“Has anyone ever given a proper single fuck about me?” My words were a sad, woe-is-me whisper, meant more for me than any other ears.

But, of course, one of the assholes in this car witnessing my breakdown had to answer. “Simone has always truly loved you,” Gerad said gruffly. “No matter how much it hurt her or our family, she would never turn her back on you.”

That knocked some sense into me, and I pulled myself from the dark thoughts that had been wrapping around my mind. “We have to find her,” I said, the emptiness falling from my voice as determination filled me. Fuck my parents and their bullshit that had been apparently ruining my life since birth. They would get no more energy from me.

It was time for me to focus on Simone. I had to save my one true friend and family, no matter the cost.

My palm itched and my chest fluttered at the thought, and this time, I was going with that being a positive sign that I was finally on the right path.

9

The rest of the drive to the pack house was done in silence. No doubt they were feeling sorry for poor little Mera, who was once again getting kicked in the guts even as the alpha-mate.

Despite my best effort to not think about my father, two words lingered just a little longer.

Demon power?

My father had thought I had a demon power. Were demons even a real thing? I mean, outside of the Shadow Beast, who was often referred to as the demon of the shifters, there was no other reference to them in our lore.

Staring down at my hands, I tried to remember ever setting anything alight. Had I been a secret pyro as a child, with a flame obsession that had scared my father to the point he’d truly believed me to be a creature from the depths of hell?

“Could my memory loss be related to what happened to my father?”

Thankfully, Gerad had already pulled up in front of the pack house, so my random question didn’t almost send us through the front window of the car this time.

“I know it happened years ago,” I continued, “but maybe it’s still all connected. Could I be more than a regular shifter, and that is part of what has caused my memory loss? What if my father was right?”

The enforcers exchanged a pitying stare, like they thought I’d finally cracked and were trying to figure out a way to break to it me. But I knew my truth, and there was more to be explored there. I’d been thinking too small, not correlating all of the bullshit in my life.

It was connected. I felt that deep down in my demon soul.