Chapter 180: Whole Again Chapter 23 - Landry POV
I make my way over to the benches and pick up my water bottle taking a nice long swig when Michael walks up beside me, grabbing and taking a swig from his own bottle.
“Why is Jennifer here with Jane?” He suddenly asks.
I look up at the bleachers to see how friendly they are being with each other, and I can’t help but smile at Jennifer’s kind and warm demeanour. Jennifer mentioned them having a heart-to-heart yesterday, and I guess it's sticking. I look back at Michael and shrug. “Not a clue. I’m as surprised as you are.”
“How can Jennifer be so chummy with her after everything she has done to her?” He says in disgust. This makes Matthan snarl in my mind, and I have to admit I don’t like his tone right now either.
“Because it’s the kind of person she is. She is a strong believer in a pack being a family and that a family should always be there for one another – within reason of course. I don’t know why they’re being so friendly, but I’m not going to stop her.”
“Damn right, we’re not. We’re her animai, not her warden!” Snaps Matthan.
“She’s making a big mistake, and frankly, I refuse to be around her if Jane is going to be around her too. I won’t be anywhere Jane is,” he sneers stubbornly.
“Does that mean you’re relinquishing your ties to the pack?” I ask. Matthan pulls up looking stunned while Michael just blinks at me in confusion.
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“You just said you won’t be anywhere Jane is. Jane is a member of your pack. As long as you’re both a part of Invictus you’re going to bump into each other. Look, you rejected her, and I get it, I really, really do. But that was your decision. You don’t get to start dictating who other people spend their time with just because you’re hell-bent on avoiding the woman the Goddess chose for you. You either need to accept this is how life is going to be, and move on, or start making changes because I’m a bit tired of you acting like a dick whenever Jane is around or brought up, and I also really don’t like the tone you’re directing at my animai,” I say in a forceful tone as I feel my eyes glowing brightly.
Michael blinks at me in astonishment and takes a step back. “I’ve never heard you talk like this.”
“Me neither. Way to go Landry! That was awesome!” Matthan cheers, chasing his tail around in a circle and letting out an excited howl.
“Maybe it was the training session or something, I don’t know, but I suddenly feel more galvanised to speak up.”
“Keep going, this is fantastic!” Matthan excitedly encourages me.
I take a deep breath and steel my shoulders, “You’re the closest thing I’ve come to a best friend, not just since moving here, but ever, and I don’t want to lose you as a friend, but I have to put my foot down and you need to face up to the truth.”
He frowns at me, “What truth?”
“That the only reason you’re so desperate to excommunicate Jane from all aspects of your life is because you’re terrified of having that temptation around you,” I say pointedly as I stare directly into his eyes. He tries to look offended, but I notice the gulp causing his Adam’s apple to bob up and down his throat. “You can deny it if you want, but I know what you’re going through. Even when I rejected Jennifer all I could think about was her. All the what-ifs consumed my brain and were driving me crazy, and it doesn’t matter what your reasons are for rejecting her or how different the situation is because at the end of the day, you ripped away the other half of your soul and I know what the does to your head and your heart,” I say more compassionately.
Michael stares at me and slowly I see his face start to crack, like he’s finally letting the broken pieces of him inside come forward and it’s painful to see. Almost like looking in a mirror.
He lowers and shakes his head as his shoulders slump. “I’m sorry… I don’t mean to be such a jackass, it’s just… it’s just so hard being near her,” he says despondently.
I nod in understanding. “I get it. But you need to figure this out, Michael. Forgive her, don’t forgive her, I don’t know, but you have to do something for your sake and everyone else’s because I’m not going to tell the girl I love who she can be friends with just because you say so.”
He winces and nods, “That’s fair, and you’re right. That’s not fair of me. Jennifer has always had a big heart and she’s not stupid. I trust she knows what she’s doing. Maybe… I don’t know, maybe I need to go away for a while. Get my head on straight.”
“Running away won’t fix it. When you come back she’ll still be here. It’ll only be a temporary fix,” I point out.
“Maybe. But it might give me some clarity on the situation.” He takes a deep breath and gives me a tight hug, which I return as we clap each other on the back. “You’re a good friend, Landry. Thank you for having my back,” he says sincerely.
I smile up at him, “Don’t mention it.”
Michael takes his bottle and walks off with a pensive look on his face. I let out a deep breath as my body relaxes. That was exhausting.
“If I had hands I would clap for you. That was unbelievable! I always knew you had it in you. Having an animai and being in this pack really brings out the best of you,” Matthan says happily.
“I have to agree. I feel like everything in my life has changed for the better since meeting Jennifer and moving here. It all feels perfect.”
“It sure does.”
“Maybe I should reach out to my dad… try and get him to come around,” I say tentatively.
Matthan just gives me a ‘you can’t be serious,’ face. “That better be a joke.”
“He’s still my dad,” I sigh.
“Your dad is a dick.”
“And according to everyone in the pack, Jane was a Mega-Bitch, but even she changed. If she can change, why can’t my dad?”
“She wanted to change, Landry, your dad is perfectly content the way he is,” he counters.
“You don’t know that,” I say sullenly, just as I feel two small arms circle around me igniting my body with delightful electricity. I look down as two aquamarine pools look up at me like two shining jewels and I immediately find myself perking up. I wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head as I breathe in her delicious frangipani scent.
“You and Matthan were amazing,” she gushes. “I’m so proud of you.” Her smile is so bright I bet you could see it from space.
“It helped to have our lucky charm near us,” I say as I nuzzle her neck and relish the sound of her giggle.
“I’m a lucky charm now?”
“Jennifer, you have brought me nothing but luck since the day I met you,” I admit.
She smiles even wider and lifts up onto her toes and wraps her arms around her neck. “Let’s go home and find out what other ways we can be lucky,” she teases with an adorable blush on her cheeks. I blink for a moment, taken aback by her forwardness, but it doesn’t last too long as I quickly scoop her up into my arms and take off like a bat out of hell in the direction of our cottage.
As I keep running in the direction of our cottage, making my way past the Temple of Morrtemis that resides on our pack’s land, I start to slow down when I feel Jennifer’s unease causing a cold chill to run through her.
“Pixie? What’s wrong?”
She looks in the direction of the temple and I feel her shiver in my arms, so I hold her closer to keep her warm.
“There’s just something about this place I don’t like,” she whispers.
I look down at her in surprise. “But it’s beautiful, why don’t you like it?” I query.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s not the temple itself, there’s just something about this part of the forest that always makes me feel cold and uneasy. It used to scare me when I was a little girl,” she admits.
I can’t fathom what she finds so scary about this place. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Like an ancient temple preserved in time. It’s also the only depiction of our Goddess I’ve ever seen. I’ve only seen inside when I joined the funerals here, but even then I never felt unease. Just awe. Nevertheless, I can tell what Jennifer feels is very real and very unsettling and that’s enough for me.
“Let’s get away from here and snuggle at home. I’ll keep you warm,” I promise as I plant a soft kiss below her ear.
She smiles up at me, tightening her arms around my neck and I once again take off in a blur towards our home, with a mental note to steer clear of the temple when around Jennifer, if I can help it.