“Are you ready?” he asked, holding his hand out to me.

I didn’t want to take it, but Jaxson’s words reverberated through my mind, and even worse, the beta himself was across the room watching me with the same laser focus as Torin. They both needed me to act the part tonight, present a strong, united front, and I was going to give it at least a thirty percent try.

“Touch me anywhere except my hand,” I muttered to Torin from beneath a fake smile, “and I will make you wish you could reject me again.”

He grimaced, swallowing hard, but didn’t argue as he took my hand into his much larger one. I forced my smile to remain in place, even as a vision of ripping my shoe off and stabbing him through the chest with the stiletto heel flickered briefly through my mind.

No doubt I needed anger management help, but if that was the case, there was only one pack to blame for that. They were finally reaping what they’d sowed.

When we stepped out onto the main floor, lots of faces turned our way, nodding respectfully, but it wasn’t crowded yet, allowing us to walk uninterrupted. Which, unfortunately, gave Torin time to talk to me.

“At what point are you going to let go of your virgin status?” he asked bluntly—and kind of rudely, since this wasn’t really the time or place for a damn sex talk.

But hey, I wasn’t shy, and if he wanted to hash it out tonight, then he was about to get some real talk. “I’ll never give my body to a shifter until I think they’re worthy of it,” I said just as bluntly as the alpha. He opened his mouth, and I cut him off. “That doesn’t mean I hold myself above anyone else, because I don’t. What it does mean is I have a hand and a vibrator, and if getting off was my sole aim, it’s more than covered. With sex… I want a bond and a connection. I want mutual fucking respect. I really don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

His head jerked as he took a quick, frantic look around in the worry other shifters had heard my words. Apparently, this was personal business he wanted kept secret, and yet he was the one who’d brought it up here.

Dickhead.

“You always have to fight everything,” Torin finally said when he was satisfied that no one had overheard. “Even when we were children, you could never just let it be. Always picking at issues. Digging deeper. Sticking your nose where it didn’t belong, which is clearly a family trait. It got your father into trouble, and I just don’t want to see you going down the same path. We’re mated. That’s not changing. I just need to feel a deeper connection with you.”

Translation: My “dick” needs a deeper connection with you. Eye fucking roll.

More important than his poor “neglected” penis was the mention of my father. Lockhart Callahan had destroyed my entire life when he’d attacked Alpha Victor, a crime he’d been executed for. But at least his punishment had been over immediately, unlike my mother’s and mine.

“Tell me what caused my father to attack Victor,” I said suddenly.

For years, I’d never questioned that day—I’d asked Jaxson and Torin one time when I’d been younger, and they’d deterred me from ever trying again by leaving me locked in a prison cell for two days. I’d nearly died from dehydration since I hadn’t had my wolf to call back then.

My hatred for the pair should come as no surprise to either of them.

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.”