Page 103 of The Secret Mate Society

My phone buzzed.Trevor.

"Anything?"I answered immediately.

"Pack's covering the waterfront.No sign of him yet."His voice was tight with concern."Patrick's checking the bus station.How about you?"

"Blood trail went cold three blocks back."I kicked a trash can in frustration, sending it clattering across the alley."He's just...gone."

"Calder, man, we'll find him.I promise."

I wanted to believe him.Gods, I wanted to believe him.But with every passing minute, my hope was slipping away like water through my fingers.

I ended the call and kept moving, my eyes scanning every doorway, every shadow.The sun was climbing higher now, warming the autumn air, but I felt nothing but cold dread seeping into my bones.

Then I caught it.Just a whisper of his scent, carried on the breeze.Sweet and earthy, mixed with copper.It was blood.My heart stuttered.

I broke into a sprint, following the trail with renewed urgency.It led me toward the industrial district, away from the shops and restaurants.The buildings here were older, abandoned and crumbling.Perfect hunting grounds for a rogue.

My wolf surged forward, demanding I let him take control.I gritted my teeth against the pressure, feeling my canines lengthen slightly before I forced them back.Not yet.Not yet.

But when I came around the corner I stopped dead in my tracks.There was a body lying just off the edge of a derelict parking lot.But it wasn’t Ethan’s.It was a racoon that looked like it had been struck by a car.

I felt tears sting at the corners of my eyes.I was so jumpy, desperate, and terrified of what I might find that I’d completely ignored the scent.It was old and definitelynothuman.

“C’mon,” I muttered, turning away from the carcass.“Focus.”

However, I didn’t make it another dozen steps before the air around me suddenly shifted.The unmistakable tang of magic filled the air.The wind picked up, swirling around me until it formed a small tornado of leaves and debris.Then, just as quickly as it had come, it disappeared, the leaves drifting lazily back to the earth.

But I wasn’t alone anymore.Six figures stood around me, each of them wearing full-length white cloaks with their hoods pulled up.Some were tall, some short, some bulky, and some seemed to barely be clinging to their physical form.I realized, with a jolt of terror, that I was standing in front of nearly half of the Elder Council.

They’d found me.

“Alpha Thorne,” the figure in front of me barked, his voice deep and commanding.“Ageratum has delivered his report.”

It wasn’t a question.It was a statement of my guilt, of my complete disregard for the set of rules upon which the supernatural world operated.And judging by the tone of the elder’s voice, the council wasn’t happy about it.

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stared at the hooded figures surrounding me.The air crackled with ancient power, making my skin prickle and my wolf whine in submission.These weren't just any supernatural beings.These were the ones who made the rules, who decided who lived and who died.

"I understand," I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could manage."But I need to find him first.Please."

The figure who had spoken stepped closer, and I caught a glimpse of pale skin beneath the hood."You need?"The voice dripped with disdain."Youneednothing, Alpha Thorne.You have broken our most sacred laws.Taken an unapproved human mate.Allowed him to discover our existence.Endangered us all."

"He's in danger," I insisted, my hands clenching into fists at my sides."The rogue has him.If we don't find him soon?—"

"Then your problem will solve itself," another voice interrupted, this one female and cold as ice."The human will be dead, and we can return to maintaining the secrecy that has protected our kind for millennia."

My wolf surged forward at those words, and I felt my eyes flash gold."He's my mate.I won't let him die."

"Your mate."The word was spoken with such contempt it felt like a physical blow."You bonded with a human without permission, without consideration for the consequences.Did you think we wouldn't find out?Did you think there wouldn't be repercussions?The Secret Mate Society exists for a reason, not for you to do whatever you wish.”

I had known, of course.I'd known from the moment I first caught Ethan's scent, felt that unmistakable pull of the mate bond.But I'd been selfish, desperate, unable to resist the connection between us.

"I'll accept any punishment," I said, dropping to one knee in a show of submission that made my wolf howl in protest."Whatever you decide.But please, help me find him first.He's innocent in all this."

"Innocent?"A third voice, this one raspy and ancient, spoke up."He has evidence of our existence.Photographs, documents spanning decades.How is that innocent?"

"That wasn't his fault," I argued, keeping my gaze fixed on the ground."His father was killed by the rogue when he was fourteen.He's been trying to understand what happened, to find closure.He never meant to threaten anyone."

"Intent is irrelevant," the first voice said."The result is the same.He knows too much."