Page 95 of The Secret Mate Society

I watched as he moved cautiously toward the front door, his body tense like a predator ready to spring.Sometimes the way he moved reminded me of something wild, something not quite human, like he was an ex marine or something.It was both terrifying and thrilling.

He opened the door slowly, scanning the yard before stepping onto the porch.I saw him circle the package once, examining it from all angles before finally picking it up.He brought it inside, kicking the door closed behind him.

"It is addressed to you," he confirmed, setting the box on the kitchen counter.It was about the size of a shoebox, wrapped in plain brown paper with my name scrawled across the top in black marker.

"No mention of who it’s from," I noted, moving closer to inspect it."That's weird."

"Don't open it," Calder warned, his hand covering mine as I reached for the package."We don't know what's inside."

My phone rang suddenly, making us both jump.I pulled it from my pocket, my editor’s name from the Gazette flashing on the screen.

"Hey boss.What's up?"I answered, watching as Calder continued to eye the package suspiciously.

“Ethan, I’m glad I got a hold of you,” he said, his voice strained for more than I’d ever heard before.“I… I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”

My stomach dropped."What happened?"

"Jake Harrison is dead."My editor's voice cracked."Police found his body this morning in the woods near Mackworth Island."

The room tilted sideways.I gripped the counter to steady myself, my knees suddenly weak."What?No, that can't be right.I just saw him at a haunted maze a day ago… he was just fine…"

Calder was at my side instantly, his arm around my waist, supporting me.His eyes searched mine, concern etched across his features.

"I know it's a shock," my editor continued."The police are calling it an animal attack."

My blood ran cold."His heart," I whispered."Was his heart..."

There was a pause on the line."How did you know that?"

Calder's grip on me tightened.I could feel him go rigid beside me.

"Lucky guess," I managed, my voice barely audible."It's the same killer, isn't it?The same one from the cider mill."

"The police aren't confirming anything officially, but yes, it looks that way."My editor sighed heavily."Look, I know you two were close.Take the day off.Take the week if you need it.The police won’t let us run any stories on this anyway, not until they find the killer."

I nodded numbly before realizing he couldn't see me.

“Did you get the box?”

I paused, surprised to hear him mention it.

“Y-Yeah.How did you know about that?”

“I delivered it last night after I got the call about Jake.”My editor’s voice seemed strained.“He gave it to me a while back and told me that it should be delivered to you in case anything happened.He was very insistent about it and gave me an address for a Calder Thorne.”

“I… I didn’t know Jake knew where I was staying.”

“I peeked in the window to make sure you were there,” he replied.“I would’ve rang the bell and told you about everything, but there was thismassivedog running around the neighborhood.I thought it was a wolf for a moment.”

My blood went cold.“W-What?”

“I think I was just overtired.”He let out a sigh.“Anyway, if there’s anything in that box that might help the police with their investigation, make sure you turn it in, alright?Whoever did this to Jake needs to be stopped.”

“Right,” I mumbled in reply."Thanks.I'll...I'll call you later."

I ended the call and stared blankly at the mysterious package on the counter.Jake was dead.The monster had killed him.Jake, who had been so suspicious of Calder, who had warned me to be careful.And now there was a wolf running around the neighborhood in the middle of the night?It felt like everything was converging on me at once.

"Ethan?"Calder's voice seemed to come from far away."What happened?Who died?"