Reborn (Shadow Beast Shifter, #3)(15)

If I hadn’t had my memories stolen from me, I would have been onto this shit weeks ago. My anger and frustration over what happened had reached a crescendo, exploding in growls and curse words. To say I was pissed was an understatement. I’d woken up in my underwear, in the bed of a man I detested, with no memory of how I’d gotten there or the weeks that had passed since my first change. I’d woken to find that someone had messed with me in the most terrible of ways, a true abuse of power, and now it seemed that Simone was involved as well. Maybe hurt—or worse—because of me…

I was finally seeing the bigger picture. “I get it now,” I said slowly. “It’s all finally starting to make sense.”

The Lewisons were understandably confused.

“I’ve been furious since I woke up,” I explained further, “and no matter how much Jaxson and Sisily and everyone else in the damn pack tell me that I should just let it all go and enjoy being alpha-mate, the truth is, I feel like I was completely violated. My life stolen from me. My best friend stolen from me, so I would have no choice but to rely on Torin.”

Mika stepped closer. “No, Mera. You cannot think that Torin would ever act inappropriately toward you; he’s been nothing but a gentleman.”

I nodded. “Uh-huh, sure. Just like the time he rejected me and then fucked Sisily in front of me. A true, true gentleman, that one.”

Wow, the silence was so awkward that even I wondered if I’d gone too far.

“Let’s focus on Simone,” Mika finally said. “She’s our priority.”

“Let’s go to the alpha,” Gerad added, backing up his mate. “Hopefully, Torin has resources above my own because as far as I can tell, Simone isn’t anywhere in America. We’d have heard something by now.”

A heavy weight settled deep in my stomach, but I couldn’t lose it yet. Simone needed me to keep it together and ensure that this was everyone’s top priority.

Mika and Gerad were quiet as they led me to their Mercedes G-Wagon, one of five cars in their roomy garage. Including… Simone’s old truck?

I hurried toward it. “She didn’t drive? Was she taken?”

When I turned back to Simone’s parents, their faces were blank. “There was no sign of a struggle,” Gerad finally said, and I seriously wanted to throat-punch a motherfucker.

I didn’t, choosing instead to spend my time combing over her vehicle for clues, but there wasn’t a single thing that stood out. It looked, and smelled, exactly as I remembered. Her truck had nothing to do with how Simone had left Torma.

When I’d exhausted that as a lead, I joined the Lewisons in their car, throwing myself into the smooth leather seats with all the dramatic flair of a toddler who’d had their toast cut in triangles instead of squares. But, dammit, these assholes should have cared more about their daughter’s well-being than her place in the pack. It was too late now to do anything except damage control, all the while praying that Simone was okay.

When Gerad exited onto the main road, I decided that I’d never have a better opportunity to question these two, so I leaned forward. “Tell me about my father.”

Gerad hit the brakes, all of us jerking against our seatbelts, as he ground to a stop in the middle of the street. A stunned silence followed, which I ignored. “Why did he attempt to kill the alpha?”

Leaning back against the dark, buttery leather, I crossed my arms. “I’m just going to keep asking,” I said softly.

“Why are you questioning this now, after all of these years?” Gerad finally muttered. “Why can’t you let the ghosts of the past rest?”

I snorted. “They’ve never rested for me. I suffered every single day for what my father did, and I wanted to ask every damn day for years, but if I even thought about it, I was punished. Now I’m finally in a position where most shifters would think twice about hurting me. So I’m finally asking the damn questions.”

“What about Simone?” Mika choked out, reminding us that we’d been heading to Torin for her. I hadn’t forgotten, of course, but killing two birds with one stone sounded like a great plan.

“You can drive and talk,” I reminded them. “We have plenty of time.”

We didn’t. It was at most a ten-minute drive out to the pack house, probably less at this time of the day, but they got my point.

“Your father was a complicated man,” Gerad said as he set the car in motion again. “Always searching for answers, even when no one asked the question. Right around your fifth birthday, he told everyone that you created a fire in the yard. Using just your hands. No matches. No accelerant. Not even a beam of sunlight.”

Mika cleared her throat. “There was evidence of a little fire that day, but it was determined to be from other pups playing with a lighter.”

What? Seriously, what?

I must have looked unhinged as I stared between them.

Gerad nodded. “Yes, it was investigated, but Lockhart couldn’t let it go. In his later years, he started to believe that you were not his child. He said that you had dark energy, that you’d turned your mother into an alcoholic, tainting her soul. Victor refused to indulge him in his insane ramblings, and your father grew more distant and unstable until eventually, he attacked.”

“That… makes no sense,” I finally choked out.