"I can't pretend like I'm not falling in love. 'Cause I'm falling in love. I met some of your friends the other day. They say you want to but your heart is afraid."
~Isak Danielson, 'I Am Falling In Love'
~~~
*Ryland's POV*
"Are you sure you're ready for this? Because it's not too late to cancel."
"I'm sure. It'll be fine, don't worry."
"You don't think it's too soon? We can wait another few months if—"
"Landon, I've already met your family. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine meeting your roommate. Besides, I've been looking forward to meeting your friends."
"Okay, but be prepared," Landon warns me. "He's kind of weird."
"Just open the damn door."
He sighs, turning his key in the lock and pushing the door open. Before I can even take a step inside, a loud shout has me stumbling backwards.
"Holy shit, is that him?!" A grinning face appears in the doorway, leaning in close to inspect me. My eyes are immediately drawn to the piercings in his nose and ears, and the tattoos decorating his left arm.
"Down, boy," Landon scolds, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder to hold him back.
"Fuck off, Landon. You're Ryland, right? I'm Lucca. Don't believe any of the shit you've heard about me from this old bitch over here, okay?"
"Old? We're literally the same age."
"Hush, gramps, the kids are talking," Lucca swats him away before ushering me inside. My gaze roams around the small house. It's cute. Being small makes it feel... cozy. There's a narrow-sized kitchen across from the living room, and from what I can see, three bedrooms with one bathroom. It's a lot smaller than where Kai and I live, but we've also been living in that house since our parents were alive. Lucca and Landon don't need as much space as we did.
"I like your house," I tell them, and Lucca snorts. "No, really, I do. I think it's cute."
"Cute is not really what two grown ass men are going for, but thanks anyway," Lucca grins, plopping down on the beige microfiber sofa. "Welcome to Casa De La Rogues."
I chuckle, taking a seat next to him on the couch. Landon sits on the other side of me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him. I smile at him before pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"So," Lucca claps his hands together. "Let's hear all the horrible things Landon has told you about me."
"Umm..." I laugh nervously. "He hasn't told me too much about you, aside from the fact that you're both rogues, and you've been friends for years."
"Bullshit," he deadpans. "What else did he tell you?"
"Oh! He said you're weird."
Lucca cracks a smile while Landon remains unbothered, only shrugging as if to say 'it's true'.
"Did he give you the dirt on why I'm a rogue? I bet he would have loved to tell you my tragic backstory."
I frown and shake my head. "No, actually," I admit, and Lucca raises an eyebrow at Landon.
"It's not my story to tell," Landon simply responds.
"But you told me Ryland's story, so what's the hold up?" Lucca retorts, and my jaw drops.
"You told him that I'm feral?" I blurt out, feeling slightly hurt that he gossiped about me.
"No!" Landon immediately defends, making me furrow my brows. "I told him that you were rejected while I was explaining how the whole second mates thing works. I didn't say anything about... that."
"Oh," I say, the cogs in my brain slowly turning. Oh.
"Wait, you're feral?!" Lucca shouts, and I grimace. "Dude, that's so fucking cool!"
My face goes blank. The fuck? "What's so cool about being feral?"
"No, it's not just that," Lucca jumps up onto the couch, crouching like a hyperactive frog. "Think about it. You're the only feral wolf who's not really feral. So, like, you're feral, but you're not. See?"
I tilt my head to the side, pursing my lips in confusion. Lucca sighs, dropping his head as he places a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, Fido," Lucca starts, and I choke on my own spit at the nickname. "From what we know of feral wolves, they don't have the abilities to think like a human, right? They're completely animalistic. We've never been able to ask a feral wolf what it's like to be them, because they've never been able to have a conversation with us. But you're different. Your wolf half is feral, but your human half isn't, yeah?" I nod my head slowly. "So you're the only one who could tell us what goes on inside the mind of a feral wolf, since you share a body with your wolf."
"But it doesn't work like that," I say, making the excitement slip off his face. "The only time I've been in wolf form since River's gone feral was once, five years ago. And I woke up with no memory of what happened. I don't remember what it was like to be feral."
"Huh," Lucca deflates. "Well, that was anticlimactic. Can you at least hear his thoughts?"
I shrug. "All he does is growl and snarl. Besides the occasional purr whenever he senses his mate," I add, throwing a wink in Landon's direction.
"Boo," Lucca pouts, flopping back onto the couch with his arms crossed. "Anyway, whatever. So, you said your wolf's name is River?"
"Yup. What's yours?" I ask in return, feeling slightly silly. We sound like fur moms showing off their pets at a dog show. The thought makes me inwardly chuckle as River growls lowly.
"Lincoln," he answers me. "He's a bitch. Really snarky, sarcastic. Pretty much my best friend."
I smile sadly, remembering how I once felt that way about River. He was my best friend before I lost him.
Changing the subject, I ask him, "How does Lincoln handle being a rogue?"
Lucca pauses as he thinks for a moment before shrugging. "I'm not gonna lie, we've had our fair share of fights over it. He doesn't like that we're rogues, but it's been a long time. He's just grown to accept it, I guess."
"How did you become a rogue? If you don't mind me asking."
"Don't mind," he grins. "I was kicked out of my pack for blasphemy."
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Really? What did you do?"
"I didn't hold back on telling anyone that would listen about how much I hated being dictated by the Moon's rules," Lucca explains, more cheerfully than I would have expected. "The pack leaders didn't take too kindly to that, and I was eventually given the boot. My own family still doesn't talk to me."
"Yeah, but when was the last time you attempted to talk to them?" Landon injects, making me jump slightly. I'll admit, I might have been so engrossed in this conversation that I forgot my mate was right next to me. Whoops.
Lucca snorts and waves him off. "You wouldn't understand. Your parents would love you no matter what. Not everyone is that lucky. Even before I was kicked out, my parents didn't really give a shit about me. What about you, Fido? What are your parents like?"
"Dead," I respond monotonously.
I feel Landon freeze next to me, while Lucca blinks before bursting into laughter. Landon gives him an odd stare as he protectively pulls me closer to his side.
"I'm so sorry," Lucca gasps between laughter, trying to catch his breath. "I'm not laughing at your dead parents, I swear. You just said that with such a straight face, and holy shit, it was so fucking funny."
His laughter is infectious, and I can't resist the laugh that bubbles up in my throat. "Sorry, sometimes I'm pretty blunt about the shitty things in my life."
Landon rubs my back with his lips turned in a small smile, although there's sadness behind his eyes. I haven't told him about my parents yet, and I wasn't really planning on doing so in front of his roommate, but oh well.
"They died when I was in high school," I begin, and Lucca's laughter quiets down to a stop. "We were on a family holiday vacation. My dad was driving us over a bridge when the car in front of us suddenly stopped."
Landon squeezes my knee, silently telling me that I don't have to do this right now. I smile reassuringly at him, letting him know that it's okay.
"My dad swerved to avoid hitting him, but we ended up sliding over black ice and spinning out. Our car went over the bridge and into the icy water. My younger brother, Kai, and I were both rescued, but my parents weren't. The car sank before the rescue team could get to them."
Feeling the pitiful stares burning holes into the sides of my head, I keep my gaze on my lap. I never talk about my parents because I don't like the pity that follows. After my parents died, I raised Kai by myself. I had to beg Thomas and Charlotte to not assign us to another family in the pack, on the condition that they could check up on us as much as they wanted. We also had Ronnie and Lyn's families, so we weren't alone. It was hard, but we managed, and I don't want to be pitied for it.
"Damn, that sucks," Lucca finally breaks the silence, and I chuckle.
"Yup, it really sucked," I casually throw back, and I feel Landon relax next to me. "By the way, I really like your tattoos."
"Oh, thanks! I've tried to convince Landon to get one countless times, but he never has. I'm waiting for him to get plastered enough to make bad decisions."
"I don't drink anymore," Landon tells him. "I haven't had a drink in a month."
"Really?" I ask with a tilt of my head. "Why is that?"
His crystal blue eyes twinkle as his lips turn up in a small smile. "I don't feel the need to anymore."
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and I smile as I lean into kiss him. Our lips are pressed together for no more than one second before Lucca is clearing his throat.
"Anyway," Lucca drags out, wrinkling his nose in distaste at our display of affection. "If Landon won't get a tattoo with me, maybe I can convince Fido over here."
"You'd have to get me really drunk to convince me to get a tattoo," I laugh.
Lucca grins wickedly. "Challenge accepted."
I roll my eyes, still smiling. Landon was right about Lucca being weird, but I really like him. I'm glad my mate has had a good friend like him to lean on these past few years.
~~~
Luuccaaaaaaa 🖤 He's a cutie, idc what anyone else thinks
Jk your opinions meet a ton to me lol
So that's how Ryland and Kai's parents died! Truth be told, I had this whole other story planned, but it would have added more drama to this already really dramatic story, so I swapped it for this. I like this more, tbh
Thoughts??
We're heading into a bit of a time skip into the next chapter, just fyi
(LETS DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!! ...anyone?)
Q: How long have you been friends with your oldest friend?
[me and my best friend have been friends for 10 years, and he's always the first one to wish me a happy birthday. FOR TEN YEARS STRAIGHT]
See you next time, Gumballs!
-Gumbie