Page 45 of Howl (The Black Mountain Pack 2)

Her mother. It was a drastic shift from teenage drama. Overwhelmed, Loren stared from the window and tried to process the new information. “How do you know? What does that even mean? If she was from that place, then…”

“It means she might have been a full-blooded lycan,” Bill finished for her. She couldn’t tell if that prospect relieved him, or unnerved him further. Probably both, judging from the taut line of his mouth. “Scoleras are reclusive. They don’t tend to stray this far from their territory. I need to know more about her. Whatever you can remember.”

The urgency in his voice made her breath catch. She wanted so badly to please him. Remember something. Anything. As the seconds passed, she could only lift her shoulder in a helpless shrug. “I’m sorry. I don’t… I can barely remember what she looks like.”

All that remained was just a heart-wrenching mixture of features. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Kind smile. The overall picture was blurry—as were any memories attached to her mother directly. All she could clearly recall was an overwhelming sense of peace. Love. Protection.

Sometimes, if she tried hard enough, she could still hear her laugh…

“I need you to remember,” Bill commanded. “Try.”

Loren flinched. Try. But how? She closed her eyes and attempted to fixate on those old memories and bring them into clearer focus. It worked…slightly. She could remember a small house on the outskirts of Ridgerton. The scent of spring flowers and fresh air. A beautiful laugh. A smile…

Then nothing.

“You can’t.”

Bill didn’t sound angry as she opened her eyes to find him watching her. Instead, his lips were pursed, his head cocked thoughtfully to the side.

“I know you’re trying,” he said, easing some of her doubt. “One reason why those memories elude you could be that you were so young. Another reason…”

“What?” Loren prodded, desperate for any explanation. “Why? Because I can’t shift. Is it my fault because—”

“No. It wouldn’t be your fault at all.” However, he seemed reluctant to voice this theory. For a few seconds, he said nothing. “The truth could be that you’ve beentoldnot to remember. But that wouldn’t make sense…” He started to pace, thinking out loud. “Only a powerful lycan could issue a command strong enough to last over a decade. It’s a long shot, but at this point, I’m betting the answers we’re looking for are obscure for a reason. They’ve been hidden.”

“Hidden…” It was a strange way to refer to her own memories. “How? By my mother?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Even if your mother was a Scolera, I don’t think she had the experience to issue a compulsion this strong. It would need to be someone older. Stronger. An Alpha. But who?” He formed a fist that made every muscle in his forearm bulge. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe it’s better if I don’t remember.” Loren couldn’t believe the words came from her own mouth. As they resonated, however, she didn’t feel the need to take them back.

Her mother’s death was a blur on her psyche, but the pain was so fresh she could feel it now… It hurt—until suddenly, the discomfort vanished.

“I know this is hard for you,” McGoven murmured, sitting beside her. Though they weren’t touching, his breath tickled her neck. Awed, Loren watched as his thick fingers entwined with hers. He didn’t seem to realize he even moved. The need to comfort her was instinctive. Irresistible.

As was her desire to respond to him.

She almost felt guilty. Nothing should have mattered in the face of discovering her true parentage, but one pressing issue broke loose anyway.Mate.Everything Micha described, she felt. All of it. All of him.

And yet, there had been no fancy, romantic ceremony. No willing acceptance. So, he couldn’t be…

“I need you to focus.”

Gingerly, Bill disentangled his fingers from hers and stood back up.

“There is a way to break through even a hold that strong. We can try it, but...”

Whatever this plan was, he didn’t seem eager to put it into action. His entire body was angled away from her, his jaw clenched, eyes on the window.

“Tell me,” she whispered.

“But, we would need to be careful,” he said tightly. “I’ll need your trust, and your…restraint. Patience. Fuck, I shouldn’t even consider it. I shouldn’t…”

“What?”

He pivoted and met her stare with a probing gaze that took her breath away.

“It’s better if I don’t explain it. Not yet. But… We’ll do it tonight,” he said. “But I want… I need you to remember what I said. Can you do that for me?”

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