The Secrets We See
1293 Words
The moment they returned to the pack house, Remi’s phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
The hospital.
Her entire expression changed.
“Trauma surgery.”
Will immediately looked at her.
“How bad?”
“Multiple injuries. They’re bringing someone in now.”
Remi grabbed her bag.
“I have to go.”
Will stepped toward her.
“I’ll come with you.”
Remi shook her head.
“You’re an Alpha, Will. You don’t need to follow me to the hospital.”
His jaw tightened.
“I know.”
She gave him a small smile.
“I’ll be fine.”
For a second, neither of them moved.
That strange pull between them tightened.
Remi felt it again.
That warmth.
That inexplicable awareness whenever he was close.
She pushed it aside.
“I’ll see you later.”
Then she was gone.
Will watched the door close behind her.
His wolf growled inside him.
Mate.
He clenched his jaw.
Not yet.
⸻
Two Hours Later
The pack house looked completely different.
Boxes covered the war room floor.
Cases of equipment lined the walls.
New monitors had been installed.
Thermal sensors were connected.
Security cameras were being calibrated.
A drone charging station sat against one wall.
And Rae stood in the middle of it all like a kid who had just received the world’s largest toy store.
“Okay.”
She rubbed her hands together.
“Now we’re talking.”
Trey stared around the room.
“You actually got all of this here in two hours?”
Rae shrugged.
“I told you I could.”
Elijah looked at the equipment.
“How much did this cost?”
Rae smiled.
“You don’t want to know.”
Trey laughed.
“She’s going to bankrupt us.”
“No.”
Rae pointed at him.
“You’re going to pay for it.”
Trey’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
“Security upgrade.”
She smiled sweetly.
“Your pack needs it.”
Luke walked into the room carrying another equipment case.
“I agree.”
Trey looked betrayed.
“Luke.”
Luke shrugged.
“She’s right.”
Elijah laughed.
“You’re outnumbered.”
Will stood near the main monitor.
He wasn’t laughing.
He was watching Rae.
She moved around the room, connecting equipment, checking feeds, adjusting settings.
She was brilliant.
But there was something else.
Something he couldn’t explain.
The same strange energy he’d sensed around Remi.
Around Rae.
Around Del.
Rae suddenly turned.
“Okay.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Let’s talk about what I’ve installed.”
She tapped the main screen.
“These thermal sensors cover the northern, eastern, and western borders.”
A map appeared.
“Motion sensors are positioned along the access roads.”
Another tap.
“These cameras have facial recognition.”
Another.
“These drones have thermal imaging, night vision, GPS tracking, and enough tranquilizer darts to put an entire wolf pack on the floor.”
Elijah looked at her.
“You really like that feature.”
“Very much.”
Del smiled.
“She’s proud of those drones.”
“They’re expensive.”
Rae turned toward the Carter brothers.
“And before we continue…”
She smiled.
“I should probably mention something.”
Trey immediately looked suspicious.
“What did you do?”
Rae held up her hands.
“I hacked your phones.”
Elijah sighed.
“We already knew that.”
“No.”
Rae shook her head.
“I mean recently.”
Silence.
Will’s eyes narrowed.
“You hacked our phones recently?”
“Yep.”
Trey looked at Elijah.
“How recently?”
Rae smiled.
“After the attacks.”
Luke stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to know if someone else had gotten into them.”
Will’s expression hardened.
“Did they?”
“No.”
Rae paused.
“But I found something interesting.”
Elijah leaned against the table.
“What?”
Rae looked directly at Will.
Then at Trey.
Then Elijah.
“I know.”
Will’s eyes narrowed.
“Know what?”
Rae folded her arms.
“That Remi is your mate.”
The room went completely silent.
Trey’s eyes widened.
Elijah slowly turned toward Will.
Luke stopped moving.
Del’s mouth fell open.
Will stared at Rae.
“How?”
Rae shrugged.
“Your phone.”
Trey looked at Will.
“You never told her?”
Will’s jaw tightened.
“I never told anyone.”
Rae shook her head.
“You didn’t have to.”
She pointed toward him.
“Every time Remi is near you, your entire body language changes.”
Will said nothing.
“And your wolf practically screams.”
Trey looked between them.
“Mate.”
Will’s eyes flashed.
“Enough.”
Rae didn’t back down.
“I don’t understand why you haven’t told her.”
Will looked away.
“Because it’s complicated.”
Rae crossed her arms.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is for me.”
Del stepped closer to Rae.
“Rae…”
But Rae wasn’t finished.
“Something else is happening.”
She looked at Will.
“Since Remi came back, there’s been something around her.”
Will’s expression changed.
“What?”
“A wolf.”
Elijah straightened.
Rae continued.
“Not physically.”
She tapped her temple.
“I mean there’s something inside her.”
Will went still.
“Something dormant.”
Rae looked at Del.
“And it’s getting stronger.”
Del frowned.
“I’ve noticed.”
Trey looked at her.
“You have?”
Del nodded.
“Every time I’m around Elijah…”
She looked at him.
“I feel something.”
Elijah’s expression softened.
“What?”
Del hesitated.
“It’s hard to explain.”
Rae stepped in.
“I can explain it.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Remi has something waking up inside her.”
She looked at Del.
“And you do too.”
Elijah stared at Del.
“What do you feel?”
Del looked down at her hands.
“Like…”
She searched for the right words.
“Like there’s a flame inside me.”
Elijah’s eyes narrowed.
“A flame?”
Del nodded.
“It gets stronger around you.”
Elijah went completely still.
Rae pointed between them.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.”
She looked toward Trey.
“And before you ask…”
Trey raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I feel something around you too.”
Trey’s expression changed.
“What kind of something?”
Rae sighed.
“I don’t know yet.”
She looked at her hands.
“Sometimes I see things.”
Will remembered the vision.
The attacks.
The weapons.
The five men.
Elijah looked at her.
“And now?”
Rae shook her head.
“Now I’m starting to think the visions aren’t the only thing changing.”
A faint shimmer appeared around her fingers.
She quickly closed her hands.
Everyone saw it.
Nobody said anything.
Luke finally spoke.
“So all three of them are changing.”
Rae nodded.
“That’s what I think.”
Will looked toward the door Remi had disappeared through hours ago.
His wolf stirred.
Mate.
Rae watched him.
Then quietly said,
“You need to tell her.”
Will looked at her.
“I know.”
“Before she figures it out herself.”
He stared at the floor.
“She deserves to hear it from me.”
Rae nodded.
“Yes.”
Elijah looked at Del.
Then Trey looked at Rae.
Something had shifted.
The attacks were no longer the only mystery.
Three women who believed they were human were beginning to awaken.
And the three Carter brothers were beginning to realize—
their mates had secrets even they didn’t understand.
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