're kidding. You're bringing up Levi?" I mutter, rolling my eyes as he screws his face up.

Levi had been a friend of my mother friend. He was attractive, and every girl liked him. But he had more dick in his personality, then he did in his pants ...

"I was unbelievably jealous," Landon admitted. "I thought you and him would be mates one day, and I would be forever alone."

I lightly punched his shoulder. He had to be kidding, I mean I thought he didn't think about think about that kind of thing at all. Ever.

"Well I am yours now. Forget Levi, and anyone else," I tell Landon, resting my forehead against his.