Secrets unraveled

Mia hadn’t said a word since they left the forest. Jace had insisted on escorting her back to town, and despite her protests, she knew better than to argue. His presence, though tense and intimidating, gave her a strange sense of protection. But her mind wouldn’t stop reeling.

Werewolves. Eli. Luke. Jace. All of them were werewolves.

She wanted to scream, to demand explanations that made sense, but the reality of what she’d seen was too overwhelming. What was worse was the realization that the town wasn’t just hiding secrets—it was a secret. The place she’d thought would give her a fresh start had turned out to be darker than her past, tangled with mysteries and dangerous creatures. And now she was entangled with them, whether she liked it or not.

They reached the edge of the woods where the town came back into view. The streetlights were beginning to flicker on, casting long shadows across the roads as dusk settled over Silver Hollow. Mia shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She wasn’t sure if it was the chill in the air or the knowledge that the shadows held far more than just darkness.

Jace glanced at her, his dark eyes filled with something unreadable. Guilt? Anger? She couldn’t tell, but she didn’t care. She had questions, and she wasn’t going to let him brush her off this time.

“You owe me an explanation,” she said firmly as they approached the outskirts of town. “And I’m not leaving until I get the whole truth.”

Jace sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and for a moment, Mia almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“I told you, it’s not your concern—”

“No!” she interrupted, her voice sharp. “It is my concern now. I just watched you turn into a werewolf and kill one of your own in the middle of the forest. You don’t get to tell me that it’s not my business anymore.”

He stopped walking, turning to face her fully. His expression was hard, but there was something else in his eyes—something vulnerable, like he was fighting an internal battle.

“You shouldn’t have come out there,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “I was trying to protect you.”

“From what?” she demanded. “From the truth? From whatever the hell is happening in this town?”

Jace took a deep breath, his gaze flicking away from hers. “From the rogues.”

Mia frowned, her mind racing. “Rogues? You mentioned them before. What are they?”

“Werewolves that don’t follow the pack,” he explained, his tone clipped. “We have rules—an order. The pack is meant to keep control, to protect the town and each other. But rogues… they don’t care about rules. They’re dangerous, unpredictable. They attack without reason, and they’ve been causing problems here for months.”

Mia processed his words, her pulse quickening. “So the attacks… they’re all because of these rogues?”

Jace nodded. “That wolf you saw me kill—it was one of them. We’ve been hunting them, trying to keep the town safe, but they keep slipping through the cracks. They’re getting bolder.”

Mia’s heart pounded as the weight of his words settled over her. She’d stumbled into something far bigger than she’d imagined. The town was in danger, and not just from ordinary threats. Monsters. Real, living monsters.

“And Eli and Luke?” she asked quietly, dreading the answer.

“They’re part of the pack,” Jace confirmed, his voice softening slightly. “We’ve been dealing with this together.”

Mia felt a strange pang in her chest at the mention of Eli and Luke. She thought back to the way Eli had warned her about the forest, the way Luke had teased her with his easy smile. They had known all along, and yet neither of them had told her. They had all been keeping this from her.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why all the secrets?”

Jace sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not that simple, Mia. We don’t just go around telling people what we are. Most humans can’t handle it—they freak out, or worse, they get hurt. We were trying to protect you.”

Mia’s eyes narrowed. “You keep saying that, but all I feel is that you’ve been lying to me since the moment I got here.”

Jace flinched at her words, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. “I didn’t want to lie to you. None of us did. But this… this life isn’t easy. There’s danger everywhere. If you knew the truth from the start, it would’ve only made things harder for you.”

Mia shook her head, frustration bubbling up inside her. “I don’t need protection, Jace. I need the truth.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the tension between them thick. Mia’s chest tightened as she looked at him, at the man who was both human and something far more dangerous. He had saved her life tonight, but he’d also kept her in the dark. And she didn’t know which hurt more.

“Come on,” Jace said finally, his voice softer now. “Let’s get you back to your house.”

Mia hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly followed him as they made their way back through town. The streets were nearly empty now, the quiet eeriness of the evening settling in. The town seemed so normal on the surface, but now Mia could see the cracks. The way people glanced over their shoulders, the way doors were locked tightly as the sun went down. They knew. They knew about the wolves, about the danger. And they had been living with it for far longer than she had.

When they reached her house, Jace stopped at the front steps, his eyes scanning the darkened street before turning back to her. “Stay inside tonight,” he said. “And don’t go near the forest again. I mean it.”

Mia crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “What if I want answers?”

Jace met her gaze, something like regret flickering in his eyes. “You’ll get them. But not tonight.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Mia standing alone on her porch. She watched him disappear into the shadows, her mind spinning with everything that had happened. She felt exhausted, emotionally drained, but she knew sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.

As she stepped inside her house, locking the door behind her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. The air felt heavy, and the shadows seemed to move just beyond her vision. She glanced out the window, half-expecting to see glowing eyes staring back at her from the darkness.

But there was nothing. Just the quiet of the night and the weight of the secrets she had uncovered.

The next morning, Mia woke to the sound of knocking on her door. Her head ached, the events of the previous night replaying in her mind like a bad dream. She groaned, pushing herself out of bed and stumbling toward the door.

When she opened it, she was surprised to see Luke standing on her porch, his usual easygoing grin replaced by a more serious expression.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “Mind if I come in?”

Mia hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside, letting him enter. Luke walked into the living room, his hands shoved into his pockets as he glanced around. He looked uncomfortable, which was strange for him.

“I heard about last night,” he said after a moment, turning to face her. “Jace told me everything.”

Mia crossed her arms, her gaze hard. “Everything?”

Luke winced. “Well, everything except the part where he almost got you killed.”

Mia rolled her eyes, though a small part of her appreciated the attempt at humor. “He was trying to protect me.”

“Yeah, but we both know how that went,” Luke replied, leaning against the wall. “Listen, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. Eli, Jace, and I… we didn’t want to drag you into this mess.”

Mia sighed, rubbing her temples. “You keep saying that, but I’m already in it, aren’t I? There’s no going back now.”

Luke nodded, his expression softening. “Yeah, you are. And I wish we could’ve prepared you better for it.”

There was a beat of silence, and Mia looked at him, studying his face. Luke had always been the easygoing one, the one who made her laugh, but now there was a weight to him, a seriousness she hadn’t seen before.

“What are we going to do about the rogues?” she asked quietly, the question that had been gnawing at her since last night.

Luke sighed, pushing off the wall and running a hand through his hair. “We’ll deal with them. We’ve been hunting them for weeks now, and we’re close to finding their den. Once we do, we’ll take them out.”

Mia’s stomach churned at the thought of more violence, more bloodshed. But she knew there was no other way. The rogues were dangerous, and they had already hurt too many people.

“And what about me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Am I… safe?”

Luke stepped closer, his green eyes locking onto hers. “We’ll keep you safe, Mia. I promise.”

There was something in his voice, something that made her heart flutter despite everything. She wanted to believe him, wanted to trust that they could protect her. But after everything she had learned, she wasn’t sure if safety was something she could ever truly have again.

Later that day, as Mia sat on her porch, her mind still racing with everything that had happened, she saw Eli approaching from down the street. He walked with purpose, his face set in a hard expression that made her sit up straighter.

“Eli?” she called out as he reached her steps.

He nodded in greeting but didn’t smile. “We need to talk.”

Mia frowned, standing to meet him. “About what?”

“About the rogues. And about you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, dread curling in her stomach. “What do you mean?”

Eli’s gaze was intense, unwavering. “There’s something you need to know, something we haven’t told you. It’s about why the rogues are here. Why they’re after us.”

Mia swallowed, fear prickling at her skin. “What is it?”

“They’re not just attacking randomly,” Eli said, his voice low. “They’re looking for something. Or rather, someone.”

Mia’s breath caught in her throat. “Who?”

Eli’s eyes darkened. “You.”

The world seemed to tilt, and Mia felt like the ground was slipping out from under her.

“Me?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Eli nodded, his expression grim. “You’re the reason they’re here, Mia. They’re hunting you.”