Page 73 of The Secret Mate Society

The accusation hit like a physical blow."That's not?—"

"Oh please."Trevor interrupted."You think I can’t smell it on you?I knowexactlywhat you two have been doing all night.This whole house stinks of it.”

I wanted to argue, but the words stuck in my throat.Because he was right.However, that didn’t stop me from being angry.I just wasn’t sure if I was angry at him for pointing it out or angry at myself for being too cowardly to admit the truth to my most trusted friend.

"He's my mate," I finally said, the words hanging in the air between us, heavy with unspoken consequences."I can't help it, Trevor."

Trevor's eyes widened, genuine shock replacing his anger.He took a step back, as if my words had physically pushed him."Your mate?A human?Are you absolutely certain?"

"Do you think I'd risk everything if I wasn't?"I kept my voice low, aware of Ethan sleeping just down the hall."I've never felt anything like this.The pull to him is...overwhelming."

Trevor ran a hand over his face, exhaling slowly."Fuck, Calder.The Council will have your head for this.You know the laws.He… He’s notapproved!”

"I know them better than most," I replied bitterly."But I didn't choose this.It just...happened."

"Does he know?About you?About us?"Trevor's gaze darted toward the bedroom.

I shook my head."Not yet.I'm trying to find the right time, but with everything happening..."

"There's never going to be a right time to tell someone you're a werewolf," Trevor said flatly."Especially not when there's a rogue killing humans all over town.What do you think he’s going to do the first time you shift in front of him?Huh?He’s gonna have a fucking heart attack!"

The sound of movement from the bedroom made us both freeze.I could hear Ethan stirring, the soft rustle of sheets as he reached for me and found empty space instead.But then he went quiet once more.“Keep your voice down,” I growled.“And believe me, I know how fucked up this all is.But what do you want me to do?You know a wolf can’t resist a mate bond.And we… we’re already fully bonded so… there’s nothing the Council can do about it.”

“They can take him away,” Trevor retorted.“Or make you disappear.Whichever is easier.They’ve done it before.”

My wolf snarled at the threat, the sound rumbling low in my chest before I could stop it.Trevor's eyes flashed gold in response, his own wolf recognizing the challenge."They won't touch him," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper."I'll die before I let them hurt Ethan."

"And that's exactly what they're counting on," Trevor shot back."Don't you see?You're compromised, Calder.Your judgment is clouded by the mate bond.The Council is already questioning whether you can handle this situation objectively."

"I can handle it," I insisted, but even as I said it, doubt crept in.Had I been so focused on protecting Ethan that I'd missed signs of the rogue's presence?Had my need to be near my mate put innocent people in danger?

"Can you?"Trevor crossed his arms, his expression skeptical."Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're so busy playing house with your human that you let a killer slip right past you.Two more people aredead, Calder.While you were fucking your mate, that thing was ripping hearts out of someone else's chest."

The words hit like a physical blow, and I had to grip the back of the couch to steady myself.The guilt I'd been trying to suppress came rushing back in full force.I should have trusted my instincts at the cider mill.I should have investigated further instead of letting myself be distracted by Ethan's fear and my own need to comfort him."You think I don't know that?"I snarled."You think I'm not tearing myself apart over it?"

"Good," Trevor said harshly."Because I was sent here with a message for you from the Council.”He paused for a moment, his eyes full of regret.“If you continue to shirk your duties, the Elder Council is going to find apermanent solutionto this problem, even if it means tying your human to a stake in the woods to draw the rogue out.Our world is on the brink of exposure and if that happens… Well, a murderous rogue wolf is going to be the least of our worries.”

My vision went red at Trevor's words, my wolf surging forward with a violence that made the air around me shimmer.The scent of my rage filled the room, sharp and dangerous."They wouldn't dare," I growled, my voice barely human."If they so much as think about using Ethan as bait?—"

"They would and they will," Trevor interrupted, though I could see him fighting his own wolf's instinct to submit to my alpha dominance."Unless you get your head out of your ass and remember what's at stake here."

A soft sound from the hallway made us both freeze.Ethan stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but my t-shirt from the night before, his blonde hair tousled from sleep.His green eyes were wide as they took in the tension crackling between Trevor and me."Sorry," he said quietly, his gaze darting between us."I heard voices and thought...is everything okay?"

Trevor's nostrils flared again as Ethan's scent hit him full force, unmarked by cologne or soap, just pure human mixed with my own scent from hours of lovemaking.I saw the exact moment my Beta realized I truly hadn’t been lying about being mated to Ethan.Trevor’s expression shifted from anger to something approaching pity.He knew as much as I did that there was no way out of a mate bond.

"Everything's fine, pup," I said, forcing my voice to gentleness despite the rage still coursing through me."Trevor was just leaving."

But Ethan's reporter instincts were too sharp to be fooled.His eyes narrowed as he looked between us again."This is about those murders, isn't it?The couple at the cider mill?"

Trevor's head snapped toward me, accusation blazing in his eyes.Of course Ethan would already know about the attack.He was a journalist, after all."How did you—" I started.

"Jake texted me twenty minutes ago," Ethan said, pulling his phone from the pocket of my shirt."The police found them this morning.Same MO as the other attacks."His voice was steady, but I could smell the fear spiking beneath his calm exterior."We were there yesterday, Calder.That thing was hunting while we were in the maze.You… You were right.”

The guilt hit me like a physical blow.My mate was putting the pieces together, and each realization was another weight on my already crushing sense of failure."Ethan," I began, but he held up a hand.“It’s not your fault.”

"Don't."His green eyes were full of shame.“Don’t lie to make me feel better.You know it was after me and those people… they’re dead because I ran.”

The silence was so thick it could’ve been cut with a knife.Trevor stepped forward, his hand outstretched in an attempt to break the tension."You must be Ethan," he said softly."I'm Trevor, Calder's head mechanic."