I Am The Alpha's Soulbond Mate

7

MAYA

It was mid afternoon already, and the new York skyline was non existent, it barely reached 50'c these days, the weather keeps dropping as we approach autumn , soon it will be too wet and misty for fun and Leah loved fun as a child, I could still remember how excited she always was during the festive season. She had always been an adorable child, too sweet and trusting of the world for her own good.

Leah should have called by now, I have been expecting her call all morning, it wasn't like her not to keep me updated on any change in plans she might have made. She's supposed to come home tonight. It had been a long and dreary months without her here with me. I missed her so much. Leah and I are all each other have.

I had started taking care of Leah when her mother died, and my brother, God rest his soul had been swamped with grief, and inturn had been neglectful of his teenage daughter, who had been hit just as hard by her mother's death. We had all been hit with the painful news. Lily, Leah's mother had been a lovely woman, and a great friend, we had clicked immediately we met when Donny my brother had introduced her to the family as his fiancée. I still remember when mama had been against it claiming Donny was too young to get married. But then lily had worn her over with her sweet nature and kind heart. We had all been fast friends immediately. Lily had been slim, average in height, maybe 5'6 or 7, depending on your point of view though, with an oval face, high cheekbones, a thin straight nose, pouty lips that were full and snug, beautiful talented fingers that could play the piano for hours. She always had her brown hair in a ponytail because as she explained, she was very ticklish and could sometimes start laughing when her hair began swirling around her neck. Lily was really smooth with the piano. She was so talented that she always had us transfixed when she played. She had been too beautiful for words, inside and out and I could understand why Donny was smitten with her. She had been a pure joy.

So when we had lost her through a hit and run a few years ago, everything for Leah and Donny had changed, Donny went form a cheerful, loving and caring husband and father to a withdrawn wreck who barely noticed what was happening around him. It had broken my heart to see him in such a state. I had tried to help as much as I could. It hadn't worked because Donny had already lost his will to live. I could still remember a few weeks before Leah's sixteenth birthday. I had tried to talk to Donny, he had just stared implacably at me and then we had gotten into an argument that was a little too fierce, I guess our tempers had been on the rise for a while, he was mad at me for interfering in his life and I was disappointed that he was being neglectful of his daughter

" Hey, you okay?" I asked

He looked a mess, when I had walked in that morning, I had immediately noticed the smell, it was old and musty, like he hadn't showered in ages, and I suppose he hadn't. It looked like he had slept in his clothes again, I didn't want to go close to him because I was afraid I was going to perceive alcohol on his breath. He has been drinking a lot lately and it bothered me to no end. I felt he was my responsibility since I was older by three years, and seeing him like this in this mess was breaking my heart. I had never felt more helpless. He face looked gaunt and he had huge dark circles. I wasn't sure if he has had a decent meal in the month I had left them to deal with business in Connecticut. I had felt guilty about leaving but it had been necessary. The office in Connecticut had needed me there. Things had been spiralling out of control there for a while since I had been working from home a lot lately,it had been so I could be able to meet up with my brother and Leah's needs. He had been doing better before i left, he ate when I brought him food, although I suspected he barely tasted it, and he laughed sometimes, when something was really funny. This morning I had hurried straight from the airport, I hadn't even cared to stop at my apartment for a change of clothes, I had needed to talk to him. Leah had called me last night, she had sounded so sad, when I asked if she was planning anything for her birthday, she was so unenthusiastic that I had winced in sympathy, suddenly I was angry at Donny, it was a year and a half already, I knew it was painful and he missed lily, but lily wouldn't have wanted him to be like this, neglectful of their daughter, being unhappy, depressed, and generally not having a will to live. He was sitting at the kitchen, when I had told him exactly this, I watched his face become so red in anger.

" How dare you?...Huh.. how f*****g dare you assume to know what lily would have wanted" he was fuming, his breaths coming in gasps. I hadn't seen him this angry since we were teenagers. Since lily's death, he had been nonchalant to everything and very indifferent. But this was different, he was really and truly mad. I wonder what had changed

" Donny, listen to me, I'm not assuming, I'm just saying that's what's best for you, and lily would have wanted too. She loved you so much Donny, and I think it would have broken her heart into a million pieces to see you in this state". I was trying to be reasonable, but already Donny was shaking his head vehemently

" You don't know what you're talking about, nobody understands what I'm going, nobody f*****g does and stop acting like you f*****g give a s**t about me" Donny spat

I was beginning to get angry, but being angry wouldn't help Donny, and I knew he was hurting, so I took a deep breath and tried again

" Listen to me, Leah is hurting, she needs her father Donny, you have to pull yourself together for Leah, she needs you-she needs her father again"

When I mentioned Leah his eyes misted and became teary, I didn't believe he'd been neglecting her on purpose. Grief had a way of blinding people. It could consume you if you let it.

When I looked up, Donny's throat was working, and they were tears in his eyes, that quickly the fire had left his eyes, I gently steered him to sit down,it was lily's favourite chair, she had decorated the entire house, picked out every single piece of furniture, every piece of cutlery, the pots, pans and some delicate looking China I was afraid to touch. The whole house was full of memories of her, every corner, and every property was infused with her touch. I preemptly poured Donny a glass of orange juice. He gulped it down fast and choked. I pounded him on the back, when he finally stopped coughing, he's eyes were red and watery.

" Hey..." When he looked up, I smiled at him

".... everything gonna be fine okay, now I'm gonna make you some breakfast, and you need to eat... you're no good to anyone dead,especially Leah. So better eat every bite I make and go talk to Leah about her birthday" I smiled kindly

He mumbled his thanks and I proceeded to make him breakfast

The memories were bittersweet as I had lost him soon after that to another accident. He had been drunk.

Well, enough of reminiscing about the past, I checked my phone. Leah still hadn't called or dropped a message. Weird, I wonder how the party went last night, was she so hungover that she had forgotten to call?

I'm happy that Leah was having fun, she had been sad most of her life, she deserved to unwind and have a little fun with her friends now and then. And speaking of friends, if I couldn't get hold of Leah in a few hours, I was calling Alicia, Leah would probably be pissed but I had to be sure she was ok. I'm so glad I had made her give me Alicia's phone number yesterday. If worse came to worst, and I hoped not, I was going to call, and I didn't care if Leah would be pissed or not, her safety came first. Always.