“Shane doesn’t believe that,” Alec said.
“Do you?”
Alec swallowed hard before answering me. “No.”
My wolf urged me to run, but I was frozen. My feet rooted in place as I stared into Alec’s familiar chocolate brown eyes. How could I have been so blind to him? To what he knew? I’d fallen for his sweet southern charm. I’d refused to listen to any of Eli’s warnings.
And now look where it had gotten me. I was in a secluded place with a human who clearly knew what I was somehow.
“I know what you’re thinking. Just give me a second to explain,” Alec insisted as he held up his hands in surrender. “I admitted to not believing Drew fell down the stairs and broke his neck. That’s true. And, I do think your pack had something to do with his death, but I’m sure it was justified. Whatever you had to do, I have no doubt it was necessary.”
I blinked. Words wouldn’t form. My lungs barely knew how to breathe.
“Shane’s brother Drew was not a good guy,” Alec insisted. His words came out in a rush. It was almost as though he was trying to get them out as fast as he could before I bolted. “I know what they were doing on my uncle’s property. Hunting. Not for rabbits or deer like they claimed but for your kind. For werewolves.”
“How do you know that?” My words sounded thick.
“My uncle. I was there the day he claimed he was attacked by one of your pack.”
How was that possible? The story my dad told me didn’t mention anyone else being there.
“No one knew I was there. I was hiding near the edge of the lake. I’d been fishing. Until I heard shots go off. I hid behind a tree, hoping it would shield me from any stray bullets.” Alec dropped his hands to his sides. He placed his fishing pole on the ground, but never took his eyes off me. “I saw a large wolf running through the woods and my uncle chasing it, shooting. By the time he ran out of bullets, the wolf was so pissed it lunged forward and bit him. I saw the way the wolf looked at him after. It wasn’t normal. A normal wolf would have continued tearing into him. Hell, it would’ve probably killed him on the spot. But not this wolf. This wolf was different. It gave my uncle a warning and disappeared into the woods.”
A wave of nausea engulfed me.
I couldn’t see past the fact that Alec had known what I was all along.
“I’ve been coming back to the woods ever since because I wanted to see a wolf again. I wanted the experience of being around one all on my own. Maybe that’s crazy, but I didn’t think the wolf that day was aggressive. He wouldn’t have bitten my uncle if he hadn’t shot at him. I believe that.” Alec took a step closer to me. I took a step back, but he reached out and smoothed a hand along my forearm. “I’m not going to hurt you, Mina. And, I hope you won’t hurt me either.” His brows pulled together as he struggled to gauge my reaction.
“I—”
“I never saw anything, though, each time I returned to the woods,” he insisted. “Nothing besides you.”
His fingers intertwined themselves through mine. His warmth seeped through my chilled skin, but it did little to calm the unease hammering through my insides. His touch felt nothing like what Eli’s did. I should run, my wolf told me so, but this was Alec.
My Alec. He wouldn’t hurt me. Would he?
“I noticed your connection to the moon the first time I saw you. It didn’t take long to figure out you always went to the lake on a full moon to meditate. Or stare at it. Whatever it is you do.” He grinned. “Even when it was daylight still, you’d go there and seek out its transparent shape. I waited for you to shift, to change, but you never did.”
A recent memory of someone wearing a blue shirt watching me from the woods the night I was moon kissed flashed through my mind. Had it been Alec? Was he the one watching me? Not Shane. Not his brother. But Alec.
“I wanted to see you. The real you. I still do. You would be a beautiful wolf, Mina.” Fascination festered through his words as excitement flashed behind his eyes. Alec didn’t detest what I was. Instead I mesmerized him.
“Do you think someday you could let me see? Just once?” he surprised me by asking.
I swallowed hard. He wanted me to show him what I was. He wanted me to change in front of him. Wasn’t this what I had wanted from him all along—acceptance? True acceptance?
Here he was, giving it to me willingly, and all I could think about was whether it was a trick. When had my mind become so dark?
When my pack members started going missing.
I looked into Alec’s eyes. My wolf told me I needed to get the hell out of there, but my human side said I was staring at someone who desperately wanted to be a part of my world.
How had I missed it before? It was there in the way he looked at me. Had it always been?
I opened my mouth to say something, but a new text came through on my cell before I could.
“Sorry, it might be my sister. She’s home alone tonight,” I said as I fished my cell out of my back pocket. Alarm stabbed through my gut. My wolf didn’t like having told him Gracie was home alone.
The text was from Eli. I shielded my phone from Alec while I read it.
I met with Dorian tonight. He wants to meet with both of us tomorrow to go over everything again and create a plan of action. Let me know what time you’re available.
“Is everything okay?” Alec asked with a strong level of concern flaring through his words.
“Sort of. I think I should head home, though. Gracie is getting a little freaked.” The lie rolled off my tongue. Thankfully, it must’ve sounded believable because Alec nodded.
“Sure. Yeah. Okay,” he said. He bent down and began folding the blanket he’d laid out for us. “Listen, I know what I said tonight probably freaked you out. I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry with me though. I’m not like Shane or my uncle. I don’t want to hurt anyone in your pack. I don’t want to hurt you. I guess… I guess I’m just fascinated your kind exists is all.”
I laughed.
I didn’t know why, and I damn sure didn’t know how to contain it. I continued laughing like a lunatic while I stood a few feet away from him.
“What’s so funny? I’m trying to apologize here.” Alec chuckled.
“I’m sorry. It’s just you’re apologizing for freaking me out. Shouldn’t the conversation be reversed, considering? After all, I am the werewolf.”
The second the words passed from my lips I wished I could take them back. My laughing ceased as I realized I’d done the unthinkable.
I’d admitted to a human I was a werewolf.
7
As I slipped into bed that night, I couldn’t believe the way my evening had turned out. The ride home with Alec had been awkward. He kept looking at me and smiling. It twisted my stomach into knots. I’d planned to tell him we were better off as friends, not admit that I was a werewolf.
How could I break things off with him now? He thought I was some fascinating mythical creature.
I tossed and turned in bed. Hours passed without me falling asleep. All I could think of was my conversation with Alec. Until I remembered what he’d said about Shane being in the woods.
Shit. How could I have forgotten about that?
I reached for my cell on my nightstand and sent Eli a text.
Are you still awake? - Mina
Seconds ticked by before he answered.
Yeah, what’s up?
I chewed my bottom lip as I debated where to start. How could I fit everything into a single text?
I couldn’t.
I need to talk to you. Can I come over? - Mina
It was three in the morning, but I had to get this off my chest. I had to tell Eli what I’d learned tonight. He needed to know about Shane being in the woods. The pack needed to be warned.
Sure.
I frowned at his simple response, unsure of what else I’d been expecting. I slipped out of bed, trying to be quiet. Movement in Gracie’s bed caught my eye. Winston poked his head up from a mound
of sheets, having seen me.
Why wasn’t he in his crate? Irritation slipped through me. What was Gracie thinking? She should know he wasn’t ready to be left out all night. I started toward him, ready to scoop him up and shove him into his crate, but he shifted in Gracie’s arms enough that she latched onto him in her sleep. Her face snuggled against his soft fur, and I watched as he licked her cheek sweetly.
My heart melted.
I didn’t have it in me to remove the little cutie from her side. The sight of them snuggling was too precious. While Gracie might be a pain sometimes, she was still cute when she was sleeping. I left them be and gathered my sandals before heading out the door.
The night air was still and thick when I stepped outside. Everything was too quiet. I folded my arms over my chest as I started toward Eli’s and noticed I’d forgot to put on a bra. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. My shirt wasn’t tight. Then again, maybe he would.
I paused, debating on turning back for one but something shifted in the corner of my eye. An animal maybe? Whatever it was, it had my feet hustling toward Eli’s place.
Braless.
The sensation of someone watching me prickled across my skin the closer to the woods I came. My imagination ran wild. Was Shane watching me, lining up his rifle as he waited for the right moment to shoot?
No. It had to be someone from the pack. There was always someone watching, wasn’t there?
Nonetheless, my legs moved beneath me faster. The light in Eli’s kitchen was on and so was the outside light. It illuminated his wooden stairs in a soft glow.
My sandals slapped against the wood steps as I jogged up them as though something was nipping at my ankles. The door swung open before I could knock, revealing Eli in a pair of athletic shorts that hung low on his hips.
Maybe coming over in the middle of the night wasn’t the best idea.
“Everything okay?” Eli asked as he motioned for me to come inside.
I slipped past him. Icy air touched my skin. His AC must have been cranked to full blast. It was an ice box inside. I’d definitely have to ask for a sweater or blanket. There was no way I could be around him in a thin shirt with no bra in this temperature. My nipples were already hard enough to cut glass.
“Depends on what your definition of okay is,” I said with a shiver. “Jesus, it’s freezing in here.”
“Sorry. I like to be cold while I’m sleeping,” he said as he closed the door. “Want a sweater?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Eli headed down the hall to his room, and I took it upon myself to curl up on his comfy couch. I flipped through the things I needed to say, deciding what was most important and where to start. Shane being in the woods. That was where I’d begin.
“This is the only clean one I have,” Eli said as he appeared in the living room again holding a hoodie. “I wasn’t joking when I said I haven’t been the best at keeping up with my laundry lately.”
“It’s fine,” I said as I took it from him. I pulled it on, equally as eager to cover up my chest as I was to be submerged in his scent.
“Are you thirsty at all?” Eli asked as he started toward the kitchen.
“I’m not drinking moonshine with you at three o’clock in the morning if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Not what I’m asking at all.” He chuckled. “I was just trying to be a good host.”
Guilt simmered through me for having jumped to conclusions. “Oh. I’ll take some water, please.”
“That I have plenty of,” Eli said as he grabbed two plastic cups from the cabinet by the sink. “So, tell me what’s going on. You said you needed to talk to me?”
I smoothed my hands along my thighs. “Shane is what’s going on. He’s in the woods.”
“What do you mean he’s in the woods? Did you see him? Did he do something to you?” I didn’t have to look at Eli to know his face had hardened, or that his eyes had turned a dangerous shade of green. It was clear from his tone.
“Whoa. Slow down.” I held my hands up in front of me as though they might deflect any more questions he wanted to shoot my way. “One question at a time.”
Eli carried the cups of water over to the couch and handed one to me. He released a long breath. “Sorry. Okay. First question: Did he do something to you?”
“No. He didn’t,” I said as I took one of the cups.
Relief seemed to trickle through his features. “That’s what I care about most.”
His words stirred things inside me I hadn’t expected to feel. I took a sip from my water to help dilute them, because now was not the time.
“To answer your other questions: No, I didn’t see him. I do know he’s there, though. He’s supposedly guarding the woods, ready to shoot any wolf that steps inside because he suspects we had something to do with his brother’s death.”
“I’m not surprised. I assumed he’d feel that way and attempt to do something to retaliate,” Eli said.
“I’m surprised. I worried he might suspect we had something to do with his brother’s death, but I didn’t think he’d stand in the woods with a gun, prepared to kill us because of his suspicions.”
“You can never underestimate the enemy.”
Enemy? It seemed like a loaded word. One that seemed overkill in this situation, but I guess there was truth to it. Shane was the enemy. He and his brothers had abducted pack members.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of him,” Eli insisted. “My dad either. He’s got a couple of the others watching over the park tonight, making sure no one heads into the woods for a quick run alone.”
That must have been the eyes I felt. A small sense of comfort washed over me.
“I am curious to know how you learned Shane was in the woods,” Eli said as skepticism pooled in his eyes.
He knew how I’d found out; he just wanted me to say it.
“Alec.”
“Did Alec have anything else to say about the situation?” Eli asked even though it didn’t seem as though he wanted to. The veins in his neck bulged at the same time his eyes darkened in color.
I thought back on my conversation with Alec. My pulse started to race. Regardless of how Eli might react, I still needed to tell him Alec knew. It didn’t just involve me. It involved the safety of the pack too.
Still, it didn’t mean I wanted to.
“I’m going to tell you something you’re not going to like, but I need you to listen without interrupting. Okay?” I narrowed my eyes, hoping to get my point across.
A crooked grin formed on Eli’s face, one that made me think he found my serious side amusing. “Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes and then pulled in a deep breath before blurting my next words out. “Alec knows. About me. About you. About the pack. He knows what we are.”
“Umm, most people living in Mirror Lake do,” Eli said, unfazed by my revelation.
“No.” I shook my head. “Most people suspect. They’ve heard rumors and aren’t one hundred percent sure they’re true, but Alec knows it’s all true. He was in the woods the night your dad bit his uncle. He saw it.”
Eli’s brows furrowed. “No one else was there. If someone had been, my dad would’ve known.”
“Alec was there. He was fishing at the lake when he heard the first gunshot. He hid behind a tree, worried about a stray bullet hitting him. He saw the whole thing,” I insisted. “He knew there was something different about your dad’s wolf. I think Alec’s uncle knew the same. I think that was why his uncle started hunting us, and it’s where Alec’s fascination with werewolves came from.”
“It’s probably also why he’s so into you,” Eli bit out.
His words stung.
What he’d said wasn’t true. Was it?
“I don’t think that’s the only reason he’s into me, as you put it.”
Eli shifted to look me in the eyes. “How can you be so blind? What does this guy have that draws you to him so damn much? Is it the fact that he’s dangerous
? Are you addicted to the dangerous type?”
“What? No! Alec is not the dangerous type. Besides, if I was into the dangerous type I’d be into you.”
“He is dangerous though, Mina!” Eli shouted. It was the first time he’d ever raised his voice to me. I flinched at the sound of anger and authority rolling through his tone.
“I’m sorry but I don’t believe that. Alec is not dangerous. His uncle, yes. He’s mixed up in some dealings with shady vampires. One of his friends, yes. He’s running an underground werewolf trafficking program in the woods.” My voice rose as loud as his, and I didn’t give a damn. “But Alec isn’t a part of any of that. He’s a sweet guy who happens to be fascinated by the knowledge there’s something more out there than humans. The world is larger than he thought possible, and all he wants is a taste of it.”
As I said this to Eli, I knew deep down how much truth was in my words. Alec had been opened up to the world of the supernatural, and all he wanted was to learn more about it. That didn’t mean he started dating me because of what he suspected I was. There was more to our relationship than ulterior motives and pretend. There was chemistry between us, which was something I didn’t feel could be faked.
Eli set his cup on the floor. I watched him, noticing how tense his body had become as his irritation with me continued to grow. I set my cup down as well, thinking maybe it was time I left.
“Why are you with him?” Eli asked me point blank, his eyes never wavering from mine. “Tell me right now, after everything, why are you still with him?”
It wasn’t a question I’d been prepared to answer.
“It’s complicated,” I said, refusing to give him anything more. I didn’t need to explain myself or my love life choices to him. He was not my alpha. He held no control over me and the things I did.
“Then it’s not worth it,” Eli said more matter-of-factly than he had anything else tonight.
Anger lapped at my insides. “How would you know?”
“Because, when it’s worth it, it’s easy,” he whispered just before his hands reached up to cup my face.
Moon Severed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 3) Page 6