Page 15 of Alpha's Forbidden Bond

I smiled and rolled my eyes, then turned to the computer to check if we had any new online orders, and Georgie headed into her office with the rest of her goodies.

“Sorry I can’t walk with you tonight,” Georgie announced after we closed up shop and were standing on the sidewalk outside the front door. “I have to go to the market. I can’t put it off again. My fridge is completely empty, and if I order in food one more time, I have a sickening feeling that my credit card is going to be declined.”

I winced. “Do you need some money? Or just a hot meal? I don’t have anything fancy, but if boxed mac and cheese is your thing, then we could have a full-on feast. Or I think I have some cereal too, but it might’ve gone stale.”

“That’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m okay. If I was in the mood to mooch food, I’d go with you to my grandmother’s house and dig through her fridge. But alas, I’m trying to be an adult and actually take care of myself, no matter how much I hate cooking.”

“Well, have fun at the market, and text me when you get home.”

“Will do!”

She waved, and we went our separate ways. The walk through town was pleasant, as it always was this time of year. The sun had already set, but there was still enough light in the sky to guide my way. A few of the brighter stars were starting to appear, and a gentle breeze was coming down from the mountains. The valley that held Silverleaf was made up of rolling hills and thick forests, with the massive mountains casting their shadow from the eastern side of town. They looked closer than they actually were. From the house I grew up in, I used to think the mountains were only an hour’s drive away. Instead, they were more like four hours away. They were just so big that they seemed to be within walking distance, like, if I had longer arms, I could reach out and touch one of them.

Tonight, the lingering light was hitting the side of the mountains in a way that gave the rock a blue tone. It was a beautiful color. Sort of like the color of Mikeal’s brother’s eyes, though not quite as vibrant. I wasn’t sure exactly why the color of his eyes had stuck with me when I couldn’t even seem to remember the man’s name. There was just something about his face, about the intensity in his stare, that I couldn’t shake.

I turned the corner at the next intersection, which was less than a block away from home when I thought I heard footsteps behind me. They were distant, and since it wasn’t unusual for people in this neighborhood to take their dogs for walks at this time of night, I didn’t think anything of it.

When I heard them growing louder, I merely gazed lazily over my shoulder to make sure there wasn’t a jogger trying to pass me. Instead, I saw a figure with their head down and phone pressed to their ear. I couldn’t make out much in the dim light, but I guessed it was a man. He was moving relatively slowly and muttering into his cell, paying me no mind. I laughed at myself for even thinking I was in any kind of trouble and continued on my way. At the driveway of Georgie’s grandmother’s house, I heard something else that gave me pause—a sound like a stick breaking.

Having already been on alert, this time I spun around quickly to look behind me. Had the man simply picked up his pace? Or maybe someone was being pulled along by their overly-excited dog? There were plenty of explanations for the sudden noise.

None of them turned out to be the case. There was nobody on the sidewalk. I scanned the forested area on the side of the house, but it was too dark to make out anything but the solid tree trunks, which were big enough for someone to hide behind. My heart began to race, but I told myself I was being silly. Nobody was following me. Why would someone follow me?

At the back door, I hesitated before sliding the key into the lock. Being as quiet as possible, I held my breath and waited to make sure there were no other sounds before I opened the door. If someone had followed me, I didn’t want them getting access to the house. All was quiet, and after sneaking a few more glances behind me, I quickly unlocked the door and rushed inside. I slammed it shut behind me and immediately turned the lock, breathing heavily as sweat collected at my temples.

I clutched my chest and forced a laugh.

“This is all Georgie’s fault,” I said to nobody. “She’s the one who made me paranoid.”

If she hadn’t been going on and on in the shop about the people in the compound, about cults and ghost stories, I never would’ve gotten so worked up. I’ve never been the type to fear monsters under the bed or walk with pepper spray clutched in my hand. I’d taken a few self-defense classes over the years and generally felt very safe in my charming, quiet town. But today, Georgie had gotten into my head. She was lucky I wasn’t more vindictive, or I might’ve tried to find a way to get her back.

Instead, I simply double-checked that the door was locked and went to take a much–needed hot shower.

Chapter 7

Andreas

“Wait! Andreas, slow down!”

Sarafina’s voice cut through the growling engine of Mikeal’s truck just as I was about to pull onto the main road. I saw her chasing me down in a sundress and sandals in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were narrowed on the truck like she had shifted and was hunting a small prey animal, and when I hit the brakes, I was worried she wouldn’t be able to slow down in time. Thankfully, she did. She rushed up to the open window on the passenger side and smiled at me.

“Whew, I’m glad you finally heard me. I’ve been yelling for a while now. Can I come with you into town?”

“You want to come along? Why?”

“I’d like to see more of Silverleaf,” she said.

“How’d you even know I was going into town?”

“I dropped by the house to see if you were still going mattress shopping today, and Mikeal said you already left. I took off running as fast as I could. Luckily, I’m speedy even when I’m not in wolf form.” She opened the door and got inside the truck without even waiting for my answer. “That is where you’re off to, isn’t it? To look for mattresses?”

“Well, yes,” I said. “But I have to go two towns over to find a big-box store that will actually have what I’m looking for. There’s no place in Silverleaf that sells mattresses. At least not that I know of.”

“Then maybe you can just drop me off in town on your way?”

“Sure,” I said. A part of me worried about leaving Sarafina alone in town without anyone else from her pack to look after her, but then I had to laugh. This woman was not only smart and capable, but she was also a shifter. She would be just fine. I pulled off the property and headed towards town. When we came to a clearing in the trees, Sarafina could see the little valley where Silverleaf was nestled, and she seemed surprised.

“It’s so close,” she said. “I had no idea it was just right there. When you’re on the compound, you feel like you’re a world away from everything, but I guess not.”

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