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“Really? Did she say she missed me?” he asks, hopeful.

“She did. She’s been thinking about a lot of things lately.”

“Is she still with her boss? Did she realize he doesn’t love her?”

“He doesn’t love her. He’s just using her. I think she knows that,” I say, playing on his insecurities. “She won’t be seeing him anymore. It’s over.” Technically she won’t be seeing anyone.

“Does she want me back?”

“That could be a problem. She doesn’t want you to turn into an animal. The things you have been doing go against everything she believes. You’ve been trying to be one of us for her all this time. That’s the last thing she wants.” I step closer.

“What does she want? She didn’t want me before when I was normal. I thought I could be something more to her.”

“She wants a normal man,” I take a deep breath. “She wants you just as you are.”

“She does?” he asks.

“Yes, but there are a few things you have to do first.”

“What? I’ll do anything to have her.”

“She doesn’t believe you will.”

“Anything. Whatever she wants me to do,” he says, desperate.

“She doesn’t agree with the things you do.”

“I can stop. I can stop at any time,” he promises.

“Can you really? I know how addicting killing can be,” I lie.

“I will. I will stop with the experiments.” His body shudders.

“There’s another problem, though.” I hold my hands against my chest. “We can’t let you go to her unless we know where the shifters are.”

He stares into my eyes. I put as much honesty as I could into my expression. “You would let me go if I tell you?”

“Yes,” I say.

“She is waiting for me? Why didn’t she come?” he asks, suspicious.

“Do you think Mom would come into a building filled with shifters? She hates us.”

I can see the gears turning in his head. He wants to believe, and that is the key. It may not all make sense, but if you want something bad enough, you will be more willing to overlook red flags.

“Okay, I’ll tell you.” He nods and rattles off an address.

I wait as Ryker sends Bash to the address. He can get there before the shifters, and we have to confirm my dad is telling the truth before I continue.

“I wish we could start over.” My dad's words make me freeze.

“We can’t go back,” I whisper.

“What if we start from here?” he says, soft.

“I always wished you would step up and be the father I wanted.” I let the hurt affect my voice. “I gave up on Mom, but I thought it would be so easy for you to hug me and tell me it would get better.”

“I wanted to. So many times I wanted to,” he says.