Page 11 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

I realized my mistake a moment too late. “I didn’t mean it like that,” I tried to assure Mikeal. “You know that I still consider you a shifter. Everyone in the pack does.”

“Well, you shouldn’t,” he said, staring a hole into the carpet between his feet.

“Don’t say that,” I said quietly.

“The only thing that makes a shifter a shifter is the ability to shift. It’s literally in the name. I don’t have that ability anymore, so there’s no reason for anyone to think of me as more than human. I am officially a non-shifter now, and the sooner you realize that, the better off we’ll both be.”

“Hang on, let’s just take a breath?—”

“Maybe I should move into town or something,” Mikeal said, cutting me off. “I don’t really belong here in the compound anymore. Out there, at least, I could possibly be of use. I could learn more about what the town thinks of us and let you know if there’s really any threat you need to worry about.”

“I don’t want you leaving the compound,” I said. “Where did that idea even come from?”

He didn’t answer, and all of a sudden, I wondered if he had a real crush on this girl whom he’d only spoken to for a few minutes. She was very beautiful. “Is this about Diana? Or are you trying to use her to make some sort of statement?”

“No, Andreas.” He stood up. “She has nothing to do with this. I’m talking about me—about my experience, about the role I’m not sure I can continue to play in this pack. But of course, all you can think about is some random townie! You’ve been so concerned with what’s best for the pack that I swear you haven’t even been paying attention to what’s been going on in your own goddamn house!”

“That’s hardly fair.”

“Nothing is fair.” Mikeal sounded like a petulant child, but thankfully, I had the good sense not to point this out. “If I’ve learned anything the past few years,” he said, “it’s that. But at least I used to always have you by my side. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“Mikeal—”

“Never mind.” He sighed heavily, and I could tell he would carry these emotions with him for the rest of the day. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I need to go wash up before Becc and his sister come around for lunch. I can’t give that asshole the satisfaction of seeing me sit down with this much dirt all over my hands.”

I thought about chasing after my brother, solving this sooner rather than later, but I held back. There wasn’t any time. My betrothed and her brother would be arriving in the next hour or so, and I needed to make sure all the food was ready and the dining room table was set. Seeing as Mikeal probably wouldn’t be much help with the prep, I waited until I heard him close the door to his bedroom upstairs, then got off the couch and got to work.

“This is delicious,” Sarafina said before taking another bite of the summer salad I’d had one of the pack members whip up for us. “Who made this? I have to get my hands on the recipe.”

“Her name’s Janelle,” I said. “She lives a few houses over and is one of the best cooks in the pack. She also made a good portion of the food we had at the feast. I can have her stop by the guest house later tonight if you’d like, and she can bring you any recipes you want. She doesn’t gatekeep her culinary creations, unlike her sister, who still refuses to tell me what she put in the stuffing last Thanksgiving.”

“That would be great, thank you.” She smiled and then tucked into her food once more.

Nobody spoke after that, marking the third time in a row that the conversation had come to an abrupt and awkward halt. Mikeal hadn’t said much since sitting down at the table, and when I tried to shoot him a look in hopes he would at least try to come up with something to say, he pointedly avoided my gaze.

I cleared my throat and trudged on as best I could. “Anyway, Becc, I’ve been meaning to go visit your father. How is he settling in?”

“Not well,” Becc informed me. “If you want to know the truth.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there something wrong with where you two are staying?”

“Plenty.”

“Oh no,” Sarafina said with a groan. “Now you’ve gone and gotten him started. Though perhaps it’s my fault. I should’ve warned you that my brother could be a bit of a complainer.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “If there is something wrong with the house where you’re staying, Becc, I would like to know.”

Becc smirked. “I don’t even know where to begin.” But then he started listing off his many grievances, so it seemed he knew exactly where to begin. “The mattresses are all lumpy and unsupportive, there’s a draft in practically every room, and I am half-convinced that you’ve got mold growing in the basement. My father’s cough has grown much worse ever since he set foot in that house. It’s gotta be the mold, and I’ll tell you this—if his fits don’t get better soon, I’m going to have to take him into town and get him better accommodations.”

“I can assure you, there is no mold,” I said, trying to keep my cool. “We had the place cleaned top to bottom before you arrived, and if anyone had seen even a hint of mold, we never would’ve let you stay there.”

“Tell that to my father next time he’s having trouble breathing.”

“Becc, stop it,” hissed his sister. “Dad has been having terrible coughing fits for months now, long before we came out here.”

Becc shrugged but said nothing.

“Well,” I said. “As for the other issues you’ve now brought to my attention, I will have them looked into right away. I want your time here in the Vilks compound to be as comfortable as possible. If it comes down to it, I will personally go into town and buy you and your father new mattresses.”

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