Page 15 of The Secret Mate Society

Calder

Iglared down at the journal in front of me, not quite believing what I’d written.I thought he wascute?!Where the hell had that come from?And the whole mate thing… that couldn’t be right, could it?

I slammed the journal shut with an exasperated sigh.That’s what happened when I let my thoughts run away before I could inject somesenseinto the situation.Clearly I’d not only been neglecting my need for socialization, but I’d also been neglecting my morecarnaldesires.Was I really so hard up for sex that I was starting to fantasize about men now?That seemed pretty desperate.

But I couldn’t deny the sense of attraction I’d felt toward him either.And that, more than anything, concerned me.Everything about him threw me off.Even more so now that the word “mate” had entered my brain.No matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to go away.But that couldn’t be right.I wasn’t gay and he was human, which meant he was off limits.

Even if I wanted to pursue him, which I didn’t, it would mean months and months of work with the Elder Council and the Secret Mate Society to clear him before I could meet him.Considering I’d already made contact, that would breakallthe rules and get me in trouble with them both.The last thing I wanted to do was be in hot water with the governing bodies of the entire supernatural world.So it was best to just forget about Ethan altogether.

Pushing myself up from the desk, I grabbed the stained napkin with his phone number scrawled on it.Crumpling it up in my hand, I went to throw it into the trash can.However, I only made it about halfway before I stopped, glancing down at the paper in my hand.With a sigh, I uncrumpled it and tucked it into my journal before tossing it back into the desk drawer.

I didn’t have time to think about why I couldn’t bring myself to throw the napkin away right now.Elias Ageratum, the liaison from the Elder Council, was holding a meeting today.It seemed there had been another cattle attack and he was calling together other Alpha wolves in the surrounding area to help discover if the rogue wolf at large was the cause.I was one of those Alphas and if I didn’t stop sitting around overthinking my clear need to get laid, I was going to be late.

Grabbing my keys, I threw on my leather jacket and grabbed my helmet.It was a nice day, so I figured I’d take my motorcycle.The meeting was being held at the old abandoned sawmill on the edge of town.It was a perfect location for supernatural gatherings—remote enough that humans wouldn't stumble upon us accidentally, but central enough for the other packs spread across the county.

As I pulled up to the mill on my bike, I noticed several vehicles already parked in the gravel lot.I was cutting it close.I hopped off my bike and jogged toward the entrance, my boots crunching on the gravel.The smell of other wolves hit me before I even reached the door—a mixture of familiar and foreign scents that made my hackles rise instinctively.

Inside, a dozen or so Alphas were gathered in what used to be the main floor of the mill.The machinery had long since been removed, leaving a cavernous space with high ceilings and exposed beams.Perfect for a group of wolves who might need to shift at a moment's notice.

"Ah, Calder.We were wondering where you were," Elias said.Despite his pleasant tone, something about him made my skin itch.Probably because he was a demon.They had that effect on people.“Let’s go ahead and get started then.”

I nodded and took my place among the other Alphas, most of whom I recognized.Rosalyn Black from the eastern territory, her silver-streaked hair pulled back in a severe bun.Marcus Delgado from the south, arms crossed over his broad chest.A few others I knew from territory disputes or past collaborations.

"As you all know," Elias began, his voice echoing in the cavernous space, "we've had three cattle mutilations in the past month.The most recent was two nights ago at the Greer farm."

He gestured to a makeshift table where photographs were spread out.I moved closer, my stomach tightening at the gruesome images.The cow had been surgically pulled apart, its entrails scattered across the pasture.

"This doesn't look like a wolf," I said, studying the photos."The attack pattern is… methodical."

"My thoughts exactly," Elias replied, his eyes—a shade too violet to be human—meeting mine."Yet the attack pattern matches previous incidents linked to the rogue wolf that’s still on the loose."

"Why?"asked Rosalyn, her British accent clipped with suspicion.“Why would they kill cattle?”

"Only the heart and the liver were missing,” Elias nodded.“It’s quite possible that he’s feeding the beast, trying to keep it under wraps.However, we know he’s killed humans in the past and was pursued heavily.He might be attempting to resist doing it again.”

“Then why not just go buy the meat at a butcher?”Marcus interjected.“Or steal it?Killing cattle draws attention, especially since he keeps going back to the same farm.”

Elias nodded.“The Elder Council and I both agree it’s a strange move.There arefarmore discreet ways of getting iron-rich meat.We’re not sure if this rogueneedsto kill or if he’s doing something else.”

“Something else?”I asked, picking up one of the photos and studying it for a moment.“What else would he be doing?”

“Distracting us from what he’s about to do next,” Elias replied, his voice low.

A chill ran down my spine at his words.If the rogue was causing a distraction, it meant he was planning something big.My wolf stirred beneath my skin, bristling with unease.

"What do we know about this rogue?"I asked, placing the photo back on the table."Any information on who they might be or what they're after?"

Elias sighed, running a hand through his meticulously styled hair."Unfortunately, very little.The Council believes it's a descendant of a wolf that was banished from his pack in the sixties for killing an entire human family.Unfortunately he escaped before the council could punish him for his crimes.We are fairly certain that wolf is now expired.However, there has been some evidence that this wolf had children.Their hunting methods of humans were far too similar and a survivor in the mid nineties reported seeingtwomonsters, one of them smaller and younger than the other.”

"If you have all this evidence, why haven’t you caught him yet?"Rosalyn's voice was sharp with accusation."If these wolves have been at this since the sixties, someone's dropping the ball."

"They’re smart," Elias replied."Moves territories frequently, never stays in one place long enough to establish a pattern.Even now, his appearance in Portland is brand new."

I studied the map Elias had laid out, marking the locations of each cattle attack with red pins."They're getting closer to Portland," I noted, a knot forming in my stomach.My territory.My people.

"Precisely why we sent letters out to all the Alphas in the area to help us with the search,” Elias nodded.“The last time this rogue closed in on an area, six humans were killed before we got close.But just when we thought we had him, he disappeared.Now he’s here and we want to corner him before he starts killing people again and risks the exposure of our world.”

I tried to focus on the threat at hand, but my thoughts briefly flickered to Ethan.If there was a rogue wolf planning something in Portland—possibly targeting humans—I needed to make sure he was safe.The thought came unbidden, surprising me with its intensity.