Page 48 of Wolf's Forbidden Curse

She was visibly dissatisfied by my response, but I really didn’t feel like this little broken promise needed to be the priority right now. She sat up straighter like she was getting ready to deliver a speech. “Well, for one thing, her name isn’t even Katrina. It’s Daphne. Daphne Pearl.”

Daphne? Why does that sound familiar?

“She’s a member of the Pearl family,” Nic went on. “They were wealthy and influential people living in a small town on the West Coast. That is until Daphne’s father made some shady business deals and was going to be arrested for tax evasion. He, his wife, and two of his daughters left the States and have been in hiding ever since. Nobody knows where they are, but there are individuals and government agencies that would pay a pretty penny for information leading to their discovery.”

“Daphne!” I said, recalling a memory from one of the first conversations I’d had with Katrina. “That’s what she said she would change her name to if she was given the chance.”

Nic frowned. “Huh?”

“Nevermind. It was just this question I asked her once. It doesn’t matter. Did you learn anything else?”

“Not really,” she said. “But you said something about Guatemala earlier. Is that where she was before she came to Solara Bay?”

“I think so. Why?”

“Because that’s a clue,” she said. “I’ll bet you a million bucks that’s where her parents are currently hiding out, and it gives me a lead to start with when I go digging again.”

“I don’t think you need to keep looking into her. The fact that she told me the truth about being a werewolf without even knowing how I was going to respond makes me think she’s ready to open up about the rest of her life as well. Assuming I didn’t completely close the door on that when I left her high and dry a couple of hours ago.”

“But if I was able to learn the location where her family is hiding out, then we could try to get our hands on the reward money. I say we go to the authorities with this.”

“Are you crazy?” I drew back in shock. “We can’t go to the police with this! They’ll haul Kat—I mean Daphne—in for questioning. They’ll interrogate her about her family, maybe even find a reason to throw her in jail. Aiding and abetting criminals is a crime in and of itself, right?”

“Are you suggesting we sit on this information?” She balked. “Wouldn’t that mean we were somehow aiding and abetting as well?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scolded. “That’s not how the law works. Katrina—” I groaned. “Daphne most likely helped her parents avoid getting caught, which means she could be found guilty of multiple crimes. I won’t put her at risk just because there’s some money to be gained.”

“Maybe she’s trying to help her parents get back into the US,” Nic said. “Did you ever think about that? She could have a whole plan worked out to get them here, and if we get too involved with her, then we could be dragged into this mess. Not to mention, the reward money for bringing the IRS information about the Pearls could help us pay rent for months!”

“I don’t care.” I got up from the couch. “Do you hear yourself? You, of all people, should be able to understand that Daphne isn’t her parents. She shouldn’t be blamed for the choices they made. It sounds to me like she ran away from her mom and dad. She changed her name because she’s trying to carve out a new life for herself, separate from their bullshit. That’s exactly what we did.”

“I don’t know if you can compare these situations.” Nic furrowed her brow. “In fact, I would rather not be compared to that woman in any capacity, thank you very much.”

“What is your deal with her?” I demanded to know. “You’ve been snippy every time she comes up in conversation, even though she’s never done anything to you. Why do you hate her so much? What reason could you possibly have for being so fucking hostile?”

Nic opened her mouth but didn’t have a response. She stuttered through a few uhs and scoffs, but I didn’t feel like sticking around long enough for her to find the words. “While you figure out what the hell this vendetta is all about,” I said. “I’m going to go talk to Daphne. She didn’t deserve to be abandoned like that. I have to make sure she’s okay.”

If Nic or Matt had anything to say about my returning to Daphne’s apartment, they kept it to themselves, probably knowing I was in no mood to be messed with.

By the time I reached the street where Smart Choice and Daphne’s apartment was, my mind was cluttered with all the discarded rough drafts I’d drawn up regarding what I wanted to say to her. I obviously needed to start with an apology and explain why I ran out on her like I did. Then I’d get into the nitty-gritty details of what being a shifter meant, my life as a member of the pack back in South Carolina, and why I ultimately had to leave.

I hoped that by telling her my gruesome, emotionally gutting story, I would be able to impress upon her the importance of being cautious with this newfound power of hers. She needed to understand that as someone who had even less control over herself than an adolescent shifter did, she was a walking time bomb. There was a chance she would never look at me the same again once she found out I had once taken the life of another kid my exact age, but that was a risk I was willing to take. Not only did I want to help Daphne, but I also wanted to keep the wonderful people of Solara Bay safe. This community embraced me and my friends when we first arrived, and I’d always been grateful for the life we were allowed to build for ourselves here.

I couldn’t let Daphne do anything that might endanger them or herself.

Standing in front of the building, I hesitated at the bottom of the steps. There were no lights on in her apartment, so I figured she was asleep. Was this really worth waking her up for?

Yes. Absolutely.

I ran up the stairs before giving myself a chance to second guess what I was doing and raised a fist to knock. When my knuckles met the wood, however, the door swung open.

It had been unlocked and unlatched.

My stomach dropped as I peered inside the dark, empty room and realized something was very wrong.

CHAPTER 20

KATRINA

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