Page 8 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

“That sounds like a really cool program,” said Mikeal. “I wonder if I could convince my brother to sign up for that. I’ve got a library card, but it takes forever for them to bring the books all the way from the capital. I don’t know if we would qualify for this thing you have at the bookstore, but I would happily pay full price if I could get someone to just bring them out here to the compound.”

I drew back a little at the word ‘compound.’ Mikeal didn’t seem to notice, though. He was too hard at work jacking the car up.

“So, what was the party for?” I asked, changing the subject. I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell this man much more about my life now that he’d admitted to living on a compound. “Were you celebrating something special?” Doing some sort of cult ritual?

“I guess so, yeah,” he said. “A wedding proposal. The bride’s family all came to town, so everyone was just getting to know each other since we’re all going to be one big family once the happy couple gets hitched. It’s my brother who’s getting married, so I had to be there for the festivities.” He shrugged. “Otherwise, I probably would’ve skipped.”

“Why’s that? You don’t like parties?”

He shrugged. “Parties are fine. I guess I just don’t know how I feel about the wedding. Then again, I don’t know what I feel about anything these days.” Before I could respond, he laughed to himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all personal on you. I just didn’t get much sleep and was out here to clear my head a little.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “You can talk about whatever you want while you change my tire for free.”

We shared a laugh.

“I guess it’s just nice to talk to someone who isn’t a part of my family,” he said. “Living out here can feel a little isolating sometimes, and I don’t get to go into town as much as I’d like to. If I’m not careful, I can go weeks without talking to anyone besides my brother and a couple of cousins. I don’t think it’s good for me.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “When I was younger, I used to live outside of town as well. My family moved us up to the top of this massive hill, and we rarely ever went anywhere except to visit my parents’ friends in San Francisco. Generally, though, we just stayed up there on the hill, and it could get really lonely.”

“Were you not close with them? Your family, I mean.”

I scoffed. “No. I didn’t get along with them at all. I felt like a black sheep for most of my life, and they treated me like one, too. It was… not ideal.”

“Feeling disconnected from your own flesh and blood is hard,” he said. He took the bolts off the old tire and set them aside carefully. “I had something happen a few years ago that my brother—he just couldn’t really understand what I went through. It’s not his fault or anything. He’s always been there for me, and I love him, but he just doesn’t quite get it. He tries to, and maybe it’s my fault because I haven’t always told him what I was feeling, but I don’t know. Some things you just can’t wrap your head around unless they happen to you personally.”

I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if he would reveal what he had gone through, but he remained quiet after that.

“At least you still have a relationship with him,” I said. “I haven’t spoken to my parents or my sisters in years.”

This caught his attention. He looked back at me with a frown. “For real?” He whistled. “That’s crazy. I can’t imagine going that long without talking to Andreas. There may be a little bit of distance between us right now, but he’s still the only brother I’ve got.”

I smiled sadly and suddenly felt the need to pull things back. Things had gotten too personal, too fast, and I didn’t want to think or talk about my family anymore. I pointed to the spare sitting next to him on the ground. “Do you need my help with getting that on?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said, standing up and taking the old tire off. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got it on my own.”

“Mikeal!”

The voice came from behind us. Both he and I spun around, alarmed. A man walked out of the massive house behind the gazebo and was marching towards us with an angry look on his face. He was wearing a gray cotton t-shirt and blue jeans, and as he got closer, I realized he was very tall. He had a strong jaw and blue eyes that pierced their way through the dark hair falling across his face. Once he reached the edge of the grass, he gave Mikeal a questioning glare. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m helping this woman change her tire,” Mikeal said like it was no big deal—which it really wasn’t. I couldn’t see why this man was seemingly so irate. “She accidentally took a wrong turn on her way to the home for the elderly up the street, and this broken wine glass popped her tire as she was turning around to leave.”

“Broken wine glass?” The man looked at the ground near his feet. “Where did this come from? Why hasn’t someone cleaned it up?”

I had to fight not to roll my eyes. This man sounded so much like my father when he was throwing one of his tantrums. It honestly made me want to slap him. What was next? Scream for the maid to come ‘do her damn job’?

“I was going to clean it up,” Mikeal said. “But then she drove up the road and ran right over the glass, and boom, there goes her tire. I decided it was probably best to help her out first.”

The man only then seemed to take any notice of me. He turned my way, still looking very angry. “And what exactly were you doing trespassing on private property?”

“I—”

Mikeal groaned. “I just told you, Andreas. She took a wrong turn. And before you start questioning her like a common criminal, go look in the boxes behind her car. They are full of books that she is delivering to the elderly who are just trying to get some entertainment in their old age. There’s truly no reason to blow your top.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little. Now Mikeal was really acting like Leo, having my back and all. I wondered if this was what it was like having a brother. “It’s true,” I said. “I really wasn’t trying to trespass. I’m sorry. I hope you’ll accept my apology, and once my spare tire is on, I swear I will be on my way.”

The tall guy, Andreas, went over to the boxes and opened one of them to look inside. Invasive, yes, but maybe he thought I was bringing bombs in. After rifling through the top layer of books, he came back around the car and folded his arms. “Why didn’t you use your GPS?” he asked. “You have a phone, don’t you?”

“I don’t get any service out here in the boonies.”

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