My Neighbor is an Alpha

I couldn’t help the way my chest tightened as I stared at our house. Large white pillars framed the house I’d grown up in, the same house where every birthday, every Christmas, every happy memory lived. Wealth. The only thing that had been constant in my life… until three months ago. “Come on honey,” Mom’s voice pulled me away. She sat behind the wheel of the secondhand Honda she’d bought weeks ago, fingers tapping impatiently against it. “Staring at the house won’t bring your father back.” I swallowed thickly, glancing at the expanse one last time before getting into the passenger’s seat. The engine rumbled to life. I kept my eyes on the house until it disappeared behind the iron gates. My phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. Over forty unread messages crowded my screen. I didn’t open a single one. Kayla had seen my last text hours ago. No reply. I locked the screen. I could feel my mothers gaze drilling a hole into the side of my face. I didn’t look away from the window. “I’m fine.” I said thickly. Maybe if I said it enough times, I would believe it. She sighed, her free hand slowly taking mine. “We’ll still visit. As often as we can.” I didn’t respond. Didn’t say a word for the next ten hours. The journey to Lakeside County was mostly a blur of me reminiscing about my old life and cursing Mother Nature for making me cross paths with Nate Garret. But eventually, we pulled into a quiet new town. I could already feel the shift in the environment. The streets were almost empty. Houses aging with time. A few curious residents peered from their porches as we drove by. I sank deeper into my chair. Great. There were no movers. No large company trucks. Just me and my mom, hauling boxes and boxes into an empty unfamiliar house until my limbs ached. My mom and I organized in silence. The kind of silence that said everything words couldn’t. We needed to move on. To gather the pieces of our lives and place them back together. A 'fresh start’ mom called it. In reality, it was us, running away from the ripple effect my father’s charges had brought. Embezzlement. Bribery. Tax evasion. Unlawful conduct… Those were just the ones they could prove. The Moretti family dropped to an all time low. Stocks plummeted. Investors pulled out in the blink of an eye, the world I had been used to vanished. “Valerie dear,” my mom called from the kitchen, the clinking of wine glasses signaling that we were probably done for today. I glanced at my phone. No new messages. Barely past midnight. A yawn worked up my throat like it was just realizing my body was exhausted. “Valerie?” I pushed off the couch, making my way to the kitchen. “Yeah?” The pop of the wine bottle echoed in the small space. “Be a dear and take the trash out back.” My gaze drifted to the endless stacks of empty boxes and bubble wrap. I sighed, “Sure.” I worked in silence, carrying out the trash on trips and by the last one, I was ready to shut down. Mom had already had one too many drinks and probably passed out in the living room. A new high school. New faces. New whispers once people discovered who I was. I wondered how long it would take them to find out. My fingers tightened around the bubble wrap. One popped. A low meow purred from behind the dumpster. I froze, eyes snapping to it. Slowly, a small black cat sashayed out from the back like it owned my backyard. I watched, curious as it paused as its golden eyes landed on me. It purred again, then stalked toward me. I dropped the trash in my hand, crouching with a small smile. “Hey there, little guy.” The cat sniffed my outstretched fingers before pressing its head into my hand with an approving purr. A soft chuckle spilled out of me before I could stop it. The sound felt strange. When was the last time I laughed? My stomach tightened but I let my thoughts stay on this stray. It cuddled itself right next to my right leg, rubbing its head against me. I enjoyed the furry companion, slowly realizing how much clearer the air was compared to the city. I took a deep breath, letting my eyes flutter close. Maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad. Then a deep rough voice shattered the peace. “Come here, girl.”