Page 100 of The Secret Mate Society

Calder

Istood there, my heart broken, torn between two worlds.I wanted to run after Ethan, to force him to listen to me so he’d understand why I had to lie to him about who I was.But I couldn’t force my feet to move, not after what he’d said.He’d called me a monster.

And, I guess, he was right.

Only a monster would’ve lied to him like I did, led him on like he was something to be used up and discarded.I lied to him about what I was, how I knew so much, and about his missing research.And I’d done it all knowing full well the kind of hole I was digging myself into.Would he ever forgive me?I doubted it.But as much as that hurt, it wasn’t what mattered.

Ethan was out there, by himself, and the rogue was still on the loose.I knew Jake was jealous of me, but I never expected him to pin all the blame on my head and then get himself killed.Now Ethan thought I murdered all those people, his father,andJake.It was a monumental sized problem that unfortunately had only one solution.

I had to tell Ageratum and the pack about my unapproved mate.Then, despite how bad I felt or how much I wanted to just lay down on the sidewalk and cry, we had to get to work.Ethan needed to be protected whether he liked it or not.I couldn’t stop the Elder Council from finding and punishing us both.Hell, I’d take all the punishment, I didn’t care.But Ethan had to be safe.That was not negotiable.

I reached for my phone, dialing Trevor first.This wasn't a conversation I wanted to have, but I had no choice.The call connected after two rings.

"Hey boss, what's?—"

"Trevor, I need you and Patrick at my house.Now."My voice was raw, barely controlled."It's an emergency."

"What happened?"The playfulness vanished from his tone immediately.

"Ethan knows."The words felt like razor blades in my throat."About me.About all of us.And he ran."

"Shit."Trevor's sharp intake of breath told me he understood the gravity of the situation."We're on our way.Ten minutes, tops."

I ended the call and immediately dialed Ageratum.My fingers trembled as I waited for him to answer.I hated having to involve the demon, but we needed all the help we could get.

"Alpha Thorne."Ageratum's voice was cool and detached as always."This is unexpected."

"I need your help," I said, swallowing my pride."Ethan found out what I am.He thinks I'm the rogue that killed his father."

There was a long pause on the other end."I see.And where is your human now?"

"He ran.With evidence."I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose."A scrapbook from his coworker Jake—the one the rogue killed last night."

"That is...unfortunate."The understatement of the century."I'll be there shortly."

I pocketed my phone and paced the living room, fighting the urge to shift and track Ethan by scent.My wolf was howling inside me, desperate to find my mate, to protect him.But that would only terrify him more if he saw me in wolf form now.

Within minutes, I heard a truck screech to a halt in the driveway.Trevor and Patrick burst through the door without knocking, concern etched on their faces.

"What the hell happened?"Trevor demanded.

I explained everything—Jake's letter, the accusations, Ethan's discovery of what I was.Each word felt like I was ripping open my own chest.

"So he thinks you're the killer?"Patrick asked, his normally cheerful face grim."That's fucked up."

"Jake set me up," I growled."He's been watching us, following us.He saw us shift."

Trevor cursed under his breath."You think that’s how he got killed by the rogue?Tracking another werewolf?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head.“But now there’s no way to prove he was wrong.”

A cold gust of air announced Ageratum's arrival.The demon materialized from the shadows in the corner of the room, his perfect suit unwrinkled despite his unconventional mode of transportation.

"This situation has become untenable," Ageratum stated, his crimson eyes surveying us all."Your human now possesses knowledge and evidence that threatens our entire existence."

"His name is Ethan," I growled, hackles rising."And he's my mate."

Ageratum's lips curled into what might have been a smile on anyone else.On him, it looked predatory."Yes.Your unapproved mate.The one you've been hiding from the Council and the Society."