Second Chance Mates

-09- 🌹 Hope In The Hopeless

^ Picture of Enzo Grey

"Unbreak the broken. Unsay these spoken words. Find hope in the hopeless. Pull me out of the train wreck."
~James Arthur, 'Train Wreck'

~~~

*Landon's POV*

"I'll give you a ride home," Ryland offers when he get back to his house.

"No!" I quickly shout a little too loudly, not ready for him to know that I don't live with a pack. "That's okay. I can call my brother."

Ryland looks like he wants to argue further but swallows it down, his honey eyes swirling with disappointment. Guilt fills my stomach. The poor guy has to put up with hearing his new mate just wants to be friends, and I can't even provide him the courtesy of being kind and honest.

I know he said he's okay with being friends, but how can he be? It's in our nature to want to be with our mates in every way. Hell, all of my instincts are furious with me for agreeing to be friends when all I want to do is feel his legs wrapped around me.

And yet, the thought of being with someone else makes the feeling of guilt triple, and I know I can't be what Ryland needs.

Still, if he wants to give being friends a shot, I'll do it. He seemed terrified at the prospect of me rejecting him, which leads me to believe he faced a pretty painful rejection already.

Roman.

Ryland said his name back at Joan's house, but neither of them elaborated on who he is. Although I have a pretty solid guess that he's the wolf that rejected my honeybee.

I pull out my phone, wincing when I see dozens of missed calls and messages from my family. I clear them out of the way and quickly send a text to Enzo.

{Me}
Can you come pick me up? I'm at the Crescent Sun Pack

{Enzo}
What the hell, Landon?! We've been looking everywhere for you!
Why are you at the Crescent Sun Pack?

{Me}
I'll explain everything later. Text me when you're here

I stuff my phone back into my pocket and face Ryland.

"My brother is on his way to pick me up," I tell him. Ryland nods slowly and sits down on one of the couches in the living room. I choose to sit on a plush chair next to the couch.

"You have a brother," Ryland says, more of a statement than a question.

I nod my head. "Two. And one sister."

"What are their names?"

"Enzo and Xander are my brothers. Enzo is the eldest, and he's married with two daughters. Xander is the youngest, he's only seventeen. Ophelia is my twin sister, but we just call her Lia."

Ryland's eyes light up. "You're a twin?" He asks excitedly. I can't help but grin at his child-like excitement over something as mundane as me having a twin.

"Yup. We don't look much alike besides us both having blonde hair and blue eyes. Although, my parents always say we're basically the same person. Our pack used to refer to us as demon spawn when we were children," I laugh. Ryland smiles wider, sending a satisfied tingle through my body at the knowledge that I'm the one who made him smile. "Lia and I were always getting into trouble, running around pack grounds and playing childish pranks on anyone and everyone. It got to the point where we weren't allowed to leave the house together unless Enzo went with us. He's the stereotypical responsible older brother."