Second Chances

Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Meeting Leigh

April 1, 2011

“She’s here!” sang Becky, in a better mood today than yesterday. She was skipping around the dining table at breakfast, with an extremely exhausted Wyatt on her heels.

“Leigh?” asked Vera Barclay, Wyatt’s older sister, before rejoining the pots and pans in the kitchens once again. She practically lived in the Alpha mansion since her brother lived here with Becky. Mainly, she wasted the day away by cleaning, and cooking items such as cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and a bunch of other pretty good food that was all available to us.

“Already?” I wondered, surprised. She wasn’t expected until noon, when Tallulah had informed us of her leaving at midnight. It was only nine o’clock.

“The girl is prompt.” Becky shrugged, grabbing two bagels. “Well, off I go.”

Wyatt didn’t follow her out, and instead slid into the seat beside mine. “Jesus, man. Your sister, even though I love her and all, is a crazy ass bitch. I swear she never needs sleep. Last night, she spent the time I could’ve been sleeping talking about random shit.”

I didn’t say anything about my sister. Merely, I told him, “Have the pack meet at eleven tonight in the village’s center square.”

“Will do, Alpha sir,” Wyatt responded, saluting somewhat mockingly. He knew he could away with a little more than the other pack members, since we’d been friends for the last seventeen years of our lives. “And I bet Becks is freaking out Leigh… Better find her before the poor girl is scarred for life!” He then proceeded to grin brightly, though he claimed to be tired beyond belief. The thought of being with your mate overpowers all else. He didn’t care how sleepy he was. He needed Becky.

Just like I had needed Brittanie.

“And get some sleep,” I added, sipping my coffee.

“Really?” His smile grew, thinking this was some sort of compassion. That I was worrying about his health. But he was wrong.

“No. I need you to be awake tonight. You are the beta.” I waved him away after that, and he scrambled out of the mansion.

But I wasn’t much better off than he was. Like him, I was also sleep-deprived. All I could see in my mind were Brittanie’s dead eyes gazing blankly at the sky, unseeing. Though, many a nights I spent remembering her lifeless corpse, cold and limp in my arms.

After a while, I tried to get back to sleep. When that didn’t work, I spent another hour or so on paperwork. That didn’t quite do it either. But by the time I had showered and dressed, it was already noon. So I pulled the cell phone from yesterday’s jean pockets and texted Becky. Where are you eating lunch?

Timmy’s place, she answered moments later. Timmy was Steph’s grandfather, and a friend of my own grandmother. How, honestly I’m clueless. He wasn’t really all that crazy compared to Granny Jemima, a woman who was more than a little off her rocker.

Within minutes I was out the door and running into the restaurant. In the corner facing, Becky and Leigh Lancaster sat. 

“Lucas!” Becky waved me over. Somehow, in the last three hours, she had added purple to the blue and black locks.

As I approached their booth, Leigh Lancaster turned to face me. And as soon as my eyes landed upon her, I did to her what I did to all other women. I compared her to Brittanie.

Leigh was slender, with the same willowy build Brittanie had once had. Most likely they were the same height, pinning Miss Lancaster at around 5’7. Only, Leigh had light blonde hair and seemingly secretive brown eyes as opposed to Brittanie’s dark red hair and expressive blue eyes.

“Hello, Alpha Lucas,” she said, standing. She reached out her hand, which I disregarded as I went to sit beside my sister. Her eyes turned sad for some unknown reason.

“This is Leigh,” Becky introduced, as if I didn’t already know that.

I rolled my eyes, and called the waitress, who happened to be Della, over.

“Hey, Dells,” Becky greeted happily, gesturing frantically towards Leigh. “This is Leigh, from Tallulah’s pack.”

“Really?” Della arched an eyebrow, pulling out her pad to take our orders. “Nice to meet you Leigh. Della Crenshaw. If you’re hanging with Becks here, you’ll be seeing quite a bit of me. Alpha Lucas on the other hand…” She cut herself off, and smiled. “What can I get y’all, then?”

Leigh laughed weakly, her eyes still upset and troubled. “Nice to meet you as well, Della.”

Della looked at her questioningly for a second, until I broke in and snapped, “Just bring the usual Delaney.”

Della’s fingers gripped her pen tighter. She hated the name ‘Delaney’. “Will do, sir.” With that, she scurried off.

Becky merely shook her, disappointed as usual.

“So,” began Leigh, pulling a folder from her purse, “Alpha Tallulah only really asks a few simple things of you and your pack. The main one being peace of course. Mainly, keep your boys off her land, stop poaching, don’t rat her out to the those damn werewolf hunters to save your asses like you have in the past, and all is well. Like I said: simple. Is it not?

“I suppose so,” I replied coolly, watching as Leigh twiddled her fingers uncomfortably beneath my stare. “And is that the only reason Tallulah stupidly sent you here, thus risking your life because there is the possibility we would kill you and allow war?”

Leigh’s lips twitched into a small smirk. “No. That isn’t the only reason, Alpha Lucas. But those reasons aren’t for your ears to ever hear. Not even Tallulah’s ears should have heard, but I believe she was rather desperate. I can’t say I blame her.”

I had no idea what she was saying. It made no sense to me, really. But secrets weren’t welcome, and I – for the sake of my pack, of course – had to learn them, reveal them, and hopefully not have to kill somebody in the process.

“I see,” I answered moments later.

“No, you don’t, Alpha Lucas. But I wish you could.”