Page 45 of The Secret Mate Society

"Oh God," Ethan breathed, his hand coming up to cover his mouth."That's...that's what happened to Marcus Greer.His heart was missing."

I nodded grimly."I know.My friend told me about it."

"Your friend who works security?"Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly."What kind of security friend knows details about a murder investigation?"

"The kind with connections in the police department," I said, keeping my voice steady as I lied."Look, we can talk about this later.Right now, I need you to pack a bag.You're coming with me."

"Coming with you?"Ethan repeated, looking dazed."Where?"

"My place.It's secure, and nobody will look for you there."

A flicker of something… uncertainty, suspicion, maybe both, crossed his face."Calder, I appreciate the concern, but we barely know each other.And the last time we were together, you..."His voice trailed off, a faint flush coloring his cheeks.

"I know," I said, leaning forward, my eyes locked on his."And I'm sorry about that.I was...confused.But right now, that doesn't matter.What matters is keeping you safe."

"From what exactly?What is going on?"His voice rose with frustration."First Marcus gets killed, then something leaves a heart outside my apartment?Why would anyone target me?"

I took a deep breath."I don't know for sure.But I do know that you’re not safe here.So go pack.Be quick about it.”

For a moment, he just stared at me, those green eyes searching my face for something.Then he nodded once, decision made."Okay," he said, pushing himself up from the couch."Give me five minutes."

I watched as he disappeared into his bedroom, listening to the sounds of drawers opening and closing, his movements quick and efficient despite the fear I could still smell rolling off him in waves.My gaze fell on the scattered contents of his research box, years of obsession spread across his floor.

The book on werewolves lay open, its yellowed pages displaying an illustration that made my skin crawl.It was too accurate, too detailed.The kind of knowledge that got humans killed by the Council.I moved toward it, intending to close it, to hide the evidence of how close Ethan was to the truth.

"Don't touch that," his voice came sharp from the bedroom doorway.He stood there with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his expression guarded.

"Sorry," I said, stepping back with my hands raised."Just...cleaning up."

"Leave it," he said, moving past me to gather the scattered papers."This is private."

"Research for an article?"I asked, trying to sound casual.

His hands paused briefly before continuing to collect the documents."Something like that."

He was lying.I could hear it in the slight uptick of his heartbeat, smell it in the subtle change of his scent.He didn’t want me to know the truth.Not yet."Ready?"I asked as he shoved the last of the papers back into the box.

He hesitated, looking at the box."I should bring this."

"We don't have time," I said firmly, knowing the box wouldn’t fit on my motorcycle."My friend won't be able to keep the area secure for long.We need to go now."

Ethan looked torn, his gaze flicking between the box and me.Finally, he nodded, sliding the box back under his bed."Let's go," he said, grabbing his jacket from a hook by the door.

Chapter20

Calder

Ethan clung to me the entire ride home, his hands trembling around my waist.I felt bad that I enjoyed the physical contact when he was so clearly upset.But the guilt didn’t stop my wolf from doing little flips in my chest every time he adjusted his grip.

When we finally arrived at my place, I felt a sudden sense of anxiety.I never brought anyone back to my house.It was just mine and just for me.What if Ethan didn’t like it?What if he thought I was a slob?I had a cleaning service once a month to help me out, but that didn’t stop me from worrying.Once I let him in, he’d seeme, and how I liked to live.And for some reason, even though I knew it wasn’t appropriate given the situation, I desperately needed his approval.

I unlocked the front door and stepped aside to let Ethan enter first.He moved slowly, taking in the hardwood floors, the leather furniture, the stone fireplace that dominated one wall.His gaze lingered on the pack meeting photos scattered across my coffee table.Shit, I'd forgotten to put those away.

"Nice place," he said, his voice still shaky from the night's events."Very...masculine."

I moved quickly to gather the photos, but not before I caught him studying one that showed my entire pack in wolf form.Thankfully, it was taken from a distance during a full moon run, so the details weren't clear enough to be incriminating."Just some hiking buddies," I said, shoving the pictures into a drawer."We do group camping trips."

Ethan nodded absently, his attention already shifting to scan the windows, checking the locks.The fear was still rolling off him in waves, making my wolf pace restlessly.I wanted to comfort him, to pull him close and promise that nothing would hurt him while he was under my protection.