Calder
Christ…” I groaned, wrinkling my nose in disgust as I handed the helmet over to Ethan. “Did you fuck a bottle of Abercrombie and Fitch cologne while you were in there?”
Ethan just laughed. “No. I just have some co-workers that like to smell nice.” He gave me a wry look. “Unlike some people…”
“Are you saying I stink?” I growled back, climbing onto the bike.
“Not at all,” he replied, settling in behind me and wrapping his arms around me.
I felt him tense for a moment, then back away, like he’d just stopped himself from saying something.
“What is it?” I asked, turning back to him. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing… I just…”
“Just what?”
“Calder… you… you aren’t trying to hurt me, are you?”
The question hit me like a physical blow. I twisted around on the bike seat to face him fully, my heart suddenly hammering against my ribs. "What? No! Why would you even ask that?"
Ethan's green eyes searched mine, uncertainty clouding them. "Just something Jake said. He thinks it's weird how you're always around when I need help. How you got to my apartment so fast that night."
A low growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. Jake. Of course it was fucking Jake. The human who thought he had a claim on my mate. "And you believe him?" I managed to keep my voice steady despite the rage building inside me.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," Ethan said softly.
"You have to admit, there's a lot you're not telling me. You show up exactly when I need you. You're secretive about your past, your work. You knew about that heart before the police did. You seem to have heard of this monster that’s after me… it’s a lot of coincidence. "
I closed my eyes briefly, fighting for control.
My wolf was pacing beneath my skin, desperate to defend myself, to eliminate the threat of Jake's influence.
But that would only push Ethan further away.
"Look at me," I said finally, reaching out to cup his face in my hands.
"I would never hurt you. Never. The thought of anything happening to you...
" I swallowed hard. "It tears me apart inside. "
His expression softened slightly, but the doubt remained. "Then why all the secrets? Why don't you just tell me the truth?”
"Because I'm trying to protect you," I said, the truth slipping out before I could stop it.
"From what?"
From monsters. From the Elder Council. From the truth that would change everything between us. "From things you're not ready to understand," I said, hating how evasive it sounded. "Please, Ethan. Just trust me a little longer."
He pulled back slightly. "That’s a lot to ask, Calder. We hardly know each other. And up until now… well, you’ve been doing everything you could to stay away from me.”
“Ethan…” I sighed. “If I were trying to hurt you, why wouldn’t I have done it by now? You’ve been alone with me in my house, in my bed. If I wanted to do something to you, why would I wait?”
“Maybe you like torturing people…” he replied quietly.
“Is that what you think of me?” I asked, more hurt than angry. “That I’m just playing with you until I get what I want?”
“No,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “I… I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just letting my anxiety get the better of me.”
I studied his face, seeing the fear and confusion warring with the trust he was trying to maintain. My heart ached at the thought that Jake's poison had taken root, even slightly.
"You’re not wrong to be cautious," I said carefully. "But your fear is pointed in the wrong direction." I brushed my thumb across his neck, feeling him lean into the touch despite his doubts. "The real danger isn't me, pup. It's that thing that's been hunting you for years."
Ethan's breath hitched at the endearment, and I caught the subtle shift in his scent, still anxious, but with an undertone of arousal that made my wolf rumble with satisfaction. "Then help me understand," he pleaded. "Give me something real, Calder. Not more half-truths and evasions."
I was quiet for a long moment, weighing my options. The Council had given me permission to protect him, but revealing supernatural secrets could still get us both killed. Yet seeing the pain in his eyes, the way he was pulling away from me because of Jake's manipulations, made my chest feel hollow.
"The night your father died," I said finally. "You said you saw the same creature. Describe it to me. Every detail you can remember."
Ethan blinked, clearly not expecting that request. "I... why?"
"Because I think I know what it was. And if I'm right, then everything else will make sense."
He was quiet for several heartbeats, his hands loosening their grip around my waist. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"It was massive. Bigger than any person, but it walked upright.
Dark fur, yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.
Its hands... they weren't hands at all. They were claws.
Long, sharp claws that it used to..." He shuddered, unable to finish.
My blood ran cold. The description matched what I already knew, a werewolf in full shift, one old enough and powerful enough to maintain that form for at least short bursts of violence. "And the sounds it made?" I prompted gently.
"Like growling, but deeper. More... intelligent. Like it was speaking a language I couldn't understand." Ethan's eyes met mine. "You know what it was, don't you?"
I nodded slowly. "I have a theory. But Ethan, if I tell you this, there's no going back. Your life will change in ways you can't imagine."
"My life already changed the night it killed my father," he said with quiet determination. "I've spent fourteen years being told I was crazy, that I imagined it all. If you know the truth, I need to hear it."
I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to cross a line that could doom us both. "What you saw was a… a shapeshifter of some sort, someone who can transform between human and monster form at will."
Ethan stared at me for a long moment, fear in his eyes. “Like… a werewolf?”
“Possibly,” I nodded, trying to keep as far away from the truth as I could. “But I don’t know the details.”
“You know a lot more than I expected,” Ethan replied. He lifted an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. “How do you know all this?”
“I…” I paused for a moment, wondering if I was finally going to cross the line, to tell him what I was and that an entire world existed within his own that nobody knew about. “I… I’ve read a lot of books,” I found myself saying. “About cryptids and paranormal things.”
Well, the lie was already told, I might as well flesh it out.
After all, the Elder Council was having me watched.
“When I was a kid I saw something in the woods too, something I couldn’t explain,” I continued.
”So I started watching shows and reading and trying to get my hands on anything that seemed similar.
By the time I was in high school, I knew everything about the supernatural that could be found in a book.
And once I’d consumed all that information, I found myself unable to dismiss it as nothing. ”
Ethan's eyes widened, a flicker of hope crossing his features. "You believe me," he whispered, not a question but a realization. "You actually believe what I saw was real."
"I do," I said firmly. "And I think whatever killed your father is back. It's hunting you now."
A shudder ran through him, his fingers tightening on my jacket. "Why me? Why now?"
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Some predators... they develop fixations. Maybe it wasn't finished fourteen years ago."
"But why wait so long? Why follow me across the country?"
"I don't know," I lied, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. The truth was too dangerous, that rogues often developed obsessions with potential witnesses, that they sometimes played with their prey for years before striking. "But I'm going to find out."
Ethan studied my face, searching for deception. His reporter's instincts were sharp, too sharp for comfort. "There's more you're not telling me," he said quietly.
I met his gaze steadily. "Yes."
His lips quirked in a sad smile. "At least you're honest about your dishonesty."
"Ethan—"
"No, it's okay." He sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "You've given me more than anyone else ever has. You actually believe me. That's... that's more than anyone else has ever given me."
The gratitude in his voice made my chest ache. How little this beautiful man had been given that simple belief felt like such a gift. "I want to tell you everything," I said, surprising myself with the truth in those words. "But some secrets aren't mine to share. Not yet."
"Will they ever be?"
The question hung between us, loaded with implications neither of us was ready to face. "I hope so," I said finally. "But right now, what matters is keeping you safe."
Ethan nodded, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine. The simple gesture of trust made my wolf whine with satisfaction. "So what now?" he asked.
"Now we go home," I said, turning back around on the bike. But then I stopped. “Actually,” I said, a thought forming in my mind. “Why don’t we do something to put your mind at ease?”
“What did you have in mind?” he asked, clearly curious.
“How about a date?” I offered. “A real date. Just you and me, in public, for the whole world to see.”
Ethan's breath caught behind me, his grip on my jacket tightening. "A date? Are you serious?"
I turned back to face him, seeing the surprise and something that looked like hope warring in those green eyes. "Dead serious. If I were some stalker trying to hurt you, would I really take you somewhere public? Somewhere people could see us together?"
A slow smile spread across his face, the first genuine one I'd seen since he'd come out of the Gazette building. "That's... actually a really good point."
"I figured you'd appreciate the logic," I said, feeling some of the tension in my chest ease. "Plus, I realized I've been doing this all backwards. I keep telling you you're mine, but I haven't exactly courted you properly."
"Courted?" Ethan laughed, the sound bright and genuine. "What are you, from the eighteen hundreds?"
Heat crept up my neck. Sometimes my old-fashioned pack upbringing showed through more than I intended. "You know what I mean."
"I do," he said softly, his hands sliding around my waist to link together at my stomach. "And I'd love to go on a date with you, Calder. A real one."
The warmth in his voice made my wolf practically purr with satisfaction. This was right. This was how it should be between us, honest moments, shared trust, building something real instead of just reacting to the chaos around us.
"Good," I said, starting the bike's engine. "I know a great place for dinner. Then, if you like, we can go see a movie and eat popcorn and candy until we explode. I haven’t done that in forever.”
“Sounds like heaven,” Ethan replied, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’m all yours for the night.”
My wolf growled in my chest as I started the bike, savoring the feel of his arms around me. I hope he meant what he said because I had some ideas on how to finish out the night after our date.