Page 37 of Chasing Secrets
Considering the entire department was comprised of shifters, Derek would be lucky to survive his little trip to the police station once Chase told them what the sick fuck had done and that Jalen was his mate.
Mates were precious to nonhumans, protected, even if they weren’t yours, because preternatural knew just how rare they were, that they were a nonhuman’s one shot at true happiness.
Blue lights flashed at the corner of the street as a police cruiser turned onto the side road, rolling slowly as if on routine patrol.
“Well, I should get going,” Derek said, his voice carrying just enough to be heard by anyone nearby. “Jalen, I’ll see you Sunday for dinner. Your mom’s making your favorite.”
“Oh,” Chase said, “you wanna die right fucking now, don’t you?”
Zeppelin placed a hand on Chase’s shoulder to stop him from going after the prick.
With a casual nod that belied the tension of the moment, Derek turned and walked away, hands in his pockets like a man without a care in the world.
Behind him, Jalen was trembling so hard Chase could feel it through the hand still clutched in his shirt. He turned to find Jalen’s face had drained of all color. His mate’s eyes were wide, breath coming in short, shallow gasps.
“I need to get him home,” Chase said to Zeppelin.
“Go. We’ll follow.”
Gently, Chase placed his arm around Jalen’s shoulders, guiding him toward the truck. His mate moved like a sleepwalker, feet dragging across the pavement. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. He’s gone.”
As he helped Jalen into the passenger seat, Chase made a silent vow. That man—that monster in human skin—would never hurt Jalen again. Chase would find him, alone, away from witnesses. And he would end him.
Chapter Ten
Chase stood by Jalen’s bedroom window, staring at the fading sun over the mountains while he waited for his mate to come out of the bathroom. The soft click of the bathroom door pulled Chase’s attention from the swirls of pink and orange bleeding across the evening sky. Jalen stood in the doorframe, arms crossed tightly over his chest like he was physically holding himself together. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes despite the ten hours he’d slept the night before.
Chase’s wolf paced anxiously within him. Ever since their encounter with Derek at the ice cream parlor yesterday, Jalen had been too quiet. Instead of his usual sarcastic comments or dry observations, he’d retreated into himself, barely speaking during dinner and heading straight for the shower afterward.
“Hey,” Chase said, keeping his voice gentle. “Feeling any better?”
Jalen shrugged one shoulder, not quite meeting his eyes. “A little.”
Something was clearly eating at him. Chase could practically smell the anxiety rolling off his mate, mingling with the clean scent of soap and shampoo. He wanted to cross the room, to pull Jalen into his arms and promise him everything would be okay, but he held back. Pushing too hard right now might make Jalen retreat further.
“Can I ask you something without you thinking badly of me?” Jalen finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Chase moved away from the window, closing some of the distance between them but still giving Jalen space. “You could tell me you secretly dance naked while eating bratwurst and I wouldn’t think badly of you.”
That earned him a flicker of a smile, gone almost as soon as it appeared.
“I’m serious, Jalen,” he added. “There’s nothing you could say or do that would make me see you in a bad light. Nothing.”
Jalen’s eyes met his briefly before darting away again. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He resisted the urge to reach for Jalen’s hand, sensing his mate needed space right now. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant sounds of the pack moving through the house and the soft whir of the ceiling fan overhead. Chase waited, giving Jalen time to find his words.
Jalen inhaled deeply, his knuckles whitening where his fingers dug into his own arms. “What if... what if I asked you to make someone leave me alone?”
He studied his mate’s handsome face, trying to decipher exactly what Jalen was asking. A conversation? Or something more permanent?
“Is this about your uncle?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
Jalen nodded, finally meeting his gaze. “Can you scare him into leaving me alone?”
The way he emphasized “scare” made Chase’s blood sing with dark promise. This was the moment he’d been waiting for—permission from his mate to “handle” things.
