Page 4 of Back to You (Legendary Shifters #14)

All the people in the room qualified as people he barely knew. Toby and Cam had welcomed him into their pack, and he respected them for that, but it didn’t mean he knew them or that he was comfortable.

He definitely wasn’t. He felt out of place, especially as he watched Toby step next to Cam and Cam wrap an arm around his waist. Cam pulled Toby close and kissed the top of his head, making Toby smile.

“They’re disgustingly happy, aren’t they?” Braden said as he moved closer to Ronan.

Ronan had to resist the urge to step back. This man wasn’t dangerous, and he wasn’t going to hurt him. He wouldn’t be here otherwise. “It’s good that they are,” he murmured.

“Oh, I agree. In fact, I’m incredibly jealous.”

Ronan eyed the man. “You haven’t met your mate?”

“Not yet, no.” Braden glanced at Remington and Pembroke. “But I have hope.”

Ronan didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to tell Braden that he’d had hope once, too.

He certainly didn’t want to tell Braden that he’d lost his mate and that his life had felt empty since then.

He’d been focused on surviving, and he hadn’t had time to grieve, but now that he was free, the pain felt as fresh as it had been when he’d been told that his mate was gone.

That wasn’t something he wanted to think about right now. He didn’t want to put a damper on the mood when everyone seemed so happy to spend time together. He might be an outsider, but he hoped he wouldn’t be one for long.

“So, how are you settling in?” Mercer asked, thankfully moving the topic of the conversation to something Ronan was more comfortable with.

“I’ve never had a pack, so everything’s a bit overwhelming, but I’m sure I’ll find my footing.”

Mercer nodded. “I understand that. My mate had never had a pack before, either, and he didn’t have much of a family. It took some time, but he’s settled in perfectly.”

Ronan glanced around the room as if Mercer’s mate was hiding somewhere. “You’re here alone?”

“Ryland had to work tonight.”

“My brother works too much,” Pembroke pitched in. “He needs to learn to relax and spend time with his friends and his mate.”

“Your brother’s working for the pack,” Mercer pointed out.

“Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have fun.”

Ronan looked from one to the other as they spoke.

He felt very much like he was on the outside looking in, and for now, he was.

He also felt like it would be impossible for him to become part of this family, but that was just because he wasn’t used to having so many people in his life.

He and his mate had had people, but it wasn’t like having a pack.

It had been nothing like this. That didn’t mean that Ronan didn’t like it, but he wished his mate could’ve seen all of this. He wished he’d known that Ronan would be okay.

“Dinner’s ready,” Cam announced.

Ronan stayed out of the way as everyone started moving. It was clear that the other people here were regularly invited to dinner because they seemed to know where everything was. They moved with confidence, setting the table as they talked.

“Okay?” Cam asked in a whisper.

Ronan didn’t want his new alpha to think that he wasn’t comfortable. “I’m fine.”

“You know that it’s all right not to be fine, right? You went through a lot.” Cam hesitated. “Reece also told me that you lost your mate. I’m really sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad you talked to him. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard all of this has been for you, but Reece is proof that you can find love even after losing your mate. I hope you’ll have the opportunity to do so here.”

“We’ll see. Right now, I’m more focused on settling down.”

Ronan wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to open his heart to love again, but he was finally in a position in which he could at least try. He wanted to take time for himself, but maybe once he was fully integrated with the pack, he could at least start thinking about having a relationship.

He would always love his mate, but there was no way for him to get that bond back. It would be hard to settle in a relationship that didn’t have it, but Ronan hoped to eventually be able to. His mate wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone. He’d loved Ronan too much to want that.

Knowing that didn’t make Ronan feel any better.

* * * *

VINCENT WAS LATE FOR dinner, but he was pretty sure that Peter would forgive him once he found out what had happened. His mind was still reeling with the news that his father was gone, but more than that, he was in shock over what his father had done.

Vincent had never liked Fulton. He didn’t think anyone in their right mind had ever liked Fulton.

He’d been an asshole for all of Vincent’s life, and Vincent still wasn’t sure why Fulton had seemed so committed to getting closer to him.

He hadn’t wanted anything to do with Vincent when Vincent was born or when he was a child, but once Vincent had become a teenager, his father had started to come around.

Vincent and his mother had been happy to ignore him, but this wasn’t something Vincent could ignore.

He breezed into the restaurant, waving at one of the waitresses. He and Peter came here to eat so often that they had a regular table, and they didn’t need the menu anymore. He knew he’d get his drink in around five minutes without having to ask for it, which was good because he needed alcohol.

He flopped into the chair in front of Peter and sighed heavily. What the fuck was he supposed to do about this mess?

“You’re late,” Peter said as he squinted at Vincent.

He leaned forward, and Vincent expected him to ask what was wrong. He was sure his expression was unusual enough for Peter to know something was up.

They were interrupted by a waitress. She smiled at Vincent and placed a glass of white wine in front of him, then turned to Peter. “Do you want a refill?”

“Please,” Peter said. “I have the feeling I’m going to need it.”

Vincent snorted and swallowed half his glass in one go before he finally allowed himself to relax.

Most of his day had been a mess. After hanging up with Mr. Ross, he’d been cornered by Emma and their boss.

They’d been worried about Vincent since they knew his father had died, and Vincent had never told them about the kind of relationship he had with Fulton.

He hadn’t argued too badly when they’d both pushed him to go home and take some time off work.

He was going to need it, although it wouldn’t be to mourn his father like they clearly expected.

No, he needed time to look into what his father had done and try to make amends.

He’d headed home and had spent the rest of the day on his computer, digging into his father’s life and into anything he could find about him.

He’d found several news stories about the FBI raid and what had come of it.

He’d known his father was evil, but after reading some of the articles and comments, he was glad that Fulton was gone more than ever.

The man didn’t deserve to live. He didn’t even deserve to breathe.

As far as Vincent was concerned, whoever had killed his father had done a good thing.

He hoped they didn’t feel guilty because they shouldn’t.

“Tell me,” Peter ordered as soon as the waitress was gone.

She’d be back soon with Peter’s second drink, and since Vincent didn’t want people to know about his father, he was going to have to be quick.

He’d already taken a risk by answering Mr. Ross’s phone call at work.

He was lucky Emma hadn’t been in the office when he’d asked about the auction and everything else.

“I got news from my father, or rather, from his lawyer,” he told Peter.

Peter grimaced. “I can see why you need a drink.”

“You don’t get it. My father’s gone.”

Peter frowned. “Gone where?”

“To hell, hopefully.”

Peter gasped. “Wait, you mean that he’s dead?”

“Very much so, apparently.”

“Good riddance. It was about time.”

Peter had known Vincent since they were teenagers, and they had no secrets.

They’d become best friends in high school, and even when they’d gone to different universities, their bond hadn’t faded.

Peter was the person Vincent was closest to, and he knew everything Fulton had done. He’d even been there for some of it.

Well, almost everything. Vincent hadn’t had the time to tell him about the auctions. He knew Peter would be as shocked as he’d been, and he wasn’t looking forward to rehashing all of that.

“Wait until I tell you what happened,” he murmured.

“I have a feeling we’re going to need more wine for that.”

Vincent swallowed what was left in his glass. “We might need to bring out the big guns.”

He was lucky Peter knew him so well. It meant that once the waitress came back with his drink, Peter told her to get their food to go. Vincent should’ve canceled dinner, but he wouldn’t do that to Peter.

“If I didn’t know you, I’d think you’re mourning him,” Peter said as they stepped out of the restaurant.

He was carrying the bag with their food, but he was close enough that the smell reached Vincent, who was starving. “Definitely not.”

“Oh, I know. I don’t think anyone is going to mourn him. What did your mother say?”

“I haven’t told her yet. The only one I’ve told is you.”

“She’s going to be happy. You said you talked to his lawyer. What did they want?”

Vincent looked around. The sidewalk was empty, and their driver was still a few minutes out. He couldn’t go into details, but he could give Peter an idea of what was going on. “He left me some money.”

Peter wrinkled his nose. “Do I want to know what he did to earn that money?”

“Definitely not, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

“I’ll listen, but I think what you have to do is pretty clear.”

“I think so, too.”

“So you’re not thinking about accepting that money?”

“Not for myself.”

Peter frowned, but before he could ask questions, their driver stopped in front of them. Vincent gestured at Peter to get in, which he did. They couldn’t continue their conversation without the driver hearing, so Vincent pressed his lips together and stared out the window.

The world was a better place now that Fulton wasn’t in it anymore, but did he really have to drop this in Vincent’s lap?

Vincent was convinced he’d done it on purpose.

Fulton might have claimed that he loved Vincent, but they’d both known that wasn’t true.

Vincent has never understood why Fulton tried so hard to have a relationship with him, but if he had to guess, it was so he could manipulate him.

That was what Fulton was trying to do from the grave.

They spilled out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of Peter’s building.

He lived closest to the restaurant, so Vincent had put in his address when he’d ordered the car.

Peter was almost vibrating out of his skin as he led the way in, and Vincent found that he couldn’t stop the words from spilling from his lips.

“My father was a monster. He kidnapped shifters and sold them at auctions. His business was raided by the FBI, but he had hidden accounts that he left to me. I want to give that money to the shifters he hurt,” Vincent blurted out before they even reached the front door.

Peter gaped at him. He had the key in his hand and was reaching for the door, but he didn’t open it. No, his boyfriend, Lou, did.

Vincent almost swore when he saw the man. He’d forgotten about him, dammit. He hadn’t expected Lou to be at Peter’s apartment, but Peter should have told him. Vincent didn’t want to talk about his father in front of Lou.

Peter turned toward his boyfriend. “What are you doing here?”

So he hadn’t known Lou would be here? How had the asshole even gotten in? Had Peter given him a key?

“I was waiting for you. You’re late.”

“Today’s Friday. You know I always go out with Vincent on Fridays.”

Lou glanced at Vincent. From the way he looked at him, Vincent might as well have been a piece of gum stuck under his shoe. He glared back, hoping Lou could feel every bit of hatred he felt for him.

“I missed you,” Lou said, turning back to Peter.

Vincent saw Peter hesitate. He knew how complicated things were—even though there was an easy way to uncomplicate them by dumping Lou—so he decided to make things easier on all of them. “I’ll just head home,” he said, stepping back.

“You don’t have to,” Peter quickly said. “We can talk about your father.”

“We don’t need to. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Actually, we have plans tomorrow,” Lou said.

“Whenever you’re free, then,” Vincent said. “Have fun.”

He didn’t give Peter time to try and stop him. He turned and quickly moved down the hallway, headed for the elevator. His stomach growled, and he swore when he realized that Lou would be eating his dinner.

He really fucking hated that asshole.