Resisting the Moon (Royal Shifters #2)(27)

Sebastian held my hand and squeezed. “No, we haven’t, but I did find someone else.”

“Who?”

“Finn.” I waited for a gasp of excitement, or any kind of reaction for that matter, but it didn’t come. Her silence confirmed my suspicion. “You knew he was alive . . .”

“Honey, I know what you’re thinking—”

“Save it,” I snapped.

She sighed, her voice sounding defeated. “What did he say?”

“You’re not even going to deny it?”

“There’s no point. I’m sorry for not telling you, but it was for the best. He would’ve found you and you’d be stuck mated to him. Where would that have left Sebastian?”

I didn’t want to think about that. Sebastian nodded in agreement, but it still didn’t change the fact she’d lied to me. And it hadn’t been just my life she’d messed with. “It wasn’t fair, Momma. Finn’s been carrying around the guilt of my death for thirty years. When did you find out he was alive?”

“About ten years after the attack. That’s when he found Sarah and Benjamin.”

“Apparently, several people from our pack have been found as well. Finn says they’ve been showing up dead over the years.”

She gasped. “Oh no. Does he know who’s killing them?”

“No. Make sure to tell Ryker what’s going on so the pack can be on alert. He doesn’t need to let any strange wolves close to you.”

The line went quiet, but I could hear her breathing. Her past actions might have been for the best, but it didn’t hurt any less. “Tyla, dear?”

Sebastian rubbed a hand down my back, soothing me. “I’m here,” I said.

“I’m sorry for lying to you. You have to know it broke my heart to see you suffer, but I was only trying to protect you. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. This path led you to Sebastian. It’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t you just come home? If you can’t find Amelie, there’s nothing more you can do out there. I don’t want you risking your life over this.”

My gaze caught the stone. “I think I have a way to find her. If it doesn’t work, we’ll come home.”

“Just be safe. I love you, honey.”

“Love you too.” I hung up and laid my head on the table.

“Were you serious about going home if we can’t find her?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m hoping that’s not the case,” I said, turning to face him. “We have to find her. I can’t imagine what’s being done to her right now. And when I look through the stone, it’s like I’m actually inside her body. I’m afraid of what I’m going to see this time around. If someone’s hurting her, there’s not a goddamned thing I can do.”

He grabbed the stone and helped me to my feet. “At least now you don’t have to see it alone. With our connection, I should be able to see it with you. Maybe I’ll be able to help.”

I hadn’t even thought of that. “Let’s get to it.” I walked over to the couch and sat down. Taking a deep breath, I made sure my mind was completely open. Sebastian held out the stone and I took it, the memories flooding in.





Sebastian

Tyla was still passed out, sleeping soundly in the bed. Her blonde curls fanned out over her pillow and on her face was a half-smile. She was so beautiful. It was late morning, and I could already feel the pull of the full moon drawing me to her. If she decided not to complete the bond tonight, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I’d never wanted anything more in my life.

Waiting for her to awake, I sat and thought about all of the details we’d seen while she’d held the stone. Judging by the memories, Amelie was being kept in a dark basement with cement walls. In the vision, we were able to see a clock in the corner of the room with the same time as when we touched the stone. It was too convenient to be a coincidence. It wasn’t long after that when it grew dark, interspersed with flashes of memories here and there. We realized then she had to be sleeping; there was a hazy shimmer around the visions.

Luckily, Amelie dreamt of Jaret. He looked familiar somehow, but I couldn’t recall where I’d known him from. I’d met thousands of wolves in my time, some in friendship and even more in battle. I couldn’t place him. In Amelie’s memory, they were sitting in a white gazebo by a small pond. There was a building in the background—apartments from what I could tell—with white siding and a green tin roof. That was what I was researching now. There had to be a place like that close by.

Tyla stirred and opened her eyes. She stretched, poking her breasts up in the air, making something stir down below. She was going to kill me.

“Good morning, love.”

She turned to me and smiled. “Good morning to you too. What are you doing?”

I held up my phone. “Looking for buildings like the one we saw in Amelie’s mind. It has to be somewhere near here. Maybe we can finally find this Jaret.”

Groaning, she covered her face with a pillow. “God, I hope he’s not dead. I don’t want to find her only to tell her that her mate is gone.”

“He very well could be. He hasn’t even shown up at her house to check on her. If this was you, I’d be doing everything I could to find you. What’s strange though, is I think I’ve met the guy before. He looks familiar.”