“Today was... fun,” Cyrus whispers in my ear, his breath warm and gentle. He moves down to press his lips against mine. I respond, matching his movements. Our lunch date couldn't have gone better.
I've learned so much about Cyrus today: his work, his likes and dislikes. He's almost perfect. He's polite, sweet, kind, and smart. But there's something about him that doesn't quite fit. He doesn't feel like ‘my mate’.
“We should do this again,” I suggest, pulling back to smile at him. He returns my smile, his lips finding mine again. I thread my fingers through his thick black hair.
His gentle approach to love is appealing. It's easy to go along with, but hard to resist.
After our successful date, we walk back hand in hand, the setting sun casting a warm glow around us. It's sweet of Cyrus to walk me to my door.
Suddenly, the door swings open. Cyrus jumps back, smoothing his shirt and clasping his hands together. I shoot a glare at the door, expecting to see my father.
He's thrilled about Cyrus and me, that's clear. But he's always looking for a chance to meddle in our relationship, to make sure everything goes according to his plan.
He probably saw us walking up the driveway and was ready to intervene at the right moment.
But it's not my father at the door. It's Landon. His hair is slicked back neatly, he's dressed to impress, and he smells amazing; like spice and roses. I'm momentarily taken aback.
The last time I saw him in my house, my father was chasing him out the door with a wooden spoon. Now, there's no one beside him, no one to blame him for anything.
He's glaring at Cyrus, an unknown emotion swirling in his light brown eyes. His fists are clenched, and he seems to grow more intimidating with each passing moment.
“Landon?” His name slips out before I can stop it. No matter how hard we tried in the past, my father wouldn't change his mind about Landon.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, looking at him. He takes his eyes off Cyrus, who's fidgeting nervously. I reach out and take Cyrus's hand, wrapping my fingers around his.
Suddenly, my father appears behind Landon, a huge smile on his face. He pushes past Landon, pulling Cyrus into a bear hug and slapping him on the back. I roll my eyes.
It's like my father is the one dating Cyrus, not me. I still don't understand how he met Cyrus in the first place. Apparently, Cyrus is the son of one of my father's coworkers.
If that makes any sense.
“Nice to see you. Staying for dinner?” my father asks Cyrus.
I can see in his eyes that he really wants Cyrus to stay. He wants to grill him about our date, because he knows I won't tell him anything. Cyrus sighs.
“Sorry, Sir, I have to make dinner for my mother tonight. Thanks for the offer,” Cyrus says politely. My father looks disappointed, but he doesn't say anything.
Cyrus kisses my forehead gently, then leans in to whisper in my ear.
“Don't let Landon get to you,” he murmurs so softly, I almost don't hear him. I look at him, confused. Get to me? Cyrus squeezes my hand, winks, and walks off down the path.
We all watch him go. I glance at Landon quickly, hoping he didn't hear what Cyrus just said. Not that I know what he meant.
“Well, come on in, Althea. Landon is staying for dinner,” my father says, sounding excited. I blink. Did I hear that right? I follow them inside, ready to ask a million questions.
I need to know what Landon said or did to convince my father.
The house is warm, and something delicious is cooking in the kitchen. I grab Landon's arm before he can follow my father into the dining room.
He looks at me, confused, and shakes his head.
“How?” I whisper, annoyed. He should have told me if he was planning this. Shouldn't he be doing something productive, like Alpha work?
Instead, he's here, scaring off my date. Cyrus would have stayed if there wasn't an Alpha hanging around the house, charming my father. This isn't helping me get over Landon as quickly as I'd hoped.
“We talked,” he says, not really explaining anything. I want to ask him more, make him explain, but he walks past me and into the dining room. I follow him, feeling a bit lost.
My father is already sitting at the head of the table, talking to my mother, who's holding a plate of roast chicken. I bet they're talking about Cyrus and me.
I hope they're not planning to set us up for mating this early.
“Sit, dinner is ready,” my mother says softly. She walks over to kiss my cheek. Landon sits in my usual spot at the dinner table.
His emerald eyes stay on me, even when my mother leans over his shoulder to put a plate of vegetables on the table.
“So, did you enjoy your date?” Landon asks, tilting his head. I can feel my father listening in, curious. That makes me hold back the sarcastic comment I had ready for Landon.
Landon runs his hands through his hair, and I can't help but notice the muscles in his arms under his shirt.
“It was great. He's very...attentive,” I say, spearing a piece of chicken onto my plate. Landon just stares at me, not saying anything.
“I'm glad you two are getting along. He's the perfect man for you to—”
“Mate?” I interrupt.
He nods, smiling.
“Don't you think it's a little, I don't know, early to be thinking about mating someone you just met?” Landon asks, catching everyone's attention. Even my mother, who I thought was too busy stirring the gravy, looks up.
I glare at him. He knows exactly how I feel about my father's random pairings. He wants me to admit it.
“You're right, Landon, but I think you should stay out of it,” I snap. I didn't mean to sound so harsh. Maybe I'm just mad at him for being him; for being so damn perfect.
His fork clatters onto the plate, his jaw tightening. What's got him so riled up?
He never pays me any mind, so why is he getting all worked up over the idea that I might have found someone who could be good for me?
Even though I'm still struggling to get over Landon.
“Well, I'm thrilled I found such a wonderful man for you, Althea,” Dad chimes in, his voice cheerful and light. I pull my eyes away from Landon, ending our silent staring contest.
“He is a wonderful man, too good for me,” I mumble. I want to move on from Landon, more than anything. But right now, Dad's meddling is making me want to bash my own head in.
“Don't say that, sweetheart. Cyrus really does like you. I'm sure you'll be his mate soon,” Dad says, sounding pleased. I can tell he's directing it at Landon.
Landon might have won Dad over, but that's Dad's way of telling him to back off. This is family business.
“What if she isn't ready to be his mate?” Landon pushes. I kick his legs under the table. The sooner the grandkids arrive, the better.
Dad is deeply invested in this topic and gets incredibly tense when his views aren't shared by everyone else.
“She will be. It's crucial she mates with someone suitable,” Dad responds calmly. I anxiously watch Landon and Dad, who seem to be at odds over this.
I don't want Dad to throw the Alpha out of his house. He might have been a match for Landon once, but now Landon is stronger and younger.
“And what do you consider suitable?” Landon dares to ask. Here we go...
“A man who will give her his full attention when she needs it, not someone who's always tied up with other matters,” he replies.
Landon slowly pushes his chair back, and I can tell that both men in the room are seething. I glance at my mom, who's distracting herself by shoveling chicken into her mouth.
We both know how Alphas can be...
“You should consider that she should be with someone she's loved for more than a week,” Landon counters cautiously. I bite my lip, trying to meet his eyes. He wants what's best for me.
I can see that.
Dad rises as Landon does.
“So you think you'd be a good mate for my daughter? Don't be absurd,” Dad snaps. He's getting more aggressive than defensive now.
Landon straightens up a bit more, trying to intimidate my dad.
“I would take much better care of her than you...”
Alright, this ends now.
“Enough, both of you!” I yell, plunging the room into silence. Tears of frustration are welling up in my eyes, but before they can spill over, I leave the room. I can't handle either of them right now.
I dash up the stairs, hearing Landon's footsteps close behind me.
