Page 7 of Chasing Secrets
A cold weight settled in Jalen’s stomach. Of course he would. Because why would anything in this nightmare be simple?
“And you know this... how?”
“Because I’m a wolf shifter,” Chase answered without hesitation. “And because that leech has been hunting in our territory for weeks.”
Wolf shifter. No build-up, no softening it, just laid the truth down like a grenade. Jalen filed that distinction away for later, when his thoughts weren’t scattered like dropped marbles.
“Our territory…” Jalen repeated, a small, strangled sound escaping. “There are more of you?”
Chase nodded. “My pack. We protect Crimson Hollow.”
“From vampires.” Jalen wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. “Next you’ll tell me the barista at the coffee shop is a mermaid.”
“Sasha? He’s human,” Chase said with complete seriousness. “But his boss is a Bengal tiger shifter.”
Jalen pressed his palms against his eyes, wondering if he could physically push the madness out of his head.
If that was possible, you would’ve pushed something else out of there a long time ago.
When he looked up again, Chase was still there, solid and real in the dim parking lot light.
“I can’t do this right now,” Jalen said finally. “I need sleep and definitely a therapist.”
As he tried to step around Chase, the man moved to block his path. Not aggressively but with a quiet determination that made Jalen’s pulse quicken.
“The motel isn’t safe,” Chase insisted. “Let me drive you.”
“So you can take me to your secret wolf lair instead?” Jalen crossed his arms. “Hard pass.”
Chase’s mouth twitched. “It’s a house. With locks. And a security system.”
“And a bunch of werewolves. Sorry, wolf shifters.”
“Who will protect you,” Chase added, his voice softening. “Because you’re my mate.”
Jalen blinked, certain he’d misheard. “Your what now?”
“My mate,” Chase repeated, looking uncomfortable but resolute. “It’s how I found you tonight. Why I could sense the vampire was near you.”
The world tilted slightly beneath Jalen’s feet. “Your mate,” he echoed faintly. “Like... what? We’re cosmically destined to be together or something?”
Chase nodded once, his gaze never leaving Jalen’s.
“Nope. No way.” Jalen shook his head vigorously. “That’s where I draw the line. Vampires? Fine. Wolf people? Whatever. But I am not some predestined soulmate picked out by the universe. That’s not how life works.”
“It’s how my life works,” Chase said simply.
Jalen stared at him, searching for any sign this was an elaborate joke. The guy was dead serious, truly believing what he was saying. The cosmic soulmate reveal hit Jalen like a truck while Chase was just… calmly rearranging the fabric of his existence.
What the fuck?
“I need to sit down,” Jalen muttered, dropping his bag and sinking onto the curb. The concrete felt cool through his jeans, grounding him as his thoughts whirled chaotically.
Chase hesitated then sat beside him, leaving a careful gap between them. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the buzzing of the parking lot lights overhead.
“So you just... knew?” Jalen asked finally. “The moment you saw me?”
“The moment I caught your scent,” Chase corrected. “It’s... hard to explain to humans. But, yes, I knew.”
