“I’m not trying to play games,” he says. “I’ve done enough damage for a lifetime. I’m not here to rewrite history, I’m here to face it.”
I study him, looking for any hesitation. “Being her scent match was too much for you once. What makes this time different?”
He meets my gaze head-on. “She’s not the same girl. And I’m not the same idiot who did a stupid thing to push her away.”
I nod slowly. “You’re not trying to tear down what she has now?”
“No.” The word comes out broken. “I see it—what she has with you. With them. I’m not here to break that.”
“You want in on it, though.”
A pause.
“I want her,” he admits. “But not if it costs her peace. I’d rather watch her be happy with someone else than be the reason she breaks again.”
That…hits hard. I watch him for a minute, but he doesn’t take the words back. Something akin to respect fills my chest. He’s not a bad guy, just someone who made a really fucked up decision. And who’s to say I wouldn’t have done the same fucking thing before I was ready.
“You sound like someone who means that.”
“I do.”
The quiet stretches between us, filled only by the muted thrum of the engines.
I let out a breath. “You’re not him.”
His brow lifts, questioning.
“My mom’s alpha,” I say. “The one who made promises and walked away. I thought maybe you were that type, too.”
He looks down, then back at me. “I was.”
“No,” I say. “You weren’t ready for commitment. He was a monster. You’re trying.”
Landon exhales, and something flickers in his eyes. Maybe shame. Maybe relief.
“She’s figuring it out,” I tell him. “We all are. You want a shot at her side? Then keep showing up. Keep being who you’ve been these past few weeks. She sees it—even if she won’t say it yet. Just…make it matter.”
“I plan to,” he says.
I push off the wall and head for the aisle. Before I go, I glance back. “I’ll still be watching you.”
Landon nods once, with a slight smile tilting his lips, and some of the tension when I first approached is him absent. “I’d expect nothing less.”
I head back down the aisle, still thinking about everything he said. About how his eyes didn’t flicker when he said he’d rather watch her be happy than break her again.
I believe him.
Willow’s still by the window, this time pretending not to be watching me, but her chin tilts slightly when I slide into my seat across from her. Her gaze flicks to Landon, who takes his seat again with slow, deliberate ease.
And then—unexpectedly—she stands.
Doesn’t say anything. Just lowers herself into my lap. Myhands go instinctively to her waist as I hold her tighter. She leans in close, her breath warm against my cheek.
“What was that about?” she whispers.
I glance over her shoulder. Landon’s looking out the opposite window now, posture stiff again.
I return my gaze to her. “Just getting a read.”
