Page 16 of The Secret Mate Society

"So what's the plan?"I asked, pushing thoughts of the attractive journalist aside."Are we organizing search parties?Setting up patrols?"

Elias nodded."We need all of you to extend your patrol routes and alert your packs.Any strange scents, any unusual behaviors from your wolves—I want to know about it immediately."He handed out small black devices that looked like pagers."These are secure communicators.Use them if you find anything suspicious."

"What about the humans?"Marcus asked."Should we warn them?"

"Absolutely not," Elias replied sharply."The last thing we need is panic or, worse, humans hunting for werewolves.We handle this ourselves, quietly.Nobody outside of your pack needs to know."

The meeting continued with logistics and patrol schedules.I committed the details to memory, my wolf growing restless beneath my skin.This was my territory, and the thought of a rogue threatening it—threatening the people under my protection—made my blood boil.

As the meeting wrapped up, I found myself lingering over the photos once more.Something about them didn't sit right with me.The precision of the cuts, the specific organs taken—it felt ritualistic rather than predatory.

"Something on your mind, Thorne?"Elias's voice startled me.I hadn't noticed him approaching.

"These attacks," I said, tapping one of the photos."They don't feel like a wolf trying to feed.They feel...purposeful."

Elias's violet eyes narrowed slightly."The Council has considered that possibility.Which is why we're taking this so seriously."He gathered the photos, slipping them into a folder."Keep your pack close, Calder.And your eyes open."

I nodded and headed back to my bike, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on my shoulders.As I straddled my motorcycle, I found myself pulling out my phone, thumb hovering over the keypad.Before I could think better of it, I entered the number from the napkin into my contacts, recalling it from memory.

Just in case, I told myself.If there was a rogue wolf in Portland potentially targeting humans, I might need to contact the journalist who was investigating the animal attacks and tell him to stay away.I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting mixed up in all this and getting hurt, but he was already involved.

Then again, maybe I could pump him for information.He was a journalist after all and that meant he’d probably spoken to the farmer directly.He might have information that could help us catch this rogue wolf before he hurt anyone.

Suddenly I had an excuse to call Ethan Murphy.My heart skipped a beat as I began to type.I was doing this for my wolves, for my people, not because I secretly wanted to see him again.At least that’s what I told myself.

It’s Calder.We should meet for coffee sometime.You interested?

The response came almost immediately.

It’s a date <3

I couldn’t help the sudden rush of warmth through my chest.Smile despite myself, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and pushed on my helmet.Giving my bike a kick, it roared into life, the clearing filled with the sound of the engine.Flipping my visor down, I peeled out of the old gravel lot, heading back toward town.

There was a monster on the loose, threatening my people and this new person… whoever he was, and the Alpha wolf inside me wouldn’t stand for that.I was going to protect them, protecthim, no matter the cost.

Chapter8

Calder

The coffee shop Ethan had chosen wasn’t my usual hangout spot and for that, I was grateful.I knew the staff at the other shop and the last thing I wanted was them asking a bunch of questions.Besides, I wasn’t seeing Ethan because Iwantedto.Or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.We were meeting so I could get more information about the cattle attacks.That was it.Nothing more.Nada.

However, the moment he walked through that door, my heart started pounding a mile a minute.He'd done something different with his hair this time, pushed it back from his forehead in a way that made those mesmerizing green eyes more prominent.Damn it.I'd been hoping my memory had embellished how attractive he was.I still didn’t understand why he had such an effect on me.

"Hey," he said, sliding into the seat across from me with a hesitant smile."Thanks for meeting me."

I cleared my throat."Like I said, this is strictly professional.I'm only here because I want to know what you've found out about the attacks."

"Right."His smile faltered slightly."Professional."

The waitress appeared before the awkward silence could stretch too long.Ethan ordered some fancy latte with extra whipped cream, which somehow didn't surprise me.I stuck with black coffee, ignoring the way his eyes lingered on my face.

"So," I said once she'd left, "what exactly do you want to know that wasn't in the official reports?"

Ethan leaned forward, that intense focus I remembered from our first meeting returning to his expression."The pattern doesn't make sense.These aren't normal—” He stopped himself suddenly, shaking his head.The scent of fear filled the air around him.“Well, I mean, cattle attacks are odd, right?”He tried to laugh it off.“Like is this a cryptid thing or just somebody messing with people?”

My wolf stirred beneath my skin, suddenly alert.Why was he suddenly so fearful?Clearly he’d stopped himself from telling me what he knew.Why was he on his guard?

“You seem… uneasy,” I said, keeping my voice low.