Torin’s face paled. “You have to stop digging into the past, Mera. You just have to stop. I don’t even know what happened, and I’m pretty sure the only shifters who do are dead. Whatever bad blood was between Lockhart and my father, it died with them. Let’s leave it there.”
My lips tilted into my fakest smile yet. “Of course, dear. Whatever you say.”
Torin was just lucky I was too lazy to reach down for my heel. Because that brief thought I’d had earlier was about to turn into a premonition.
At this point, the bulk of the guests came in from the outside, so our conversation was cut short as we greeted them. The rest of the evening was one of non-stop socializing and talking pack bullshit. The amount of times I wished I’d smuggled a book in here with me so I could escape and read in a corner was about the same number of times I had to gush about Torin, acting like he was the next coming of the Shadow Beast because he’d “saved us” after the dark years we’d been punished.
I loved the way no one mentioned the fact that it was Victor who’d created the need to be punished in the first place. Apparently, only Callahans would be vilified for the sins of their father.
My mood lifted when five true mate bonds were discovered, one right in front of me between two females from Southern and Northern Californian packs. They’d been so close to each other all that time and hadn’t known. I loved that true mate bonds knew no sex or race; it was truly about who was the most perfect fit for your soul. At least I hoped it still was. Torin and I had to be the exception, right? At one time, I had truly believed in the magic of these bonds, and I couldn’t quite let go of that, not even today.
Halfway through the evening, I excused myself to use the bathroom, and once I was done, I didn’t bother to find Torin again, instead choosing to head outside for a moment in the fresh air.
When the cool breeze hit my face, a fraction of the tension crushing my spirit faded, and I briefly closed my eyes to appreciate the moment of serenity. I scented the shifter a second before I opened my eyes, only just managing not to run into him.
“Sorry!” I said in a rush, taking a step back from the tall man who was not from Torma.
He had dark skin and eyes and looked to be of Asian descent. He could be an alpha or beta from any number of the packs, though, and since I’d taken no time to really learn about the other leaders, I was going to have to try to figure it out by chatting with him.
“Apologies,” he said in a deep, pleasant voice. “I don’t speak English.”
I just stared at him. “You speak perfect English, actually,” I said, arching my eyebrows at this peculiar conversation. “I would have guessed you were a native speaker.”
His eyes widened, and there was a wariness in the depths as I felt his wolf shifting in his energy. I’d clearly said something to alarm him. “What game are you playing?” he finally bit out.
Now it was my turn to be on the defensive, but unlike him, my lethargic wolf was barely noticeable. “I’m playing no games, sir. Just merely commenting. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m in search of a moment alone.”
I turned and walked off, glancing back just one time to see him staring after me, his face creased in suspicion. Seriously, that had been some of the weirdest shit ever, but I already had too much to deal with to worry about it any longer.
“Mera!”
The shout stopped me before I made it into the trees, and I gritted my teeth, unable to keep up a fake smile any longer. Turning, I waited for Jaxson to interrupt me for the second time that day.
“Did I just see you talking to Alpha Dai?” he asked as he hurried up.
My eyes flicked around him to where the other man had been. “Alpha Dai?”
Jaxson nodded. “Yeah, he’s from the Tokyo pack, visiting America with some of his members. I just thought it odd because he doesn’t speak English, and I know you failed out of Japanese in school.”
My eyes narrowed on him as I sorted through my confusion. “He spoke perfect English. If this is a joke between the two of you, it’s a really fucking bad one.”
Jaxson didn’t smile or laugh, and I could have sworn he was as confused as I was. “No joke, Meers. He requires a translator whenever he comes to these things.”
He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons before the alpha dossier appeared on the screen. Scrolling through the many packs and various details about their members, he finally stopped at the International contingent. Sure enough, right there in black and white was Alpha Dai, requires full translator.
“Uh…” I mean, what was I supposed to say to that? “Maybe it wasn’t him. I mean, there’s no other reasonable explanation, right? Except if I secretly learned Japanese in the two months of memory loss time, all the while keeping it exceptionally well-hidden from everyone who knows me.”
I was being sarcastic, but Jaxson didn’t even crack a smile. Lifting his phone, he pressed a few buttons before I heard it start to ring. A familiar voice answered in a gruff “What?” on the other end.
“Something is up with Mera,” Jaxson told Torin. “Get outside and bring Alpha Dai with you.”
After he hung up, I resisted the urge to run before my moron of a mate showed up here. It was only the small part of me curious to see if this was all a misunderstanding or not that had me staying put.
Jaxson and I existed in an awkward silence while we waited, and even though he attempted to break it a few times with small talk, I ignored him, staring toward the pack house.
As soon as Torin and Alpha Dai walked out, I went to them.
“Are you okay?” Torin asked when we were close, a look of concern on his face. “I might just kill Jaxson if he keeps up with these vague cryptic messages about my mate.”
As he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close, I tried to figure out why his touch was so abhorrent. Torin was giving me everything I’d ever wanted in this world, a true pack and family life… and it felt so damn wrong.
Leaning forward so that his arm would fall off me, I smiled at Alpha Dai. “Did you speak English to me before?”
The alpha tilted his head, and again he wore a super confused look. “You’re speaking Japanese,” he said, in what sounded like perfect English.
Switching gears, I faced Jaxson, whom, despite everything, I still tolerated better than Torin. “Did I speak Japanese?”
Jaxson nodded. “Yeah, sounded like it to me.”
“See,” I said, turning back, only to shake my head and side-eye my oldest friend. “Sorry, what? I spoke Japanese?”
I knew Japanese? Had I actually learned it during my two months of memory loss? As I pressed into that thought, the familiar sharp pain in my head jabbed harder than usual. “How is that possible?” I mumbled through the pain. “I did one semester in school! The extent of my Japanese is Konnichiwa and Ohayou gozaimasu!”
Alpha Dai blinked. “When you said that, you sounded like an American trying to butcher my language, but before, you spoke to me in perfect Japanese. Like it’s your natural language.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Nope. I cannot handle this, I’m sorry.”
Before anyone could say another word, I spun on the spot and took off into the trees, desperately craving an escape.