Alpha's Secret Male Mate...

"What the hell?!" Jeremy says the moment he enters into Fenris's room, as he stops dead in the doorway.

Fenris doesn't even look up. He's halfway through pulling off his shirt, muscles tense, his movements quick and unbothered.

A clean set of clothes is already laid out on the bed. He barely glances at Jeremy as he moves, completely focused on changing.

"How do people respond to 'What the hell?'" he asks flatly, his tone not matching the urgency Jeremy is carrying.

His hands work methodically, tugging on a dark shirt as he continues dressing like he hasn't just dropped a bomb on the council minutes ago. "We're leaving. Get ready," he adds with finality.

Jeremy frowns, still standing in the same spot, blinking as he tries to catch up. "Leaving to where?" he asks, his confusion growing.

"I never said anything like what Callum was spewing in that room," he says. "All I told him was that he can take the position he's been hungry for all this time. I never told him I was a failure. But he went ahead and twisted it, stood up in front of everyone pretending he wasn't humiliating me. He tried to make it sound noble, but that was the whole point, he wanted to paint me as weak, incapable." His voice rises slightly, his irritation finally blending through. "And that..." he grabs his black leather jacket, throwing it over his shoulder as he moves toward the door, "...that just changed my mind."

Jeremy is still processing everything as he watches Fenris head out. "But did you have to promise them something like that!?"

"There's no way I'm going to give Callum that chance," Fenris growls. "And by the way... this isn't just about putting him in his place, but more about the pack. I know what's best for them, and it's not him. So we're going to find that brat, not because I want him around, but because I want him to give me what I need. After that, he can disappear for all I care."

He flings the door open, already stepping into the hallway by the time he finishes speaking.

Jeremy follows. "Fenris, you're not thinking straight, I can tell that." he says, his voice echoing off the walls as he hurries to catch up. "We have no idea where he is, and yet… you went and made a public promise that by ten o'clock, you'll be confirming your mate bond? Are you even hearing yourself right now?"

They move quickly through the corridor, Jeremy's voice drops lower. "Do you have any idea what's going to happen if you don't follow through? No, clearly you don't. Because if you did, you wouldn't have dared to make a promise like that in front of everyone. They'll call you a liar. No one will ever trust a word you say again. They'll think you so badly don't want your brother to lead maybe because you are jealous, which is not even true!"

Fenris doesn't slow down. His eyes are fixed ahead, his voice firm. "That's why we're going to find him by then," he replies.

Jeremy blinks in disbelief, hurrying beside him. "And then what after that? You said yourself that that person is a guy. You also said you were never going to mate him. And on top of that, I clearly remember you said he's human." His voice tightens with worry. "So explain to me Fenris, how is this supposed to work out like you just promised those people?"

"Okay, will you just stop," Fenris snaps, jaw tight. "I don't know how it's going to work. I don't have all the answers right now, but I know what I want to do right now, and that's find him. I'm not letting Callum walk away from this thinking it's some game he just won." He glances at Jeremy for once, "And for the record, I haven't mentioned now that I've changed my mind that I'm going to mate him."

Jeremy exhales shaking his head. "Fenris, you do get that confirming a mate bond requires both mates to be able to shift into wolf form under some conditions, right? That's the whole point of the sire's ritual. You said it yourself that he's human, so how is he going to shift then?"

"Stop with the questions," Fenris repeats, his voice quieter now but no less firm. "Let's just find him. I can't think about everything else right now. Okay, maybe if I can just get my strength and instincts back, that would be enough for now."

They reach the car parked outside, and Fenris unlocks it swiftly. The moment they're inside, he turns the key and the engine roars to life.

Jeremy falls silent as Fenris drives, the car speeding through the early morning streets. The silence between them stretches.

Jeremy stares out the window, lost in thought, while Fenris grips the wheel tightly, his knuckles flexing as he adjusts his grip every few minutes.

His face stays focused, his expression unreadable, eyes fixed ahead like he's chasing something he can't quite see.

Eventually, Jeremy breaks the silence.

"So how are we going to find him?"

Fenris doesn't take his eyes off the road. "He must've sold that trophy," he says finally. "And if he did, it would be to some secondhand shop. That's where we start. We will get a few details from there. And.. I still remember a little of his scent, even with my dulled senses."

Jeremy glances at him, skeptical. "You remember his scent?"

"It was faint, but it was there," Fenris says, his voice quiet. "Vanilla… raspberry… maybe sandalwood. He was wearing some kind of perfume, but underneath that, his real scent got to me."

Jeremy hums under his breath. "And what if he didn't sell it right away?"

"He seems desperate for money, so why would he keep it?" Fenris says quickly. "He'd sell it anywhere and for any amount. He probably doesn't even know how valuable it really is. And besides, I could tell how reckless he is. I bet he wouldn't remember to cover his tracks... he wouldn't think about getting caught until he's actually caught."

Jeremy doesn't respond right away, then lets out another sigh. "You sound really confident in your instincts so I guess I'll just have to trust in them too."

Fenris doesn't glance at him as he says, "Did you forget I have no instincts?"

"Right," Jeremy mutters, falling quiet again.

The city begins to spread out in front of them, buildings rising higher as the car speeds down the highway.

They both sit in silence, each lost in separate yet related thoughts, the sound of tires on asphalt filling the space between them as they head deeper into the city.