Second Chance Mates

-10- 🌹 I'm Gonna Try

[A/N - I chose a series name! "Crescent Woods Chronicles". Thank you to those who gave their input, it was really helpful!]

"And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try. If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life."
~Dan + Shay, 'Ten Thousand Hours'

~~~

*Ryland's POV*

{Me}
Hey Landon, are you free today?

I anxiously bounce my leg as I wait for his response. Why am I so nervous? I'm never nervous around guys. I've had no problem hooking up with guys in the past, so why am I panicking over a friend?

Because he's not just a friend. He's your mate, idiot.

Right.

I'll admit, although it's only been two days since we met, the concept of us being friends is already fucking with my head. It's unnatural for wolves to be nothing more than friends with their mates. The Moon designed us to desire each other; to mark one another as our own. I know that I'm the one who suggested we start out as friends, and I have no room to complain, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be.

I want to be with Landon all the time. I want his scent to cover everything I own, so when I go to bed, my pillow smells like lavender and pine. I want him.

But he doesn't want me. Not yet, anyway. I keep trying to remind myself that's why we need to stay friends... for now. It's not the easiest situation, but I'm going to try to make it work.

He can't want to be just friends forever, right? Eventually, he'll want something more.

...Won't he?

My phone chimes, and I nearly drop the device from excitement.

{Landon}
I'm working today

I frown at that. Who the hell works on a Sunday?

{Me}
Where do you work?

{Landon}
A small coffee shop at the end of 4th street

{Me}
You don't have a job within your pack?

Landon takes a bit longer replying, giving me time to mull over this new information. Wolves usually work within their pack. Our packs are pretty much like mini-towns hidden by the woods; a place where we are don't have to hide our supernatural abilities. Pack members can walk around town in their wolf form and no one bats an eye. It's the most comfortable place for us to be. All our homes are there, and even a few shops. I've heard some packs are large enough to have their own schools, but the Crescent Sun Pack isn't quite there yet. For this reason, we venture outside of our packs for essentials and for the occasional fun that isn't found within pack grounds.

But for work, wolves will have jobs within the pack. Either as a warrior, a scholar, a trainer for the pups, or just working the shops. We also have a lawyer and a doctor, but those jobs usually only have one wolf at a time occupying the position. And of course, there are the higher up positions, like the Alpha, Luna, and Beta. We live in the pack, and we give back to the pack through work. It's just the way things have always been, and it's a pretty good system.

As for me, my job options are pretty limited. Most jobs require the use of our supernatural abilities, which I can't exactly use for obvious reasons. I used to train the younger pups and help them adjust to their newfound abilities, and I was heartbroken to leave that job behind. About a year after the rejection, Ronnie and Lyn finally convinced me to find a different job within the pack. There weren't many jobs to choose from, but I ended up applying to the salon. Doing hair and shit.