Page 213 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I’d looked at my friends and nodded. “We found him. It’s got to be this guy.”

I rubbed a hand across my face in bed as all that flitted through my mind. I got out of bed and paced the room. Tate and the others had stayed behind to figure out how best to go after this Antonio guy. From everything we’d found, Ryland hadn’t been lying. He was almost untouchable––more money than god, hunters at his disposal, his own private security team. Going after him would put neon targets on our backs.

But this guy’s daughter, Felicity aka Mariana, was sniffing around my mate. I couldn’t let that stand. There was no telling what Felicity had planned for Celina. The hunters had already tried to kill Harley, and had kidnapped April. They likely had something sinister planned for Celina. We’d talked about how to proceed the night before, and we had to tread carefully.

We now knew who she was, but she didn’t know that we knew. If we fucked up the element of surprise, she would vanish and tell Antonio we were on to them. I was sure that Felicity had discovered Celina was probably my fated mate. The comment Celina had made last night told me all I needed. She’d told Celina I would hurt her and that she should stay away. That meant she was trying to delay the mating bond. It was all too confusing and difficult to think through.

I needed to run. To shift and let off some steam. I glanced outside. The sun hadn’t even crested the trees yet. It was still quiet, the streets still deserted. If I were going to go, now was the time. I pulled on my pants and coat and headed out to the parking lot.

The town was always so silent in the winter, especially this early in the day. The forest backed up to a little bookstore behind the complex. I tugged my hood over my head and shoved my hands deep into the pockets before strolling into the woods. As soon as I was out of sight, I shifted, taking off in a gallop the second my paws touched the underbrush and pine needles.

I ran for hours, then hunted a rabbit and ate it for breakfast. As my wolf ran free, I tried to figure out the best way to get Felicity away from Celina. It would be difficult. Celina had made it very clear that she didn’t have many friends. Shit, that was putting it mildly. She didn’t haveanyfriends. The idea of telling her she needed to drop the first person who’d acted like a friend to her was cruel. Even though I knew what kind of person Felicity really was, it would be a pretty crappy thing for me to do. She was always so lonely, it hurt my heart to see it. How could?—

I slid to a stop, skidding on the fallen leaves. An idea had sprung to mind. It might work. Not only that, it would be better for Celina in the long run. I turned and sprinted to the edge of the forest. Once I was back and certain the coast was clear, I shifted and pulled my cell out of my pocket, dialing as I walked back home.

“Bro, you’re late for work,” Tate said after answering.

“Yeah, I know. It’ll be fine. I want to run something by you.”

“Shoot.”

“We agree we need to get Celina away from Felicity, right?”

“Yes. We went over this last night before you left. What are you planning?”

“Would you and Harley want to host Thanksgiving dinner? We can invite Steff and April. She needs friends, so why not have her be friends with our mates?”

“Good idea, actually. If she’s going to be your mate, then she’ll be part of this big family anyway. I like it. She needs to feel like she belongs.”

“Great,” I said, relieved that he understood where I was coming from.

Once I got off the phone with Tate, I dialed Celina as I walked across the street toward home.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Miles.”

“Hi! Uh…how did you get my number? Did I give it to you? I mean, I probably did…I just don’t remember. I had…oh God…I had a good time last night.”

I grinned, listening to her ramble on. “I’m a private investigator, remember? I can get anyone’s phone number. I had a great time yesterday, too.”

“Oh, right, dumb. Sorry.”

“You aren’t dumb. Don’t say that. And stop apologizing.”

“Sorry…shit…I mean, okay. What can I do for you, Miles?”

“Do you have any plans for Thanksgiving? My friends and I always get together. Tate will be there with his wife and kids, and Steff is bringing April, his wife. Blayne will also be there, but don’t let that deter you. I promise I’ll make him shower.”

“Wow. That’s so nice and thoughtful, Miles. I’d love to, but I already told Felicity I’d spend the holiday in the city with her.”

My wolf let out a sad whine, and I gritted my teeth. I should have known Felicity had already wormed her way into getting Celina away from me for the holiday. I cursed myself for not thinking of asking this earlier. Even if I hadn’t found out Felicity was a hunter, it should have been something I thought about beforehand.

“Would it be too impolite to ask you to come with me instead? I know you don’t have many people around you, and I’d love for you to have a real Thanksgiving. The guys and I always try to outdo each other, so there will be tons of food, and I…” I paused, trying to verbalize what I really meant. “I only want you to be somewhere welcoming and be surrounded by good people for Thanksgiving.”

There was a long pause, and I crossed my fingers. I was outside the complex, staring up at her window as I waited for her answer. It came a few seconds later. “Okay. That all sounds really nice. I mean…it does. I’ll break the news to Felicity.”

I pumped a fist. “Awesome. I promise you’ll have a great time. I’m being honest here, you just made my day, Celina.”

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