Page 58 of Monster

“He claims…” Bull paused.“He claims you are his mate.”

Luca felt a rush of need speed through his veins.The desire to see the man grew ten-fold. He sucked in a slow breath, trying to calm himself.

His panther purred.

“I can’t say that’s true or not… but I do feel some kind of link to him. My soul… it yearns to see him.”

“So he’s the reason you feel numb toward my mother.”

Luca saw the pain on Bull’s face. “I didn’t say that. She feels like some distant memory I can never reach.”

“And me?”

“You’re my flesh and blood, standing before me—that changes things. I have no memories of you, nor you of me. The best I can offer is friendship… and the chance to know one another, here and now. I’ve lost my chance to be your parent—thanks to Project Zed. I won’t get that chance back. The past is gone. We’ll never get it back… either we linger in that past and allow them to continue torturing us, or we find a way to move forward.”

Bull released a slow, unsteady breath. “I’ve spent years looking for you.” He paused and waved a hand around him. “This whole place was built on my search. For years, many thought me mad for believing you were still out there, waiting for salvation. I’ve devoted my life to finding out what happened to you… and you want to wipe all those years away?”

Luca frowned. “I never would’ve expected you to do that. Nor would I have asked. Both you and your mother should’ve moved on and made happy lives for yourself without me—that’s what I would’ve wanted.I prayed in that prison that you both were safe and well… until I lost the ability to remember who you both were. Until I lost myself. To learn you both were stuck in the past? It breaks me.”

“I was on a fool’s errand, hmm?”

“I didn’t say that, either,” Luca said. “I can never repay you for what you’ve done… what you are doing. Lore and Harding must be stopped. There are others like me in there… they deserve to be freed, too.The fact you’ve risen up to fight against them…no, this is no fool’s errand.You’re a hero, Bull… and I’m proud of that.”

“You can’t be both proud of this fight and tell me I shouldn’t have looked for you...”

“I would’ve given my life to know you were happy. Should you have searched? No. Am I glad you did? Yes. I’ll be forever grateful… as will the other shifters you save, I believe.”

Bull rose to his feet, his face a twisted mask of emotions. “For you to be so ready to move forward without looking at your past—it makes me wonder if you ever truly cared about us.”

“I did. I do. But to look backwards? I don’t know I could survive the future if I clung to what happened to me.” Luca rose to his feet and crossed to the bars. “I loved your mother. I love you, as any father would. To see what kind of a man you are…who you’ve become… I’m grateful to have this chance. I don’t want to spend what time we have like this.”

“No, you want to spend your time with Drake. So be it.” Bull headed for the door.

“I want to know you, son.”

Bull stiffened, but didn’t turn around.He left, silent, never looking back.

Luca dropped back to the cot, defeated.

Lifting his stare, he sought out the stars once more and begged the shifter gods for help.

* * * *

Heartbroken…

“He didn’t love my mother,” Bull ranted, crossing the same swath of floor for the millionth time. If he kept it up, he’d have another piece of the falling down house to repair. “He’s ready to move on with this fucking dragon.”

“This fucking dragon who saved our asses on the mission,” Jericho said from the stool he rested on at their makeshift kitchen island.

“Don’t,” Bull said, whipping to face his mate.

Jericho lifted his hands in surrender.“I was just making sure you remembered all he did for us. All he could do for us in the future. He’s powerful.”

“Powerful? Yeah. What if he planted these ideas in my father’s mind when he was in there? What if Luca isn’t his mate? We don’t know this man. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“Are you saying that because you’re angry or truly believe that?” Pablo asked as he stirred the pot of chili on the burner.

“Whose side are you two on?”

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