I wanted to follow her, but again, I couldn’t hurt a lesser member of the pack without reason, and her trying to defend her alpha was no reason. Her words had hit me deep, though, bringing up every memory of how much Torin used to hurt me, with his harsh words and heavy hands, with his dismissiveness and lack of protection against his father. Everyone in this pack had turned a blind eye to Victor’s treatment of my mom and me.

And now I was supposed to be their alpha-mate?

None of them deserved me. Maybe that was my current issue… my current anger. I was alpha-mate to a pack that I wished didn’t exist… and I couldn’t pretend to half-ass this role for much longer. Once I got to the bottom of this mystery about my memory and what had caused Torma to lose a few years of life to the Shadow Beast, then I would leave this pack behind and forge a new path. One hopefully with Simone in it.

By the time I made it back to the apartment, a plan had started to form in my head.

I’d take Jaxson up on that suggestion of interviewing members of the pack, starting with the higher-ranked ones. Someone had information and even the most insignificant fact could help.

I also wanted to get to the bottom of why my father had attacked Victor all those years ago. I’d always assumed it had been some sort of jealous lover shit to do with Glendra, Victor’s mate, who was notorious for stirring the male ego and temper, but maybe there had been more to it.

I was finally in a position to push for answers; only Torin could stop me in this quest, and if that fucker knew what was good for him, he’d carefully consider all moves made around me.

Just like on a chess board, the queen ruled everything.

He’d made a mistake in revoking the rejection because I was the fucking queen here, and I would sacrifice them all to learn my truth.

6

At some point through the night, in the middle of my angry musing and plan making, I wrote my six objectives down and left them on the notepad beside my bed so they’d be the first thing I saw upon waking.

1. Figure out what happened to me in the two months my memory was wiped.

2. Search out the catalyst for my father attacking the alpha.

3. Determine if Simone is safe and proceed to yell at her for worrying me.

4. Find out exactly why the Shadow Beast cursed us to lose time. Did it impact all the packs or only Torma? And why is no one more concerned by this abuse of power?

5. Make sure Lucinda Callahan, a.k.a. Mom, is alive and shacked up with an alpha. Then forget about her as solidly as she’s always forgotten about me.