Page 21 of The Secret Mate Society

“Don’t believe me?”

He shrugged, taking another sip.“Not really.”

My pride flared up, filling my chest with heat.Before I could stop myself I’d closed the distance between us, my chest only a couple inches from Calder’s.I looked up at him, daring him to challenge me with my gaze.

“How about the fact that I know you like me?”I asked, poking him in the chest with my forefinger.“You might like to pretend that all you care about are these attacks happening, but I know better.Your tough guy facade won’t work on me.”

His cheeks went red almost instantly, but his gaze never left mine.“Pfft.You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I do.”I took a step back, grinning from ear to ear.“And as much as you want to pretend this wasn’t a date, I know you liked having my arms around your waist.”

He stared at me for a long moment, his lips working but no sound coming out.Finally he broke his gaze and turned away from me.“Come on,” he grumbled, clearly irritated.“I need to get you back to the coffee shop to get your car.”

He might’ve been annoyed with me, but I felt a sense of satisfaction.I’d gotten a reaction out of him and that, more than anything, proved to me that I was right.I followed Calder through the office once more and out through the back of the garage.Just outside was an old pickup that was dirty, rusted in spots, and clearly had seen better days.And it was the one Calder was heading for.

“I knew you had a beat up old truck,” I grinned, unable to help myself.“I was right!”

“Yeah, but I have a bike too,” Calder growled, glancing back at me.“And you didn’t know that.Just like there’s a lot of things about me you don’t know.”

I just smiled back, getting close once more just to make him squirm.“Well, I can’t wait to learn more about you then.”

Chapter10

Ethan

It was night, my headlights glimmering off the wet pavement as I drove.I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten so turned around.One moment I was in town and the next I was driving down bumpy country roads that were long overdue for repaving.I couldn’t tell how late it was, only that it had to be getting close to midnight.All the old farm houses I passed were dark, their lights long extinguished.The fields that flashed by were full of yellow corn stalks, not yet harvested for the year.

Where was I?It didn’t look like anywhere I’d been before.But the rolling hills told me I was probably still in Portland.

I squinted at the road sign ahead, but the rain had smeared it to illegibility.As I passed I saw it was a dirt road anyway, and not one I recognized.Even if I pulled over, that wasn’t going to help me.

A flash of movement caught my eye—something large darting across the road ahead.I slammed on the brakes, my car fishtailing slightly on the slick asphalt.For a split second, I caught sight of what looked like a massive wolf, its eyes reflecting my headlights like golden coins before it vanished into the cornfield.

"What the hell?"I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I sat there, engine idling, rain drumming on the roof.Wolves weren't common in this part of Maine.Mountain lions, maybe, but not wolves.And this one had seemed...different somehow.Larger than any wolf I'd seen in documentaries, with an almost human intelligence in those gleaming eyes.

I shook my head, trying to clear it.Lack of sleep was making me imagine things.I needed to find my way back to civilization, preferably before I ran out of gas.The needle was already hovering dangerously close to empty.

But then, just as I was about to pull away, I caught the flash of eye shine once more.My gaze snapped forward, focusing on the creature as it lumbered back into the road in full view of my headlights.

It was massive.Far bigger than any wolf should’ve been.Its shoulders alone had to be as high as my car's hood, its fur a deep midnight black that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly quality beneath the rain.The beast stood its ground, staring directly at me with those impossibly intelligent eyes—amber gold with flecks of something that looked almost...human.

I couldn't move.Couldn't breathe.My knuckles turned white against the steering wheel as we locked gazes through the windshield.Part of me screamed to floor it, to escape this creature that defied all natural explanation.But something else, something deeper and more primal, kept me frozen in place.

Then it did something no normal wolf would do.It tilted its massive head, almost like a person expressing curiosity, took a deliberate step toward my car, and stood up on its hind legs

"Oh fuck…" I whispered, fumbling for the lock button even though my doors were already secured.

The wolf-thing stopped at the sound of my voice.Its ears perked forward, and I swear I saw recognition flash across its features.Then it opened its mouth, revealing teeth that could easily tear through metal, and then it howled.

The sound vibrated through me down to my very bones.Then it faded into the night, leaving an uncanny silence in its wake.My breath fogged the windshield as I sat paralyzed, unable to process what I was seeing.The creature—whatever it was—lowered itself back to all fours, its movements fluid and deliberate.It took another step toward my car.

I fumbled for my phone, desperate to document this impossible thing, but it was nowhere to be found.It wasn’t until that moment that I realized I didn’t recognize the inside of the vehicle at all.But I didn’t have time to worry about that.By the time I looked up again, the wolf-thing had moved.It was moving closer, its massive claws scraping against the pavement.Those glowing eyes were fixed on me, filled with a hunger that I knew all too well.It was the same look I’d seen when my father was murdered.

The monster was back.

Unable to hold my fear back any longer, I slammed the car into gear and pushed the accelerator to the floor.My tires screeched as they spun on the wet pavement.The monster’s eyes widened as my vehicle surged forward, his dripping maw letting out a howl of fury.Before I could drive past him he lifted his dark claws, swinging toward my car.I heard the screeching and tearing of metal as they collided.