Page 30 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

“That was a one-time thing,” I said in a stern voice. “Not only did I make sure the woman would never come around again, but I beefed up security. I put up more signs along the road, some with threats of legal action. Plus, every member of my pack has strict instructions never to shift during daylight hours.”

Mr. Morena looked down his nose at me. “And you really think they are all following that command to a T?” I opened my mouth to argue but he put a hand up. “I’m not questioning your authority, Andreas. But these are shifters we’re talking about. All that pent-up energy has to go somewhere, no matter what time of day it is.”

“They know the risks, and they care just as much about keeping the pack safe as I do. I trust every single one of them.”

“Be that as it may,” he went on. “Before I give my blessing for you to officially marry my daughter, I need to know for sure that you will keep her and the rest of my pack safe. Show me that you have ways of protecting this pack’s true identity or a plan for what to do when the truth is eventually revealed, and I will happily see the two of you wed.”

Despite the man’s efforts to be cordial, I felt him poking at my pride as a leader in a way that made it hard for me not to clench my jaw and march out of there in a rage. “Sarafina told me she’d done her research before she came here. She determined that our pack was fit to merge with yours, and so I just assumed you trusted her judgment. I didn’t realize I still had to prove myself.”

“I wish it weren’t this way,” Mr. Morena said. “But I hope you understand why this is so important to me.”

The old man shifted a little in his chair and put his hands out towards the fire. “I won’t live to see how this merger works out. I’ll be lucky if I even make it to the wedding, based on the state of my cough. And the only way I’m going to be at peace when I die is if I know that I’m not leaving my people behind in a situation where they are vulnerable. Forgive me for being complicated, but all I’m asking is that you prepare for the inevitable. These threats might not knock on your door tomorrow, but trust me—they will come knocking eventually.”

When I came through the kitchen door half an hour later, Mikeal smiled mischievously. “Becc was there, wasn’t he?”

“Huh?”

“The look on your face,” he said, motioning to me from his spot at the kitchen table. “You look irritated as hell. I thought maybe that meant Becc sat in on your little tete-a-tete with Mr. Morena. No?”

“He was there for a while, but Mr. Morena dismissed him. He was too distracting, glaring at me for no reason like a schoolyard bully.”

My brother laughed. “Oh man, what I would give to see a recording of that moment, Becc being tossed out by his own father. I’ll bet he was pissed about being sent away. What a treat for you.”

“I didn’t really get a chance to enjoy it.” I grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and sat down without looking at Mikeal.

“So if Becc wasn’t there bugging you,” Mikeal said. “Why do you look so ticked?”

“I’m not ticked. I’m just thinking.”

“About?”

I opened the bottle and took a long swig. “Mr. Morena had some very interesting things to say to me.”

“Interesting. How?”

“Apparently, he doesn't think that we are prepared for potential threats that might come our way in the future. He lectured me about modern technology and how it complicates our abilities to stay hidden. Then he said that if I didn’t prove to him that I could take care of the members of his pack, he wouldn’t bless the marriage between Sarafina and I. Or the merger in general.”

Mikeal clicked his tongue. “That’s ridiculous! Why is all of this just coming up now? They’ve had months to plan for the merger. Couldn't the old man have called you up beforehand and asked what your plan was to keep the pack safe?”

“I don’t think that would’ve been good enough. He’s clearly the type leader who likes to see situations with his own two eyes. Otherwise, why would he even risk making the trip in the first place? I should’ve known I would need to do more than just provide a big feast and a nice place to sleep.”

“Well, I hope when he questioned you, you told him that you are more than capable of keeping everyone here safe. I mean, fuck, you’re the most paranoid guy on the compound. You take more precautions than I assume most pack leaders do, and everyone in the pack is too afraid to get on your bad side to go against your orders. They follow every one of your safety rules, no matter how stupid they are.”

“I tried to explain that to him.” I shrugged. “He still has his doubts.”

“I’ll try talking to him then,” Mikeal said. “Explain what it’s like to be a member of your pack, and how there are a lot of things I might do differently if I was leader, but that I have never questioned your devotion to keeping everyone here safe. That’s literally all you care about.”

“It’s not all I care about.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m already in a bad mood. Don’t push me. And what are these so-called things that you would do differently if you were the one leading the pack, huh? On what front do you think I’m failing exactly?”

“Hey, I never used the word failing.”

“Tell me.”

He laughed. “Fine, if you really want to know, I actually think that Mr. Morena makes one decent point.”

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