“Anyway,” she continued, not caring that I hated her, “your mom ran away and we think she’s shacked up with a loser in the Alikta pack.” I found it hard to believe that my mom had sobered up enough to do that, but it wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibilities. “And Simone…” Sisily said, wrinkling her nose. “She took off right after the stasis was lifted, on some sort of vacation she had been planning for years. I don’t know the details. We were never friends. But she’s perfectly fine.” This part boiled my damn blood because Simone would never take off on a “vacation” without me. And why the hell was her phone going straight to voicemail? Her parents assured me she was fine, just as Sisily had said. They told me they talked to her every few days, and they passed on my worries. They told me Simone didn’t want to talk to anyone else while she meditated on her future. Everyone was telling me all the things.

It all felt like bullshit.

“And Glendra bailed immediately after the stasis lifted.” Sisily sounded sad now; she’d gotten along with Torin’s mom pretty well. “I have no idea why, because if the Shadow Beast wanted to kill her too, he’d have done so that night.”

Her story remained the same as Torin’s. The same as all of Torma’s. They repeated it so often, I wondered if it actually was the truth.

Gods, my life would be so much easier if I could just accept it and start building a world here in the pack. I was the alpha-mate and would finally be able to feel comfortable around these shifters. And yet, I just couldn’t.

“You would feel better if you allowed a true relationship with Torin,” Sisily said, cutting through my dark thoughts. “You’re even sleeping in your old apartment. I mean… Meers, we can’t have the alpha-mate in a shithole like that.”

Her use of “Meers” had me grinding my teeth. “Aw, Sissss,” I mocked, “you are such a great friend.” My sarcasm was the only thing not out of place in my life. “But it’s best if I take my time until my memory returns. I’m sure you… and everyone else… understand that.”

She missed all of my snark, her face brightening. “We need a ladies’ night out! It’s the only way to remind you of how incredibly cool you are. This dreary version is a real downer, girl.”

Incredibly cool? Who was this bitch talking about?

“Isn’t the pack mixer tonight?”