Chapter Three: Responsibilities and Surprises - Landry

Things remain a little tense with Michael, but thankfully it’s time for me to go and check in with Maggie and see what my duties are today, so, I politely excuse myself and race off to the kitchen where Maggie is commanding her army.

Maggie is 5’8” with military posture, shoulder-length dark brown layered hair, a stern face with kind cocoa eyes and dark caramel skin. She always dresses in a professional manner, so she’s wearing a long-sleeved nude-pink satin blouse tucked into high-waisted dark brown slacks with shoes with the tiniest heels I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how to describe them, I’m not a fashion expert, but I can at least tell they match her blouse.

'Someone won’t be getting a job on the red carpet,' Matthan sniggers. I ignore him.

“Right on time again. I’m Impressed,” Maggie compliments, not even turning her head to look at me, but no doubt she either scented or heard me coming. Maggie is fifty-six but looks late 30s if you ask me, and she’s incredibly slim, bordering on bony. She may not have muscles or curves, but I still wouldn’t want to take her on in a fight. I hear her father used to be a Beta in another pack and I just know that means she can kick all our asses.

“What would you like me to do today, Mrs Dwire?” I ask happily.

“The cars of the ranked members haven’t been tended to in a while and they’re starting to look it. You can spend the day cleaning the cars inside and out. I want them looking like they just came off the lot,” she instructs.

I nod, “I can do that,” I say as I go to grab Alpha Amelia’s car keys. I remember where they are kept from when she loaned me her car.

“I would start with Luna Marcus’ truck. He took it for a spin the other day and it’s covered in mud so that one will need a little more attention,” she explains.

I grab all the car keys of the ranked wolves and make my way to the parking garage to assemble all the tools I’ll need and get ready for manual labour. I keep focused on my task as I spend the next few hours cleaning every car from top to bottom and inside and out while listening to music on my phone. The entire time I’m hard at work I can’t stop smiling at how happy and carefree Jennifer feels through our bond. It makes me happy to know she’s having such a good day and feeling her happy is the best feeling in the world.

When I finally have all the cars looking good as new, I pack everything away, return the keys and check with Maggie if she has any more tasks for me. It’s already 4:30, which means I’ve spent the entire day cleaning cars. So, with not much else needing to be done, she excuses me for the day.

'Yay! Let’s go get Jennifer from work!' Matthan cheers as he prances happily in my mind. He looks like a Disney character doing that.

'Couldn’t agree more,' I tell him as I set off out of the packhouse at a sprint, making my way through the town all the way to the pack’s daycare.

This is where Jennifer works. The daycare is right between the library and the café, and the little hidden town is bustling with activity. I make my way across the road and approach the centre just as the light of my life steps out and I immediately forget to breathe.

Jennifer is an adorable 4’8” with the most gorgeous light brown curly hair with these stunning natural blonde highlights that catch the light making it look like she has strands of gold in her hair. Her hair was at her shoulders when I met her, but it’s since grown a bit further down to her bust. It still manages to frame her gorgeous plump cheeks that only get plumper as she smiles, her teeth shining brightly between her pouty lips as her cream-coloured skin practically glows like an angel from the heavens. Her beautiful smile is made all the more beautiful by the twinkle in her piercing aquamarine-blue eyes.

I know she is a wolf, but I can’t help but think she’s part angel. I just can’t believe anyone can be so pure and heavenly and not be. She may be my cute little Pixie, but she has a body for sin. At least in my mind. She doesn’t think she’s sexy, but I sure do. She’s very petite, except her chest which is a very impressive C-cup. She was really self-conscious about them when we became intimate and I know she still is, but she’s getting better. I do my best to reassure her that I love everything about her, and her body doesn’t make me love her more or less, I just get to love it because it’s hers. Even I know how corny that sounds.

'Who said corny was bad? Besides, our Jen seems to love corny, so I hope she’s ready for the extra dose of fibre you’re going to be putting in her daily diet,' Matthan said proudly.

'How did you make something sweet sound so gross?' I say as I wrinkle my nose.

'You humans are too easily grossed out by normal bodily functions. Get over it,' he says, rolling his eyes.

As we get closer, Jennifer’s scent is carried towards me on the wind, and I take in a deep lungful of the glorious scent of fresh blooming frangipanis in the height of spring. My body zings and my skin tingles and my mouth begins to salivate as I feel enveloped by the heady aroma of my animai’s scent.

I lean against a phone pole and watch with pride as Jennifer steps out of the daycare carrying an adorable little girl on her hip. She has gorgeous tan skin and adorable little black pigtails, and as her parents walk over to take her from Jennifer, the little girl looks sad and holds onto Jennifer tightly. I can feel Jennifer melting from the gesture and even Matthan is swooning at how beautiful that gesture is. Of course, that little girl doesn’t want to leave Jen. She’s like being in the presence of the sun.

Jennifer is able to sway the child into going with her parents and as soon as they are off, I race over and scoop her up in my arms as I swing her around. Her arms wrap around me as she lets out a tinkling giggle while I bury my nose in her hair, inhaling her scent as my body becomes electrified with her touch.

“This is such a nice surprise,” she chirps, as I set her back on her feet. Her aquamarine eyes now smiling up at me.

I tighten my arms around her as I place a gentle kiss on her forehead and hum from the tingle in my lips, “I missed you, and thought I could walk you home,” I say excitedly.

“I would love that!” She chirps, “I’ll just go get my bag,” she says, placing a quick peck on my lips and racing back into the daycare.

I stand there smiling like a man who just saw heaven, basking in the love of the most perfect woman when I hear sniggering in my mind.

'Landry loves Jennifer. Landry loves Jennifer,' Beatrix starts to sing, making Matthan roll around laughing.

'I love you too, so where’s your song for that?' I smirk.

'Hmm, good point. I’ll have to come up with something good,' she muses.

'Bee, stop teasing Lan,' Jennifer scolds Beatrix, making me smile. She’s so sweet and thoughtful.

'It’s okay, sweetheart, Landry can take it, he knows Bee is just kidding,' Matthan assures her.

Jennifer walks back out of the daycare slipping on a baby pink cardigan over her white camisole as her pale yellow skirt with daisies on it flows in the breeze. She offers me her hand and I eagerly take it in mine as we start walking back to our cottage.

Walking with Jennifer’s hand in mine makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine. Just being in her presence feels like a gift from the Gods. I know that sounds mushy and over the top, but that’s how she makes me feel. Have you ever been around someone so pure and sweet that life just feels better knowing they exist? Because that’s what Jennifer is for me.

“Your emotions are so overwhelming,” she says with a blush in her plump cheeks.

I smile embarrassed, “I’m sorry. I’m just really happy to see you,” I say, kissing the back of her hand.

She smiles brightly up at me, “I’m happy to see you too.”

“And thank you so much for those tacos, they were amazing,” I groan happily, “But I saved one for Matthan to enjoy later.”

“It’s so sweet you do that for him. I wish I could do that for Beatrix, but I think I’d just end up overfeeding her,” she giggles.

'Death by delicious food. I’d be okay with that,' Beatrix chuckles.

'No death talk. I don’t like it,' Matthan grumbles.

'I love how much you love me,' Beatrix coos making Jennifer and I giggle.

“I’m going to go shopping tomorrow and get some ingredients so I can make you something, so write down anything we need for the house, and I’ll get it while I’m at the store.”

“Oh, what are you going to make?” She asks curiously.

“It’s a surprise,” I grin.

“I love surprises,” she grins back, her smile hitting me like a bolt of lightning to the heart. Gods how I love this girl.

“Also, I spoke to Michael this morning and he and his sister were inviting us to some supernatural club,” I say with disinterest.

“I don’t like clubs,” she says wrinkling her adorable button nose.

I smile down at her, “That’s what I said, so he let it drop. But I suspect he’ll ask again in the future.”

“I just don’t get them. Music so loud it would probably drown out Bee or Matthan, lots of nasty smells, creepy lighting, and questionable people,” she says with displeasure.

“I feel the same way.”

“We’re not even twenty-one,” she says in confusion, “How would that even work?”

“Owner is a supernatural apparently,” I shrug.

Her forehead sets into a deep wrinkle, “That doesn’t give him the right to break the law. That’s very bad.” There’s not a word out of her mouth that doesn’t make me smile.

“Good thing I told him we aren’t interested.”

“I love that you know me so well,” she chirps happily.

“And I just love you in general,” I say leaning down to kiss her cheek and watch them heat up like she sat in front of an open flame. “Now, tell me how your day went with the pups.”

“Today was so much fun!” She exclaims as she dives right into telling me every minute detail of her day, and I hang onto her every word.

The pups sound adorable, but a handful, but I can tell how much she adores them and how much they adore her. She’s really found her calling and I could listen to her talk about her job for hours. Way more interesting than me telling her how I mastered the art of cleaning the A/C flaps in a car with a toothbrush.

As we approach our cottage, a scent wafts past us on the wind and my body turns to stone. My hands turn cold and clammy as all the blood rushes to my feet preparing my body to run. Jennifer’s voice is drowned out by the sound of my heartbeat, while Matthan is up on his legs, baring his teeth with his hackles raised.

'What the hell is he doing here?' He growls.

'I don’t know…'

“Lan? What’s going on?” Jennifer cautiously asks with a nervous wobble in her voice.

I take in a deep breath and say the words that I suppose were inevitable as I look down at the worried face of my soulmate.

“My dad’s here.”