Page 221 of Secret Shifters Next Door

He led me out to his truck, and we drove away in silence. I had no idea what was going on or what he was going to tell me. Miles was extremely tense and obviously uncomfortable. There were a thousand things he might tell me, but none of them seemed like they’d cause him to act this way. All I could think was that he was afraid of how I would react to the news—whatever it was. I didn’t want him to feel ashamed or shunned, but until I found out what he was hiding, I had no idea how I would react.

After fifteen minutes, Miles pulled the truck onto a small dirt road and continued for about two hundred yards. We pulled out of the overgrowth of trees into a big open meadow. It was another beautiful spot, and part of me wondered how many of these places there were around here. It was like I found another fairytale scene whenever I left my apartment.

We still didn’t speak as Miles helped me get out of the car. He locked the doors, took my hand, and led me toward the meadow.We stopped a hundred feet from the truck, and Miles released my hand before running his hand through his hair.

“What do you believe about the paranormal?” he asked.

That was not what I thought he was going to ask. It was an odd question for sure, but there must have been a reason for it. I shrugged. “I guess I’ve always believed the universe was too vast to think humans are the only living beings out there. I totally believe in aliens. As a kid, I read a lot of books about mythology—so many of those crazy stories have similarities. I find it hard to believe two societies on different continents came up with the same or similar myths by accident. So, there has to be some type of truth to things like that. I believe there’re other things in the world we just can’t or won’t see.” I was rambling. Shaking my head, I asked, “What does that have to do with this, Miles? Why are you asking?”

His shoulders released a little bit of their tension, and he chuckled to himself. “Well, at least you aren’t a true skeptic or this would have been really difficult.”

“Miles, what the hell is going on? You’re being way too cryptic for my liking here.”

“Okay, sorry. I only wanted to know that you had an open mind. What I’m about to tell you is probably going to be the most far-fetched thing you’ve ever heard. Truly and completely unbelievable, but I have proof. Can you trust me when I say you aren’t in any danger? That when you are with me, no matter what you see, you’re safe?”

My heart beat heavy and fast. This conversation made me feel like I was standing on the edge of a cliff. Part of me wanted him to shut up, to stop talking, because whatever he was going to say would change things forever. Something this important would change things. The talk of the paranormal sent a chill down my spine. Was this real? Was…was he about to tell me my apartment was haunted or something? Fuck! Was he a ghost? Iblinked my eyes, trying to clear that thought away. No, he was real. So what the hell was he about to say to me? I clenched my hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

Miles took a deep, shuddering breath. “The reason Felicity sent you that wolf is because her real name isn’t Felicity Cruz. It’s Mariana Lowry. Her father is a billionaire named Antonio Lowry. He’s using his fortune to finance a secret society of humans who hunt paranormal creatures.”

“What? What are you saying?” My voice was barely a whisper.What the hell was happening?

“Let me finish, please. It’s easier if I get it all out at once. Anyway, Mariana’s mother fell in love with a creature called a shifter. He was a dragon shifter. Her mother took her with her, but she found out what he was and ran back to her father. He sent a team in to bring her back and kill the shifters. They, instead, killed everyone, including her mother. That sent Antonio down this path of revenge.

“The hunters have been in and around Lilly Valley for a year and a half now. They roped a witch into casting a spell on me, Blayne, Tate, and Steff. She cursed us, forcing us to mate. The curse brings us and the person we are supposed to be with together. It was supposed to help lead them to us and kill us, but it backfired. Tate and Harley came together. Steff and April, same thing. Once they mated, April and Harley became shifters, too. God, it’s really difficult to explain like this. I could go on for days. All you need to know is that all four of us are shifters. Now April and Harley are as well. The curse is focused on me now. I’m a wolf shifter, and you’re my fated mate.”

TWENTY

MILES

Celina stared at me. The look on her face was one of stunned disbelief. I couldn’t blame her. I’d dumped so much on her in the last two minutes, and it barely scratched the surface. I hadn’t even mentioned the attempt on mine and Harley’s lives, April’s kidnapping, or the warehouse fire and the deaths of Ryland and Emily. If she didn’t at least partially believe what I’d already said, there was no way she would be ready for everything else.

Finally, Celina put a hand to her forehead, like she was holding back a headache. “Miles, are you being serious?”

“Everything I’ve told you is God’s honest truth. I swear it on my life.”

“So…shifters are real?”

I nodded. “I can show you, but I’m scared it might be too much for you.”

Celina startled me by laughing. A real laugh, not one that sounded like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown or panic attack. I stared at her, dumbfounded, as she got herself under control. She wiped tears from her eyes and caught her breath.

“Miles, you’ve seen the books I’ve written. If there is proof that my overactive imagination got something right, then I’llaccept it. Anything to prove I’m not a delusional hermit. Show me the proof, and I’ll believe anything.”

I’d hoped she’d be open, but I’d kind of planned on a lot more discussion. Promises, explanations, arguments, accusations—the whole shebang. This easy acceptance threw me off balance. I took a step toward her, wanting to make sure she truly understood what she was saying.

“You’re right. I’ve seen the books you’ve written. All I can tell you is that reality isn’t the same as fantasy. Seeing it, might make you…I don’t know…go into shock? Pass out? Have a heart attack? I’m not sure. I want you to be safe.”

“True. My brain might go into overload seeing something as unbelievable as this, but I need to see it. I have to. If you want me to ever believe you, it’s got to be now, in front of me, so my own two eyes can see it.”

My wolf was pacing, ready to pounce out into the world and show Celina. It was desperate to come out, but I held it back. I wanted to show her my wolf, but I didn’t want things to move too fast. I still wasn’t sure she truly understood what was about to happen.

“Listen, before I do this, you have to totally understand what’s getting ready to happen and that you aren’t in any danger. I don’t want you to run away when you see.” My heart still wasn’t sure she wouldn’t. A pervasive fear still simmered deep in my soul that she’d think I was a monster. She seemed to be taking things in stride, but nothing could fully quell my fears of rejection. It was causing my heart to go haywire.

“It’s okay, Miles,” Celina whispered. “Show me.”

Shifting had always been a pleasant release for me, like cracking my knuckles or falling onto a soft bed after a hard day. This moment was anything but relaxing. Instead of feeling like I was about to do something fun, I had the sensation of standing inside an airplane, getting ready to skydive for the first time.

I growled and clamped my teeth down on the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood, then called on the wolf to come out. I fell down to all fours as my skin disappeared under a coat of fur, my lips elongating until they formed a canine maw, my fingers morphing into claws. When I was done, I looked up at Celina to see what she thought.

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