46. Calder
Calder
A week had passed since the barn had burned to the ground, consuming the body of Jake Harrison.
Portland was safe, my pack was safe, and the Elder Council was quickly smoothing everything over with the mortal world to make the entire ordeal look like nothing more than a string of bad luck.
As far as the humans knew, werewolves still didn’t exist.
And yet, I was more unhappy than I’d ever been.
Trevor and Patrick had tried their best to console me, bringing over food I couldn't eat, keeping me company in silence I couldn't break. They meant well, and I appreciated them more than I could express. But nothing they did could fill the gaping hole Ethan had left behind.
I hadn't heard from Ageratum since that night. Not a word, not a sign. I'd tried calling, tried reaching out through every supernatural channel I knew, but the demon had vanished into the shadows. Taking Ethan with him.
Was he alive? Had Ageratum been able to save him, or had I watched my mate die in my arms?
The not knowing was slowly destroying me from the inside out.
My wolf howled constantly inside me, a mournful sound that echoed in my chest, demanding we find our mate.
But I had no idea where to even begin looking.
I stood at my living room window now, staring out at the street where Ethan had run from me just over a week ago.
It felt like a lifetime had passed since then.
Everything in the house still carried his scent—the sheets on my bed, the towel hanging in the bathroom, the coffee mug he'd used that last morning.
I couldn't bring myself to wash any of it away. What if it was all I had?
"Calder." Trevor's voice came from behind me, gentle but firm. "You need to eat something. Patrick made your favorite."
I didn't turn around. "Not hungry."
"You haven't eaten in a week," Patrick chimed in, concern lacing his words. "Alpha or not, you can't keep going like this."
"I'm fine," I lied, my voice flat.
A heavy silence filled the room. I could feel their worried glances, their helplessness. They wanted to help, but there was nothing they could do. Nothing anyone could do unless Ageratum decided to reappear with answers.
"The Council wants to meet with you," Trevor said carefully. "They've been patient, but—"
"Let them wait," I growled, my hands clenching into fists against the windowsill. "I don't care what they want."
"Calder—"
A knock at the door interrupted whatever Trevor was about to say. We all froze. It was sharp, deliberate, nothing like the casual way my pack members usually announced themselves.
I turned slowly, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs. Trevor and Patrick exchanged glances before Patrick moved toward the door.
"Wait," I said, my wolf suddenly alert, sensing something. "I'll get it."
I crossed the room in quick strides, my hand trembling slightly as I reached for the doorknob. I didn't know what I was hoping for or expecting, but when I pulled the door open, my breath caught in my throat.
Ageratum stood on my porch, his crimson eyes unreadable as always. And he was alone.
“The Elder Council demands your presence,” he said, cool and unfeeling as usual.
“Where’s Ethan?”
“Alpha Thorne,” he repeated. “The Elder Council demands your presence. Now.”
“Not until you tell me—”
Ageratum rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist. But before I could pull it away, I felt a sudden yank at the base of my spine.
One moment I was standing in my doorway and the next I was standing in the center of a large circular room made of white marble.
A raised balcony surrounded me on all sides punctuated by thirteen ornate thrones.
And each of them was filled, a figure in white robes staring down at me.
The Elder Council chambers… I’d never seen them before.
I stumbled slightly, disoriented by the sudden transportation.
My bare feet found purchase on cold marble as I steadied myself, very aware that I was still naked and covered in dried blood from the barn.
The Council members stared down at me from their thrones, their faces hidden beneath white hoods that seemed to drink in the light.
"What the hell?" I muttered, spinning to find Ageratum had materialized beside me. "You can't just—"
"Silence." The command came from the largest throne directly in front of me. The voice was ancient, layered with power that made my wolf instinctively lower its head. "Alpha Calder Thorne, you stand before the Elder Council to answer for your crimes against our kind."
My heart was still racing, but not from fear. "I don't care about my crimes. Where is Ethan? Is he alive?"
A ripple of whispers passed through the Council members. I could feel their judgment, their disapproval radiating down at me like physical weight. But I didn't care. Nothing mattered except knowing if my mate had survived.
"Your human," another voice said, this one female and cold as winter frost, "is the reason you have been summoned."
My chest tightened. "Then he's alive?"
"That remains to be seen," the ancient voice replied. "The demon was able to stabilize him, but he knows far too much of our kind. This interrogation will decide whether he lives or dies."
Relief and terror warred inside me. Alive. Ethan was alive. At least for now.
"I need to see him," I said, taking a step forward before Ageratum's hand clamped down on my shoulder, holding me in place.
"Possibly," the icy female voice said, "after we have made our judgment."
"Judgment?" I looked up at the hooded figures, my jaw clenching. "I killed the rogue. I saved my mate. What more do you want?"
"We want you to understand the severity of what you have done," a new voice chimed in, raspy and old.
"You bonded with a human without permission from The Secret Mate Society.
You exposed our existence to him. You allowed him to gather evidence about our kind spanning years.
These are capital offenses, Alpha Thorne. "
I knew this was coming. I'd known from the moment Ethan discovered what I was that there would be consequences. But standing here now, facing the full Council, the reality of it hit me like a physical blow.
"I understand," I said quietly, forcing myself to meet where I imagined their eyes would be beneath those hoods. "And I accept whatever punishment you decide. But Ethan is innocent. He didn't ask for any of this. He was a victim, nothing more."
"A victim who now possesses dangerous knowledge," another Council member said.
"He’s not going to turn against us,” I barked back. I paused, taking a deep breath. “He is one of us now.”
“Explain,” another elder demanded.
“Ethan knows everything about our world, that’s true. But he’s also my mate, bonded to me. That makes him part of my pack and under my protection. He is no longer a stranger to our world.”
“But he has not been approved by the Society!”
“Who gives a rat’s ass?” I snapped. “Ethan’s research was the only reason the rogue was caught!
He knew far more than any of you did about the situation.
Not to mention, when he found out what I was, he never once threatened to expose me or my world.
As far as I’m concerned, he’s already proven his worth several times over. ”
“You impertinent little pup!” the icy female hissed, her hood falling back to reveal turquoise dragon scales and horns curling at the sides of her head. “How dare you—”
“Enough,” the ancient elder barked. The dragon sat back, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring daggers at me. “Alpha Thorne has a point. The human has been in our care for the past week and he has been nothing but appreciative and kind.”
The relief that washed over me was so intense I nearly collapsed.
Ethan really was alive and well. My legs trembled, and I had to lock my knees to keep standing.
Ethan was here, somewhere in this place, breathing and healing.
My wolf howled with joy inside me, desperate to see him, to touch him, to confirm with my own senses that our mate had survived.
"I need to see him," I said again, more firmly this time. "Please."
The Council members exchanged glances, some kind of silent communication passing between them that I couldn't interpret. The tension in the room was suffocating, each second feeling like an eternity as they deliberated.
"There is still the matter of your punishment to discuss," the raspy voice said. "You have broken our laws, Alpha Thorne. That cannot go unanswered."
"I know," I said, squaring my shoulders. "Whatever you decide, I'll accept it. But let me see Ethan first. Let me know he's really okay."
More silence. More exchanged looks. I could feel Ageratum's presence behind me, solid and unmoved, offering no comfort but no additional threat either.
Finally, the ancient elder spoke again. "Very well. We will make an exception."
The words had barely left his mouth when a section of the marble floor behind me began to glow.
I spun around to see a doorway materializing, shimmering with the same magic that had brought me here.
And through it stepped another hooded figure, this one shorter than the others, guiding someone forward.
My breath caught in my throat.
Ethan.
He was pale and moved with a slight limp, favoring his right leg. His clothes were simple—soft cotton pants and a loose shirt that looked like they belonged to a hospital. But he was standing. He was breathing. He was alive.
Our eyes met across the chamber, and I saw his face crumble with emotion. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to move faster, nearly stumbling in his haste.
I didn't wait for permission. I crossed the space between us in three long strides, catching him as his legs gave out, pulling him against my chest. He was warm and solid and real, and I buried my face in his hair, breathing in his scent mixed with unfamiliar magic and healing herbs.
"You're alive," I whispered, my own tears falling freely now. "Thank the gods, Ethan, you're alive."